Imagine your job was keeper of the Temple in ancient Israel. Every morning you wake before dawn to enter the temple courts with your broom and mop. Throughout the day you are occupied with dusting, arranging, cleaning, oiling hinges, and polishing wood.

Temple maintenance is a noble commitment especially if you're doing it out of love for God. But what if you say to yourself as you sweep and polish, "I don't need to worship in this temple. I'll just spend time patching cracks in the plaster or sweeping along the baseboards? I want this temple to be the best looking temple there is!" So as God's people worship, you're back in the storeroom on your knees retouching the paint behind the door.

Is God pleased?

Might He say to you, "I am pleased you honor my temple, but the purpose of my temple is to worship Me. You have turned your back on what really matters to busy yourself with smaller matters."

Now, leave your imaginary temple job and consider the words of Paul.

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?... Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19, NASB)

You do have a temple maintenance job! Your body is His temple and it is good stewardship to attend to your temple, to maintain it and keep it in good working order. But the purpose of attending to your temple is not so you will bring honor to the temple, it is to bring honor to the One who dwells in your temple.

Self awareness is appropriate, as it directs us to good stewardship and management of our personal temple. But, the temple itself isn't the object of worship; it is the One housed in that temple who deserves our devotion and attention.

Stick with me for a moment while I take this thought just a step further.

Paul told the Thessalonians there would come a day when the "man of lawlessness" or the "anti-Christ" would set himself up to receive the attention and worship that only Jesus deserves. Paul describes the enemy of Christ as he "who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4, NASB).

Though it's a radical picture, it reminds me of what I do in my own temple from time to time.

I set up my own throne, built brick by brick with the glue and mortar of self-centeredness and self- consciousness. Sometimes we can get so busy and unaware that the pursuits of the temple overshadow the purpose of the temple. May it never be. May you and I keep a healthy balance in our temples. May we maintain, steward and care for them; but may we never let anyone but God sit upon the throne in our temple.

My friend, you are a temple, the place where almighty God chooses to make His dwelling.

Does He wear you well?

Blessings and Joy,
Jennifer Rothschild
Author of Self Talk, Soul Talk: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, and Founder of WomensMinistry.NET

This week's question.
I've had so much pain in my life, and I can't seem to move on. How can I stop the past from ruining my future?

View Jennifer's Video Answer

Last week's question.
My children are exposed to a lot of negativity at school, and it's adversely impacting them. How can I diminish the negative impact?

View Jennifer's video response: Control the Negative Forces

The best information we receive about the nuts and bolts of Women's Ministry is when we hear what you all are doing "in the trenches." Our weekly poll is your opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge with all of our subscribers!

Each week we ask a question, and share a link for you to post your answers. The following week we provide a link where you can see the results of the question, along with a new question. It takes just a minute, and your input is immediately added.

This week's question is:

Which of the following do you feel the greatest need for in your ministry right now?

Answer the question HERE.

Here are the results from recent polls.

Our most recent poll question focused on you, as a leader. Take a look and see how other leaders responded. Looks like we all share similar concerns.

Which of the following would you most like to improve in personally?

• Helping others share the vision for ministry 62%
• Understanding the needs of the women in my ministry 55%
• Knowing how to reach out to different generations 51%
• Finding capable leaders 43%
• Being able to motivate my team 36%
• Staying current with our culture 20%

We asked you about the ministries your church's women's ministry offers. You responded by letting us know that these are the top eight areas of service:

• Special Events - 89%
• Evening Bible Studies - 73%
• Prayer - 69%
• Daytime Bible Studies - 63%
• Community Outreach - 51%
• Missions - 47%
• Mentoring - 43%
• Sunday Bible Studies - 35%

Interesting Findings: Other areas of service included among these are ministry to aging women, single moms, middle school/high school/college young women, working women, women facing divorce, the poor and disadvantaged, Saturday Bible studies, women facing domestic violence, homeschooling moms, women dealing with infertility and women dealing with eating disorders.

Which of the following best describes your perspective on ministry?

• I consider myself to be a professional ministry leader - 11%
• I simply desire to fulfill God's calling on my life - 74%
• I have a passion to reach women and want to do my part - 65%
• It's difficult to minister in my situation, but I'm doing the best I can - 8%

Interesting Findings: The majority of women's ministry leaders have a calling to lead while the majority of women who serve on teams or teach have a passion to reach women. Also, women who are in paid women's ministry positions generally have positive ministry situations, while women who volunteer or are pastor's wives face some difficulties.

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Self Talk, Soul Talk Blog

ONE: Always start and stop on time!

TWO: Find ways to encourage everyone to share.

THREE: Pick a variety of book styles and subjects that appeal to a wide audience.

FOUR: Be prepared - have eight to ten questions ready to go in case the discussion slows.

FIVE: To help close the discussion time, ask each person to rate the book on a scale of 1-10.

Java with Jennifer is an informal monthly ministry update specifically for friends who want to keep up-to-date on what is happening with Jennifer Rothschild's ministry of writing, speaking, and singing.

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There are so many great books out there it can be hard to make selections for your book club. As always, we are here to help! I sat down to think about what books I would choose for a book club and came up with one fiction, one Christian living, and one "something to think about" book!

The Hawk and the Jewel by Lori Wick. I have to admit that I don't read a lot of fiction, and this book was a Christmas present from a neighbor. It was a delight to read! (Note to self: read more fiction.) This is the first book in the Kessington Chronicles series. It is a sweet, romantic story about a young woman's struggle to fit into a new life, and recognize her need for God. This would be a great book for a new group to start with.

The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus. I have to admit that this is one of my favorite authors. I don't always agree with him, but I am always challenged to examine my walk with the Lord. A good choice for any book club.

How We Got the Bible by Neil R. Lightfoot. My father and both my brother-in-laws are pastors and we always have great debates around the table about a variety of subjects. This book examines some basic questions about the Bible and then addresses some of the controversy over different translations. A great choice for book clubs that are looking for something to "chew" on.

Is there a book that your book club loved? Tell us about it!

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" ...got a call from a woman in Mississippi this morning who called in her order since her dial-up was slow. When I asked her if she saw the product at the EWomen Conference in October, she replied that she read about them in Jennifer Rothchilds' newsletter. She's introducing them to her church's bookstore and expressed such complimentary things about Driving Reflections...I'm so happy that I ran the ad!"
- Jane Brown, President, Get It In Your Soul, Inc.

Our popular WomensMinistry.NET Directory of Speaker, Authors, and other Gifted Communicators is where Women's Ministry leaders and event planners find great speakers for their events. Also, Silver and Gold Listings receive special pricing on eNewsletter Sponsor Ads.

From one tool to another, I thank you from the very depths of my heart for your wonderful article, "Tool Talk." It was amazing timing on God's part as I am sitting in a hotel room right this very minute. This weekend, I am one of two speakers at a conference in North Carolina. By the way, they found me through womensministry.net and flew me in from California. May God continue to use and bless your fabulous ministry! ~ Dori Drabek

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