A Guest post by Leah of LeahEGood.com. “God doesn’t need me to go to church. He just wants us to be in community with other Christians.” I first heard this (paraphrased) statement as a teenager. I was at a conference waiting for the next session to start and the cluster of people next to me were talking about why they no longer attended a church. Since then, I’ve heard many peers (mostly through online communities) communicate the same sentiment. It can be tempting to jump ship when we see hypocrisy in the church, are hurt by members of the church, or feel the church is not adding value to our lives. Hebrews 10:25 encourages Christians to not forsake meeting together. I’ve heard people argue that, as long as they surround themselves with Christian learn more...
Happy Birthday, Equipping Godly Women! (with Giveaway!!)
Equipping Godly Women is FIVE years old now! Can you even believe it? And what a fun five years it has been! We've had great discussions, fun giveaways, Facebook parties and so much more. Hopefully you've learned a lot and grown in faith as well. You see, when I first started this blog, I kept things pretty simple. 5 tips for this, 8 essential strategies for that... Whether you wanted to be a better Christian, a better wife or a better mom, I wanted to be full of practical and encouraging tips and tricks just for you. Simple, little things you could act on right now to make your faith that much stronger and your life that much better. I didn't want to just encourage you (although I do that too). I wanted to equip you -- to give you the tools and resources you learn more...
10 Back to School Bible Verses to Memorize with Your Children
A guest post by Rachel Newcomb of Smart Mom Smart Ideas. Are your children talking about back to school yet? Are they excited about school starting? Does the first day of school make your children nervous and concerned? As a mom, I have concerns about back to school, too. I pray my children will live their Christian faith at school. One way I encourage the Christian faith of my children is to memorize character-building Bible verses. Here are 10 Back to School Bible verses to memorize together that focus on character traits children need for the school year. During the school year, my children will make many choices and I will not be able to guide them. These character-focused Bible verses give children help to make the right choices with the challenges they face learn more...
Announcing: The Equipping Godly Women Online Conference!
So, of alllll the great resources I share here on Equipping Godly Women, online conferences are by far my FAVORITE resources to share with you. Not only are they a GREAT way to be encouraged, inspired, and to get TONS of awesome tips to help you thrive in life, but the majority of conference holders (not all, but most) offer a way where you can watch some of all of the sessions for FREE! In fact, if you've followed Equipping Godly Women for very long, then you probably know how much I LOVE watching conferences like these while I'm washing the dishes, folding laundry... just doing all the boring household stuff I have to do anyway, but learning and growing in faith in the process! I love them! That's why, today, I am SO excited to share with you: We're learn more...
How to be Content with Your Real Life (Without Quitting Social Media)
Post by Leah of LeahEGood.com. According to Social Media Today, the average person will spend almost two hours on social media every day, but an article from Time says that, “taking time away from social media seems more likely to brighten your day than bum you out.” You probably don’t have to read these articles to notice the trend. FOMO is a buzzword, and it seems like everyone is talking about how social media causes them to unfavorably compare their lives to others’. Is it possible to balance the Biblical call to contentment with the digital world we live in? Personally, I love social media. I even studied social media marketing in college. It’s part of the world I live in, and I’m okay with that. When Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17, He learn more...
Struggling with Mom Guilt? Here’s How to Stop It
Are you struggling with mom guilt because you don't feel like you do enough with and for your kids? Here's how to deal with mom guilt in a godly way. Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com I'll never forget the day my firstborn started crawling. I picked him up from the babysitter after work and took him home. He had been close to the milestone for a few days, and suddenly it just clicked. My husband and I were full of new parent glee as he proudly paraded around the living room on his hands and knees. The next day I gave the sitter a heads-up about his new mobility. "Oh, he was doing that all day yesterday," she replied. "I thought you knew!" I felt like I'd been sucker-punched. I had missed it. Because I had to work. Talk about mom learn more...
Want a Better Relationship With God? Start here.
Do you ever feel like your relationship with God isn't as close as you'd like it to be? Recently I had an Equipping Godly Women reader email to ask: "I want to have a better relationship with God, but it's been so long... I don't know where to start!" This is a great question! And honestly, it doesn't matter if you've walked away from God for a while, or if you've been seeking a good relationship with God for a while... We ALL have work to do when it comes to having a better relationship with God! And yes, just like growing in any relationship, growing in our relationship with God DOES require "work." This doesn't mean we can do it all ourselves of course. We obviously can't earn our salvation or "fix" ourselves without His help. BUT we learn more...
Raising Godly Kids: 5 Ways to Teach Faith Every Day
Guest post by Rachel Newcomb of Smart Mom Smart Ideas. One of the great fears I have as a mom is that my kids will not grow up and continue living in Christian faith. We hear the statistics about the high percentages of kids that are raised going to church and in Christian homes but walk away from the Christian faith when they are grown, and I wonder: What can I do that will plant the roots of faith that will grow in my children’s hearts? As a family, we go to church each week, we encourage Christian friends, and we have taught our kids Bible stories since they were little. But for our kids to truly grow in their own Christian faith, they need to see Christian faith as a living example every day. Teaching our kids Godly character and how to grow in their learn more...
How to Invest in Friendship when Life is Busy
Guest post by Leah of LeahEGood.com. Did you know that one in five American adults report feeling lonely on a regular basis? According to Barna Group, most of us report having two to five close friends, but find ourselves frequently lonely anyway. I fit right into that grouping. There are four people I consider to be my best friends and perhaps a dozen more that I count as good friends. These people mean the world to me, but it’s easy to get caught up in daily activities and reach the end of the week without meaningfully connecting with any of them. Lack of connection quickly leads to loneliness. There are countless roadblocks between us and strong community, but busyness paralyzes me more frequently than any of the others. The list of urgent, learn more...
6 Bad Habits That Will Seriously Harm Your Marriage
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com American evangelist David Wilkerson once said, “Love is not something you feel. It’s something you do.” Likewise, it’s the things you do (or don’t do) that can make your spouse feel unloved. This was a hard lesson early in my marriage, and frankly, continues to be one. Even if we’re practicing good habits regularly, it is all too easy to derail our relationship by succumbing to bad ones. After more than twelve years of marriage, we still have our bumps. But we’ve gotten better at identifying our unhealthy patterns, and more importantly, repenting from them. If I were to give my younger married self advice, I’d say to watch out for the 6 bad marriage habits I'll explain below... By the way -- If you're learn more...
