I was introduced to Angela Gifford by a dear friend, author, and encourager, Kim Erickson.
We had both been selected to preview her new Bible study “His Last Words” that was recently released by Moody Publishers. (It is an AMAZING study! Check it out here. Also, see Angela’s blog for her book review post.)
After speaking with Angela, she gave me insight and encouragement as I pushed forward into Women’s Ministry. I was experiencing ministry burnout laced with a tinge of hopelessness. Her kind and wise words spoke life back into my bones and I hung up the phone with a newness of spirit.
I know that her kindness, wisdom, and encouragement will revive something with in you too!
Meet Angela:
After serving in several church staff roles from youth to administration to women’s ministry, I am currently pursuing my Bachelors in Theology and Cultural Engagement from Moody Bible Institute while serving part time at our church’s residential recovery ministry for men and women coming out of incarceration.
I began blogging when blogging began in the early 2000’s, building platforms to minister to moms with young children. In 2011, I published my hard-learned lessons of building a relationship with Jesus with small children hanging onto my legs in a book called, “Never Go Hungry Again.” It’s a book for moms desperate for more of Jesus when it feels there is no time for Jesus.
Shortly after, I paused my writing to invest in face to face ministry, pioneering a new kind of mom’s ministry that balanced quality teaching from the stage with regional community and opened the doors for scores of women to practice their teaching gifts in the church. I am passionate about the American church applying better hermeneutics to passages about women’s roles and unleashing women in ministry, as co-heirs of the promise (Gal. 3:28).
The reason I am working on my current degree is because I see how tradition in the American church has trumped solid, global theology and the understanding of culture and cultural passages. My heart is to understand the trends of our culture and speak loving truth to them from the timeless theological truths of Scripture. I am deeply committed to calling the American church to re-evaluate how it is coming to the conclusions it has come to, to see how God has always effectively entered current culture, and to think carefully about whether culture offends it because it is unbiblical or because it is stepping on preferences.
When I am not lost in my books and deep thoughts, I thoroughly enjoy camping with my family in the beautiful woods of our North Idaho home and taking our kayaks out in the cool of the evening. My husband Bill and I have been married 21 years, and have four sons. Our oldest is married, and we have three teenagers still at home, emptying our refrigerator and keeping us up all hours of the night. I love doing life with them, having deep talks about hard issues they face daily in public school, and learning about what interests them. We have definitely begun to realize that the days are long, but the years are short.
I highly value community, and our small group is like family to us. I’m also into good coffee, shabbying up old furniture, cop shows, quiet time, and reading, reading, reading. I’m super excited to journey with you here at All Her Paths and see where God leads us together.
Love,
Angela
