Women Worth Knowing

Madame Guyon (1647-1717): Today Jasmine is joined by one of our favorite friends of the podcast, Kathy Gilbert! They are excited to share with you a woman they both love--the French mystic, Madame Jeanne Guyon! Born into an affluent Catholic family during the decadent reign of the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, Jeanne faced many struggles in her early years as she attempted not only to resist the materialism and decadence of her culture, but to prove her devotion to God through as many extreme practices as possible. It wasn’t until after she was forced into a miserable arranged marriage that the Lord drew Jeanne into a genuine relationship with Himself. Her transformation would influence an entire nation!

• Madame Jeanne Guyon: Child of Another World by Dorothy Gawne Coslet
• Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Madame Guyon
• Experiencing God through Prayer by Madame Guyon
• A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon

Madame Guyon (1647-1717): Jasmine and Kathy are back for the second part of the remarkable story of Madame Guyon! Utterly transformed by the Word of God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, this dynamic, spiritually sensitive woman began to travel around France simply sharing and writing about what God had shown her. In the process, she sparked a revival that spread throughout the nation and across Europe. Although loyal to the Catholic faith, Madame Guyon’s message of justification by faith made her sound like a Protestant Reformer, for which she faced harsh interrogation and imprisonment. This is a truly amazing story of a godly, uncompromising woman worth knowing!

• Madame Jeanne Guyon: Child of Another World by Dorothy Gawne Coslet
• Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Madame Guyon
• Experiencing God through Prayer by Madame Guyon
• A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon

Katie Luther (1499-1552): Most Christians know of Martin Luther, the great Father of the Protestant Reformation. But not many know about his wife Katie, the “Morning Star of Wittenberg” who served faithfully by his side as the Mother of the Reformation! Today, we look at Katie’s early life, including the unique and even humorous way in which the Lord brought her and Martin together! You won’t want to miss the story of how this runaway nun and former monk became the unlikely model of Protestant marriage!

• 25 Surprising Marriages by William J. Petersen
• Katharina von Bora: A Reformation Life by Rudolf & Marilynn Markwald

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) & Julian of Norwich (1342-1416): Perhaps some of the more well-known women of the Middle Ages were those we now classify as “mystics,” those who pursued deeper spiritual union with Jesus primarily through prayer and meditation. Some mystics--like Joan of Arc--may seem eccentric and bizarre, but many others--like Julian of Norwich--simply sought closer communion with the Lord, and played an important role in spiritually reviving a corrupt and dying medieval church! When we understand the context in which these women lived, it helps us appreciate the fact that the mystics are definitely worth knowing!

• Great Women of Faith by Nancy A. Hardesty
• Women of Devotion through the Centuries by Cheryl Forbes

Robin has a personal affection for our unforgettable Woman Worth Knowing this week. During the decade that Robin lived on Maui, she saw the name “Ka’ahumanu” on a church, a shopping mall, and street signs. She began researching this extraordinary woman and found conflicting opinions over this powerful woman’s influence in the Hawaiian Islands. She lived during a period of vast change. Known as “the favorite” wife of King Kamehameha the Great, Ka’ahumanu held the role of “Kuhina Nui” or Queen. After his death, she ruled supreme during the reign of two of Kamehameha’s sons. The first company of New England Protestant missionaries arrived 11 months after her husband died, and by and by Ka’ahumanu put her faith in Christ alone. She was born in a cave before the arrival of Western contact, when human sacrifice was still practiced. Right before she died in 1832, she was handed the very first copy of the Hawaiian New Testament. As a result of many of her significant decisions, revival spread through the islands.

• Ka’ahumanu: Molder of Change, by Jane L. Silverman, Friends of Judiciary History Center of Hawai’i, Honolulu, 1987
• The Magnificent Matriarch: Ka’ahumanu, Queen of Hawai’i, by Kathleen Dickenson Mellen, Hastings House Publishers, New York, 1952

Online Sources

• "KA’AHUMANU" (https://paradiseofthepacific.wordpress.com/tag/kaahumanu/)
• "Kaahumanu (1777–1832)" (https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kaahumanu-1777-1832)
• "Kaʻahumanu and the Missionaries" (https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/ka%CA%BBahumanu-and-the-missionaries/)
• "The Woman Who Changed A Kingdom" (http://www.coffeetimes.com/july98.htm)