Christina Fox, Author at Women.pcacdm.org

Taking Time Off Takes Humility and Faith

ELLEN DYKAS | CONTRIBUTOR Those who live alongside me as friends and co-laborers in the gospel have most likely heard me say, “I’ve got my share of issues, but workaholism isn’t one of them!” Am I busy? Yes! Do I seem to always be ‘on the go’? Probably. Do I sometimes pridefully struggle with saying yes when the wiser answer would be no? Check. However, I’m grateful that, generally speaking, I enjoy time off and don’t live enslaved to my ministry position. However, a while ago, I reached a point when I needed to detach altogether from my key ministry leadership role at my church. A convergence of circumstances challenged my commitment to truly rest. The convergence of needs, conflicting opinions, and ministry roles My paid vocational path has been a rich one for the past nineteen years at Harvest USA. It’s been a profound privilege to journey with hurting wives and women bound up in sexual sin, along with teaching church leaders how to engage in this kind of ministry. It’s also been intense to be invited into the delicate and painful circumstances of others and to come face to face with the darkness of habituated patterns of sin. This is my day job that I get paid for. However, my local church family is, well, my family in Christ, and so I seek to invest in the spiritual maturity, encouragement, and care of my brothers and sisters. I’m also consistently grateful for being on the receiving end of such precious gifts in the household of faith. My key place of service since 2022 has been in our church’s “Sister Care Ministry,” which provides companionship and care for women in crisis. Here’s what converged and confronted me with my limitations....

Taking Time Off Takes Humility and FaithChristina Fox2026-09-02T19:40:39+00:00

Made for a Purpose

BARBARANNE KELLY | CONTRIBUTOR What is the chief end of man? (Such a perfectly Presbyterian opening.) Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Okay, but how? How, in the toil and grind of our daily lives, do we actually glorify God? Do we glorify God by building bigger cathedrals, more orphanages and hospitals, and feeding and clothing those in homeless shelters? Yes. Do we glorify Him by working faithfully at our secular jobs, both white and blue collar? Yes. Do we glorify Him by raising our children in the knowledge and love of the Lord, in the midst of the minutia of endless laundry, cooking and dishes and cleaning, running the errands, mending the clothes, and wiping the bottoms and the noses? Yes, yes, and yes. Enter the Preacher. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes1:2–3)...

Made for a PurposeChristina Fox2026-09-02T19:36:25+00:00

Putting Envy to Death

LAURA PATTERSON | GUEST I still remember the way I looked at her Barbie Jeep car. My friend Camille lived around the corner from my house and, as a four-year-old, I dreamed of steering my own. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed riding around in the pink motorized vehicle with her—but it wasn’t mine. Tragically, another birthday and Christmas came and went with no box big enough to contain such a magical gift. Name-brand items were not a commodity in my family of origin, and my parents were big on “delayed gratification.” They clearly didn’t know that I’d be living my best life if I got to traverse Bideford Drive in my own Barbie-pink car. Pride’s Baby Envy is not something we have to learn, nor is it something we outgrow with age. We merely trade in its childhood objects for adult versions. Our bestie’s Barbie Dream House is replaced with the real-life “Dream Home” we eye on Insta each day. Pride is the mother of envy and, once it is born, envy cries out for round-the-clock care. Sure, it may learn to sleep through the night, but it still awakens unexpectedly and is incessantly needy. Comparison is its fuel, and it speaks the language of the toddler: “Me! My! Mine!”...

Putting Envy to DeathChristina Fox2026-08-31T19:13:17+00:00

Dressing for Bible Study

KENDRA KAMMER|GUEST In Colorado where I live, we aren’t known for our fashion sense. Recently I received a wedding invitation, and the dress code was “Mountain Formal.” (I know you’re curious: the ladies wore sundresses and cowboy boots, and the men wore jeans and bolo ties.) I’ve even learned how to pre-load my wardrobe into ChatGPT so it can tell me what to wear to any given event and take that mental load off myself! Thankfully, when it comes to Bible study, God has already told us what to wear: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. …And above all these put on love” (Col. 3:12-14). Wear What Fits Colossians 3 tells us what to “wear”: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love. These qualities remind us that Scripture is learned best within loving Christian community. As we study God's Word together, these qualities should shape the way we treat one another....

Dressing for Bible StudyChristina Fox2026-08-14T17:39:32+00:00

On Parenting and Letting Go

JAMYE DOERFLER | CONTRIBUTOR This summer, we’re preparing to take our eldest child to his final year of college. We’ve gotten pretty used to this by now, but I remember the particular angst of taking him his first year. I counted down the days of summer, relishing every last hug, anticipating the emptiness of the house without him. Once he was gone, I counted down the days until fall break, reconciling myself to the reality that even though he was coming home, we had already begun the process of letting him go. Of course, every family situation is different: children may go far away to school or stay close to home; some may join the military or get a job and be out of the house for good. Regardless of the specific details, when our child graduates from high school and begins the next chapter, it becomes clear that, as parents, we are losing our daily “ownership” of them, which can be difficult to accept. Whether we are anticipating that our child will thrive or are anxious that our child will struggle, this transition usually comes with some strong emotions. If the emotions of saying goodbye to your child are overwhelming you, consider this reality: our children were never only ours; they have always been the Lord’s....

On Parenting and Letting GoChristina Fox2026-08-14T17:38:55+00:00

A Fruitful Farewell

CHERYL MULLIS | GUEST What do you say to those you love? I just returned from a trip to Colorado where I had the joy of celebrating the high school graduations of both my niece and my grandson. As I attended the ceremonies and parties, I experienced a mix of emotions. Both graduates had displays filled with photographs capturing significant moments in their lives, and as I looked through them, I couldn’t help but wonder, where has all the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday when they were taking their first steps, starting school, growing, and learning. Attending the graduations of these two special ones was a true gift—one that I don’t take for granted. When the day came for me to fly home, I found myself lingering, sometimes with tears in my eyes, because I was not quite ready to leave. There was much that I still wanted to say to them. As my niece and grandson reach these milestones in their lives and prepare for new adventures, I find myself reflecting not only on their future, but also on the years we have shared together. Have I told them often enough how much I love them? Have I pointed them to Christ? Have I reminded them of God’s grace and faithfulness? Have I made the most of opportunities God has given me to invest in their lives?...

A Fruitful FarewellChristina Fox2026-08-14T17:38:14+00:00

Rest and Refreshment for a New Ministry Year

KARI STAINBACK | GUEST A new year of ministry is about to begin. How in the world did the summer months fly by so quickly? Are you ready to launch a new year of ministry to women? Perhaps you are coming off a fabulous restful vacation with loved ones or friends. Or maybe the summer brought you anything but rest. Maybe you have walked through unexpected trials and troubles which have left you drained and feeling depleted. Maybe you are wondering where the energy will come from to begin another year of ministry to the women in your church. Or perhaps this finds you doing fine as a ministry leader. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening in your life, and you feel ready to crank up the engine of your ministry again. Wherever you are today, each of us share this prayer or something like it each fall: “Oh Jesus, will you refresh my soul that I might shepherd other women according to your will and way?” In Mark 6, Jesus sends His disciples out in pairs to do ministry. They were hard at work, proclaiming that people should repent, casting out demons, and healing the sick. Meanwhile, Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, was murdered by Herod. This had to be a terrible blow to Jesus and the disciples once they found out...

Rest and Refreshment for a New Ministry YearChristina Fox2026-08-14T17:37:33+00:00

Christ’s Presence in Our Weakness

GABRIELLA DJUNATAN|GUEST “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I have seen 2 Corinthians 12:10 all over Instagram bios and on water bottle stickers. It’s one of those catchy one-liners that every Christian has heard or quotes in times of sickness or personal loss. However, what does true strength in weakness actually look like? And how do we know that we have it? Do we just need to feel weak physically or emotionally to “unlock” Christ’s strength? Returning this verse to its context teaches us that true strength in weakness is not simply positive thinking or manifesting good thoughts, but it is rooted in Christ’s work, who was also glorified in weakness. Paul’s Painful Thorn Preceding this verse, Paul shares how he was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him from becoming proud (verse 7). He has just shared of great, heavenly revelations that he experienced in 12:1-4. But God allowed this thorn to teach him humility. Paul had to deal with an ongoing negative situation that kept him from becoming self-absorbed. There are broad opinions around what this “thorn” was that Paul experienced—whether a physical illness, psychological condition, or external persecution. Though the text is silent as to the specific identity of Paul’s pain, the location is clear that he was afflicted physically in his flesh. Moreover, the “thorn” is not just a random weakness but one given by God to teach him humility and keep him faithful in his service....

Christ’s Presence in Our WeaknessChristina Fox2026-08-04T15:33:32+00:00

Entrusting Your College Student to the Lord

SHEA PATRICK | CONTRIBUTOR Our first child was born eighteen and a half years ago. My husband and I could not believe that after only a couple of days the hospital was going to send him home with us. We felt unprepared and out of our depth to deal with the needs of a newborn. Truthfully, he has served as the “guinea pig” as the oldest of five siblings. As he has grown through the years, we have grown along with him as parents, facing new challenges, situations, and transitions. From the first days of elementary school to the first day of high school, we have attempted through God’s grace to guide him in the ways of the Lord. In less than a month, he will move 6.5 hours away to college. This move will end the family life that we have known for so many years. The change is bittersweet. After all, we want our children to grow and mature and develop into young men and women. It is a natural part of life. However, I must admit to mixed feelings and questions during this time of transition. Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation and are asking similar questions to these: Have I done enough?...

Entrusting Your College Student to the LordChristina Fox2026-08-04T15:28:17+00:00

Serving God in Weakness

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR While in my twenties and living in NYC, I was given the opportunity to interview for a leadership position at a large church. I was excited about the opportunity, confident to interview, and hopeful to step into this role—that is, until the second round of interviews began and an older, wiser woman with pointed eyes looked across a table from me and said “What makes you think you have anything to offer this role? You are young, you are single, and you have no children? Do you believe parents will listen to you?” I was stunned, humiliated, and didn’t know how to respond. The Corinthians’ Misunderstanding of Strength The book of 2 Corinthians was written because the apostle Paul had the opportunity to minister to a church that was filled with people who were being influenced by false teachers and seeking to live out a gospel that was driven by knowledge and prestige. The church had fallen into a trap that contradicted the gospel of Christ. In doing so, the Corinthians were doubting Paul’s role as an apostle and the truths he was so desperately urging them to believe...

Serving God in WeaknessChristina Fox2026-08-04T15:04:30+00:00

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