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.

Historians won’t record that we prayed with ours kids before school, dropped off meals to neighbors, or hosted Bible study. But God’s greater story uses the everyday work of women to spread the gospel around the world. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Dr. Michael Kruger about women in the second century church. Michael is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte) and professor of New Testament and Early Christianity; and an author, husband, and father. Church history teaches us that God is faithful to his Church through his people. From the second century to now, God uses ordinary women serving in sacrificial ways to change the world with the gospel of Christ.

Going to Bible study in the early years of motherhood can feel like an Olympic feat. In our minds, getting everyone ready requires some gymnastics, enough snacks to feed a sumo wrestler, and the ability to marathon your way across a parking lot. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss common struggles that keep moms from being involved in women’s ministry and reasons to get yourself out the door. While podcasts, websites, and books are great gifts of encouragement, God specifically gives the local church to train, equip, and nourish his children. Getting there will be worth it.

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.   

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.

“Mommy, what happens when someone dies?” When our kids ask us about death, answering can feel intimidating and even sad. How much should we share? What can they understand? Will we scare them? In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Tim Challies about how to talk to our kids about death. Tim is a husband, father of teenagers, pastor, and writer who encourages us to bring the conversation about death back to our children’s hearts and the hope they have in Jesus. We don’t need to worry so much about what to say to our kids. God gave us what we need in his word to teach our kids the victory of the gospel in the face of death.

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.

Sometimes it feels like “mom world” is another planet. A nursing shield? An all-terrain stroller? Funny-shaped food? It seems easier to build friendships with women in our season of life, but the gospel gives us a bigger picture of community. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Elizabeth Woodson about building flourishing friendships with women in other seasons of life—particularly singles. Elizabeth is a Bible teacher who writes, teaches, and helps to develop leaders at The Village Church and serves as the Director of Resources for the Sparrow Conference. Christian moms and singles can have the most important thing in common: our faith in Christ. So press in a little deeper with a woman in a different season and enjoy God’s gift of community.