Tabitha: Legacy & Impact

In a culture obsessed with platforms, visibility, and recognition, Tabitha offers a radically different picture of influence. Known for her compassion, generosity, and practical care for widows, she never preached from a stage or built a public platform. Yet when she died, her community gathered in grief—and God used her story to impact many lives.

In this episode, Renny Bailey explores what Tabitha’s life teaches us about faithful service, meaningful influence, tenderness and strength, and loving the people God places directly in front of us. Her story reminds us that ministry doesn’t have to be dramatic to be powerful—and you don’t have to be famous to be unforgettable.

Transcript

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Renny Bailey 0:00

Sometimes we've reduced ministry to something that happens on a church stage or through a formal position. But Tabitha reminds us that ministry is serving others in the name of Jesus Christ, wherever God has placed us. That's incredibly encouraging because ministry may look like preparing a meal or listening to a hurting friend, caring for a grandchild, or encouraging someone who's struggling. Those things might seem ordinary, but they're not small in God's economy.

Renny Bailey 0:31

Some of the most powerful ministry, Ric, happens in the everyday moments of life, just one person at a time.

Ric Shields 0:46

Today we're talking about a woman who most people skip right past in scripture. A woman who never preached a sermon, never led an army, never wrote a book of the Bible, yet when she died, an entire community broke down in grief. Her name was Tabitha to her Jewish neighbors, or Dorcas to the Greeks in the city of Joppa, where she lived. And according to Acts chapter 9, her life mattered so deeply that God interrupted death itself.

Ric Shields 1:14

In a culture obsessed with platforms, followers, and visibility, Tabitha reminds us that heaven measures influence differently. She stitched garments, served widows, and quietly changed lives. And somehow her faith became impossible to ignore.

Ric Shields 1:32

Maybe the most dangerous woman in the room isn't the loudest one. Maybe it's the one faithfully loving people when nobody else is watching.

Ric Shields 1:40

Welcome to the DoorWays® Ministry Podcast. My name is Ric Shields, and I'm joined today by Renny Bailey, a wife, mother, grandmother, minister, conference speaker, and author of the recently published book, "Ultimate Pursuit." She's also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and has a two-year certification in Soul Care.

Ric Shields 2:00

For more than 30 years, Renny has invested in mentoring young women, many of whom she continues to support and guide even today. Through this ministry, she has encouraged countless women to grow in faith, confidence, and purpose. She founded Taking Hold Ministries in 2023 so that she could inspire and equip believers to passionately pursue Christ and to walk in the fullness of their calling. If you'd like more information about Renny or her ministry, you can visit her webpage at rennybailey.com. That's Renny R-E-N-N-Y B-A-I-L-E-Y . com.

Ric Shields 2:37

I'm happy you could join me today, Renny, as we speak about the life of this impactful woman that is really just mentioned briefly in scripture.

Renny Bailey 2:45

Ric, I'm delighted to be here. I was immediately drawn to Tabitha because I spent much of my life reflecting on legacy and impact. When I look at Tabitha, I see a woman who understood what mattered most. Tabitha knew she carried the most important gift to the world, the love of Christ, and she freely shared it with her community, the people around her.

Renny Bailey 3:09

What strikes me about her story, Ric, is that long after she was gone, people could still hold tangible evidence of her compassion. That's the kind of legacy I think we all hope to leave behind.

Ric Shields 3:21

Renny, once we were finally able to make it work for you to join me on this episode for the series on "Women and Scripture," you very quickly chose to speak with me about Tabitha. Now we read that Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, mentions her name and then immediately says her name in Greek is Dorcas. Both Tabitha and Dorcas carry the meaning of the word "gazelle." So can you give us maybe a 30-second overview of this woman with two names?

Renny Bailey 3:48

Tabitha was, first of all, a devoted follower of Jesus. Luke specifically calls her a disciple, which is very significant. She was known for her compassion and generosity, especially toward widows, and for serving people, Ric, in very practical ways. When she died, the believers in her community were devastated. Peter was called to her bedside, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, God raised her back to life. Her resurrection kicked off of a revival, and as a result, many people came to faith in Christ.

Ric Shields 4:20

In Acts chapter 9, Tabitha is introduced as always doing good, not just occasionally doing good, always doing good and helping the poor. Why do you think Luke chose that as the defining description of her life?

Renny Bailey 4:35

What stands out to me, Ric, is that as you pointed out, that doing good and helping others wasn't something Tabitha did occasionally. It was the way she lived. She didn't just notice needs, she responded to them. She acted on them. I think that's why Luke highlights it. Her love wasn't just something she talked about. It was something people could see and touch. I think her life reminds us that some of the most powerful ministry happens through simple acts of faithfulness and care.

Ric Shields 5:09

Tabitha's ministry seemed pretty ordinary: sewing clothes, caring for widows, meeting just practical needs. What do you think? Why do modern Christians sometimes underestimate this kind of quiet faithfulness?

Renny Bailey 5:23

I think it has to do with the times we live in. I think we underestimate quiet faithfulness because we live in a culture that celebrates visibility. We notice the big platforms, we notice the dramatic moments, but God often works through ordinary acts of surface.

Renny Bailey 5:40

That's what I love about Tabitha. She wasn't standing on a stage, she was serving people, one person at a time. When she died, the widows gathered holding the garments she had made. That tells us everything we need to know about her impact. Her ministry wasn't flashy, but it was faithful. And that's the kind of life that leaves a lasting legacy.

Ric Shields 6:03

Yeah, and you spoke about this quiet faith that she had. I know that many women today feel invisible, overlooked, uncelebrated. How does Tabitha's story challenge the idea that influence only belongs to people with microphones or big social media platforms, or see me, watch me, or some kind of a title? How does that challenge that idea?

Renny Bailey 6:27

I think Tabitha reminds us that influence in God's kingdom isn't measured by titles, platforms, or visibility. Again, her influence came through faithfulness and compassion. And it sounds like I'm repeating myself, but when she died, the widows holding the garments she had made, that became her testimony, Ric. She may never have spoken to a crowd, but she changed the lives of the people right in front of her. She didn't need a stage to have influence. Not everyone is called to a platform, but every believer is called to faithfulness.

Ric Shields 7:05

Wow, you're preaching to the choir here. I agree with you. And let me say this too: not every minister is called to preach from behind a pulpit. All of us are called to preach the gospel wherever we go and whatever we do - preach it with our lives.

Ric Shields 7:23

Tabitha appears to have built a deep community instead of some kind of a personal fame. The widows came from all over the whole city. It doesn't say the men showed up. It showed her community was these women, these widows that she especially had reached out to. It doesn't even say that there were young women who showed up. Does the scripture indicate that in Acts chapter 9? It's just that these widows showed up. People that were poor, people who she really had reached out to and worked with.

Ric Shields 7:50

So in today's culture of self-promotion, what can women learn from her example?

Renny Bailey 7:56

It's pretty profound, really, Ric. When you think about it, Tabitha invested in people, not in promoting herself. She wasn't building a platform, which is the push in culture right now. She was building, again, a community. When she died, the people didn't gather to talk about her accomplishments. They gathered because she had touched their lives. Her story reminds us that you don't need to be famous to be unforgettable.

Ric Shields 8:24

You're listening to the DoorWays® Ministry Podcast. My name is Ric Shields, and I'm joined on this episode by Renny Bailey. Her new book, "Ultimate Pursuit," provides a practical and powerful approach to understanding the greatest commandment found in Mark 12: 29- 30. If you'd like to have a copy, "Ultimate Pursuit" is available on Amazon and both paperback and Kindle.

Ric Shields 8:45

And by the way, I mentioned to you earlier, Renny, I have a copy here in my hands as we're talking. So let's just take a moment and tell me a little bit about the book. Maybe tell people that don't have their Bible in front of them or don't know that verse. What's Mark 12: 29- 30; what's that about?

Renny Bailey 9:01

First of all, it's been the theme of my life since I stepped into the kingdom as an adult. I was 31 years of age. And so it's been the push in my life. And Jesus gives us the greatest commandment there, and that's to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength - with the whole total capacity of our humanness. It's the posturing of our whole life, and we're to love others well. He takes all the generations before and brings it down into two simple commandments that are really one, as I show that in the book.

Ric Shields 9:33

And you told me that there's some other parts now that are coming that you're working not just on this book, but a study guide as well. Is that right?

Renny Bailey 9:42

Correct.

Ric Shields 9:43

And so when can we expect to see that study guide available?

Renny Bailey 9:46

It'll be a few months yet. But I'm working on it.

Ric Shields 9:49

It takes time, doesn't it?

Renny Bailey 9:50

It does. It does.

Ric Shields 9:51

You thought getting the book was a big job. Now you got to do the other part.

Renny Bailey 9:55

That book in your hands took me two and a half years to get there. Traditionally published, by the way, it was a lot of effort. So I'm working for it.

Ric Shields 10:03

Before moving to Tulsa from Colorado Springs in 2009, Renny Bailey managed her family's private feedlot and marketed pork for a local rancher, all while continuing in ministry. Renny grew up on a large farm in western Kansas, so rural life has always been a part of her identity. On the other hand, her husband Dan had never experienced rural life. That had to be a real surprise to him, Renny.

Renny Bailey 10:30

It was. I've got a great husband and a great supporter. In all fairness to him, he did ride broncs in the rodeo. That's where his country life came in. But Ric, during that season of our life, our family is blended and adopted. We've raised six kids together and we have 14 grandkids. And in a period of two years, we had three major deaths in our family. One of them was my stepson, who had lived with us for five years. And so I always knew that the country life, I worked with other youth in the past. Connecting to nature can really do a lot of emotional healing. It can be very spiritual. My husband joined me in that. And in order to afford to move out in the country, Ric, we had to move 45 miles east of Colorado Springs. To get to church, to get to the dentist, and to get to ...

Ric Shields 11:24

There's nothing there, Renny.

Renny Bailey 11:24

It's prairie.

Ric Shields 11:24

I've been there. There's nothing there.

Renny Bailey 11:27

But let me tell you, by the time we were finished - we were there for a decade - and I still think it's one of the best gifts that God gave back to me. It was a time of deep spiritual growth for our family. We raised five boys together. There were three boys left at home. Our last one came to us through adoption. And Ric, it was such a time of healing for all of us and spiritual growth. I was still ministering. My husband had to drive 45 miles to work back and forth. He was a lineman, worked in the city and up in the mountains.

Renny Bailey 12:01

But let me tell you something. He prepared me for ministry during that time. And so it's a treasure for us, all of us. Our oldest grandsons were born there. We have 11 grandsons - surrounded by men in my life - and the first three or four grandsons got to come out and stay and experience it. We had five horses. I sold chicken eggs. I had a big garden. We canned everything. My husband got real involved with our boys and shown cattle in 4-H. He learned how to trim 1400-pound steer's hoofs for show. And they got to learn how to birth cattle. And it was just a sweet time in our life.

Ric Shields 12:42

So you said he rode Broncos, but I was wondering, was it that or was it a mechanical bull? But it seems like it was the real deal.

Renny Bailey 12:49

It was the real deal. He broke a lot of bones riding the broncs in the rodeo days.

Ric Shields 12:54

Oh, that's difficult. I grew up on a farm, so I understand rural living. And it's a difficult transition, actually, really is. Either way, we lived in the city, we moved to the country, and then from the country moved back into the city. So I understand it's fun and it's difficult all at the same time.

Renny Bailey 13:11

I'm still a country girl deep at heart.

Ric Shields 13:14

There you go. On this episode of "Women in Scripture," Renny Bailey and I are discussing the story of Tabitha found in the book of Acts, chapter nine. Now, in one of the most dramatic miracles in the book of Acts - well, Peter doesn't raise Tabitha from the dead - God, the Holy Spirit, comes and moves and raises from the dead, but Peter's there. Peter's the one who's praying with her. She raises from the dead. Why do you think God chose such a story, the story of Tabitha, for this public miracle?

Renny Bailey 13:45

I think it's significant, first of all, that one of the most dramatic miracles enact centers on a woman known for helping the poor and caring for widows. By the world's standards, she wasn't famous, Ric, or influential. She was just simply faithful. I also love that God chose to highlight Tabitha's story in a culture where women were often overlooked. I think that's a beautiful reminder that God sees people very differently than the world does. The miracle didn't just reveal God's power. I think it also on different levels, it revealed what God values most in life.

Ric Shields 14:24

Some people believe ministry only happens on church stages, but we've alluded to this earlier. How does Tabitha redefine ministry for everyday women who are balancing work, family, caregiving, even hardship, living on a farm selling eggs and growing vegetables and milking cows and selling pork - like you know all about. Tell us.

Renny Bailey 14:47

Actually, what she reveals just excites me. It burns deep within me. I think one of the most powerful things about Tabitha is that she ministered the same way Jesus did. She cared for the people right in front of her and met practical needs with great compassion.

Renny Bailey 15:04

I think sometimes we've reduced ministry to something that happens on a church stage or through a formal position. But Tabitha reminds us that ministry is serving others in the name of Jesus Christ, wherever God has placed us. And I think for women who are balancing family caregiving or hardship, like you alluded to, that's incredibly encouraging because ministry may look like preparing a meal or listening to a hurting friend, caring for a grandchild, or encouraging someone who's struggling. Those things might seem ordinary, but they're not small in God's economy. Some of the most powerful ministry, Ric, happens in the everyday moments of life, just one person at a time.

Ric Shields 15:50

There's an interesting tension in this story. Tabitha was deeply compassionate, but she was also strong, very clear, she was strong and respected. So how can women today embrace both tenderness and strength without apology?

Renny Bailey 16:07

I think many women feel like they have to choose between being tender and being strong, Ric. I think a lot of women face that. But Tabitha shows us that we can be both. Her compassion wasn't weakness, Ric, it was strength. It takes great strength to keep showing up, to keep caring and keep loving people well. True strength isn't becoming hard, it's having a soft heart and a strong backbone. And as women, we don't need to apologize for either one of those.

Ric Shields 16:40

If Tabitha were to walk into our culture today, a culture that's filled with exhaustion and comparison and spiritual performance, what do you think she would challenge most strongly?

Renny Bailey 16:54

I think Tabitha would challenge the pressure that so many of us women feel to constantly prove ourselves. We live in a culture of comparison, achievement, and performance. But when I take a hard look at Tabitha, I don't see a woman striving for significance. I see a woman faithfully serving the people God placed right in front of her. There was no competition, no performance, no chasing recognition. She simply loved God and loved people.

Renny Bailey 17:29

I think that's the challenge she would give us today, Ric, to stop measuring our lives against someone else's. Love God, love people, be faithful with what's in your hands.

Ric Shields 17:40

Renny, this is so good. I hope you'll join me again on a future podcast on another subject. You've done just a fabulous job. Thank you for that. I'm so glad you could join me.

Ric Shields 17:48

Would you please take 30 seconds to wrap up our conversation with an important takeaway for us from the story of Tabitha?

Renny Bailey 17:55

I really want to encourage any women who are listening who may feel unseen today. You don't need a platform to have influence, and you don't need to be famous to be unforgettable. Again, we go back to the two commandments that are really one: love God, love people, be faithful with what's in your hands, what's in front of you, just like Tabitha made clothes for the widows. It's a really big thing. An ordinary life surrendered to God can have an extraordinary impact on the world around them.

Ric Shields 18:34

Tabitha's story is short, just a few verses in Acts chapter 9. But her impact was undeniable. When she died, people didn't talk about her status, her appearance, or her achievements. They talked about how she loved them and held up the evidence of a life poured out for others.

Ric Shields 18:50

Maybe that's the challenge for all of us. Long after the applause fades and the trends disappear, what will remain of our lives? Acts chapter 9:36 says, " Tabitha was always doing good in helping the poor." Not occasionally. She was full of good works that she was doing to help the poor.

Ric Shields 19:11

Maybe some things haven't changed from the way Tabitha touched the world nearly 2,000 years ago. What if the best way for us to change the world is simply found in one faithful act of compassion at a time?

Ric Shields 19:25

It's because of the generous support of donors that makes it possible for us to continue sharing this podcast each week. I'm especially grateful for Raymond and Dr. Aletha Oglesby. They gave a generous gift to sponsor this series on "Women in Scripture." Your support would be appreciated and would help to touch others with the love, grace, and hope found in following Jesus. Please visit our website at doorways.cc/ give for instructions about how you can support this ministry.

Ric Shields 19:53

And if you benefited from the content of this episode, I hope you'll take a minute to like, comment, subscribe, or forward it to a friend. Those are things you can do to help trigger the algorithms to promote this podcast. Besides, if you forward it, a friend might enjoy listening to this episode too.

Ric Shields 20:12

Next week, I will speak with Carrie Kittinger and we will discuss the story of Junia. She's mentioned by Paul in Romans chapter 16. There's growing support that she was a female apostle who some call "the hidden apostle." I look forward to discussing Junia with Carrie.

Ric Shields 20:29

Until next time, receive this blessing from the book of 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for one another and for all people, and may He strengthen your hearts in holiness before Him."

Ric Shields 20:46

Thanks for listening.