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A Testimony of Spiritual Mothering

STEPHANIE FORMENTI | CONTRIBUTOR I was a young mom to three children under the age of 5. We had recently navigated an international move far from my family and friends and absolutely everything was new. I couldn’t speak the language, I couldn’t drive, we didn’t have a backyard, and the food was really different. I was struggling. In my struggle, my husband and I committed to praying and asking the Lord to bring an English-speaking friend into my life. In His kindness, about two months later, a woman from the UK moved to our Brazilian city with her family and we met at church. Mary (name changed) was a little farther along in life and ministry than I was, loved Jesus, and had a warm and welcoming presence. So, when she suggested we meet up for coffee, I jumped at the chance. Over time, we started meeting regularly and those get-togethers became a lifeline for me. Speaking English was a welcome retreat after navigating daily life in Portuguese. Having an hour to sit in a cafe was a sweet respite from the busyness of caring for three young children. And this newfound mentor was fun and insightful. But more than anything else, these regular meetings became an important part of the growth and sanctification the Lord was already doing in this season of challenge because of my friend’s willingness to do three important things:...

A Testimony of Spiritual Mothering2026-10-05T19:42:08+00:00

Making Room: Raising Up Bible Study Leaders in the Local Church

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR I was a freshman in college, newly involved in campus ministry, when I fell in love with Bible study. Each week, I gathered with a small group of fellow students to study God’s Word with the help of an older student. None of us—including our leader—were Bible scholars. We were simply college students who loved Jesus and wanted to know Him more. At the end of that first year, I attended a student leader training conference. For the remaining three years of college, I co-led small-group Bible studies and discovered the joy of crafting questions that helped our group uncover truths in a passage of Scripture. I graduated from college nearly forty years ago, and for most of the decades since, I have led Bible studies, usually with small groups of women in my local church. I was not a Bible scholar in college, and I am still not one today. Most of what I know about Scripture has come not from formal academic training, but from decades of ordinary Bible study alongside ordinary saints. I don’t lead as a scholarly expert, but as a fellow learner. And you can lead that way, too....

Making Room: Raising Up Bible Study Leaders in the Local Church2026-10-06T14:37:20+00:00

A Warm Welcome

ELIZABETH STEELE|GUEST It was a cold and blustery January morning when my Marine-Corps-fighter-pilot-husband flew off for a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific. We had been married for only three months as I gave him a tearful kiss goodbye and drove back home as a weepy mess. I wondered what in the world I would do to keep myself busy until he came back home in July. I had a part-time job working at a makeup counter working three days a week and was glad for something to do. But the truth is, I really longed for a meaningful way to serve the Lord and wondered what that was going to look like now that he was gone. I had left my work in Tennessee as a director of a residence hall and women's coordinator for Campus Crusade in order to marry Joe and was happy to do so. But I did love those jobs; I got to be around lovely college-aged women all day,  teaching Bible studies, mentoring them in one-on-ones, and hosting folks in my little apartment on a nearly daily basis. Of course, it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, but there was a lot of joy in it for me. It filled my cup to serve them as I served the Lord. But now what?...

A Warm Welcome2026-09-30T19:27:58+00:00

Forming Better Questions for Decision Making

HEIDI MOSHER | GUEST Choices. Options. Paths. Each stage of life presents something momentous to consider—“what’s next” questions that demand decisions. This college or that? Should I date him? Marry him? How about a baby? How about another? Daycare? How will we educate these kids? College or career? Which college? Is it time to switch jobs? Time for new surroundings—if so, where? Should Mom be living alone? How should I best use my time in this new stage of life?  Sometimes we must decide what’s next. What advice should we follow? Sometimes a child or a friend seeks our input on a decision. What advice should we offer? As Christian women, we turn to the Lord with our “what’s next” questions, acknowledge him (Prov. 3:5–6), ask for wisdom (James 1:5), and pray for peace (Phil. 4:6–7). We can even ask for doors to open or close (Col. 4:3) and trust the outcome (Prov. 16:9).  And we search Scripture for guidance. We may not find the specifics we seek however. No Bible verse will reveal the exact college to attend or the name of the city to move to. Yet, the Bible lights our paths (Ps. 119:105)....

Forming Better Questions for Decision Making2026-09-29T19:29:52+00:00

Caring For a Woman in an Abusive Relationship

CHRISTINE GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR Who was the first woman you knew in an abusive relationship? Maybe she was your college roommate or your older sister. Maybe your office mate spoke in hushed tones to the screaming voice coming out of her phone. Whoever it was, chances are you felt a mix of compassion and confusion as you watched. Victims of domestic violence often stay in damaging, dangerous marriages even as those who care for them beg them to leave. They stay for lots of reasons including the confusing power dynamics of abuse, a belief that leaving goes against their faith, and a lack of safe places to go. Some don’t recognize the marriage as abusive. Others think it’s their fault.  Obviously, these women are the kind of people Jesus referred to when he named “the least of these” (Matt 25:40). They are the vulnerable, the voiceless, those without an advocate. And according to the 2022 PCA Report on Domestic Abuse, they’ve been deserted. Page 2496 reads, “All types of abuse create a forced separation in the marriage, just like physical abuse. And therefore all types of abuse qualify as a form of desertion.”[1] One of the ways we, the women of the church, can help is by holding these sisters’ hands as they go to their brothers to get help....

Caring For a Woman in an Abusive Relationship2026-09-27T21:00:09+00:00

Gospel Friendship: A Conduit to the Father

STEPHANIE FORMENTI | CONTRIBUTOR I was a young mom to three children under the age of 5. We had recently navigated an international move far from my family and friends and absolutely everything was new. I couldn’t speak the language, I couldn’t drive, we didn’t have a backyard, and the food was really different. I was struggling. In my struggle, my husband and I committed to praying and asking the Lord to bring an English-speaking friend into my life. In His kindness, about two months later, a woman from the UK moved to our Brazilian city with her family and we met at church. Mary (name changed) was a little farther along in life and ministry than I was, loved Jesus, and had a warm and welcoming presence. So, when she suggested we meet up for coffee, I jumped at the chance. Over time, we started meeting regularly and those get-togethers became a lifeline for me. Speaking English was a welcome retreat after navigating daily life in Portuguese. Having an hour to sit in a cafe was a sweet respite from the busyness of caring for three young children. And this newfound mentor was fun and insightful. But more than anything else, these regular meetings became an important part of the growth and sanctification the Lord was already doing in this season of challenge because of my friend’s willingness to do three important things:...

Gospel Friendship: A Conduit to the Father2026-09-19T18:00:17+00:00

Watered Women of the Word

MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR When the skies begin to rumble and dark clouds tumble, folks in the South know they should either take cover or get ready to jump in big puddles! There is nothing quite like God’s glory roaring from thunderclouds. Deluges from the sky bring beautifully abundant garden beds filled with new life exploding with color. As rainwater replenishes gardens, we see the whole garden grow and each drop of rain is needed to bring forth the harvest. So it is with the Body of Christ. As we drink in Christ’s living water, it soaks into our hearts and replenishes us with His soul quenching love. Drop by Drop Over the course of a fruitful season in the Word, I had the privilege to watch one woman water the seeds of faith in two precious beloveds, drop by drop of kindness, care, attentiveness, and love. They both came to our weekly Bible study, having been uprooted from what they knew before. One, a recent immigrant from a country overrun by economic turmoil, she and her family came to find a more sustainable life. Another, a single mother, raised in rich spiritual soil, nonetheless experienced heartache and hardship along her path. Both were nurtured under the inviting shepherd-hearted leadership of a woman who understands what it means to provide a constant overflow of encouragement, lovingkindness, accountability, and reinforcement to remain deeply rooted to the taproot of Jesus love. Their hearts reflect connections which are constantly renewed while walking a relationally driven and Word-based lifeline together....

Watered Women of the Word2026-09-18T19:51:05+00:00

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 Ministry2026-09-12T13:09:25+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?2026-09-12T12:47:22+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 Depressed2026-09-02T19:45:53+00:00
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