The simple truths of the gospel, presented through our children’s storybooks, can encourage, convict, and teach us as moms too.

God enriches our lives with songs, books, and art that point back to his great story of redemption—helping us grasp new depths of his beauty and grace.

Reading as families helps us behold the incarnate Word and see all stories in light of his Story.

No matter where our kids fall academically, we can remind them that Christ doesn’t rank us by our achievements and our identity is fixed in him.

We don’t pretend story bibles are the real thing, but they can be really helpful. Here are some helpful things to consider as you figure out how to (or not to!) use story bibles in your home.

Taking an uninteruppted shower became a luxury after the birth of my first child. I would linger in the bathtub, praising God for a quiet moment before the rocking, the nursing, and the sleeplessness. Motherhood stretches not just our bodies, it stretches our time and capacity, filling them with long days and nights—as well as joy and delight.

Many of us are hard-pressed for time and energy. Our schedules are filled with homes, husbands, children, churches, jobs, friends, and the constant temptation to stay in-the-know of the hashtags, the trends, and the news. We are busy mothers with full hands. And somehow, amid the juggling of responsibilities, we are to nurture our children in the instruction of the Lord.

Picture the scene: dishes need to the done, dinner needs to the cooked, and I have a phone conference with a church group. I’m desperate for an uninterrupted hour so I offer my girls the diversion of a ‘Bible movie.’ They watch and I work; all seems well until I hear these words sounding from the screen: ‘David was brave in facing Goliath. You need to be brave and God will help you fight your battles too.’ I cringe.

Translating Bible passages into behavior instructions might help kids to prize certain traits and values, but this kind of teaching will miss the intention of the scriptures themselves—which is to testify of Christ.

Jesus is better than moralism, and thankfully we can find him everywhere in scripture. I want my children to hear narratives like David and Goliath with their eyes on David’s Greater Son, the one who defeats and liberates us from a deadly enemy we could never conquer on our own, sin.

With language that is understandable to our child, we teach in order to direct them to the Lord who bids little ones to come. This Lord is Lord of all, “bestowing his riches [without distinction] on all who call on him.” This means that, everyone (even fidgety children and with busy moms) can take in the goodness of God’s glorious gospel.

And the story of David and Goliath reminds me of Someone else.

This post is part three of a six-week series on how to start and facilitate a women’s Bible study group. In today’s post, we're walking through how to find theologically-sound resources, as well as the right format for your particular Bible study group.

When quiet times aren’t exactly quiet, we can be tempted to wonder, “Is all of this even worth it?” We’ve been there too. But the truth is: it is worth it! Because when momma loves her Bible, her children notice.

With four young children, a moment of quiet or predictable consistency is hard to come by. Even with my best efforts to be organized and intentional, it’s still difficult to stay engaged in regular bible study, to disciple women, to fellowship regularly with other believers, or to serve in ways that pull me out of my home. The desire is there, but so are the dirty diapers, the naptime routines, the laundry piles, and the mundane things that keep our family going.

All the distractions, setbacks, and challenges occasionally leave me wondering if theological growth just isn’t possible for a woman in the season of young children. I’ve wondered if I should just shrug at my inconsistent quiet times, and parched prayer life. I’ve contemplated sitting out of the women’s bible study or leaving our calendar free of hospitable meals because it’s just too hard.

So for every mom of little ones who is longing to see her relationship with God as bigger than the elusive “quiet time”, this list is for you.

Shopping for peaches (especially in the winter months) is so challenging. As you survey the bin of fruit, you'll notice a wide array of options...

✴︎ Some will be shriveled and rotten-looking (Ew...definitely don't want those).
✴︎ Some will look good overall, with a few bruises that you'll have to consider cutting-off. (Is this viable and worth the money?)
✴︎ Some will be near-perfect and you'll eagerly drop them into your bag. (Yum!)
✴︎ And some will look awesome, but when you get them home and dig in, they might be brown and flavorless inside (bummer...)

While this experience rings true at the grocery store, it also somewhat rings true as we pick-through Christian resources for motherhood.

In light of this week's show on discerning if a resource is helpful, edifying and/or gospel-centered, here are some good checks to work through about a particular resource.