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 about the R|M pop-up shop and upcoming conferences, to things like spiritual slumps, attraction in marriage, and finding the right church for your family. We hope as you listen, you’ll see how the gospel applies to everything and how we have freedom in Christ to serve others in unique ways. 

Stretch marks, loose skin, and under-eye circles—oh my! Many moms stand a little awkwardly before the mirror, examining their postpartum bodies. We may know the world’s standard isn’t a true one, but how do we find peace with our new bodies? In this episode, Emily and Laura invite five women to share how the gospel changes their outlook on their postpartum bodies. While we’re tempted to focus on what we think our bodies should be today, the gospel reminds us that our hope isn’t in our flesh. Instead, these bodies reminds us that our hope is in Jesus alone—who willingly bore our sins, scarring his perfect body to give us life. This hope gives us grateful hearts, so we can care for and steward the body we have today as a vessel for good works.

Moms are no strangers to worry. We daily consider the possibility of danger, hurt feelings, or stressful situations. We turn hypothetical situations around in our heads, trying to find solutions, but it feels like everything is just beyond our control. And so we worry. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how the gospel changes our worry. As moms in a broken world, we know we’re going to ask ourselves, “What if?” and, “What then?” But what do we do when we start to dwell on those questions? We train our minds with the promises of God found in Christ. As our trust in God’s care deepens, our worry can become worship.

Oh and ps: We’re having our fall fundraiser through Friday! Instead of ordering pizza for dinner this week, consider giving $25 to help 19 women hear the gospel.

It’s easy to think of things that are more fun than doing dishes or putting shoes back where they belong. But serving in motherhood often means sacrificing what we want in order to care for those around us in service to Christ. We know we’re called to be living sacrifices, but what are we supposed to do when the “sacrifice” part is uncomfortable? In this episode, Emily and Laura examine another angle of being a living sacrifice: service. Working hard to serve others isn’t an obstacle to fun or freedom. It’s the pathway to joy in Christ.

Sometimes we serve ourselves into exhaustion, and sometimes we avoid serving to keep ourselves comfortable. Neither extreme is good. Many of us have heard that we’re called to be a living sacrifice, but what does that mean? In this episode, Emily and Laura examine one angle of being a living sacrifice: burnout. While not every mom experiences full burnout, many of us believe our work proves our worth or the world depends on us. If these lies motivate us, we’ll live as though we’re limitless until we’re unable to do anything well. But a heart abiding in Christ knows we can work faithfully and restfully within our limitations, which are for God’s glory and our good.

Most of us have our favorite “experts” or “gurus”—the voices we turn to for tips, tricks, and how-tos. We love the ability to learn something quickly by scrolling through our social media feeds. But should Christians solely depend on the “experts” of our culture to learn how to live a faithful life? In this episode, Emily and Laura examine why we like our gurus so much. While they are often be helpful, we’re called to unconditionally follow only one expert: Jesus. In Christ, God gives us the Holy Spirit to teach and train us in wisdom according to God’s word. We can still enjoy the gurus, but we know the source of all wisdom is God alone.

The show is back! After a summer break, we’re kicking off the season by flipping the microphone and putting Emily and Laura in the interviewee seats to discuss being women in process. In Christ we’re growing, but we’re not perfect yet. So while we truly want to obey God, we still put our hope in other things. But even in the tension, Christ offers all we need as we learn to live lives of faithful obedience. No matter where we are in the process, the gospel meets us there.

At the beginning of June, you reveal your summer bucket list, which makes your children cheer with anticipation. By July, you can’t find your list and by August, you’re tempted to check out until a new season starts. It’s no surprise we need the gospel to shape every expectation we have as we think about our summer plans. In this episode, Emily and Laura look towards the next three months and offer challenges to help us keep the right perspective as we plan, hope, and dream for summertime. We’re living for something much bigger than our summer plans, and God’s grace will sustain us as we persevere in motherhood—and to September.  

Everything seems pressing in the early years of motherhood. The baby’s diaper, the promised game of tag, and the dirty upstairs bathroom repeatedly demand our attention. It can be easy to feel bogged down by the everyday and lose sight of the bigger picture. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth about building habits of faithfulness in every season of life. Nancy has impacted millions of women worldwide through her ministries, Revive Our Hearts and the True Woman movement. She’s a prolific writer, speaker, radio host; and she’s wife to Robert. It may be hard to see past the early years of motherhood in the moment, but when we’re 40, 50, or 60 years old, we’ll see the spiritual impact of the daily choices we make right now. If we want to breathe the gospel in and out, we need a steady habit of seeking God through his word.

We all wonder if we meet the “good mom” standard. Do I feed them enough vegetables? Should I be the one reading the bedtime story? Do my kids behave? In this special episode, Emily and Laura ask the mother of all motherhood questions in front of a live audience: How do I know if I’m a good mom? Deep down, we all know we’re not good enough on our own. But the good news of the gospel is that we have Christ’s perfect record as our own, and God sees us as good in Jesus. So instead of looking at ourselves, let’s look at Christ and ask the better question: Do I know and love the One who makes me good?

Motherhood is a gift from God. We never want to forget that. But while we’re down here in the trenches, we can’t ignore real annoyances—like who left this sock behind and why are there crumbs everywhere? In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss why moms get annoyed and how the gospel shapes our responses. They even discuss some practical tips. Every mom is going to face annoying things, so we can sigh and roll our eyes or turn back in dependence to God who supplies for our every need. Christ came to save us—annoyances and all—so we could learn to love others even when we’re annoyed.

Sometimes it feels like we can’t finish a thought before a child needs us to grab more water, tie a shoe, or change a diaper. When mom’s brain power is consistently going to urgent things, adding scripture memory into the routine can seem too hard. Who really has time for flashcards? In this episode, Emily and Laura show how memorizing scripture gives us the wisdom we’re craving for the everyday. God’s word renews our minds and transform our lives, which helps us in the carpool line, the kitchen, and every moment of motherhood. God gave us his word as a gift; let’s enjoy it.