Aside: I heard Jo Saxton speak at a conference in the fall of 2016, and I knew that I wanted to read at least one book by her for my 2017 reading challenge. She was an incredible speaker, and a lot of what she said changed my life.

Finally - a book about Women's leadership that goes beyond talking about the "debated" scriptures and defaulting to an incorrect, guilt-ridden interpretation of Proverbs 31!

Saxton goes well beyond the initial leadership discussion - she dissects what 'ezer' actually means (spoiler: "helper" barely scratches the surface!) and its nuances for women in scripture. After a quick "why women in leadership is okay" discussion (which is worth reading even if you know the arguments - her explanations have a lot of depth) she discusses the roles of various women in the bible in their contexts, and how their leadership roles shaped them and their communities. These examinations are interwoven with important facets of leadership using both examples from the bible and stories from women in Christian and secular leadership. One of my favourite chapters was her discussion of the all too common struggles that women in leadership face...I feel so much less alone! She also has a significant portion of her book dedicated to ministry and leadership both as single, married, and with children, how these will look different, (but that none are lesser/more!) and how ALL of these roles are important, which I appreciated.

Saxton's writing is strong, clear, and just what we need in churches today. I can't wait to read more by her.

Even though there's so much pain on this issue (which she beautifully acknowledges), Saxton gives me hope that this pain can be healed someday.

This book was a big game changer for me. I have a lot of people I'd love to recommend this to!