Redefining Women's Roles and God's Calling with Marlena Hollis | #156

Discover the remarkable journey of Marlena Hollis on our latest episode of the Milk and Honey podcast. Marlena's inspiring story takes center stage as she shares how her stepfather's persistent invitations to church sparked a profound transformation, leading her and her husband to embrace Christianity wholeheartedly.

Marlena's deepening relationship with Jesus has fueled her passion for ministry, guiding her toward compassionate causes such as prison ministry and fighting human trafficking. Through her experiences, explore the empowering act of saying "yes" to God's call and stepping into the abundance He has uniquely prepared for each of us.

Join us as we navigate the complex landscape of women's ministry, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities faced by women in leadership roles. Marlena and I dive into the significance of personal spiritual experiences and the often-rigid theological interpretations that can hinder women's full potential. We address societal expectations and shifts within the church, including recent decisions by the Southern Baptist Convention regarding women's roles.

This episode is more than just a conversation; it's a heartfelt encouragement to embrace the joy and responsibility of sharing God's word and an invitation to connect with Marlena for future events. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain wisdom and inspiration for your own journey of leadership and divine purpose.

Connect with Marlena:
https://www.facebook.com/marlena.hollis
youtube.com/@Marlena_Hollis

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Enjoy the episode, everyone!

How can you be part of the movement to equip women?
1. Share the podcast!
2. Leave a 5-star review!

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to share this in your stories and tag me!  And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

CONNECT WITH LEMON:

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Transcript

Empowering Women to Fulfill Their Calling

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hey friend, welcome to Milk and Honey with Lemon. The Bible says in Numbers 14, 8, and if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. On this podcast, we talk about stepping into that overflow that God has for us by becoming those ultimate Proverbs 31 women. Hey, I'm Lemon. I am just like you, sister friend. I knew God had something more in store for me, but I couldn't see a way out of the laundry piles. And frankly, I resented that Proverbs 31 Woman. How was I gonna live up to the hype? That is until I found out how to really step into becoming this Proverbs 31 woman through leadership development. In this podcast, you're gonna find financial freedom, leadership growth, and motivation, so you'll be able to do all the things God has called you to do with ease and really step into that land of milk and honey. Welcome back to the Milk and Honey Podcast. I am so excited because I have my friend Marlena Hollis on here. She is a well-established leader in the Christian and cosmetology industry, which is great because every time I talk to her, I remember that I need to trim my split and dead ends. She has been doing this for over 20 years. She's been a public speaker, a preacher, she's a church planner, she's a pastor, she's a business owner. This is literally her jam. She has been serving people in the adult and teen challenge advisory board. She's been involved in addiction recovery. She serves in the state prison. Like literally, there's nothing that she doesn't do. Then she has her podcast, Marlena Teach Jesus, where she shares the platform with other leaders who are making a difference in the kingdom of God through ministry and marketplace influence. So thank you for being here, my friend. That was like such a short version of who you are, but you're like, you're incredible.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

I have to say that everything that I do, it all points to the one. And yeah, you did actually do a short list, but I think God just gives us gifts and talents. And when we just we purpose them for the kingdom, I think he just says, here, take more, because that's isn't that the parable of the talents? What you have, you just give back to him. So I'm grateful. I'm really blessed. Thank you for having me. I just love you.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Oh my gosh, I just love you. And I love that parable. It's one of my favorite parables, I think, of all time about this increase and yeah, giving back to the Lord and using the things he's given us to expand the kingdom. So I thank you. That's literally one of my favorite parables. This is why we're friends. We're meant to be, I think. I think you're right about that. Yes. Okay. So I know I gave like a quick synopsis of your background, but can you go a little bit more into your story?

SPEAKER_00 2:53

And was this always your calling? I started out just really with my Christian journey. I started out as an 18-year-old thinking that I knew everything, but absolutely that was just it. I was thinking that I knew everything. I had a lot of eye involved in my life. And so my husband and I, we were dating. We were thinking, man, we've got to get married and we were living together. We were not raised Christian. We didn't know this Christian E's language. And God just said, Here we are. Let's get you guys together and get you in church. And he made a way. And through that way was my stepdad who came into our lives. And I just could not stand him initially, but I couldn't help but to listen to him. He was so filled with love. He just kept being so persistent to invite us to church. And I gave him a really hard way to go. I am a redhead, and with that comes a lot of spice and fire. And so I introduced myself to him really well when stepdad came in through being the redheaded stepchild. And he kept inviting us. I said yes, got curious. My family kept all hitting the church and coming back saved, and they were talking this Christian language. They were filled with this joy. And it was something I lacked. Truthfully, it was the joy and the peace of God that I lacked that I kept seeing in them that drove me to say, Let me try. Let me try this out. So my husband and I went. We were not married at the time. And we just said yes to Jesus. And when I went in, I went all in. I was not backing up. It was go forward. And since then, it's been just a really wild roller coaster ride of God's great goodness. It's just working out salvation within me.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

I love this because God is so good. I love that He will strategically place people in your life to bring you to where it is that you're supposed to go. And so, how did you end up doing all of the ministry things that you're doing now? Was this a prison ministry always important to you or human trafficking? Were all these things always important? Or is it as I expanded my skill set and got to know the Lord more, he expanded my passion?

SPEAKER_00 5:15

When I started out the Christian journey, I had so much that needed to be worked at. I just started focusing on Jesus. I just started getting in the word, learning, growing. I was hungry for more knowledge of who he was. I was hungry for just being in his presence. And I developed such a deep personal love and relationship with Jesus that I just kept saying yes. I didn't have this, oh, I love to get on the bandwagon and do this. Like I wasn't that person. I just began to fall in love with Jesus. And the more I fell in love with him, the more his heart was a part of my heart. The more I was being conformed into his image and into that heart of compassion. And he started just stirring me for things that I never would have been stirred about before at all. It wasn't like when I was a kid or a teenager, I had these dreams of one day preaching the gospel or going in and speaking to prisoners. None of these things were my passion. I had no ideas of it. But whenever I surrendered and I submitted my life to Christ, all of a sudden it was just exciting. He would just say, Hey, what about this opportunity, Marlena? And he gives us a choice. And I just said yes. I always tell people that I mentor and I coach, I say, if you will say a quick yes, God loves a cheerful giver. And we think about it in terms of finances, but he loves a cheerful giver of all the things that he's given you to steward. And the number one thing is a 24-hour day. And when you say a quick yes, that is a cheerful giver of your time. And so I just did that. And I kept saying yes, even if I was afraid. And I would just do it afraid, not thinking, do I have the skill set? I just knew that I had him.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

I love that. And there's a lot of directions. I think a lot of times when I talk to women too, it's I don't have this skill set. So therefore I can't serve in this capacity, or there's no way this could be my calling because I lack this. There's a million reasons why they feel like they can't do it. And I think discernment is like a big part of this. And then your relationship with the father, right? Like those things are huge when it comes to figuring out what your calling is in ministry. When you're mentoring people, what are some of the biggest challenges you've seen women go through or misconceptions they've had about their calling or what a calling even is? What have you seen, my friend?

SPEAKER_00 7:46

One thing that's coming to my mind right now, and I hear a lot of, and it's really been stirring in my heart to speak on, is the lack of knowing the word or understanding the word. It becomes something that becomes a bondage to them. And they say, Oh, I don't know the word enough. I can't quote it where the book is and what verse it is. I'm not going to be ever the preacher. And I do believe this is God's intention. I always say I'm not great with numbers. So to remember like the address, as you may call it, in the Bible, to be able to say, okay, I want you to go to 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7, that's because that's been my key scripture for years that I can tell you what that one is. But I don't know the entire Bible from front cover to the back like that. And I preach everywhere and speak all different places. But it causes people to say, I can't, because they think they don't know. But what they don't know is that they know more than they realize that they do. If you've been in this a minute and you have been listening to the word, you listen to worship music, you've got a lifestyle that is led by the spirit and you're staying fulfilled in the word. Listen to it. It gets deep down, it's seed. So it gets in there and it's not going anywhere once it's been planted more than you think. But I think that is a lot of it. It's that lack of knowledge. But there's ways that you can help people to get to know the word as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Oh, I love that. Okay. So then what would you say to somebody who's listening and they're like, yeah, that's me. I feel like I'm struggling. Like I can't, I don't know the word as well, or I don't know it in context. I hear that a ton because I went to school for apologetics and theology. And so I have heard from so many women that they're like, I don't understand context. I don't know how to they're cool, but not cool hanging out in cherry picking land or something like that. So, like, how do you how would you help them if they're like, this is where I'm at and I'm stuck here?

SPEAKER_00 9:54

This is probably opposite of anything that you've heard, because I'm like you, I've been in Bible college, I'm currently in Bible college still. But if you get to know the author personally, ask Holy Spirit. He brings revelation knowledge because he is the light, the illuminator of all things related to that word. Everything that you have need of, the word says has been placed inside you. You have been equipped. That means that you have the ability to look at the word and understand it. But see, that begins with you believing that. I think if they don't believe that, if they don't think that they can, then I promise you they can't. I have three beautiful daughters. I never allowed them to say out of their mouth, I can't. Because that was a profession of their faith. We think faith is faith in God, but faith is reliance upon now filling the blank. So when you rely upon what this word says and you count it as full gospel truth for you, then all of a sudden that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That was the first scripture I taught my girls. And I wanted them to know that because once that was ingrained in them when they went to school and they sat in the classroom and they're taking a test and their nerves are trying to get the best of them, they can quote that scripture and they know that they can because he is with them. And he's a teacher, he's a counselor, he's a trainer because Holy Spirit, that's what he is for us. So he's an illuminator of that word. And so he will teach you and he will send you to the right places to get knowledge. He'll send you to the right book, he'll send you to the right mentor, to the right coach, because he's an illuminator of your path. He's an illuminator and a light to guide you.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Okay, I love this conversation because I and listen, I always feel bad every time I ask one of these like big C church questions. Cause I'm like, let me ask you your opinion on this. And I just, if you guys are listening, I never prepare anybody for this. Like I said, God's gonna do what he's gonna do. But listening to you, I know there's a ton of people actually who won't follow like Joanna Gaines because she said she got the vision from God to start her business. And they're like, God doesn't reveal anything to anybody anymore. Which I the face that like just made. But I hear it all the time. It's part of the reason. If you guys are part of the apologetics community, I'm so sorry and I love you, but they're really judgmental on that fact, and it's why I'm not a part of it anymore because it was really stifling for me personally. But they're like, God can't reveal anything to you, it's anti-biblical, all those things. So, what do you say to somebody who says God can't tell me anything anymore?

Challenges and Opportunities in Women's Ministry

SPEAKER_00 12:48

I would say that you can't trump my personal relationship with Jesus, because no one can tell me what deep down I know personally. Whenever you spend time in the secret place with the Lord, whenever you follow the commandment of Jesus that said, when you go to your secret place and you pray, and your father who hears in secret will show openly, that is vision. That is completely vision. Holy Spirit is alive and well inside of each and every believer. But and when you develop that relationship with the Holy Spirit, because I speak a lot about him because it's taboo, because everybody wants to call Holy Spirit something just oh, you know, and and they want to put a the. And if you notice, I don't say the that happened because it became personal. When you know the Holy Spirit personally, the theology, the pharisitical thoughts, and the Sadducee language have no place in me because I have personal revelation, I have personal relationship, and you just can't move me with that. You can't move me now.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

I love that. Yes, that is 100% what I think it is. It is this Pharisee spirit, right? It's super legalistic, it is super, it's a little it's stifling to me personally. And so I love this conversation. So I like want to keep I want to keep us on track because I this is what I always do. I'm like, oh, this God told me to ask you this big C church question. For women specifically, when they're like, I am struggling with serving in ministry or being in ministry. Do you feel like there's challenges unique to women as opposed to say like your husband serving in ministry? And if so, like how do you deal with those?

SPEAKER_00 14:43

I absolutely do. I believe that it is definitely difficult for women in ministry. I've experienced things that I could and will write an entire book about, not because I want to expose anyone and their behavior and their even slander towards me. It's not because of that. It's from a different perspective because I have a perspective of that. I believe that God called me a woman, but I believe that he called us all to go into the world and preach the gospel. I just happen to be in this beautiful women's suit. This is my package. We have a treasure in earthen vessel, and my earthen vessel is painted differently than my husband's. It's created differently than my husband's. But the same treasure is within us. Human nature is to look on the outside and to look at the word through that perspective as well. And I do believe there's challenges, but I also think that we can't, as women, allow those challenges to define us. They can't be allowed in our life. Notice I say allowed, I can't make it possible that would hold me hostage and keep me in a place. The first challenge that I had with women in ministry wasn't from someone on the outside. It was me because I had the challenge. I had these preconceived ideas from just teaching, not context out of the word, but people teaching a specific theology and direction in the word that I had bought that. I owned it now, and it became a part of my line of thinking. So that when God started stirring me to ministry, I was like, I must not be hearing from God at all. This has got to be an outside enemy because I can't possibly be called to preach or teach because I am a female. So Marlena had to get over it before I had bothered with anyone else having a problem with me. I've lost so many friends, but I gained refinement from the fire. I gained his viewpoint of people out of a compassion. I look at them because I think they're missing the treasure because they can't get past my vessel. And I become sorry because they're missing other people's, not just me. But they will miss other things because they can't get past the vessel. But I believe God created us uniquely on time for such a time as this. This is an Esther rise up moment for a lot of women, I'm seeing. And I'm just grateful to be a part of it. And I want to be a voice of the positive and not a voice of women in ministry, people are so mean to us. I want to be compassionate and just love them where they're at and understand that I once was there too.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Hmm. I love same. Okay, same. So I yeah, was I raised Christian? And then where I went, I found some version of the gospel. It was super high controlling, women had no place in it. That was my mentality. And I was very much, and this is how I ended up in the apologetics world, too, is I'm like, yes, women do not belong in ministry at all. And all of those things. And now I'm like, oh no, wait a minute. We're missing out on 50% of what God has to offer simply because we you what you said, we can't get past the vessel that he's using to do it. So again, here's like another big C church question because the church has really split as a whole on women in ministry. I know last year the Southern Baptist Convention kicked some churches out, elevation left because they didn't say it was specifically because Holly Furtick preaches, but the timing was real weird within a few days of them saying, Hey, you can't have women in any sort of leadership role at all in church, which is wild. Like they strip them of completely of leadership roles in the SBC. And no hate if you guys are a part of it at all. Just so everybody's clear who's listening, no hate whatsoever. It's just a decision that they've made. That's the stance that they're taking. But then obviously there's other churches who have gone like way to a whole place. Feels very like Corinthians women running some churches that I've seen too. So looking at the two, and we've already said we're like, you're like my middle ground to another friend that we have, but where do you see like women's ministry, like women in ministry going in the future? Do you have a thought on that?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

What's really been something that God has been sharing with me and even my ministry team, I have Marlena Hollis Ministries and I have a beautiful team and male and female on that team. What's really been stirring within us is not specifically down the lane of just women, but I believe Jesus is showing us how that he was able to teach in the synagogues. He did what he did. He met as they should on the Sabbath and he joined with the community in the office of I'm here, use me if you will. That's where I've been for years. I've been in that position. Like I'm in the synagogue, I'm in the church, I'm going in. And if you want to utilize the gifts and talents, then I'm available, but I never wanted to be pushy. And I've not pushed that. I'm not going to stand up and be like, I'm a preacher, so I need to have this position. No, I'm a servant. Give me the toilet brush scrubber. But what we are seeing now is God saying there are those who have been serving and they've held the toilet brush scrubber, they've washed the windows, they've diapered and did all of these things with love and care. And they've learned that it's beautiful in any capacity to serve. And now God is calling them to the next part of Jesus' ministry, which was without the four walls of that church. He ministered to the masses outside of the synagogue. He joined with the believers in the synagogue and he went out, and you saw the masses that he ministered to. He looked at them with again the compassion word is just on my lips today. He looked at them, saw their situations, and he ministered to them out of a heart of compassion because he saw what the father was doing and he did that. That's what God is calling, I think, women into his at this moment. That's where I'm at. I love my church. I'm um involved with the local church, but he's called me to step out into this form of ministry and just reach those who would be reached there versus them waiting for them to come into the church or trying to compel them to come into the church. We're compelling them to come into the kingdom.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

What a what a what a mic drop there. I felt that too. I felt that very strongly. My husband's like very heavily involved in serving in the local church, and it for whatever, and I'm usually Like the doer, I'm the server. Like, I want to be in doing the things. But for the last year, I'm like, I don't know that I like feel it in the church building. Like, I want to be out of the church building. And so I volunteered to serve with him on the Sundays that he serves or whatever. So we have something to do together. But I'm like, my heart is outside the church building. And not that there's anything wrong with the church building. I love our church. It's wonderful. But I don't want to wait. Yeah, like you said, I don't want to wait for somebody to walk through the door and like hope that I can make a difference. Like I want to be out in the community. So I love this. Thank you for sharing this because our ministry can be anywhere that God plans us. Your ministry can be anywhere that God has you. So for the women who are listening, we're like, I want to work with you. I want to connect with you. How do they do all of those kind of things?

SPEAKER_00 22:49

The easiest place is to go to the website um Marlenahollis Ministries.com. There is a contact button there that you can see the retreats that we're hosting. The most um recent one is is posted on there. Um also I have a book on Amazon. Get to know me a little bit if you want to know really just the language that I speak and the heart that I have for people and for the message of peace is my book that's mine. It's a 14-J journey of peace. It's really just a simple book that gets you started in knowing how to claim that peace that God has given each and every one of us. Jesus left it, his peace. And so I really love that message. And so if you want to grab that, be a great place to start. But yeah, connect with me on all my socials. I love people, so I'm real personal. You reach out, I'm gonna reach back. That's probably the best place for them to meet up with me.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

Oh my gosh, go connect with her. Seriously, she is one of the sweetest people that I know. So just go do that. Thank you for being here, my friend. I super appreciate you being here.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

I'm enjoying our conversation on and off the mic because I think that God just places us and aligns us with the right people. And that's what you see him doing right now. Even I think as people are listening to this, they're noticing that their current crowd is changing. Don't be sad about that. Just embrace God's ability to move you into the places that he wants you to for this time and season and this new purpose. Because that's really where I think we're finding ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Oh my gosh. She's full of just like mic drops and wisdom all the time. So please go connect with her. And like I said, just thank you for being here, my friend.

Sharing Inspiration and Wisdom

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Thank you for having me. I look forward to meeting with some of your audience. So I'd love to come to their church or their event and get to share the word of God with them.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Yes, guys, do it. You would be so honored, like privileged to have her come and speak. Go connect with her, and I will see everybody next time. Hey friend, what a joy it has been to share today's journey with you. If you found a spark of inspiration or a nugget of wisdom that resonated, would you bless someone else by sharing this episode with them? It could be the encouragement they need to step into their purpose and calling. Also, if you could spare a moment to leave a review, it would mean the world to me. I really appreciate your feedback and it really helps our community grow. Remember, the road to discovering God's call for you isn't one you have to walk alone. So join me again next Monday for another episode where we'll continue to explore the depths of leadership and the heights of our heavenly calling. Until then, keep seeking, keep growing, and keep trusting in his plan. God bless you, and I'll catch you on the flip side. Bye, friend.