Blog – Women.pcacdm.org

Why Connection Matters in Women’s Ministry

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) When I began leading a women’s ministry at my church at the ripe old age of 31, I had no intention of doing so. Pregnant with my third child in four years and slightly panicked, I had asked the pastor’s wife to lead a short series for mothers of young children. She agreed on the condition that I would help her. When she was called to other duties, and the young moms wanted to continue, I became the leader by default. Seven years later, I published my first Bible study and began walking alongside women in difficult stories as a coach. My ministry, Living Story, was officially born. Five years into this writing, teaching, and coaching ministry, I found myself burned out and lonely. Raised to be an independent woman by a single mother who had to fight her way through a male-dominated business world, I began to realize such independence had no place in ministry. I sensed the truth that “two are better than one” and a “threefold cord is not easily broken” (Eccles. 4:9-12)...

Why Connection Matters in Women’s MinistryChristina Fox2026-09-12T13:09:25+00:00

Is Your Yes or No on Autopilot?

LISA UPDIKE | GUEST According to conversations with kids, most families have a “no” parent and a “yes” parent, and the kids know which one to go to when they want something. I think most people tend to be an auto pilot “yes” or “no.” I suppose we could leave it at that. Some of us are quicker to jump in, some are better at healthy boundaries, and that’s that. But I’m not so sure this status quo is where we ought to live. In fact, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that God would call us to something better. Problematic Yes A default of saying “yes” can be a beautiful thing. You have a heart ready to serve. People know they can count on you. You see the needs and you know how to fill them. You lay down your life for others. What a blessing! Not only that, but Yes Girl is popular! She is known. She is a go-getter. And therein lies the issue. People-pleasing is a lousy reason to be the Yes Girl. We must examine our hearts (sigh...that heart examination is ever-present). Who are we seeking to please? Ourselves, others, or Jesus? By rushing in with our “yes” we might be robbing others of an opportunity to serve. We may be robbing our families of our time. And worst of all, we may be tempted to find our identity in being the one who does it all, or enjoy the thankfulness of others a little too much, or find satisfaction in playing the overworked martyr. We may rely on our busyness to fill a void. This is a problematic “yes.”...

Is Your Yes or No on Autopilot?Christina Fox2026-09-12T12:47:22+00:00

Encouragement for the Anxious and Depressed

CHRISTINE GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR The days are getting shorter. That bright light that peeked out from under my shades with hopeful energy in the early mornings has begun to wane. And night creeps up closer to dinner time. Some people barely notice the change. Their anticipation of pumpkin lattes and sweater weather is a welcome shift from the heat of summer. But some can’t help but notice. Because as the days go by their energy level seems to slowly drain out of some unknown orifice until it reaches a dangerously low point. Symptoms such as these may be attributed to what mental health professionals call Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. I’d never heard of SAD but was painfully aware of my sudden desire to sleep fourteen hours a day as the month of November came around every year. When I was awake, I’d sit and stare out the window, unable to concentrate, wondering when I could get back in bed. When I read a description in my 20s, I finally understood there were others who dreaded the fall for the same reason I did. Suffering and Mental Health Maybe SAD isn’t part of your life, or that of someone you love. But it’s probable that some form of anxiety or depression is. Approximately 19 percent of Americans have some type of anxiety disorder. Eighteen percent will be diagnosed with depression in their lifetime. That means at least one out of every five people you interact with every day is battling something you probably can’t see...

Encouragement for the Anxious and DepressedChristina Fox2026-09-02T19:45:53+00:00

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