Marydean Draws

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November 16, 2023 Uncategorized

Doing Good in the Neighborhood: Caring for Widows

It’s my very first reader spotlight in a new series I’m calling “Doing Good in the Neighborhood.” You can submit your own project HERE and let me know about the doing good you’re a part of, in the name of Jesus, in your own community. The work doesn’t have to be big or fancy, and it doesn’t have to fit in a traditional ministry category (but it could). I want to highlight the good and creative things people are doing in the name of Jesus to better their communities!

Today, I’m so happy to introduce you to my reader friend AnneMarie and her husband Charles. They help 11 widows in their neighborhood and community, including AnneMarie’s 89-year-old mother. They visit with the widows, send notes, make calls, take them out for their birthdays, and help with small handyman projects around the house. These widows know that AnneMarie and Charles care for them and can count on them. Most of the widows have families, so the work AnneMarie and Charles do is an extension of the care their families are able to offer.

AnneMarie’s husband has always had an affinity for widows, starting when he became a Mason in the 80s. They have been married for over 20 years and caring for widows just became a part of their lives.

AnneMarie says, “We truly feel they enjoy our company and we are doing our part to ebb any loneliness they may feel. So many of our elderly are forgotten or uncared for (even by their family).”

AnneMarie and Charles are inspired by James 1:27 and feel it is one of their callings as a couple.

AnneMarie and Charles, I am so encouraged by your faith and faithfulness to people who have a special place in the heart of God. May God encourage and bless you the way you have blessed others. Thanks for sharing your story with us!

COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!

Previous Identifying Jesus’ Disciples, Doing Good in our Neighborhoods + a John 13:35 Printable Coloring Page
Next Doing Good in the Neighborhood: Equipping the church to Address Poverty with New Focus

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I’m Mary and I’m glad you’re here! Since 2014, I’ve been sharing encouraging words, fun Bible printables, and accessible art activities.

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If you look up artwork or movies featuring Mary Ma If you look up artwork or movies featuring Mary Magdalene, you’ll often find her depicted as a penitent woman or as sexualized, with her clothes literally falling off her body. It was Pope Gregory the Great who proposed that Mary Magdalene’s seven demons represented the seven deadly sins and that she was both a prostitute and the penitent sinner who anoints Jesus in Luke 7:36-50 (Jennifer Powell McNutt).

Later church historians assumed that Mary Magdalene’s great sins were to blame for her demon possession (McNutt). While the Western Church came to see Mary Magdalene as a prostitute and a great sinner, the Eastern Orthodox church honored her as the leader of the “myrrh-bearing women” (Taylor and Bond).

Read some research into the REAL Mary Magdalene story here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/jesus-speaks-to-women-chapter-16
In today's Friday newsletter: 🌸 Mother's Day Sa In today's Friday newsletter:
🌸 Mother's Day Sale! 20% off with the MOMLOVE on my website. Mother's day is Sunday, May 10 this year.
🌸 Part 1 of the Mary Magdalene study is up on Substack. Have you ever heard that she was a prostitute? Where did that come from? Is it Biblical? I was fascinated by how her story has been told through history, the origins of her name, what it means that she had been possessed by seven demons, and her place among Jesus’ disciples. 
🌸 The Holy Post podcast episode with Bri Stensrud, the director of Women of Welcome, “a community dedicated to diving into the whole of scripture to understand God’s heart for the immigrant and refugee.” 

Read the newsletter here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/marys-friday-newsletter-41726

Read the Mary Magdalene post here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/jesus-speaks-to-women-chapter-16

If you sign up for my newsletter, you can receive all my posts in your inbox. Sign up on my website at www.marydeandraws.com or find me on Substack. You don't need the Substack app to read my posts, but it's easy to use, and you can listen to any of the stories with the playback feature.
When I started writing the Jesus Speaks to Women B When I started writing the Jesus Speaks to Women Bible studies last year, I started collecting books on New Testament women. I really didn’t know where to start at first. I wasn’t familiar with the scholarship about women in the Bible, and I hadn’t even heard of any female theologians doing this work!

So you don’t have to start from scratch if you’re like I was, I’m going to share a list of books I’ve learned from in the last year. Some are more academic than others, but all have been helpful. 

See the list here or find me "Marydean Draws" on Substack:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/books-about-women-in-the-new-testament
In today's Friday newsletter: 🌸 things I learne In today's Friday newsletter:
🌸 things I learned from my pastor dad (in honor of his birthday)
🌸 upcoming bird collage workshop at Friendly City Clay and Art Center
🌸 using oil pastels + a recommended set from Blick
🌸 book about women in the New Testament 
🌸 preparing to write about Mary Magdalene and the resurrection stories

Read it all here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/marys-friday-newsletter-41026

The post about books about New Testament women:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/books-about-women-in-the-new-testament

If you sign up for my newsletter, you can receive all my posts in your inbox. Sign up on my website at www.marydeandraws.com or find me on Substack. You don't need the Substack app to read my posts, but it's easy to use, and you can listen to any of the stories with the playback feature.
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