Search Results discipling women

Discerning God’s Will

By Christina Fox|2024-05-20T17:32:48+00:00June 6, 2024|Blog, Discernment|

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR The summer I graduated from high school, my mom gave me a small package to open. It was a season of many changes and new beginnings that felt big and scary. I remember wanting the box to hold keys to a new car to drive to school or something else exciting to celebrate this new season. But what that small box held was more meaningful than my 18-year-old-self understood at the time. It was a passage of Scripture she had quoted to me for many years, typed out and framed, with my name inserted throughout: And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them (Is. 42:16). That verse hung in my dorm room, in my first apartment, and even now in my first home. Early on, when she first gave it to me, I often looked at it and thought, what does it mean that “the Lord will turn darkness into life before me and make the rough places smooth” in my life? I was leaving the comfort of my parents’ home and beginning life as an adult. I was at a time in my life when questions of career, where I would live, and whether I would get married consumed my thoughts. I wanted to seek the Lord as I discerned His will, but truthfully, I also wanted to make the “right” decision. The Lord began to show me my decisions were more about Him and less about me. As I found myself paralyzed by fear in both big and small decisions, the Lord was gracious to show me that His Word was where I needed to focus in order to understand and discern His will. He is a God who asks us to seek Him. During Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He spoke what is now one of the most quoted passages in the Bible: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). We are to seek the face of God, seeking to glorify Him before seeking our own will. There are many ways and places that we glorify God. We all face big life decisions about where to live, what to do for a career, whom to marriage, and more. All are important, and yet there are many paths we can take to glorify God. The Bible does not say where we should live or what career we should choose, but He does say to seek Him first and that our life was created for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). When we seek Him first, we are freed from carrying the burdens of our life, freed from anxiety and worry, and freed to know that the Lord holds our life in His hand and will provide for us...

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Her Name Was Nellie Smith: The Call to Intergenerational Discipleship

By Christina Fox|2024-05-02T15:53:07+00:00May 13, 2024|Blog, Made for More|

SHERRY KENDRICK |GUEST Her name was Nellie Smith, and she was one of my mother’s closest friends. Through the years, they became natural partners in multiple ministries. Nellie would teach and my mother would make sure there were snacks, crafts, and a welcoming space. And through this relationship, my mother learned how to disciple and encourage me in God’s Word. Deeply and faithfully, Nellie communicated God’s Word. She taught at the Good News Club, Sunday School, Children’s Church, and Vacation Bible School. She was a student of the Word, and those of us under her instruction learned the depth and breadth of Scripture. My love of the Old Testament and how it points to Jesus came from her. Though she was not formally educated, Nellie practiced the art of captivating storytelling and warm engaging lessons. It was never boring to hear her talk about the truths of Scripture. The gospel was present in every lesson, and it pierced my young heart. One day near Easter, she prayed with me to receive Jesus and she rejoiced with my family in my salvation. Nellie loved Jesus, His Word, and His church, and she loved me. Her influence in my life shaped the beginning of my spiritual formation. From Generation to Generation As the Family Ministry Director at my church, I constantly read and follow studies about faith formation and child discipleship. The Kingdom impact of Nellie’s initial investment in my life became clear to me as I learned about the development of lasting faith in children. The impact of meaningful relationships with older faithful believers, like Nellie, cannot be underestimated...

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Joy and Sorrow in Motherhood

By Christina Fox|2024-05-10T19:52:15+00:00May 9, 2024|Blog, Motherhood|

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR It was a Tuesday morning, two weeks before Mother’s Day. I parked my car outside my doctor’s office and prayed a quick prayer: “God, please help this baby to be healthy.” I walked in expectant, excited, and a little nervous. It was only a few minutes later as I lay on the table with the screen in front of me that I saw my baby for the first time. This very small baby with a heart that wasn’t beating. The silence in the room was deafening. My heart immediately started racing and I looked at the ultrasound tech as the expression on her face told me what I already knew. “I’m so sorry,” she said. My body froze, fear washed over me, and I knew then I was facing yet another story of motherhood that I didn’t want to face. I went home later that day to my two small children who had no idea what Mommy had faced that day. The innocent joy on their faces and excitement to see me brought a lift to my heavy heart. I was immediately brought back into the reality of my world and the incredible gift these long-awaited healthy children were to me. For the days and weeks following that Tuesday morning, joy and sorrow were held hand in hand as I held my children a little closer while at the same time, aching for the child in my womb. Joy and Sorrow in Scripture All throughout the Bible, there are stories of the sufferings, longings, hopes, and joys of God’s people through different circumstances of motherhood. The places where they also held joy and sorrow hand in hand. There are the stories of Sarah who became a mother past child-bearing age and was overcome with laughter by the story that was written for her (Gen. 21:1-7); of Naomi, who lost both her sons and her husband, and then in the midst of her grief made the hard decision to love her daughter-in-law from a different people group. She walked in faith as she loved Ruth as her own and watched the Lord’s tangible faithfulness in building her family in a way far different than she could ever have dreamed (Ruth 1, 4)....

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Relentless Pursuit

By CDM Media|2024-11-17T23:03:29+00:00March 15, 2024|MP Events, Summer Study, Video Resource|

2024 Recommended Study No Empty Word: Relentless Pursuit A Study on Hosea Filled with shocking language and uncomfortable spiritual realities, the Book of Hosea is unlike any other [...]

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Identifying Gospel-Centered Resources

By Christina Fox|2024-02-10T19:41:12+00:00February 29, 2024|Blog, Discernment|

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR A few years ago, I read a Christian book I heard recommended over various platforms. A podcaster said she couldn’t put it down. A friend at church shared wisdom she gleaned from it. A book reviewer classified it as “a must read.” When I opened the pages for the first time, I was expectant and excited. What I didn't expect was to disagree with so much of it. The principles felt more as if they were from the author's experiences than the Word of God. The practical applications only gave false hope. There were chapters of the book that I did agree with and gained from, but I found that it was confusing to separate what was true from what wasn’t. As I reflected on this book, I began to think about why I chose to read it. I read it because I was influenced by the opinions of others and didn’t do my own research on the author or the content. There are many books and resources available to us in the Christian community. No matter the topic, there is a book or resource that will address it. While this can be a good thing, it is important that we be responsible to identify resources that are gospel-centered and in line with God’s Word. Since reading that book, the Lord has led me to be more thorough in examining what content I digest in my mind and heart, as well as what I recommend to others. There are five questions I have used to help guide me in choosing God-honoring books and resources. Five Questions to Ask About Resources Is it gospel-centered? The message of the gospel is central to God’s Word. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). There are many books and resources that talk about God, but do they point us to the gospel? Do they communicate salvation by grace alone through faith alone? Many books point to all the things we need to and should be doing to grow as Christians. While that is often helpful, we want to ensure we are being pointed back to God’s grace. If it doesn’t, we are left thinking that it’s all up to us. Our hope should be that we walk away with our eyes focused more on Jesus and less on ourselves...

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Made for More

By Chip Evans|2024-11-17T23:40:44+00:00February 19, 2024|

WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE MADE FOR MORE CONFERENCE? We encourage girls third grade and up to join us! This conference is for ALL women—young, single, married and "more seasoned," as well as your treasured friends. So, [...]

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The God Who Sees and Redeems

By Christina Fox|2023-08-15T13:18:28+00:00July 20, 2023|Blog, God's Word|

BETHANY BELUE|GUEST My family loves music. While we love all kinds of music, many nights after the kitchen is clean and the kids are bathed, we find ourselves dancing to 90’s pop and swinging our children around the room. Recently, as I danced with my little boy and looked over at my husband holding my little girl in the air, I thought to myself, “This is the life I dreamed of. Oh, how I feel seen by the Lord!” It’s a simple thought and a true statement, but it stops me in my tracks. Of course, I feel seen by the Lord right now. I’m living the life I wanted. I hold the children for which I longed for so many years; I look at my husband for whom I spent many years praying, and although my life is far from perfect, I am living a life which brings me much joy. Yet, did the Lord not see me four years ago when we moved to a new city? I felt completely alone in a new church, our marriage was hard, and our children were an unmet desire. Was He not just as present then as He is now in this moment? The God Who Sees I’ve always been drawn to the story of Hagar...

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How Team-Based Ministry Shapes Us

By Christina Fox|2023-08-15T13:43:52+00:00March 9, 2023|Blog, Ministry|

JANET LAROCQUE|GUEST When you think of leadership in the church, how often do you think of team-based leadership? We often think of leadership as an individual exercise. Perhaps someone who is specially trained in leadership who runs and manages everything. Or maybe someone who is the go-getter, who gets everything done. But team-based ministry is how God created us to serve the Body of Christ. In working as a team, we not only accomplish what God has called us to, but He shapes us in the process. Teams Are My Testimony I love team-based ministry. Currently, I serve on the PCA’s National Women’s Ministry Team as Regional Advisor to the churches in mid-America. In my local church, I serve on our women’s ministry Servant Team in the area of Titus 2 discipleship. But let me back up to explain how I got here. I grew up in a liturgical, works-based denomination, fully believing I was a Christian because I had checked all the boxes. There is a beautiful story about that for another day, but around my 40th birthday the Lord decided it was time. He placed a number of people in my path and a greater number of questions in my mind. That all led me to my very first Bible study at Naperville PCA, taught by Karen Hodge, and I’ve never left. As a “made-new believer” in my 40’s I was hungry to know the Lord, devouring theology. Thankfully, the preaching and shepherding I received was solid, well-communicated, and true-to-the-Scriptures. But in my mind, I was making up for lost time and this gnostic quest to know Jesus became kind of a solo-act. At that time, my team was often just Jesus and me—the vertical without the horizontal. Enter God’s grace again, and He began moving me toward less “doing” and more “watching.” So I watched—how women at my church served together on teams—quite joyfully. And I watched—Care Teams, Prayer Teams, small group co-leader teams, teaching teams, and the women’s ministry Servant Team. Then zooming out I watched my pastor and his wife serving together, modeling was a team looks like. Next, I watched our session, a plurality of elders, leading our church—all serving together. All these teams reflect the Godhead—the ultimate team of three persons in one being, eternally serving and pouring into each other. And the best part is, we are invited into that union! As Jesus prayed in John 17: “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (vv.22-23)...

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Walking With God in Motherhood

By Christina Fox|2023-08-15T13:46:09+00:00February 23, 2023|Blog, Motherhood|

BETHANY BELUE|GUEST BETHANY BELUE|GUEST The moment I brought my little boy home from the hospital, so much in my life changed. Overnight, my whole world shifted, and I began to see life through the lens of another human being who was completely dependent upon me. My time went from things I needed to do to what the baby needed: when did he need to eat, when did he need to sleep, and why was he crying so hard? One morning, as I stood at my sink looking out at the fresh flowers in the flower box outside my kitchen window, while my baby slept in the room beside me, tears welled in my eyes. Motherhood overwhelmed me. The to-do list felt endless, the sleep felt too little, and the needs of this tiny little human felt exhausting. My need for the Lord felt great, yet my time with Him was almost nonexistent. In that moment, the voice of the Lord spoke to me, a voice of love and compassion: “My presence will be with you and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14). I’m not sure there could have been more needed words for a tired, anxious, first-time mother. I knew then that He was near and He saw me. He reminded me that in those days of early motherhood, He was with me, and although rest may not be found in sleep, it was found in Him...

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A Celebration Grounded in Prayer: How You Can Pray for the PCA

By Christina Fox|2023-03-24T17:22:49+00:00January 26, 2023|Blog, Prayer|

MARLYS ROOS|GUEST In 2023, the Presbyterian Church in America will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Years before its organization, those who would become founding members prayed individually and corporately about separating from the southern Presbyterian Church to form a new denomination. In 1973, before the Convocation of Sessions met to form the PCA, twenty-nine churches in eleven states held a two-day prayer vigil asking God for guidance.[i] A Celebration Grounded in Prayer With the importance of prayer in the PCA’s birth, it is only natural prayer should play a role in the 50th anniversary celebration. At the 49th General Assembly, the Anniversary Celebration Committee was introduced, from which was formed the sub-committee for prayer made up of Sue Pitzer, Susan Hunt, and Laura Dowling. These three were charged with “organizing initiatives and support materials to ground the 50th year celebration in prayer, fostering a growing culture of ongoing prayer similar to that out of which the PCA began . . . , and generating a list of stories of answered prayers and ongoing prayers to encourage the generations to come to continue to be a church ‘true to the Bible and the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.’”[ii] In other words, they were to develop the means to involve all members of the PCA in united, worshipful prayer. As they brainstormed about member participation, they decided to create a calendar for members to use in 2023. It would incorporate the initiatives of “50 Weeks of Prayer for the PCA” and the two denomination-wide days of prayer (May 21 and December 3). With her love for discipling children, Susan Hunt wanted to include a way for children to participate too. So, she contacted Stephen Estock (PCA’s Committee on Discipleship Ministries Coordinator) to ask for CDM’s help. He suggested the prayer committee work with Katie Flores, PCA’s Children’s Ministry Director to develop a plan for families[iii] and that I be brought in to oversee its publication...

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