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WE Ministry: An Interview With Katie Polski and Cheryl Mullis

KATIE POLSKI | CONTRIBUTOR and CHERYL MULLIS | GUEST The WE ministry of PCA CDM is a growing effort to disciple Teaching and Ruling Elders’ wives across the denomination. With a vision to connect, encourage, and equip women in every season of ministry, WE is led by a team who understand both the joys and challenges of this calling. Today, Cheryl and Katie join us to share their heart for WE and the vision behind it. Can you introduce yourselves and tell us why you said, “yes” to leading the WE ministry? Cheryl: I’m Cheryl Mullis, a Ruling Elder’s wife from Annapolis, Maryland. It is a joy to serve alongside my husband, Don, as he shepherds and cares for our church. I also serve on staff as the Director of Discipleship. Don and I have been married for 41 years and are grateful for our five children, their spouses, and our growing group of energetic grandchildren. I said “yes” to co-leading WE because God has given me a heart for other elders’ wives. When my husband was ordained, I wasn’t sure what that meant for me—what was expected, or how life in the church might change. If I can come alongside other elders’ wives to encourage them, remind them of their identity in Christ, and help them see how God might use them to strengthen His church, it is a joy to say yes. Katie: I’m Katie Polski, a Teaching Elder’s wife from St. Louis, MO. I work full-time for our church serving as the music director and special events coordinator and am also involved in speaking and writing. Prior to my role at the church, I was a high school writing teacher for several years where I enjoyed the great challenge of showing teens that writing can be…fun. I’m not sure I succeeded, but I enjoyed trying! My husband and I have been serving together in ministry for over twenty-five years, and while my role has looked different through the varying seasons, I’ve been deeply grateful for our partnership in all of life’s spheres....

WE Ministry: An Interview With Katie Polski and Cheryl Mullis2026-05-02T01:57:01+00:00

Book Review on Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR It happened in an instant. While on vacation at a national park, I slid on wet tile in the visitor’s center, throwing my feet in the air and ramming my shoulder into a wall. I knew instantly that my shoulder would never be the same. In the two-hour ambulance ride to the nearest hospital, I remember calling out “Lord just take me.” The pain was unbearable. A dear friend who suffers excruciating pain from cancer suggested Paul Tripp’s book, Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, as a source of encouragement after the accident. Truth be known, I was feeling exactly as the title of this book states; that life doesn’t make sense. Why me, why now, why would God allow this when I serve as a helper to my disabled husband, and why now when I can also help with my grandchildren? From the first page of Paul Tripp’s book, I identified with his sudden suffering. He casually walked into the hospital emergency room at the advice of his physician with mild but persistent symptoms. Quickly there were four specialists examining him, talking about dialysis, and ordering tests. Soon his body was going into full-body spasms with pain so intense he was screaming in despair, “God help me!” This would be the first of six hospital stays, each with kidney surgery, over the next two years. Tripp was discouraged, disappointed and in spiritual battle, asking why, in the prime of his career, when he was doing God’s work, would God allow this set of circumstances which would leave him physically damaged forever, devoid of energy, and without a major source of his income. Many good books have been written on suffering, but this one draws you in as Tripp recounts his personal story and also uses examples of suffering beyond physical pain from his years as a counselor, including relational, spiritual, and circumstantial suffering. And because at the time of his writing, he was in a place where his life didn’t make sense, he offers practical and hopeful theology for every sufferer’s struggles. Tripp suggests that our lives are shaped both by what we suffer and by the background we bring to our suffering. For him, pride in his physical health and in his numerous accomplishments made him self-reliant, an idol he was not happy to face. Further, his new physical weakness was a surprise disruption to his carefully planned and executed life. These realizations tugged at his heart, exposing what was really inside. The first half of the book delves into the various trappings that can control our thoughts: fear, envy, doubt, denial and discouragement. He reminds us that nothing we suffer is ultimate or eternal. God is eternal, He is present with His children forever, His power does not wane, and He alone determines our destiny. He is the good news that every sufferer needs. Our suffering is not in the way of God’s plan; it is part of God’s plan. He never lets us alone in our suffering and His presence changes everything...

Book Review on Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense2026-04-18T19:49:23+00:00

Beyond Centerpieces: Recovering Biblical Hospitality

ELIZABETH STEELE|GUEST Our God is a God of hospitality. We see this throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden where God our Father provided for His beloved children a place for them to live and food to eat, to the book of Revelation where He prepares the marriage feast of the Lamb to welcome His beloved Bride home. Even though we were strangers and aliens, our Father made a way for us to know Him and be His children. That’s the very premise of Christianity: we have been lavishly welcomed by Christ through the Good News of the Gospel. And He calls us to extend the same hospitality to others. The Apostle Paul gave very direct instructions to the brand-new Christians in Rome when he wrote in Romans 15:7, "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." What does it Mean to be Hospitable? The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia. We are familiar with "philo" or "phila" meaning "the kind of love between friends." Xenia means "foreigner or one you do not know." Together they mean "to give the love of friendship to a person that we do not know." Does that sound like a very natural thing to do? Not likely! In fact, showing love to people we do not know can be a very difficult thing...

Beyond Centerpieces: Recovering Biblical Hospitality2026-04-18T19:43:29+00:00

Weary Mom, Let Christ’s Church Nurture You

ANNIE VANDERHEIDEN |GUEST As moms, each of us nurture in unique ways, according to our unique bents and our children’s unique needs. We have different communication styles and different ways of showing affection. We come from different environments and cultural backgrounds. But even so, many moms share similar priorities: Looking deeply into our children’s eyes. Vigilantly pursuing their health and well-being. Reading or singing to them. Offering a wide array of experiences and stimuli to further their development. Talking to them in the car, during the bath, or around the table. Over time, we become the experts on our children, the ones who can read their every cue and see solutions that remain invisible to others. While we make innumerable mistakes, we develop a sixth sense for what our little ones need, cultivated through hours and hours of looking, listening, and responding—nurturing. But all that investment can feel very one-sided in the wearying days of motherhood. We’ll gladly (or at least willingly) give of ourselves to know and love our children, but it would be nice to feel like there’s someone doing the same for us....

Weary Mom, Let Christ’s Church Nurture You2026-04-10T14:49:08+00:00

Nothing to Hide: Encouraging Transparency in our Relationships

AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST Nothing to fear. Nothing to prove. Nothing to hide. Nothing to fear. Nothing to prove. Nothing to hide. I kept repeating the words to myself as I sat down to lead our women’s Bible study. I had determined that night to share some things on my heart that were not easy to share. They were revealing. We were studying the process of biblical change using a booklet1 I often use as a biblical counselor. I was excited about sharing this great little treasure with my fellow women. But then came the conviction. In preparation, I was scanning the booklet’s section on repentance and when I read, not for the first time, that true repentance means actual turning from former ways, that is when the conviction struck. I recalled that many times lately, I had confessed to God and asked forgiveness for habitually staying up too late and then sleeping in too long. I complained in my heart about not having enough time to do things, and yet I was on my phone so much. And then there was the control that food often had over me. I was running to things other than Christ. This was not the first time I had felt this conviction...

Nothing to Hide: Encouraging Transparency in our Relationships2026-04-12T18:04:16+00:00

Gospel Hope for Those Caring for Children with Autism

ABBY KARSTEN|GUEST While proceeding through a 39-page psychological evaluation, my husband and I finally arrived at the list of diagnoses. There were six, and one included autism spectrum disorder. In so many ways, we were relieved. Since our son was a baby, we had wondered what made his brain and body so different from our daughter’s. “Autism” was tossed around in conversations with doctors and trusted friends, but many pieces didn’t fit the “typical” autism diagnosis: he craved physical connection, made eye contact, and was highly social/verbal. Yet, there were mysteries and challenges: regular meltdowns lasting hours, significant social miscues, bouts of running away, and sudden and extreme sensory distress. Now, with a diagnosis, we would get resources and support. Of course, in the year since then, things have not always gone according to plan. Hoping for resources and resolutions, I was quickly overwhelmed by too many options, waiting lists, and confusion about what would help our son. I share this to point out that each situation is unique...

Gospel Hope for Those Caring for Children with Autism2026-03-28T14:39:48+00:00

What I Got Wrong about Gethsemane

LEAH FARISH|GUEST I grew up looking at a lugubrious, Victorian-era painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I knew that as He prayed there the night before His crucifixion, He sweated blood and asked that God “let this cup pass.” But somehow I was left with the idea that He was solely focused on His own upcoming suffering, perhaps doubting and fearing as He anticipated humiliation and torture. Lately, though, I have sensed that His anguish was for us, not so much for Himself. His humanity surely dreaded torture and death. Sweating blood, He showed us the horror He felt as He contemplated His sacrifice. This makes His resolve that much more poignant. Isaiah 50:6-7 prophesied it: “I gave my back to those who strike,   and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face   from disgrace and spitting.  But the Lord God helps me;   therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint,   and I know that I shall not be put to shame. Perfect love casts out fear; in His perfect love for us, fear did not deter Him. He was Truth; He wasn’t doubting. He must have acutely dreaded the next hours, but He wasn’t shrinking back; “for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2). He knew He would be raised from the dead and vindicated (Isaiah 50:8, Psalm 22:29-31, Mark 8:31-2). But the church was just embarking on its path through a dark world, and that night in the garden He must have seen its weakness and vulnerability with heartbreaking clarity. He saw that the church would be on earth for centuries, in our puny flesh and faith “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” His followers had proved themselves utterly unready to unite in witness, despite His warnings and exhortations....

What I Got Wrong about Gethsemane2026-03-18T15:02:21+00:00

Easter: An Eternal Plan

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR A nearby freeway has a new billboard that simply says “God is One. Not three-in-one.” Our first-grade granddaughter was able to read the short message and exclaimed to her mother “That’s not right! God is three in one—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And Jesus is the Son. He died on the cross but now He is alive!” What joyful words to hear from a child whose parents and Sunday School teachers have poured into her biblical truths in ways she can understand and even differentiate false doctrine when she sees it! All for His Glory That anti-Trinity billboard is sponsored by a group focused on correcting what they see as biblical errors. But their beliefs contradict doctrinal truths and distort the gospel. The truth of the gospel should be clear and close to us all “in our mouths and in our hearts” (Rom. 10:8). This is especially relevant in the Easter season. This is a time to strengthen our understanding about God’s plan for our salvation. God created this world for His glory. This is a remarkable precept to remember: everything exists for the glory of God. This one truth will dictate how we think and behave. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31)...

Easter: An Eternal Plan2026-03-18T14:55:47+00:00

A Practical Way to Support Life

KRISTI MCCOWN | GUEST On January 22, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation. He declared the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This date marked the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion nationally. Much has changed around abortion over the past four decades. In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned. For the pro-life movement, this was a major victory and a step in providing legal protection for unborn children. Today, abortion is limited or prohibited in 26 states; however, it is still protected in 25 states. However, the need to pray and advocate for life in our community and nation remains important. Pastors, churches, and life organizations use this day to bring awareness to daily assaults on human life by the abortion industry. One way to protect unborn lives is to expose the darkness of abortion and support local Pregnancy Help Organizations, which daily reach women and families with hope and life. Making an Impact on Life I work at one of these ministries as a counselor. When I began at the Pregnancy and Family Resource Center in my small Mississippi town, I was overwhelmed. This ministry is hard and heavy, yet miraculous and healing. One of my first clients I met there was a 13-year-old girl and her mother. The pain on this mother's face was heartbreaking; her child was about to have a child. We walked with this mother and her daughter through the birth of her baby with compassion and care... 

A Practical Way to Support Life2026-01-09T20:38:37+00:00

Singing Through Christmas in Minor and Major Keys

JOANNA HODGES|GUEST ‘Tis the season of bright and glimmering baubles, loud and busy parties, and exuberant and merry music. As we prepare for Christmas, we eagerly anticipate singing our favorite festive songs around the piano. Through well-known happy tunes in a major key, we proclaim “Joy to the World” because Christ came to crush the head of the serpent. We gather our friends to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” and can’t wait to hear our kids shout “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” in the church program. Yet the more holidays God gives us in this broken world, the more we realize that every Christmas season rightfully includes not only the triumphal tone of major keys, but also the wistful waiting and somber tone of the carols in a minor key. A Partial Celebration Even though the Savior accomplished His earthly mission and sits at the Father’s right hand to reign in victory, those nagging foes of the world, the flesh, and the devil still assault us here on earth. They don’t take a vacation during Christmas, and often it seems they rear their ugly heads even more intensely this time of year. Our hearts may be filled with awe and wonder as we read our Advent devotional in the morning, yet by the afternoon we are overwhelmed by the Christmas day menu, family dynamics around the holiday table, and the jam-packed calendar of parties. We scroll through Facebook’s Time Hop pictures of past Christmas gatherings and realize how much our own bodies and those of our loved ones have been marred by disease, dysfunction, and death over the years. Sometimes it’s not easy to take a deep breath and sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” with smiles on our faces when the sadness of a sin-cursed existence makes us want to silence our voices and quietly mourn....

Singing Through Christmas in Minor and Major Keys2025-11-28T15:39:14+00:00
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