Titus 2 Men And Women

Tale Of 2 Old Friends
Part I
by Sharon Merhalski

I was an infant Christian in a complex time of adjustment: a new extended family, a new church, and a son who had never slept all night soon took a toll on me. A woman, not much older than I, took notice and reached out in compassion.

Teddi had been raised in California and married a man in the church with five sons…I think about a year before we arrived in Wisconsin. Being California raised gave us an instant common ground, as did our love for crafting, sewing, cooking, and above all for serving God. I watched her, listened to her every word, and began desiring to know God the way that she did…with an assured matter- of- factness. I had only been growing in the Lord about a year and a half at that time so Teddi was truly a Titus 2 woman to me. She had been raised in a Christian home and had years of growth in the Lord.

Four months into our friendship Teddi came to pay a visit to my home. She had seen the dark circles under my eyes on Sunday and had heard my words of frustration about my borderline hyperactive son who just did not like to sleep! Teddi reached out to "teach the younger woman" and asked me if I had ever heard of the Feingold Diet? She could tell by the look on my face that I hadn't. Two days after I took her advice and removed all dyes from my son's diet Joe slept all night and I felt like I owed her my life!!!

Years of serving the Lord together in the local church gave our families a strong bond. I kept watching Teddi to learn from her and sought her advice and counsel often. Many hard times in both of our families and in our church truly made the following true: Pro 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Our hearts were truly knit.

I am not sure of the date of this 'revelation' of sorts, but I can tell you where we were, who was around and what we were doing, when Teddi taught me about a little black box that we should never put God into. I was fixed on her every word as if everything around me was in slow motion. I know now that God wanted the truth of her words to be forever branded on my heart. We moved to the East Coast shortly thereafter.

Years passed, we moved back to Wisconsin, and we served God in the same church again for several years before both of our families moved away from that area. Her teaching of the little black box never left my heart and God used it to keep me growing in Him and never doubting His limitlessness. I thought of Teddi over the ensuing years but, sadly, in complicated and busy lives we lost touch with each other.

In 2001 this web site was born during a medically difficult time for my family. When Denise and I put our foot to the water in faith…God opened wide the doors and we fast took a jogging pace with this ministry. In a short span of time we realized that we needed other writers to help us. It was then when my son received an e-mail from Teddi. I wrote her a note…exceedingly glad to find her again! I asked her to 'catch up' with my life by reading the web site, and to tell me about her previous years with her family. She read the web site and quickly answered.

Three or four notes later I asked Teddi if she would write an article about the little black box-the truth that God had so used in my life to minister to me in deep valleys and on high mountaintops. She did so. I then asked her if she would write a testimony. This is when I learned that abuse had been in both of our yesterdays…though we had never spoken of it. An even stronger bond of friendship was re-kindled.

This web ministry went from a jogging pace to a running one. I prayed and God let me absolutely know that Teddi was to come on board with us. Early one morning I typed her a note and in the subject line I put, "HELP!" I they typed a begging letter-kind of like Paul sent to his friend Timothy--
2Ti 4:9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
Her response was funny and precious-and brought tears. Teddi had been on her knees praying the prayer of Jabez-asking God to enlarge her coasts-her ministry. She told me that when she got up and turned her computer on she read the word, HELP! And knew there was no way that she could say, "No."

Teddi Neevel is a godly woman and marvelous teacher of women. She told me that she never, ever, thought about writing. But God…has enabled her to excellently write her heart for women. Our friendship, born thirty years ago, has flourished and deepened. We now sit together bearing and sharing our burden for women, and this web ministry, for the glory of our God and Saviour! Recently, when God opened the door for us to start planning the first women's conference for Titus 2 Women, we shared a time of reflection-back to a day thirty years ago when she told me about food dyes, and memories of years serving God together in the local church. But God…the God Teddi knew and taught me and others was limitless, has ordered our steps to walk-and now talk, in the same path once more.

Guard your friendships with much prayer…God may choose to use them someday!

Click here to view Part II of Tale Of 2 Old Friends.

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