Christina Fox, Author at Women.pcacdm.org

When You Need a Vacation From Vacation

KENDRA KAMMER|GUEST Summer is here, as my school-aged kids will eagerly tell you. With their excitement comes a nostalgia for the freedom of summer. Popsicles, parades, and beach days with just a little sunburn. Picnics, lemonade on the porch, and family vacations. This summer my excitement is not unwarranted: our family is going to take a dream vacation! This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, the ultimate heaven-on-earth experience! Or is it? Because I broke my ankle and I wonder how I’ll hobble around on our vacation. Then our flight got cancelled, and that led to five hours of phone calls with the airlines. And let’s be honest, how well can I expect us all to get along as we tour the sights? When my expectations of glory on earth are dashed, it’s as though God is tapping my shoulder and saying, “Are you placing your hopes on this? I’m sitting right here!” And this has been the attitude adjustment I so desperately needed. This is an incredibly busy time for me, and I expect it is for you, too. Our family responsibilities ramp up with extra concerts, sports banquets, and the like, while church and ministry responsibilities gear up with the changing season as well. We feel exhausted, needy, and maybe even burned out. It’s time for us to find a way to rest…but how?...

When You Need a Vacation From VacationChristina Fox2026-05-30T18:53:28+00:00

The Aroma of Christ in the Mundane

BROOKE URISH | GUEST As I walked past our guest room–turned–laundry-folding area, my stomach sank. How could there be so much laundry to fold? I pushed it out of my mind to focus on a more pressing need—my young kids need lunch. Once in the kitchen, the sinking feeling returned at the sight of a sink full of dishes. Didn’t I just do these this morning? My six-year-old asks me to play baseball out back for what feels like the hundredth time, and I snap—“I can’t play right now, stop asking me!” Immediately, I regret my tone and recognize that he deserves an apology. As a mom to three young children, this is a snapshot of a typical day. I often feel insufficient for the task at hand. I can’t seem to stay on top of laundry, dishes, school tasks, cooking, etc., so I label myself a “bad homemaker.” However, it’s times like this when the Lord brings to mind the encouraging words a wise woman once shared with me: “Brooke, God is pleased with what you do in your home, even when you mess it up.” The Aroma of Christ Is this really true? When I turned to Scripture looking for a roadmap or a checklist, God gave me something else entirely. He gave me an identity. In 2 Corinthians 2:15 Paul says: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” I am the aroma of Christ to God? What does that mean?...

The Aroma of Christ in the MundaneChristina Fox2026-05-29T13:41:11+00:00

Let God Cook

SUSAN TYNER | CONTRIBUTOR My husband Lee and I do not fight a lot, but when we do, it’s usually over something small. During our first year of marriage, our fights started in the kitchen. He had a way of cleaning knives because he worked in a restaurant growing up. Since I grew up cooking (and washing a lot of dishes), I didn’t really think that advice applied to me. When he insisted his way of knife handling was better than mine, I took it personally. Two hours later, we were making up after a huge fight. Turns out, the fight was not about the knife, but control. Before you think this is a “how to” marriage blog, hear my next kitchen story. For context, this is after thirty-six years in the kitchen. We have learned we have different approaches to meal prep. I tend to go fast and “eyeball” measurements while Lee’s perfectly chopped onion would make any sous chef jealous. Recently, I was cooking a recipe for the umpteenth time while Lee and our youngest daughter, Rebecca, were hanging around the kitchen island. Lee kept on asking questions about what I was doing to the point of triggering another Iron Chef battle episode. Although that was not his intent, it was slowing me down and I could feel my heart wanting to grab control of my kitchen. Before that could happen, Rebecca says in her twenty-something slang, Dad, let Mom cook!...

Let God CookChristina Fox2026-05-23T16:48:29+00:00

God’s Many Mercies for Our Many Miseries

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...

God’s Many Mercies for Our Many MiseriesChristina Fox2026-05-25T18:06:41+00:00

About a Bird and God’s Tender Care

KC JONES | GUEST My eight-year-old daughter was recently given a quail. That’s right. She was gifted a live bird which typically requires a flock to thrive, among other necessities. It would not be a stretch to say I was unprepared mentally or physically for this ordeal, but I was also not aware of the dramatic impact it would make on all our hearts, especially mine. We serve a God of wonder. He is a God of great surprises and a God who lavishes on His children because He longs to do so. In the Scriptures, John exhorts his readers to, “see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (I John 3:1) John calls us to observe and take note of the love the Father pours out upon us because we are His children and because He is that good. This truth became even more real to me as the Lord opened my eyes to see more of the depth of His love in His bringing us the gift of this little bird. A Delightful Gift It all began when my Malawian friend, who raises quail, brought my child the bird after we had tasted the delicious eggs she gave our family. Our daughter, upon initially seeing a picture of one of my friend’s baby quail chicks became instantly enamored and so my friend brought her one of her own...

About a Bird and God’s Tender CareChristina Fox2026-05-12T17:15:36+00:00

The Gift of Intergenerational Relationships

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR Eight months after getting married, my husband and I packed up a U-Haul and moved to Atlanta. He was excited about the move, as it would mean following a call the Lord had given him. I was following in my body, but my heart was kicking and screaming. It was the beginning of a new and exciting season for my husband, but for me, it was the death of so much that was familiar to me: living close to family, a job that I loved, and the fulfillment of buying our first home. After arriving at an apartment complex I had not seen before, walking through church doors where I knew no one, and learning a city that was completely new territory, I wondered what the Lord had in store for us in this new place. There was little about our years in Atlanta that was easy. My husband worked a full-time ministry job while also enrolled in seminary full-time. We longed for a baby who was not yet a part of our story. Finances were tight, our apartment felt small, and traffic was stressful. Yet when my husband and I look back on that season of early marriage, we talk about it with fondness because of the people the Lord put into our lives...

The Gift of Intergenerational RelationshipsChristina Fox2026-05-12T16:51:43+00:00

Encouragement Through Letter Writing

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians from prison. It is a love letter, one that was meant to encourage the Christians in Colossae. Though Paul had never visited Colossae, while in prison he became aware of some false teaching that had taken hold. His letter is less a correction of their errors, but more of a reminder of the sufficiency of Christ, and that they were already in union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Paul greets the Colossians with thanksgiving for their faith, for the gospel bearing fruit among them, and emphasizes the mystery of Christ who unites both Jews and Gentiles. We can be thankful for the careful preservation of Scripture that we can read and reread for loving encouragement, hope, and comfort. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:3-6)...

Encouragement Through Letter WritingChristina Fox2026-05-08T15:04:36+00:00

The Busyness of Spring

LISA UPDIKE | GUEST I love spring! The blooming flowers, nesting birds, the promise of longer days and looking forward to the lazy days of summer….ahhhh. But wait, don’t sit back and relax quite yet! Just take one look at the calendar. First, we’ve got the end-of-year school concert series: elementary music programs with tone bells, squeaky recorders, and hand drums; middle school orchestra; high school chorus. Now onto the sports. Why do they need so many games for T-ball? They’re five! Meanwhile, two fields over, you’ve got another child playing softball and she just got the third out, losing the game for her team. That’s going to take a little energy tonight. You can’t forget the spring sports award banquet. What are you going to bring anyway? You don’t have the energy to bake that casserole. Do you think a veggie tray is sufficient? The high-schooler is having a melt down over which classes to pick for fall semester. You don’t understand. It has to be perfect! His whole future depends on having the right classes. But you don’t have time to help because you are putting make-up on his little sister for the spring ballet. Then there’s prom. End of year testing. Spring field trips. Graduation parties. Don’t think of the yard work waiting to be done, just don’t. We often wish for more hours in the day. Or to clone ourselves. Yes, that would be nice. Another me! But, friend, we are finite. And that is actually good...

The Busyness of SpringChristina Fox2026-05-12T17:15:05+00:00

WE Ministry: An Interview With Katie Polski and Cheryl Mullis

KATIE POLSKI | CONTRIBUTOR and CHERYL MULLIS | GUEST The WE ministry of PCA CDM is a growing effort to disciple Teaching and Ruling Elders’ wives across the denomination. With a vision to connect, encourage, and equip women in every season of ministry, WE is led by a team who understand both the joys and challenges of this calling. Today, Cheryl and Katie join us to share their heart for WE and the vision behind it. Can you introduce yourselves and tell us why you said, “yes” to leading the WE ministry? Cheryl: I’m Cheryl Mullis, a Ruling Elder’s wife from Annapolis, Maryland. It is a joy to serve alongside my husband, Don, as he shepherds and cares for our church. I also serve on staff as the Director of Discipleship. Don and I have been married for 41 years and are grateful for our five children, their spouses, and our growing group of energetic grandchildren. I said “yes” to co-leading WE because God has given me a heart for other elders’ wives. When my husband was ordained, I wasn’t sure what that meant for me—what was expected, or how life in the church might change. If I can come alongside other elders’ wives to encourage them, remind them of their identity in Christ, and help them see how God might use them to strengthen His church, it is a joy to say yes. Katie: I’m Katie Polski, a Teaching Elder’s wife from St. Louis, MO. I work full-time for our church serving as the music director and special events coordinator and am also involved in speaking and writing. Prior to my role at the church, I was a high school writing teacher for several years where I enjoyed the great challenge of showing teens that writing can be…fun. I’m not sure I succeeded, but I enjoyed trying! My husband and I have been serving together in ministry for over twenty-five years, and while my role has looked different through the varying seasons, I’ve been deeply grateful for our partnership in all of life’s spheres....

WE Ministry: An Interview With Katie Polski and Cheryl MullisChristina Fox2026-05-02T01:57:01+00:00

Lessons I’ve Learned in 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....

Lessons I’ve Learned in CaregivingChristina Fox2026-05-01T19:16:15+00:00

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