Quotes from Carolyn Custis James

God deploys his daughters--all of us--to be ezer-warriors for his kingdom all the days of our lives.

Formal religion only takes us so far — for it is both safe and doable. Love, however, knows no limits, takes costly risks, and looks for ways to give more.

God gave us minds and he means for us to use them. We need to know God better, so we won't be trying to trust a stranger when the lights go out and we're in a spiritual free-fall.

Jesus' definition of submission isn't about giving in to the whims and wishes of others. It is rather about giving out from the completeness we have in him and our passion for his kingdom. The submission Jesus models is gospel centered, for he was aligning himself with God's purposes and pouring himself out to rescue a lost humanity (Philippians 2:3-9). Submission for us follows that same trajectory of putting the interests of others ahead of ourselves...

Why is it that no matter how many strong, heroic ezer stories we find in our Bibles...we are never called to this kind of bold proactive living?

God's idea of a partnership places enormous responsibility on his image bearers and also means he wants us to participate in what he is doing here on earth and intends for us to do so, not as isolated individuals, but together.

Eve was created to know and walk with God and to make him known to others by reflecting his character in her life. This is a woman's true path to fulfillment and meaning — the only way we will ever discover who we are and find our purpose. And it is accessible to all of us.

Ruth's story helped me see that neither I nor any of God's daughters belong on the sidelines, while our brothers build his kingdom without us. He means for us to work alongside our brothers, and he is doing great things through his daughters, even though we, like Ruth and Naomi, may never live to see the full significance of our contributions.

Jesus didn't come to give us a kinder, gentler patriarchy or a new-and-improved version of any other social system known to humankind. In his own words, he came to bring a "kingdom that is not of this world" (John 18:36, emphasis added)—the kingdom we lost in the fall, a kingdom that is utterly foreign to us.

The ezer is a warrior, and this has far-reaching implications for women, not only in marriage, but in every relationship, season, and walk of life.

Believers--male and female--form a body. Not just any body, but the body of Christ.

Their combined efforts mean kingdom work is multiplied. Far from being shamed in the city gates, her husband is regarded with greater esteem because he has such a wife. And he is first to sing her praises.