Search Results for “caregiving”

Lessons I’ve Learned in Caregiving

By Christina Fox|2026-05-01T19:16:15+00:00May 11, 2026|Blog, Caregiving|

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR Last night I gave my mom her medications and helped her get comfortable in her bed. Then she pointed to the mirror across the room and asked me if I see “that thing.” I didn’t see anything. I asked her a few questions to try to discern what she was talking about. I finally concluded that my mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was hallucinating. I tried to assure her that there was nothing for her to be concerned about. She seemed satisfied with my assurance and soon fell asleep. And once again, I was faced with the sadness that comes with caring for a parent who is slipping away. This isn’t our first season of caregiving. In the summer of 1999 when I was six months pregnant and had a fifteen-month-old daughter, my mother-in-law suffered a major stroke. What followed was more than a decade of caring for her in our home. I had never imagined myself in the role of caregiver. I’m not a particularly compassionate or nurturing person. Caregiving is hard. It is costly, exhausting, and inconvenient. But for us, it’s how we’ve applied God’s command to “honor your father and mother” (Ex. 20:12). And the Lord has used it to produce unexpected and lasting fruit in my life and the life of our family....

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The Beautiful Burden of Caregiving

By Christina Fox|2024-01-21T14:50:48+00:00February 1, 2024|Blog, Caregiving|

KATIE POLSKI | CONTRIBUTOR While in my early thirties, my mom was diagnosed with a debilitating brain disease. I was told by the doctor that she would lose every ability “from her head to her toes.” Within months of the diagnosis, mom lost the ability to form words. Shouts, groans, and tears became her agonizing way of communicating. Not long after, she lost the use of her legs and hands. My father passed away years before mom’s diagnosis, and since I was the only sibling who lived in the same town, I quit my job and assumed the role as primary caretaker. She lived for two years after the diagnosis, so between caring for my young children and keeping up with life’s ongoing demands, caring for mom often felt burdensome. As I’ve watched friends face the inevitable challenges that accompany aging or ill parents, it’s become clear that my sentiment was not unique. But what I discovered amid the challenging journey, by the grace of God, is that the burdensome call of caregiving is also one that is profoundly and incomparably beautiful. The Burdensome Exhortation Scripture makes abundantly clear that we are to honor our parents (Deut. 5:16; Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:2). Though short, these verses are layered with meaning, and it is easy to apply them in the way we see fit. It’s important, however, to take care to not interpret these words from God based on our own feelings or agendas. The Pharisees did this, and Jesus rebuked them (Matt. 15:3-6). For us to obey this command, trust in God’s perfect Word is required. There are times when honoring parents is confusing, challenging, and difficult. And while honoring may look different from one situation to the next, there are no caveats given with these verses, though we sometimes wish there were. One of the many ways we honor our parents is by caring for them in their time of need, and not because of what they have or have not done for us, but because sacrificial love has been demonstrated for us in the gospel...

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Caregiving with Compassion and Respect: Learning from Jesus

By Christina Fox|2023-08-15T13:35:11+00:00May 4, 2023|Blog, Caregiving|

ELIZABETH TURNAGE|CONTRIBUTOR When my dad’s cancer spread to his bones, and he became at risk for falls, my brother and I acted quickly. Out of concern for his safety, we helped him move from the home where he had lived alone for the past twenty years into a comfortable assisted living facility. My dad often half-jokingly referred to the assisted living facility as “Shawshank,” after the prison in the movie “The Shawshank Redemption.” To an introvert who had lived alone since his divorce forty-five years before, being suddenly surrounded by so many people probably did feel like imprisonment. Caring with Compassion and Respect Our story with my dad reveals a common caregiver struggle. As caregivers, we seek the safety of our loved one, and in so doing, we sometimes ignore or minimize their desires. In our commitment to safety, we can also make the mistake of treating adults as if they were children, unable to make wise decisions for themselves. Even when dementia or disease prevents our loved ones from thinking clearly, we still must care for them with compassion and respect. To learn how to navigate this challenging terrain, we must remain centered in Christ’s compassion. Learning from Christ’s Compassion As he cared for people, Christ showed compassion by looking at and for people, by asking good questions and listening to the answers, and by gently pointing people to the hope they had in him...

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Whining vs. Biblical Complaint in Caregiving

By Christina Fox|2023-08-15T13:44:52+00:00March 2, 2023|Blog, Caregiving|

MARISSA BONDURANT|GUEST When my kids wake up in the morning and complain about getting dressed for school, and the breakfast options I’ve offered, and the color of their lunch box, and the way their sister looked at them… I tell them to “stop whining.” When my own heart is dissatisfied with how my pants fit or my husband’s work schedule, or the fact that I wasn’t invited to something… I tell myself to “stop having a pity party.” But when our hearts are broken, sad, overwhelmed, and discouraged at the suffering of our loved one and the life changes required to care for them, should we still say “stop whining” to our tender hearts? Or is there another way to think about the brokenness we are experiencing? I believe there is a real difference between whining and biblically complaining. Whining is what we do when our preferences aren’t being met. Biblical complaint is when we acknowledge the disconnect between the pain of our lived-in reality, and what we know is true of God’s character and his plan for redeeming our world...

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Caregiving as a Calling and Ministry

By Christina Fox|2023-03-24T17:44:33+00:00January 16, 2023|Blog, Caregiving|

MARISSA BONDURANT|GUEST If Jesus visited your church this week, which ministry team would he sign up for? This is a hypothetical scenario, but I think Jesus would sign up for the ministry of caregiving. When you hear the word “caregiver” you might think of a trained professional like a home health worker or a nurse. However, the dictionary definition is much broader. A caregiver is described as anyone who regularly looks after or cares for a child, an elderly, or a disabled person. National surveys estimate that 40% of adults in the United States are caring for an adult and/or a child with unique health needs1,2. For this article, I skimmed the book of Mark and counted thirteen stories of Jesus healing individuals, and three separate accounts of Jesus healing entire crowds. If we know God has a heart for caregiving, and we know that 40% of our church members are caregivers, the question to ask is: are we treating caregiving as a ministry? As caregivers, do we see ourselves as having been called into this role? And as churches, are we training, equipping, and supporting one another in this mission field? In this caregiving series, Elizabeth Turnage and I want to help start some of these conversations. We will do that by shining a light on some of the lesser discussed aspects of caregiving. Things like anticipatory grief, giving dignity to a sick or dying loved one, and the difference between whining and biblically complaining...

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God’s Many Mercies for Our Many Miseries

By Christina Fox|2026-05-25T18:06:41+00:00June 1, 2026|2 Corinthians Summer Series, Blog|

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR As I sat down to revisit this beloved passage from 2 Corinthians 1, I received a text from a young friend. She has suffered many serious health challenges for a person in her late twenties. In her text, she asked for prayers for some new health concerns. As I was responding, she sent another text, “Also, please pray for my friend. He starts chemo today. I told him I would be glad to talk with him whenever he needs a listening ear since I know what it’s like.” How, I wondered, does a young woman who has suffered so intensely so early in life face her own concerning health news with such calm while at the same time asking for prayer for a dear friend? I believe she can do so because she grasps what the apostle Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, where he lays out the connection between suffering and comfort, both from a theological and personal perspective...

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WE Conversations

By Kathy Wargo|2026-04-08T17:08:47+00:00April 1, 2026|Uncategorized|

Recordings from our previous WE Conversations https://vimeo.com/1122610572?fl=pl&fe=sh https://vimeo.com/1111981799 https://vimeo.com/1102011829 https://vimeo.com/1093362782 https://vimeo.com/1082017015 https://vimeo.com/1078441122 https://vimeo.com/1069348465 https://vimeo.com/1061369045 https://vimeo.com/1046918717 https://vimeo.com/1038413011 https://vimeo.com/1031014110 https://vimeo.com/1020746305 https://vimeo.com/1007798532 [...]

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Strengthened in My Weakness: Why I’ve Already Saved the Dates for Next Year’s Leadership Training

By Christina Fox|2026-03-18T13:45:49+00:00March 23, 2026|Blog, Ministry|

I had done all the things, packed up my car, checked my list twice, and I was finally headed to LT! On the way I stopped to have lunch with my daughter, an LT alum. She wanted to know the theme and who was speaking. When I told her it was “Clay-like Calling,” and that Vanessa Hawkins was one of the speakers, she shared a story I had never heard. As a women and children’s ministry intern at First Pres. Jackson while she was at RTS earning her counseling degree, my daughter was privileged to attend LT several times. At one of the conferences, she heard Vanessa teach on the book of Ruth. She told me, “It was largely because of her teaching on Ruth that I gave Augusta (their two-year-old) the middle name ‘Ruth.’” Wow! I sat in awe at God’s goodness and the legacy LT had left in my daughter’s and granddaughter’s lives. I imagine many women would tell similar stories about LT’s impact on their lives, ministries, and families. This amazing conference is a non-negotiable on my calendar every year (unless of course, a grandbaby is being born!). This year’s LT, with its theme of God’s strength in our weakness, met me and hundreds of other women right where we needed it—with the hope of the gospel for the weariness and weightiness ministry can bring....

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Waiting in the Hope of Coming Redemption: Walking with Our Sister Anna

By Christina Fox|2025-11-28T15:27:35+00:00December 11, 2025|Blog, Christmas|

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR “Lead us this day, Lord Christ, that we might walk its paths in the light of the hope of our coming redemption. Amen.”[i] As we move through the season of Advent, which literally means “coming forward,” we remember that God’s chosen people once waited for our Redeemer to come and now await His final return. Advent is a season of waiting. What indeed does it look like to walk the paths of each day “in the light of the hope of our coming redemption”? Anna, the prophetess and widow of Luke 2:36-38, shows us the way. When we meet her in Luke 2, Anna is an older woman, either 84 or 104.[ii] Widowed as a young woman, probably around the age of 20, and apparently childless, Anna had no means to support herself. She likely became a recipient of Ancient Near Eastern welfare, moving near the temple, where she could access food and shelter. Despite her many losses, Anna avoided the secondary suffering that can add to affliction—she refused to indulge in self-pity. Instead, she devoted her life to waiting for redemption. Over time, she became known as a prophetess, someone who delivers messages from God. As we study how Anna spent her days, we discover a compelling portrait for walking each day in the hope of redemption. Anna shows us how to wait for our returning Redeemer who will one day come to restore all broken things...

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Gratitude in the midst of Grief: Finding Hope in the Lord’s Kindness

By Christina Fox|2025-11-13T21:15:09+00:00November 20, 2025|Blog, Grief|

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR Imagine this story: A woman’s husband and her son are killed in a car-jacking. After her husband’s death, the 75-year-old widow discovers that he had mortgaged all of their assets to invest in a real estate deal gone sour. Once the wife of a wealthy lawyer, the older woman now finds herself homeless and bankrupt. Her only option is to return to the small hometown and the childhood home she had sworn never to revisit. Despite her protests, her son’s fiancée insists on joining her in the move. If this synopsis sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the plot of Tyler Perry’s movie Ruth, which is based on the book of Ruth. Naomi, the main character, like the biblical character, is an older woman whose heart has become bitter through grief. She resents God and the community who tries to show her His love. When Grief Embitters The biblical Naomi, like many aging women, has suffered multiple losses over the course of her life—the death of her husband and both her sons, the loss of both her homeland and her adopted home, the loss of financial provision and security. When she is forced to return to the home she left years ago, she laments to the women who welcome her, “Do not call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20). Naomi sees the Lord’s sovereign hand in all her losses—family, financial, and home, and is not afraid to name them honestly to God in lament. Many older women can relate to Naomi. As we age, we face a barrage of limitations and losses—the death of a husband or child, the loss of independence that comes with declining vision or mobility, the loss of community when we must move from the home we’ve owned for almost half a century. Add to that the seeming loss of purpose and meaning that came from vibrant work and ministry, and it’s not hard to see why older women might feel that the Lord has dealt bitterly with them....

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