Erin and her friends unite around another friend at the end of her rope. Do you have a "facedown friend"?

read more >

Lindsay shares a lesson she learned after the Olympic spoiler alert she received about the Fabulous Five.

read more >

Without the God Factor my schedule would overwhelm me, words would escape me, criticism would destroy me, and life would overtake me.
I owe my life to the God Factor.

read more >

Today was just one of those days. You know, those days when you get up extra early to pack lunches for preschool and jump in the car only for it to break down on the way. One of those days when tempers flare and your kids fight all day long.

read more >

A small group of ladies had taken me out to dinner after a special event at our church. It was meant to be a time of fellowship and fun. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, one of the ladies asked me, "Do you think that some of the ladies in the church may think of you as unapproachable?"

read more >

I'm entering a season of life where I’m really being stretched: physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I hate to admit it, but some of it is due to the age I've reached (sigh). It comes with its set of issues--sleepless nights, crazy temperature extremes (some nights my husband thinks I may internally combust), along with a middle-age weight battle.

read more >

Paula tries to make sense of a just God who allows such injustice—from the murder of her friend's family to the murder of John the Baptist. 

read more >

Have you hosted your own True Woman event? We're looking for your story!

read more >

Hear about how the women of Grace Community Church in North Liberty, Iowa, cooked up their own creative version of a True Woman Conference including workshops such as "The Measure of Intentional Mothering," "Thyme for a Titus 2 Mentor," and "Adding to the Pantry: A Discussion on Adoption."

read more >

That all sounded so Hallmark-like until I found myself surrounded by laundry (again), dishes (again), and meals to cook (again times three). I started to do my little internal measuring act where I put all of the stuff I do on one side of the scale and all the stuff my hubby does on the other and see who's contributing more (hint: me!).

read more >

Imagine you’ve never been to church before. Never heard of Jesus. Never read the Bible. You notice a lot of cars pulling into a building. You’re not sure what the fuss is all about. You decide to check it out.

read more >

Here's a short list of some of the things I've been mulling over as I ponder "time management" as a Christian.

read more >

My heart has been so encouraged to watch these women praying for each other, preparing for the conference, and sharing what God is doing in their lives. We are having a True Woman Girls Night Out in August to deepen our bond (plus, it gives a chance for some of those who don't yet know each other to meet).

read more >

Justin Taylor over at TheGospelCoalition.org asked me and the other women who spoke at The GospelCoalition Women's Conference last month what we would recommend to conference attendees for further reading. Here's what I suggested.

read more >

I have a great husband. He loves being a dad and is very involved in our boys' lives. He changes diapers, participates in discipline, and picks up from preschool. And yet, I can never seem to shake the feeling that I wish he would do more.

read more >

The second part of Israel's new law places strict limitations on how much models can be edited in advertisements. Any ad that makes the models look thinner is now required to be clearly labeled as "photoshopped" or "enhanced." Similar to the warning labels on cigarettes, the labels on photoshopped ads imply that "ingesting" these images might be bad for a girl's self image and emotional health.

read more >

The news is swarming with heart-wrenching stories of kids bullying other kids. It's pretty easy for me to cast stones at these bullies. But recently I realized just how much I can be like these reckless, hateful bullies who throw out empty threats and cause great harm. I don't bully a friend--I wouldn't dare--and I definitely don't bully strangers. No, I save my hateful attitudes, quick responses, and threats for my son.

read more >

Every year when it gets close to my birthday, I start seeking God about what He wants me to focus on as an area of spiritual growth for the coming year. Each time, it has been an amazing journey as He leads me through new spiritual territory. The year my focus was on learning to trustI was given medical reports on three different occasions indicating life-threatening cancer. The year I focused on humilityI spent helping care for my father who was struggling with brain cancer . . .

 

read more >

Dear Small Group, I know I've been acting weird lately. I'm really sorry about it. By the looks of it, I'm sure it seems as if I;ve become detached and uninterested. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The truth is that I'm scared . . .

read more >

Biking by the river the other evening, I passed a one-legged man in a wheelchair and realized again that life just isn’t fair. Why should I have two legs to pedal while he is constrained to a chair?

read more >

If you hear someone tell you that complementarity means you have to get married, have dozens of babies, be a stay-at-home housewife, clean toilets, completely forego a career, chuck your brain, tolerate abuse, watch "Leave it to Beaver" re-runs, bury your gifts, deny your personality, and bobble-head nod “yes” to everything men say, don't believe her. That's a straw (wo)man misrepresentation. It's not complementarianism. I should know. I'm a complementarian. And I helped coin the term.

read more >

I was painting in the living room shortly after we moved in, and was startled by two elderly ladies shuffling outside my window, pointing and commenting.

read more >

A quick Google search of "are Americans fearful of losing their liberties" results in thousands of articles. People are fearful of losing their homes. People are fearful of losing their money. People are fearful of losing their personal property (e.g. their guns). People are fearful of government intrusion and a loss of personal privacy.

read more >

“I surrender all . . .”; “Christ is all I need. . . .” The words roll off our lips as we sing them in church. But it’s not so easy to choose to place ourselves in a position where we have to find out if He really is all we need.

read more >

I am fond of saying that as a mom prayer is my primary work. I mean that. I do. But sometimes I just don't know what to pray. I mean, I start to pray for protection and then I realize I don't want them to crave safety. I want them to take risks for Jesus but not risks that land them in the ER. How do I pray about that?

read more >

Hey, ladies. Please give a warm, true woman welcome to Trillia Newbell, our newest blogger. I got to spend some time with her this past week at The Gospel Coalition Women's Conference, and I think you'll love her! Get to know her a bit today, and then check back next week to read her first post.

read more >

Sometimes I look at the landscape of my life and see nothing but wide open fields. No mountains or valleys, no beachfront properties. Just wide open fields that span the horizon as far as my eyes can follow without a hint of wind in sight. Do you ever feel that way? You realize that you're not getting married anytime soon. You're not about to have a baby. You've already graduated from college and have what you thought was your dream job. You're part of a good church. Life is good, or at least good enough. You're not going anywhere anytime soon, and the future looks--well--there.

read more >

I kept looking in my rearview mirror to see if George had realized the error of his ways, turned around, and joined the caravan. To my utter dismay he did not.

read more >

Last month, a 6'1" man named "Jenna" made history when he competed in the Miss Universe Canada pageant.

read more >

When I asked who they historically thought Jesus was, the latecomer assumed a frontal attack, asking me questions ranging from when Israel became a nation to the history of the translation of the Bible to the crusades to the goddess Isis and her similarities to the Virgin Mary.

read more >