In the Beginning

In the Beginning is both a Bible study focussing on the first three chapters of Genesis and also the story of one woman's struggles to allow God to apply His creation vision to her own life. Gloria Cotten shares openly both the joys and the frustrations of learning what it means to be a woman of God. Examples given from her own life and the lives of women close to her make the principles she discusses personal and practical and applicable to the reader's life.

Gloria dares to discuss the difficult questions most Christian women wonder about but are afraid to ask. She candidly treats the subject of submission, calling it "a condition of the heart that cannot be defined in terms of specific behavior." She confronts the need in women to come to terms with the fact that they are not as physically strong as men. She frankly discusses the tendency in women to follow in the footsteps of Mother Eve that lead to discontent, doubt, and deception.

But In the Beginning is a very positive, hopeful book as well. The promise of redemption hidden in God's words of punishment to Adam and Eve after they had sinned is revealed. The Cross of Christ as the fulfillment of that promise is brought to light so that the potential for restoration becomes accessible.

Teaching ladies groups, conducting retreats and conferences and traveling in ministry with her husbanc Michael has given Gloria Cotten ample opportunity to "practice what she preaches" in In the Beginning. The lessons shared in the book began as she taught her first Bible study to the women of Jubilee Fellowship, a church she and Micahel founded over 20 years ago in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

Michael and Gloria have been married for 32 years and have three grown sons and two grandchildren. Though Fuquay-Varina is still home base, they both travel extensively in ministry both nationally and internationally.