Debbie’s teenage daughter, Taylor, wasn’t feeling well one Sunday morning. No fever — she was just a bit tired and feeling punk, as my mother used to say. So Debbie tucked her girl in bed and let her rest as she and her husband and their younger child, Ben, went off to church. When the…
Captivating: The Heart of a Woman
GROUP STUDY “Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman.” ~ Tammy Wynette Welcome! Welcome to Session One of Captivating. If this is your first time together as a group or there are new members in your group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to one another before watching the video. We suggest you simply…
Warrior Princesses
“Me, a princess?” “You are the legal heir.” “I never lead anyone.” “We will help you to be a princess, to rule. If you refuse to accept the throne then the kingdom will cease to exist as we know it.” —The Princess Diaries In God’s name, we must fight them! —Joan of Arc…
You’re Invited to the Captivating Online Bible Study
You are a woman to your soul, to the very core of your being. And so the journey to discover what God meant when He created woman in His image — when He created you as His woman — that journey begins with your heart. ~ Stasi Eldredge, Captivating Above all else, guard your…
An Abrupt Turn
“St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” a powerful prayer attributed to Saint Patrick of Ireland, begins in this way: I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.1 “I arise today through a mighty strength.” Oh, wouldn’t that be nice…
The Heart of a Woman
Think about the women you meet at church. They’re trying to live up to some model of femininity. What do they “teach” you about being a woman? What are they saying to us through their lives? You’d have to conclude that a godly woman is… tired. And guilty. We’re all living in the shadow of that infamous icon, “The…
Warrior Princesses
“Me, a princess?” “You are the legal heir.” “I never lead anyone.” “We will help you to be a princess, to rule. If you refuse to accept the throne then the kingdom will cease to exist as we know it.” — The Princess Diaries In God’s name, we must fight them! — Joan of Arc Women are…
Captivating: All Women Are Called to Mother
To Mother As large as the role is that our mothers play, the word mother is more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. All women are not mothers, but all women are called to mother. To mother is to nurture, to train, to educate, to rear. As daughters of Eve, all women…
A Joyful Christmas
I love Christmastime. I love the way everything, from trees to parking lots, gets dressed up in shimmery lights, bows, and evergreens. I love the kindness of strangers that seems to snowball this time of the year. I love the holiness of Christmas carols heard from church choirs, church pews, and grocery store loudspeakers. Then…
Unwavering: Living with Defiant Joy Week 5 — Cultivating Joy
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. — Philippians 4:4 Hard times come and in order to have joy you must be willing to be present to them and to feel the sorrow. Your capacity to feel the one is actually connected to your capacity to experience the other. The two are…