A Five Aspects lesson for Christmas
One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs is “Joseph’s Song” by Michael Card. The song was released in 1987, and as my mom was a Michael Card fan, I am sure I have been listening to it since I was seven years old. If you have never heard it, if you follow the YouTube link below, it takes you to the song. In the song, Joseph—human father to the baby Jesus, is pictured holding the baby in his arms, and he is praying and asking God “How could it be, this baby in my arms, sleeping now, so peacefully The Son of God, the angel said. How could it be?” Joseph knows who the baby is—the Son of God. What he doesn’t know is how he is supposed to be the earthly father to the son of God. “How can I raise a King?”
How does Joseph raise not just a king, but THE king? In Chapter Six of Five Aspects of Man, in Part Three of the Husbandman Redeemed is a section titled: “Joseph, the Husband of Mary.” This is one of the main ways that Joesph raises a king. The primary ministry of this man was to obediently husband and protect both Mary and Jesus so that they could be about the ministry God had ordained them for. I have included the teaching from this small lesson as a downloadable document with this communique as an advent offering.
2025 Report
The year 2025 has been interesting here at Five Aspects Ministries. I feel like we have been living in an allegorical land that is driven by Proverbs 16:9.
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Barbara Mouser and I both started out the year with ambitious writing plans, but our plans were quickly curtailed by our own physical limitations. After the release of Men, Women, and Marriage earlier in the year, we each hit some significant roadblocks. I was sidelined by a foot injury and a neck injury. Both injuries required surgical intervention which resulted in long recovery times and a lot of physical therapy. This put me back months. Barbara has also born her own trial of physical tremors and increasing fatigue. Instead of being driven and productive, both of us, in our own respective ways, have been learning what it means to rest.
Picture is a prototype – first draft edit copy of Deborah: Prophetess and Mother.
I am pleased to report, however, that we are going to release a new bible study in early 2026. The study is titled, Deborah: Prophetess and Mother. The study is based on a lecture that Barbara developed in the early 2000’s titled, “The Womanliness of Deborah.” After the lecture, the lecture notes were published first as a standalone little study, and then in the 2012 edition of the Five Aspects of Women it was included in Volume Two in the supplementary materials in the back of the book.
While the supplement is great, the content is presented as a response to an argument. Instead of this, we wanted to take the time to step back from the argument and just teach the Bible. As a result, Deborah: Prophetess and Mother, now exists in bible study form. The study includes an introduction and nine lessons that take the bible student through the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the book of Judges and the story of Deborah. Deborah: Prophetess and Mother is an excellent bible study.
Prayer Request for future projects:
For the last several years my goal has been to get the Five Aspects of Man materials updated and in print: Five Aspects of Masculinity for Young Men (2022), Five Aspects Theology of Man (2023), and Five Aspects of Man 2nd Edition (2024). It was an honor to work on the first two works while Mr. Mouser was still alive and the dynamic duo of William and Barbara Mouser hosted me at their table. Working on Five Aspects of Man 2nd Edition after his death was an honor.
My two goals for 2026 deal with the women’s ministry curriculum that we have. Over the years we have received an incredible amount of feedback on Five Aspects of Women, and we are praying and asking God for wisdom as to how to move forward in our stewardship of these materials. Five Aspects of Women has been in print for over thirty-three years now, and it is still being actively taught and used to effectively disciple women all over the nation and world. It is a mighty body of work that the Lord has used and is still using mightily. He used it to change my life when I was nineteen years old when He somehow placed the books in my hand in the middle of nowhere Wyoming!
I can say that now I feel the Lord is leading us to develop two new formats of the Five Aspects of Women materials. Have no fear, the Five Aspects of Women as it is now will always remain in print and available. However, we are quite aware that change is needed to meet more women where they are at. However, the task is not to just meet them where they are at, it is to effectively teach and help them to grow and mature and move from milk to meat. The projects are at their infant stages, so I do not feel that I can yet divulge much information or make any promises. The task is huge, and I really appreciate your prayers for the project. If God has used Five Aspects Ministries materials in your life, you know the potential. You also know that our enemy does not want these materials to see the light of day.
I also want to thank our faithful donors who enable us to keep going. Since Bryan and I have moved the Five Aspects Ministries operations to our area we have been able to minimize expenses and streamline processes. We have everything working very efficiently and in the most cost-effective way possible. I thank the Lord for the work He has been allowing us to do, and I thank you all for making it possible.
The last few years we have been trying to get exposure the Five Aspects materials through attending various homeschool and Christian education shows. I believe this has been fruitful, but the ability to measure the effectiveness of these efforts is impossible, and the cost to continue to attend them is hefty. I am looking for other ways to get the word out. Recently, I have been contacted three separate times by various podcasters to sit down with them and talk about our ministry. These conversations are currently being scheduled. All this to say, if you, our Communique reader, know of ways to get the word out, please let me know. I am open to exploring all kinds of opportunities.
All that being said, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I pray for you that the word of God may dwell in you richly and that you will bear much fruit in keeping with His promises.
In Christ,
Kristine Vermillion
Editor and Women’s Ministry Director
Five Aspects Ministries
The International Council for Gender Studies