Christina Fox, Author at Women.pcacdm.org

Why the Work We Do Matters

MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR My mouth was needle-numbed on one side, wide open, gauze in one corner, a blue plastic place holder clamped between my feeling teeth and gums, and the drilling began. A cavity filling from childhood outlived its lifespan and needed to be replaced. Silenced, numbed, and essentially gagged, I was at the mercy of my dentist’s expertise and experience. Soon I was back in business, ready to chew again! Aren’t you grateful when someone has the education, gifting, and ability to do his or her job? Whether a stay-at-home mom, plumber, teacher, truck driver, doctor, or in ministry, the work each person does matters and has intrinsic value. Mothers cover countless roles and responsibilities around the clock, a plumber unclogs backed up waters and broken pipes, a teacher provides insights to all eventual jobs, truck drivers ensure supplies are transported and delivered, a doctor of any specialty facilitates healing and wellness, while one in ministry facilitates spiritual healing and wellness. When we stop to consider what it means to work, in every job, calling, or duty, we all need each other and the work done around us. Our world rotates in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cycles of work. Working for the Lord As workers for Christ, however, we are freed to a heavenly, God-given approach to work. Paul encourages the church in Colossae to work as if they are working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23-24 exhorts, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”...

Why the Work We Do MattersChristina Fox2025-08-13T21:08:18+00:00

Living Into Creation Goodness

TARA GIBBS | CONTRIBUTOR When my kids were in high school, a parenting book encouraged me to ask, “What is our family motto?” Potential responses flitted through my mind, “Glorify God and enjoy Him… Love God, love others… Encourage one another…” However, when I posed the question, two of my kids laughed and gave me the same horrifying response, “Win.” Hmm. I knew we were not a resume-builder, push-our-kids-to-do-it-all kind of family, and after getting the horrified reaction they wanted, my kids followed up with better answers like, “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The opportunity to get a rise out of mom had been too tempting to resist. But their responses got me thinking, “Yes, I teach our kids to glorify and enjoy God, but what other messages do I communicate in unspoken ways throughout the week?” From “work hard and do well,” to “avoid the dangerous world,” to “our family prioritizes elite sports,” to “take good care of your physical body,” fill in thousands of potential “unspoken mottos” here: _______. Many of these “unspoken mottos” are not bad in themselves but simply mis-prioritized. And until heaven, perfect balance will not be achieved, but that is exactly why it's good to regularly ask ourselves, “What unspoken family mottos are we communicating?” One place to find many truths for living in this world is the creation account of Genesis 1-2. This is where we see the world as it should be. Sometimes I think we treat the first two chapters of Genesis like the foreword of a book: “I can just skim over that introductory part to get to the real story—sin, fall, and salvation.” A friend said to me once: “Practically, I think I often thought of Christianity as starting with the fall in Genesis 3, ‘We are sinful, and we need Jesus to be saved.’” But sin and the fall are not the way God starts His Story of His good world. When we read Genesis 1:1-31 we learn much about how we are to positively inhabit this world day in and out. There’s a lot here from which to strengthen our lived out family motto....

Living Into Creation GoodnessChristina Fox2025-08-13T21:05:22+00:00

We Were Made for Less

LEAH FARISH|GUEST A popular line in Christian contemporary songs is “You were made for more.” The audience I conjure is the careworn mom with her hands in dishwater or a man aimlessly walking through a dreary urban landscape. But don’t we all suspect from time to time that God’s plan for us involves more glamor, appreciation, and gratification than we’re currently experiencing? Actually, we might do better to think in terms of “less.” We might “say less.” I love this Gen Z phrase for “You needn’t say more—I understand.” It also reminds me of Paul’s standard for speech as he set forth in Ephesians 4:29—"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” Similarly, we might consider owning less, or worrying less—overall, doing less....

We Were Made for LessChristina Fox2025-08-13T20:37:02+00:00

When You’re Weary at the Start of a New Ministry Year

SUSAN TYNER | CONTRIBUTOR I thought I’d be ready. More rested. Eager to begin. Instead, as I look down the barrel of my calendar, I feel tired. In May I imagined the summer months would give me the rest and rejuvenation I needed after a hard spring. But, as I face August and the upcoming “kick offs” of ministry, my body is slow to move. My brain sputters as I start making lists. My heart questions once again if God will provide the volunteers. I focus on my present limitations much more than I remember God’s past help. But thankfully, God reminds me of a time His disciples felt the overwhelming ratio between a need and their ability to meet it. This story—found in all four gospels—gives me a template for facing a new year of ministry: the sack lunch approach. When Jesus and His disciples were chased down by the crowds in a remote area, and it was approaching dinnertime, He told the disciples to feed the crowd of 5,000. What did they have on hand? A first century Lunchables: a boy’s two fish and five loaves of bread...

When You’re Weary at the Start of a New Ministry YearChristina Fox2025-08-08T13:50:24+00:00

Redeeming the Time This New School Year

KRISTEN HATTON | GUEST With two children married and one entering his final year of college, I know how fast the years go by. And while we love the empty nester stage we are now in, I miss the activities that characterized our lives during my children’s growing up years. The school and sports-related activities, yes, but also the sitting down at the dinner table together, playing games, watching a TV series, relaxing by the pool, the laughter and noise. Worshipping together and discussing the sermon over Sunday lunch. The everyday conversations that come through normal family life together. Looking back, I see that the seemingly insignificant moments were actually the most important. These weren’t Instagrammable so the magnitude could easily be missed. But it was also not happenstance that the regular routines of daily life far exceeded any fleeting post as a shaping influence on our kids. Above everything, my husband and I wanted our kids to know their need for Jesus and his love for them. We wanted our family to be closely connected, to feel safe to be vulnerable and known by each other. To this end, even when we couldn’t see the forest for the trees, we endeavored to be intentional according to what we valued most. Our kids didn’t always like the decisions we made. I felt lonely at times swimming upstream against the culture. But by God’s grace we persevered, looking not to their temporal happiness (or ours), but toward a hope that they would root their lives in Christ. Certainly, there is no formula for ensuring a life of faith for our kids and the relationships we desire to cultivate. It is by the grace of God, and yet as parents we are called to diligently shepherd their hearts (Deut. 6:7). But it starts with us—with our hearts. Scripture tells us, “For where our treasure is there our heart will be also (Matt. 6:21).” Where our treasure is. Therefore, I encourage you to evaluate if and how your family rhythms point to and flow from your greatest treasure. And if not, how you might reorient those rhythms this school year. I’ve outlined below five considerations....

Redeeming the Time This New School YearChristina Fox2025-08-02T21:12:47+00:00

Eve: A Helper and Hope Bearer

MEAGHAN MAY | CONTRIBUTOR Ministry life can feel like a strange mix of beauty and burden. You might find yourself wearing multiple hats, holding sacred confidences, and offering wisdom to others while you are weary. You truly love the Lord and His Church, but some days isolation and confusion seem more pressing. As expectations swirl— both spoken and unspoken—you question your adequacy, your purpose, your place. You’re not alone. Eve was the first woman and ministry wife, but she also stood in a place of tension—called by God, yet wrestling with doubt. She struggled to trust His words, to wait for His timing, and to understand her place in His redemptive story. Eve’s life reminds us: we are not the first to waver, but also not the last to be sustained by grace. Her story, like ours, is complex, marked by beauty, brokenness, grace, and growth. And in her story, we find perspective for our own. Like Eve, we are learning to trust and are invited to listen again to the voice of God. His voice still beckons us out of hiding, clothes us, and sends us out with hope. Eve’s Calling, Struggle, and Growing Faith Eve was created with purpose: to live in relationship with God, to reflect His glory, to walk alongside her husband as a helper (ezer) and life-giver. Eve’s identity wasn’t an afterthought; it was intentional. Before God created her, He let Adam name the animals but among them, no suitable companion could be found. This is the first “not good” in all of creation (Gen. 2:18). Afterward, God caused Adam to sleep and took a rib from his side, fashioning it into the woman. When Adam saw her, he exclaimed with joy and recognition: “At last, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” (Gen. 2:23). She was an ezer—a strong helper—a word used of God Himself in Scripture (Deut. 33:26; Psalm 121:2). Yet Eve struggled. “She saw that the fruit was… desirable… so she took it and ate” (Gen. 3:6)....

Eve: A Helper and Hope BearerChristina Fox2025-07-31T23:35:51+00:00

Wearing Our Gospel Clothes

MELANIE COGDILL | GUEST Because we are movie buffs, for more than a decade, some friends from church and I have an annual Oscar watch party. We also evaluate the gowns celebrities wear as they present the awards. Why did she pick that dress? Does it look flattering on her—if not, what was she thinking? Even though not all women are fashionistas, we care about what clothes we wear to worship on Sunday. We put some thought into what we will put on. We do not roll out of bed in our pajamas and head to church. The Seed of Gospel Clothing Throughout Scripture, we see that what we wear is significant. Not our outward clothing, but how we are clothed with gospel truth. In fact, it is God Himself who makes us a garment of gospel clothes and puts it on us. In Genesis 3:7 after Adam and Eve took and ate the forbidden fruit, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” After they do that, God comes to them (v.9) and “the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'" And because the coverings they made for themselves were not sufficient, God clothed them (v. 21), “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God comes to them after their sin in the Garden, and He makes garments to clothe them. This is the gospel in a nutshell. Putting on Our Gospel Clothes Our gospel clothing is much more significant than our physical clothing. After telling the Colossians the worldly things they must put to death (Col. 3:5-10), the Apostle Paul reminds them of the gospel clothing they must wear instead. The context of the gospel clothes they are to put on as the people of God is compassion, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, love for one another in the body. Those verses seem straightforward; however, it’s not always easy to love difficult people in our church, forgive a friend or spouse when we think we have been wronged, or be patient with a child’s behavior that is trying our patience. However, Paul’s admonition is to always “put on” these gospel clothes because we are called as God’s beloved people to be holy....

Wearing Our Gospel ClothesChristina Fox2025-07-21T17:57:24+00:00

The Wind Blows Where It Will

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR On our most recent road trip we spent a couple of days at the Grand Canyon. It had been years since we were last there, but we were still amazed at the wonder of God’s creation while viewing the deep canyons and rock formations carved by the Colorado River. Because school was not yet out, we were able to drive through the park at our leisure to take in the beauty of the landscape. At one particular spot, we were in awe at how the wind moved across the canyon. Far in the distance we could hear the winds picking up somewhere to our left. Then a minute or two later, the wind would rustle the trees right in front of us before moving further to our right. For a moment we could feel the wind, and just as fast as it came, it would leave us, only to start again somewhere to the left side of the canyon. My husband commented that this reminded him of the description of the Holy Spirit in John. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). This is an interesting verse. “The wind blows where it wishes,” reminds us of the mystery and sovereignty of the Spirit’s work. To be born of the Spirit means we are entirely in His hands regarding our regeneration. If God has elected us to salvation, the Holy Spirit assures that sinners’ hearts are opened to Christ. God will get all the glory because he has the right to choose whom He will save. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Ex. 33:19)...

The Wind Blows Where It WillChristina Fox2025-07-21T17:41:22+00:00

Discipling Children in Suffering

AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST When my children were young, my husband and I worked hard to prepare them for life. We taught them skills they needed such as tying their shoes, doing laundry, driving, and choosing a career. We also taught them Bible stories, character lessons, and how to obey. But how to suffer? Mostly, we tried to help them avoid it. Now I am a biblical counselor who sits with people who are enduring a wide range of suffering. Seeing their struggles, I find myself looking back at this aspect of our child rearing and wishing I could have a parenting do-over. In our efforts to raise our children well and prepare them for life, we missed something important—purposefully preparing them for a world where the Bible says we will have trouble (John 16:33; James 1:2; I Pet. 4:12–13). How do we equip our children to biblically respond to life’s troubles, so they do not flounder, or worse, run away from God to false comforts? When trouble hits, practice lament and submission to God with your children....

Discipling Children in SufferingChristina Fox2025-07-11T15:04:24+00:00

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with Hope

MARISSA BONDURANT | CONTRIBUTOR A cloud of collective grief hovers over Texas. For days after the flood, there was an actual dark cloud over all central Texas as the whole of creation groaned together in the pains of grief and longing (Rom. 8:22). A suppressive force of humidity mixed with shock and stirred with sorrow made it hard to breathe, sleep, or even make basic decisions. Although the headlines focus on the heartache in Texas, I know that this grief is seeping much farther from here. So many of the people who died were visiting from all over the country. Little girls at summer camp. Families camping under majestic cypress trees. Grandparents bunked up with grandchildren to make precious memories over the holiday. And now, thousands of people across the country grieve the loss of loved ones, co-workers, classmates, teammates, neighbors, and friends. Living in San Antonio, the Guadalupe River is considered our backyard play place. Everyone I know is only 1 or 2 degrees away from the devastation. My church alone had three girls at Camp Mystic the day the water rose. A dear friend of ours is on the ground doing recovery work. He’s got a military, warzone, ER doctor background, and he said he’s never seen anything like this. As of the writing this, they expect close to 300 image bearers to eventually be found in the debris. And in this deep, collective grief, we need the Church. We need you....

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with HopeChristina Fox2025-07-11T19:04:12+00:00

About Christina Fox