Authority, and Giving Thanks

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am having at least one developmentally disabled lady over for Thanksgiving, and maybe two. Then, I'm taking a Butler University international student and going to visit a friend. This international student has obviously been seeking the Lord already. She says she doesn't "have a religion right now, but...might change." I can see that I have been uniquely chosen by the Lord for this relationship and am looking forward to how He will use me. Praise His Name! I was also surprised to get a call from a Missourian friend of mine and to learn that she and her husband are in town today on personal business and want to have lunch with me before they leave tonight to spend Thanksgiving with their daughter and son-in-law in Wisconsin. I'm thankful for this visit. Further, Vocational Rehab has decided to reopen my case without waiting for the appeal process. Another reason to give thanks. I'm also thankful for the elder who has brought his authority to bear in my life. In spiritual matters, and in the home, a man's authority is qualitatively different from a woman's. When I served as a missionary in Kenya, the Lord appointed an African elder to be in authority over me. I immediately recognized that the Lord was going to bless me. And He did, more than I could ever have imagined or dreamed. When I returned to the US to stay, the Lord put it on the hearts of two elders in my home church to help me readjust as I struggled with reverse culture shock. I am glad they did. After a few year, believing the Lord was leading, I left that church and joined a denomination that ordains women. I did not realize that I was leaving a protective umbrella of authority and entering a leadership vacuum. Soon I began to experience many kinds of trouble: unrelenting and exhausting abuse by neighbors, emotional and verbal abuse by pastors (not to mention church politics), debilitating health problems, and financial ruin. Last year, the Lord directed me to leave that church and join a church that has a strong authority structure. I immediately began seeking elder leadership. Finally, very recently, an elder recognized a huge need in my life and brought his authority to bear upon me. Already I am beginning to experience hope and see positive change in my life. However, it may take a long time for me to recover from all the devastation. A godly man's authority confers protection on a woman, contrary to what evangelical feminists teach and believe. I had to learn the hard way.