Christina Fox, Author at Women.pcacdm.org

The Stewardship of Suffering

AMY SHORE | GUEST Winter crept into my heart early this past year. Weariness gave way to selfish wallowing and introspection as I reflected on hard realities during the holiday season. December 31st, I found myself unable to breathe. A beautiful sand dollar, a Christmas gift from a friend, lay shattered on the kitchen floor. I fell to my knees in despair alongside this visual representation of my current brokenness. January 1st, a morning filled with missed calls and urgent messages: my dad had suffered a heart attack and was undergoing surgery. Then came January 21st when I faced the devastating reality of his death. I couldn’t catch my breath. The Learning Journey “Learning to live in the reality of His presence is the essence of our prayers and our pilgrimage.”[1] For the past year and a half, well before my father passed, I’ve been chewing on that quote from Susan Hunt around the journey to know God better amidst fear and frailty. I long to live more fully in that reality. You may have heard the saying, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” My pride wants this to be true because it means I can pull myself up by my own bootstraps. I’ve tried. My bootstraps snapped....

The Stewardship of SufferingChristina Fox2025-06-21T19:25:35+00:00

Entering into the Joy of Others

LISA UPDIKE | GUEST Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a blessed ebb and flow of challenge and loss, peace and rest. Joy and sadness. Births and deaths. Serving and receiving. And though we intellectually understand that we will have trouble in life, it still can catch us off guard. When the time of trouble persists, we cry out like the psalmist did, “How long, Lord?” We wonder, “Does the Lord even see me?” If we are in a particularly long, hard season we may wonder why the Lord is richly blessing others and not us. Well, at least that’s what I do. My guess is that I am not alone. For the past several years my life has been really hard, sometimes heartbreakingly so. Two of my children are going through some painful circumstances causing distance between us. My heart aches over our difficult relationship. In another sphere of life, my mother is aging and often in pain. She is lonely for my dad whom she lost five years ago to Alzheimer’s. It’s so painful to see her suffer, though she does so with grace. On top of these things, this past fall we were blindsided with grief when my husband’s youngest brother took his life. We had no warning. So. Much. Grief. And I hate to say it, but there is a lot more to this list. I’m telling you; my husband and I have been hurting. A lot. Still, we were hanging in there. We were growing and learning to cling to Jesus. But then there was just one more tragedy and it tipped the balance. It seemed more than we could bear. Was God actually kicking me when I was already down? I knew better, but at 4:30am when the phone rang, I knew it couldn’t be good news. My heart sank as I reached for the phone. The vet told me she was so sorry, but our dog had passed. You see, she had been rushed to the emergency vet the night before. We thought she was going to recover, but just like that, she was gone. My husband and I held each other and cried. This just seemed like too much. In our sadness, she had been such a comfort. Now she was gone. Hadn’t we had enough grief? Why this too?...

Entering into the Joy of OthersChristina Fox2025-06-12T18:05:51+00:00

From Suffering to Strength: Gospel Ministry that Changes Everything

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Col. 1:24-29) It’s easy to think gospel ministry is reserved for those on a stage or under a spotlight – pastors, missionaries, or the formally trained. But nothing could be further from the truth. Gospel ministry is life. Every believer is called to gospel ministry, wherever God has placed us. Whether you're raising children, serving in retirement, leading Bible study, or showing Christ’s love at your job, you are part of this glorious mission. Colossians 1:24–29 shows us just how glorious (and gritty) that calling can be. If the preeminence of Christ in creation, the Church, and in reconciliation sets the stage for Paul’s ministry (Col. 1:15-23), then Colossians 1:24–29 reveals how that truth transforms everything about the way he serves. For Christian women seeking to live faithfully in their homes, churches, workplaces, and communities, Paul’s example is both a challenge and a comfort. Rejoicing in the Burden: Paul’s Attitude in Ministry (v.24) Some might believe the hardships we face are a detriment to ministry. How can God possibly use me to further His kingdom if I struggle with depression, have a rebellious child, or battle anxiety every day? Paul knew suffering; beyond his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7), his life was marked by hardship. Yet, he tells the Colossians he rejoices in his suffering for their sake. In other words, he considers his personal distress as a way of carrying on Christ’s work, and the challenges he faces can and will be used by God to spread the gospel. For that reason, he rejoices in his suffering. We have a choice when faced with hardship. We can either become bitter and pull away from the service God has called us to, or we can choose joy—a settled satisfaction in Christ and in His provisions—and be open to how God might use us amid our hardship or perhaps even because of it. Don’t wait until life feels “together” to serve. God uses us right in the middle of the mess to point others to Jesus...

From Suffering to Strength: Gospel Ministry that Changes EverythingChristina Fox2025-06-12T17:46:48+00:00

Marriage Advice I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR Soon after I graduated from college and moved to a new town, I started attending the PCA church that I eventually joined. One of my early visits was especially memorable. At the conclusion of the service, three couples were invited up front: the senior pastor and his wife, the associate pastor and his wife, and an elder and his wife. All three couples were celebrating 30 years of marriage. I was in awe. As a young single woman hoping to be married, I thought this was exactly the kind of church I wanted to join—one that celebrated longevity in marriage and included examples of faithful partnerships. When I look back at that day and consider how impressed I was by those couples and how wise I thought they were, it's a little strange to now be in the position of being married longer than 30 years myself. I don't feel as wise as I imagined those couples were, but I do have things to share that would surprise a younger me. Sometimes You Should Go to Bed Angry Many quote Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" as a biblical mandate to resolve all conflict before calling it a night. I think that misunderstands Paul's imperative. There are times in marriage when you should probably go to bed angry. Sometimes what you need is a good night's rest, instead of hashing things out while you're both angry and tired. God's mercies are new every morning. Sometimes sleep provides the clarity that midnight conversations cannot. Acknowledge that you love each other despite the anger, promise you're committed to working things out, and trust that morning may bring new perspective....

Marriage Advice I Wish I’d Learned SoonerChristina Fox2025-06-12T17:41:09+00:00

Growth in Prayer and Gratitude

MEGAN JUNG|GUEST “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” Colossians 1:3). For 20 years, I’ve heard the same refrain. “I know I need to pray more...” “I know I should be grateful, but…” Regardless of location: my counseling office, a coffee shop on a college campus, or my seminary office, I have seen the exhausted, downcast, guilty expressions accompanying these words. I feel it too. I understand the tension about prayer and gratitude: I know what I need to do, and I don’t know how. Longing for gratitude and a robust prayer life is often coupled with frustration and uncertainty about how to change. Many of us feel like something stands between us, prayer, and gratitude. Some of us feel like we’re living a cosmic game of Tetris, trying to place spiritual disciplines between waking hours and a billion tasks. Not to mention a desperate need for rest. Some of us are embarrassed because we don’t feel like we have the right words. Others have pain, anger, or mistrust standing between us and the Lord. And if we’re honest, even the most mature Christians sometimes offer rote prayer and gratitude that feels boring and disengaged. (If you find yourself bathed in the mercy of a consistent, rich, grateful prayer life, we praise the Lord for His goodness to you! Please share with others how the Lord has brought you to this place. Sister, we need your witness and encouragement.) The Necessity of Prayer and Gratitude...

Growth in Prayer and GratitudeChristina Fox2025-07-09T18:29:38+00:00

Our Father Values His Children

KARI STAINBACK|GUEST This morning a nest of baby finches on my patio exploded with activity. Wild finches love to nest on my third-floor patio behind my wall lamp. I assume they see it as a safe place to start off their family, out of sight and away from so many natural dangers. I hear the baby birds' squeaky chirps and the joyful songs of their mom and dad sing as they happily share the responsibility of feeding these tiny babies. How amazing that the finches know just where to build a secure nest to establish their offspring. Each parent cares for and warms the eggs until the baby birds hatch. They both know just what to feed the little ones so that, in two weeks or so, they will be ready to leave the nest and learn to fly. But for those two weeks, referred to as the “fledgling stage” the baby birds still depend on their parents to provide for them. No doubt, Jesus also observed this amazing creation phenomenon with birds knowing that His Father, the God of all Creation, wisely made the birds with this innate wisdom to procreate and provide for their young so well. After all, the Father is the first cause, the Provider for these birds in season and out of season. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 6:26-27: Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?...

Our Father Values His ChildrenChristina Fox2025-07-09T18:30:03+00:00

A Family Resemblance

BARBARANNE KELLY | CONTRIBUTOR 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. (Colossians 1:3–5a) I’ve been going through a box of old photos found in my dad’s attic, and I’m seeing the faces of my great and great-great-grandparents for the first time. I’ve seen their names written in the branches of our family tree, but for the first time I’m able to look for family resemblances in their eyes and smiles. I marvel at seeing my infant grandmother tenderly held in the arms of her parents under the shade of their garden, held with the same affection with which I held my own precious children. I’m connected to my great-grandmother in more ways than DNA can explain. I never met her, but her blood flows through my veins, and her love for gardening and family, along with her physical characteristics, have been shared down through the generations. When Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, he was writing to saints he’d never met. The gospel had been carried to them by his co-laborer Epaphras, had taken root, and was “bearing fruit and increasing” (1:6–7). Paul’s joy overflowed in thankfulness to God as he recognized the family resemblance in these unseen saints when he heard of “[their] faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that [they] have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for [them] in heaven” (1:4–5a). How did these saints and fellow brothers and sisters at Colossae resemble the family of Christ? They bore the traits of faith in Christ Jesus, love for all the saints, and a hope laid up in heaven. Faith, love, and hope are spiritual characteristics which set the family of God apart from the rest of the world. Faith The word “faith” is repeated five times in the letter to the Colossians, and each time it refers to a specifically objective faith in God the Father and/or the Lord Jesus Christ. This isn’t the baseless faith of the world that calls us to “just believe,” or worse, to “believe in yourself.” The faith that characterizes all Christians is “faith in Christ Jesus (1:4; 2:5), “the faith” in which they need to continue (1:23), “the faith” which is key to walking in Christ (2:6–7), and it is faith in the powerful working of God through which they were raised in baptism with Christ (2:12). Paul sees the family resemblance in the Colossians’ faith because he knows it’s nothing they’ve done in themselves; it is God’s gracious gift (Eph. 2:8)....

A Family ResemblanceChristina Fox2025-05-26T16:20:52+00:00

I’m New Here! Did You Notice?

SAMI MACDONALD|GUEST As the resident of my 17th home in 34 years, my many memories of being the new girl often culminate in various cafeterias. Memories of circling tables while scanning for an open seat, holding a tray that feels as wobbly as my quickly beating heart. I remember wanting to ask the scariest question: “Is this seat taken?” What I really wanted wasn’t just a seat, but for someone kind to notice me and offer me a seat at her table. I longed to belong. And that longing doesn’t end when schoolgirl days are over. Maybe you have been here, too. Being new – to a church, town, job, or just walking into any room full of unfamiliar faces – can leave us feeling quite vulnerable. Newness stirs in us a deep fear of isolation, including her counterparts’ shame and rejection. About this, the Gospel has much to say. I invite you to consider periods of transition as opportunities to lean into the rich spiritual realities of our bond with Christ. Let’s look to the beloved book of Ruth, whose story of new girls in a new land demonstrates God’s faithful love. Ruth and Naomi were single women uprooted from their home country. Being in a foreign land wasn’t just uncomfortable, but dangerous. In a patriarchal society, they were vulnerable without a husband’s provision. In God’s kindness, Ruth is seen by Boaz, who eventually becomes her redeemer. “Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10) We also are seen in our vulnerability. Acknowledging the reality of our aloneness in new situations is appropriate but does not have to define us. At one time we were indeed separated, alienated, and without hope (Eph. 2:12). But we find rest when we remember God graciously fixed His gaze upon our vulnerability and brought us near, grafted us into Himself, sheltering us under His wings. These aren’t just momentary truths at salvation or future hopes for eternity. Our Father sees our vulnerabilities now and it is in His very character to move toward our needs (Matt. 7:11). Furthermore, Boaz not only sees Ruth’s needs, but he also welcomes her to his personal table. “And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over” (Ruth 2:14). Boaz is a pointer to Christ. He doesn’t just satisfy her need for a meal, but as the story unfolds, he marries her, providing ultimate security as she joins his covenant family....

I’m New Here! Did You Notice?Christina Fox2025-07-09T18:30:57+00:00

On Minds Set Above

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR “Just Do It.” The iconic Nike slogan has inspired millions, not only to work out, but also to purchase the swoosh-branded gear. Unfortunately, many Christians have unknowingly adopted a similar “Just Do It” mindset when approaching the gospel command, “Set your minds on things above” (Col. 3:2). But here’s the problem: apart from first resting in the gospel reality of our union with Christ, we cannot carry out this command. As we slow down to consider the context of Paul’s words, we find something far better than mere motivation—we find the hope-filled reality that empowers and invites us to set our hearts and minds on the things above. The Hope-filled Gospel Reality As Paul so often does in his epistles, he begins by proclaiming gospel realities (also called “gospel indicatives”), naming what is true of us because we are united with Christ. He then follows these realities with gospel commands (also called “gospel imperatives”). To fully understand and live out Paul’s exhortation to “Set our minds on things above,” we must first consider our identity in Christ. In Colossians 1-2, Paul describes our new identity in Christ: we have “faith in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:4), we have been made “mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28), and we “walk in him” (Col. 2:6). In Him we also have “redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14), and in Him, we are reconciled with God (Col. 2:21). Most importantly, our citizenship has changed. Because of Christ’s work on the Cross and our faith in Him, we have moved from the “domain of darkness” to the “kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13-14). We have been “buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:11-12)....

On Minds Set AboveChristina Fox2025-05-26T15:42:26+00:00

Summer Study on Colossians and Philemon: An Interview with Sarah Ivill

CHRISTINA FOX|EDITOR The 2025 recommended summer Bible study for PCA Women’s Ministries is Colossians and Philemon: That in Everything Christ Might be Preeminent by Sarah Ivill, Below you’ll find an interview Christina Fox did with Sarah about the study and her writing process. Christina: When you work on developing a Bible study, what is your study process like? Do you have a particular pattern you follow? Favorite commentaries? Sarah: I do have a particular pattern that I follow. First, I read the book of the Bible I'm studying in its entirety to get the big idea of the book. Second, I make an outline of the book so that I know which chapters I will cover for each lesson. Third, I study the specific passage of Scripture for the lesson and then read commentaries on it. If I have to choose a favorite series of commentaries, I like the Reformed Expository Commentary series published by P&R Publishing. Fourth, I write study questions for the women to answer and notes for the women to read. Finally, I go back through the lesson with an editorial eye. Christina: You have written a study on every book of the Bible. Was that a goal you had that you worked toward? How did that develop? What does it mean to you to have completed it? Sarah: To write a study on every book of the Bible was a desire that grew out of my love for studying God's Word. I wanted to learn God's Word and then share what I had learned with others. As I was nearing completion of the project, I felt grateful that God had given me the opportunity to do it, but I also felt sad that it was coming to a close. Spending those years writing studies on each book of the Bible was immensely satisfying, as God's Word pointed me repeatedly to Christ in the midst of my own sin, suffering, and service. There is no other book that I would rather be reading. The Holy Scriptures are majestic and pure. They comfort and convict. The Bible is "no empty word for you, but your very life" (Deut. 32:47). Christina: As someone who has studied and taught on the Bible for many years, what is something new that you learned while working on this study for Philemon and Colossians?...

Summer Study on Colossians and Philemon: An Interview with Sarah IvillChristina Fox2025-05-18T21:04:42+00:00

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