LONE JACK—Kathi Woodall studied concordances and materials to write a Bible study. Most of her investigations, however, were more hands on.
“My life has been research,” said Woodall, a wife of 15 years, mother to four, volunteer missionary and Bible study leader.
“Seven Roles, One Woman” is the study she wrote based on Proverbs 31. Woodall was inspired while she and the pastor’s wife at Lone Jack Baptist Church taught a study through Bible passages that focused on women. She noticed seven distinct roles emerging – princess as the daughter of the King, wife, mother, servant, teacher, businesswoman and homemaker.
“Through Bible study and experience when you look around, it just fits that way,” Woodall said. “This is the reality of what we’re doing put on paper.”
The study is written in a five-week format, with five days of study for each week. It’s designed for ladies to study each day on their own, then gather once a week for discussion. Humor is woven throughout the study, with chapter headings such as “Are You Saying I Am as Fat as a Ship?” and “I Don’t Even Know What A Distaff Is.”
The Proverbs 31 passage is a familiar one to Christian women. Woodall acknowledged that growing up in church and Christian school, she thought she’d heard enough about the famed Proverbs 31woman.
“But God never lets us down. His word is always new and always fresh,” she said. “Sometimes it’s best to go back and visit passages that seem like cliches. We may think we know what they mean, but God may have a deeper or new lesson.”
The most surprising thing Woodall found in preparing the study was the Proverbs 31 woman’s strength. The Hebrew word for a virtuous or noble woman is usually translated as valor.
“A Christian woman is called to be a strong woman,” Woodall said. “There’s a mindset that can take that to an unhealthy place, but God’s design is we’re not supposed to be weak, we’re supposed to be thinking, working and having a purpose in what we’re doing.”
One Woman, Seven Roles focuses on the call to have balance and avoid extremes, in often practical terms, such as a look at when it’s best to cut costs and when it’s the wise choice to spend more to save time and money in the long run.
The study has been taught at several churches, including some in distant places. The book is available on Amazon. Woodall is now writing a study, “Well What Do You Know,” that explores 12 areas in which Christians are called to know something. She’s also developing a speaking ministry for women’s groups and has more information on her web site at www.growbarefoot.com.
Woodall and her husband, Jimmy, are members of Lone Jack Baptist Church.
SUSAN MIRES/contributing writer