Whenever we ask the R|M community for questions, they range from lighthearted and practical to thought-provoking and theological, which makes the AUA show something special. In this one-hour episode, Emily and Laura answer listeners’ questions from how they handle the work of the ministry and how they manage their personal screen time, to how they’ve changed as mothers and how they intentionally connect with their husbands. We hope as you listen, you’ll see how the gospel applies to everything and how we have freedom in Christ to serve our families in unique ways.

It’s vacation time! We can see ourselves sleeping in, sipping hot coffee, and diving into a good book. But it’s more likely someone will get sick, the traffic will be terrible, and the diaper bag will be left at the house. In this episode, Emily and Laura offer a “Mom Heart Check” to help find the root of difficulty in family trips. When we travel, it’s not about being served but about serving others. We can prep our hearts before, during, and after a trip by rethinking our expectations and remembering the servant love of Christ.

Changing dirty diapers. Providing nourishing meals. Having conversations about patience and self-control. It doesn’t look like an official outreach or job position, but ministering to our kiddos is one way we serve God. In this episode, Emily and Laura share how moms can see and serve their kids. Our individual circumstances are different, but we can all look to Jesus as our perfect example for ministry in everyday life. He worked, traveled, taught, and ate with his disciples to show them what it looks like to obey and love God in all things. Mamas, let’s live a life of ministry too.

Want to start a business? Wondering if you should start traveling for your job or pick up an extra shift? Trying to bend and stretch your schedule to make all your opportunities work? Being able to consider new work responsibilities, ministry roles, or creative endeavors isn’t the norm for everyone, but when we have a choice, it’s a huge privilege to steward. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how to evaluate new or changing career or ministry opportunities. We’re made to work and use our gifts to pass on the legacy of faith in all we do. By tuning our thoughts to God’s word, we can pursue holiness, count the cost of each decision, and lay down our lives for others.

Moms have a lot of work to do and the exhaustion of our responsibilities in the home, the church, and the community, often leave us wanting to lean into despair and defeat.. But God uses the work before us to show us his sufficiency and unending love in our weakness so we can lean into grace. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Debbie Martens about God’s faithfulness and grace in motherhood. Debbie is a wife, mom of seven, and grandmother of five who is actively involved in her local church and community. We’re called to be faithful to God in the work before us, but even when we fail, God is faithful to teach and sustain us in every season of motherhood.

Every moment in motherhood is an opportunity to trust God. Through suffering, hardships, and difficulties, we have to answer the question, “Is the gospel really true?” In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Nancy Guthrie about faithfulness and hope in motherhood. Nancy is a wife, mom, author, and Bible teacher who experienced deep suffering when she lost two children. We can fret, strategize, and lose sleep over many worries in motherhood, but when we trust God is sovereign and faithful, we’ll see the gospel meets us in every situation.

Strollers, music lessons, school clothes, and summer trips—motherhood can be expensive. But the way we spend money can often reveal what we value and desire . In this episode, Emily and Laura scratch the surface of spending in motherhood, digging down to the roots: what’s in our hearts. By God’s grace, the gospel reshapes our hearts to love what God loves, enabling us to use the resources he’s entrusted to us for his glory. No matter our financial situation, Christ is our greatest treasure and our hearts will only be satisfied by him.   

Our daily schedules are busy, so it’s no wonder we’re surprised when all of a sudden it’s a new season. If we don’t intentionally stop to think about them, they pass us by! In this episode, Emily and Laura share how incorporating gospel reminders into your year can help your family remember God’s sovereignty and story of redemption. It’s not another burden or thing to check off a list, but rather a chance to bring joy into your home as you remember Christ in every season.

Whether you’re the crafty mom who can beautify anything, the mom who is always coming up with fun new adventures, or the mom who feels caught in the doldrums of daily life  God’s word teaches that we’re all creative. We’re all image bearers of the Creator. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Quina Aragon—a wife, mom, and artist—on creativity and the gospel. As God’s ambassadors, we’re called to cultivate the earth in order to proclaim his name. Whether we make a delicious meal, comb a child’s hair, or help paint watercolor masterpieces, our creativity fills our homes and communities with the knowledge of the glory of God.

Discipleship can be an intimidating task, but it isn’t out of reach for the everyday mom. It’s living out the gospel in front of our kids, teaching and inviting them to follow Jesus with us. In this episode, Emily and Laura dive into how we disciple our kids, asking, “What is it? How do we do it? And why does it seem so difficult?” We get to faithfully teach our kids to love God and share their faith by showing them how we do it. We won’t disciple them perfectly, but we can trust the Holy Spirit to equip us for the task and change our children’s hearts.

There’s no formula for raising godly children. Instead, we follow the Christ’s example by offering our kids God’s expectations and grace as we disciple them. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Elyse Fitzpatrick about faithfulness in the early years of motherhood. Elyse isa wife, mom, and prolific author of many books that apply gospel truths to daily life. While we’re called to faithfully nurture, train, and discipline our children according to God’s word, only Jesus can transform their hearts and teach them to love his design. Let’s give our kids the greatest example of faith by being sinners who run to Jesus with them.

There's a reason our podcast opens with, "Motherhood is hard." Because it is! From sleepless nights and potty training accidents to constant discipline and raising adolescents, motherhood can leave us crying in the bathroom and eating from the secret chocolate stash. In this episode, Emily and Laura consider how the gospel breathes hope into the moments of motherhood that leave us feeling undone. The good news of Jesus means that God calls, equips, and sustains us in the work he's prepared for us to do—including requests for snacks, sibling squabbles, boo-boo kisses, and the fifth reading of their favorite book. We were never meant to mother in our own strength, and by the kindness of God, we don’t have to.