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 Churc...
Feb 27, 2019•22 min•Ep. 122
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 ...
Feb 20, 2019•24 min•Ep. 121
Regular date nights are a joy. We love getting out of the house and away from the kids! But does a flourishing God-honoring marriage require this regular habit? If you and your husband are in an overwhelming season and you’re not “succeeding” at date night, this one’s for you. In this episode, Emily and Laura dig into a different perspective on the “modern date night.” Instead of putting our hope in a single night out with our husbands, God teaches us to cherish and serve one another daily. Date...
Feb 13, 2019•21 min•Ep. 120
Am I an Enneagram 3? A Princess Belle? An INFP? Wait, what are you?! It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 minutes and 100 pop-ups, we’ll click through to learn something new about our personalities. In this episode, Emily and Laura talk about why we love learning about ourselves and what role personality profiles should play in our mothering. Digging into who we are can be useful, but our personalities aren’t the full definition of who we are in Christ. God is making all things new, changing and tra...
Feb 06, 2019•21 min•Ep. 119
It’s our first episode of 2019, and we’re talking about the little voice in your head. The one that pipes up when you feel guilt over letting your kids eat too many cookies or sets off an alarm bell when you watch something questionable. All of us have one, but it’s not the Holy Spirit. What is it exactly? In this episode, Emily and Laura start the conversation on personal conscience. God gave each of us a conscience to help discern what’s right and wrong in the everyday “gray” areas of life. Wh...
Jan 30, 2019•26 min•Ep. 118
Screen time can be a hot topic. We wonder, “Is there a formula for the right amount of TV time?” “Is 30 minutes or 45 minutes holier?” “Do you think my kids will be quiet if I put on a show and hide in the kitchen?” But what we need to ask is, “What’s going on in my heart?” In this episode, Emily and Laura share gospel hope for two issues in many moms’ hearts: guilt and fear. Whether you’ve used screen time to avoid the craziness of the day or created a system of rules to guarantee a particular ...
Dec 19, 2018•20 min•Ep. 117
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 six who is actively involved in her local chur...
Dec 12, 2018•31 min•Ep. 116
We experience daily hardships in motherhood that weigh on us—difficult decisions, potty training, sleeplessness, and more. But sometimes we experience deeper, more profound suffering that makes us cry out, “Why God?” In this episode, Emily and Laura offer gospel encouragement for those in the midst of deep suffering. Suffering is different for everyone, but scripture offers unshakeable hope in every situation. Since God didn’t excuse himself from suffering, one day—through Christ—our suffering w...
Dec 05, 2018•21 min•Ep. 115
You crafted the perfect Christmas list for your kids—a blend of beautiful, educational, practical, and personal. All will be well when they open their pre-approved number of acceptable gifts. That is, until the gift-giver enters the scene and breaks all the rules. In this episode, Emily and Laura flip the gift-giving conversation to ask, “Mama, what’s going on in your heart?” When we remember God’s love to us through Christ, we can see the gift-giver through the lens of grace as we consider our ...
Nov 28, 2018•21 min•Ep. 114
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’...
Nov 14, 2018•35 min•Ep. 113
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 ou...
Nov 07, 2018•19 min•Ep. 112
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. RM APPLY QUESTIONS VIEW...
Oct 31, 2018•21 min•Ep. 111
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 chil...
Oct 24, 2018•32 min•Ep. 110
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 thoughts about date nights and what kind of cars they drive, to how they encourage their children to pray and how their families handle Santa. We hope as you listen, you’ll see how the gospel applies to everything and how we have freedom in Christ to ...
Oct 17, 2018•47 min•Ep. 109
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...
Oct 10, 2018•19 min•Ep. 108
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 is a 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...
Oct 03, 2018•36 min•Ep. 107
Tired, overwhelmed, hurting, and lonely. Every mom struggles in different ways, but there are some moms whose experiences make them vulnerable in society. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how the gospel changes us at the heart level so we can see and serve others with humility. Our challenges are different, but our common dependence on Christ encourages us as we love the vulnerable women in our communities. RM APPLY QUESTIONS VIEW TRANSCRIPT Articles, Resources and Related Content: When ...
Sep 26, 2018•20 min•Ep. 106
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 u...
Sep 19, 2018•28 min•Ep. 105
It’s a phrase we share over coffee, in a text, or at the park, “Find your identity in Christ!” But do we really know what it means? In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Jackie Hill Perry. Since coming to know Christ at the age of 19, amidst struggles like gender confusion and same-sex attraction, Jackie has been compelled to share the light of gospel truth through teaching, writing, poetry. Today she’s a wife to Preston and mom to Eden and Autumn and just like the rest of us, sometimes she...
Sep 12, 2018•30 min•Ep. 104
Summer break is over, and the weekly show is back! In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how the gospel applies to snack time. It may seem like a “lighter” topic, but our opinions, preferences, and rules about snack time reveal a lot about our hearts. Whether you’re guilt-ridden about “giving in” or glued to your snack standards, the gospel reminds us to identify with Christ as we love our littlest neighbors. RM APPLY QUESTIONS VIEW TRANSCRIPT Articles, Resources and Related Content: Resource...
Sep 05, 2018•19 min•Ep. 103
Most of us know evangelism is an important part of the Christian life—so why does it feel so overwhelming and awkward? Maybe you worry you’ll say the wrong thing or offend someone, but when you think about it, is there anything better or more beautiful than sharing Christ’s love? In this episode, Laura and Emily discuss some common pitfalls we experience in evangelism and the gospel hope which drives us to try again. From the people in our home to those we see in our communities, we can share th...
May 09, 2018•24 min•Ep. 102
Books, podcasts, Bible studies, conferences, articles, and social media—oh my! With so many resources and so little time, how should a mom choose the best resources for her spiritual growth? In this episode, Emily and Laura share how wise use of time on the best resources is a stewardship issue. Our hearts can chase the wrong sources of wisdom and false gods too easily, but through the study of God’s word and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can all grow in wisdom and discernment as we choose exc...
May 02, 2018•19 min•Ep. 101
When we ask for questions from the RM community, they range from the super practical to the thought-provoking and theological, which makes the AUA show something really special. In this one-hour episode, Laura and Emily answer listeners’ questions from what they cook for dinner and their daily routines, to short anecdotal examples of how they approach discipline and what they value about their friendship. They even touch on one of our most frequently asked questions: how do you approach intimacy...
Apr 25, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 100
God’s heart is for the broken, wounded, and forgotten. So what does that mean for how we care for the vulnerable children in our midst? One way is by opening your home to care for a child for a season. In this episode, Laura and Emily discuss the gospel’s impact on foster care with foster parents, Andrew and Chrissy Wolgemuth. While living out the gospel can be costly—requiring our time, resources, and hearts—God’s grace is sufficient in every circumstance for every family—whether we’re fosterin...
Apr 18, 2018•30 min•Ep. 99
There is just something about music that helps us remember things we’ve learned in a way that other methods can’t match! In this episode, Laura and Emily celebrate our opportunity to worship God through song. No matter what our singing voices sound like, we can all benefit from remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness through shared songs in the Christian faith. By inviting these moments of worship into our homes, we’re able to experience the joy of knowing God and resting in his promises as ...
Apr 11, 2018•20 min•Ep. 98
You’re not the first mom to wonder, “How often should I bathe my kid?” or “How do you teach a stubborn child to obey?” Since other moms have asked these same questions, there may be someone with the biblical insight you need in your season of motherhood. In this episode, Laura and Emily remind us that looking to and learning from a mom who is in a season ahead of us can be a helpful way to apply biblical truth to the difficult situations in our lives! Despite our different life circumstances, we...
Apr 04, 2018•21 min•Ep. 97
Deciding how to educate your child can be overwhelming, but momma, there is freedom—because of the gospel— in our education methods. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Jen Wilkin, a wife, mom, author, and Bible teacher, on her family’s decision to educate their children through the public school system. We all have unique situations when it comes to schooling, but our ultimate consideration is how to honor Christ as we care for our families (and our communities) in the decision making pr...
Mar 28, 2018•28 min•Ep. 96
Deciding how to educate your child can be overwhelming, but momma, there is freedom—because of the gospel—in our education methods. In this episode, Emily and Laura talk to Irene Sun, a pastor’s wife, mom, and author, about her experience as a mom who homeschools. Because our identities are found in Christ alone, we have nothing to prove to ourselves or anyone else. This should cause us all to breathe a sigh of relief. The lives of our children are safe in the hands of God. RM APPLY QUESTIONS VI...
Mar 21, 2018•28 min•Ep. 95
Deciding how to educate your child can be overwhelming, but momma, there is freedom—because of the gospel— in our education methods. In this episode, Laura and Emily interview Melissa Kruger, a wife, mom, and writer, on her family’s decision to educate their children through the private system. No matter where we school our children, our responsibility remains to create a gospel-culture in our homes and to trust God’s good work in our children’s lives. School is important, but we are the biggest...
Mar 14, 2018•21 min•Ep. 94
Deciding how to educate your child can be overwhelming, but momma, there is freedom—because of the gospel—in our education methods. In this episode, Emily and Laura kickoff our RM month of education with the first of four podcast shows on schooling choices! Deciding how to educate your child reveals a lot of options, opinions, and pressures from both inside and outside of your home. We hope you’ll join us over the next month while we talk about private, public, and homeschooling, and how the gos...
Mar 07, 2018•21 min•Ep. 93
