A guest post by Leah of leahegood.com. I’ve always loved stories that coax the reader to see the people around them with more empathy. As a lifelong bookworm, stories shaped many of my childhood aspirations. I wanted to befriend Wanda from The Hundred Dresses and behave like a princess like Sara Crew in A Little Princess. Stories in the Bible often have the same impact as the fictional stories of my childhood. A glimpse of a life lived thousands of years ago can challenge me to change my perspective and attitude about the people around me. Rahab in the Bible is one such story. Rahab occupies an interesting place in the mind and heart of the modern church. Her documented profession as a prostitute keeps her from being a Sunday School staple like Jonah and learn more...
What Miriam in the Bible Can Teach Us About Positivity
Guest post by Tricia Goyer of www.triciagoyer.com/ A few weeks ago I was talking with my friend, Joanna, sharing about some of my recent struggles, especially with my attitude. “I’ve always known you to be a positive person,” Joanna told me. I chuckled, “That’s because most of the time we spent together was before John and I adopted seven more kids!” When Joanna and I met, I only had three children. In that season of life, I was busy with raising kids, volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, and writing. I was busy, yes, but when John and I started adopted kids from hard places we transitioned from “busy” into survival mode. Overwhelmed with the added chaos and mess (not to mention kids’ outbursts and anger), I found myself complaining a lot. So much learn more...
What Leah in the Bible Can Teach Us About Comparison
A guest post by Heather Creekmore of comparedtowho.me. I remember the morning my Sunday School teacher pressed illustrated cut-outs of two sisters onto a large purple flannel board. The older was named Leah; the younger, Rachel. The story intrigued me. I knew right away which character I’d rather be: Rachel of course! Why would I choose to be Rachel over Leah in the Bible? It’s simple really. Rachel was beautiful. She caught the eye of Jacob who fell wildly in love with her. In my mind, this is what beauty was for. Beautiful women, in my middle school mind, had all their dreams come true. But, then there was Leah. The third wheel. An underdog. The woman no man wanted. She wasn’t as pretty as Rachel so her dad, Laban, had to trick someone into marrying her. Of learn more...
What Mary Magdalene in the Bible Can Teach Us About Faithfulness
Guest Post by Sara Borgstede of www.theholymess.com. There are few words as sweet to any person than the sound of their own name. All of us want to be recognized and appreciated for who we are. Mary Magdalene, the woman in the Bible who didn't recognize Jesus until after he said her name, teaches us the importance of faithfully following God's voice in our lives. Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible? Have you ever wondered "Who was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?" Mary Magdalene is a woman in the Bible who has created quite a stir of controversy. Scholars and Bible readers have debated about the character of Mary Magdalene, some even going so far as to say she was the wife of Jesus (such as Dan Brown in the popular book The DaVinci Code) or paint her learn more...
How Busy Moms Can Make Time for Daily Devotions (+ Mom Heart Moments Review!)
Do you ever wish you could spend more time in the Word, but you're just so busy taking care of your home and family that you don't know how you possibly can? Yeah, I've been there. I'm not sure what it was about my youngest, but I was so exhausted when I was pregnant with her! And even after she was born, she did NOT want to be put down for a second! It. was. exhausting. Forget about trying to get anything done... It was all I could do just to keep the babies clean(ish), fed, and happy! And even now that my kids are a bit older (school aged), it can still be a real struggle to fit it all in. In fact, just this morning alone... I have one kid home sick from school (and I totally forgot to call until the school called me wondering where he was! learn more...
15 Great Women of the Bible Every Christian Woman Should Study
Exciting news! This November, we're running a brand new series on Great Women of the Bible and the lessons they can teach us as we study their stories. It's been years since I've done any type of "series" on Equipping Godly Women, but this is one I'm incredibly excited to do. You see, here at Equipping Godly Women I LOVE sharing my best tips and tricks for helping you be ALL IN as a Christian woman, wife and mother. But... I'm only one person. I only know so much. AND I don't want you just following me and my opinion anyways. While I love sharing my best strategies and advice, my ultimate goal is always to lead you back to the Bible, where you can study and learn more for yourself. That's why I'm so excited for this new blog series! Here's learn more...
10 Best Bible Studies for Women to Help You Grow in Faith
Looking for the best Bible Studies for Women? Here are 10 great topical, book and daily Bible study books you're sure to love! If you've read the Equipping Godly Women website for any length of time now, you know that I'm a huge believer in daily Bible study. Whether that means simply learning how to read the Bible every day, or you actually take the time to dive in deep and learn how to study the Bible, I'm a huge believer in making daily Bible study a priority. In fact, I even created a Quiet Time Planning Guide to help busy Christian women just like you get in the habit -- no matter how busy you are! Up until this point, however, I've always just read the Bible for myself and by myself. I mean, sure, I hear it at church too, but I really don't read learn more...
How to Keep Your Marriage Close When Going Through Trials
Guest post by Gina of GinaMPoirier.com. When I vowed to stick with my husband Marc “for better or for worse,” I didn’t exactly know what I was signing up for. We were both 23 at the time, optimistic and faithful that things would work out no matter what. But as optimistic and faithful as we were, nothing prepared us how to go through the “for worse” times. That was something we had to discover as we went. We had one of the more difficult seasons in our lives to work through earlier this year. It included saying goodbye to a dying grandparent, processing the shock of losing a friend in a motorcycle crash, continuing to have no progress as we wait in a years-long adoption process, discovering the loss of thousands of dollars after our bank account had been learn more...
What to Look for In a Women’s Bible Study
A guest post by Leah of leahegood.com. A survey taken by over one thousand Christian women revealed that 80% were interested in attending a women’s Bible study. The leading motivation to attend a women’s Bible study was spending time with other Christian women. Learning more about God and the Bible followed close behind. Like the women who participated in the survey, I value opportunities to build relationships with my sisters in Christ and enjoy doing so through a good discussion over an open Bible. Sounds simple but sometimes it gets complicated. Women cite lack of depth and cliques the most common negative traits of women’s ministries. Have you ever left a Bible study and wondered what the point was? Sometimes there are a lot of words but not much learn more...
A Christian Mom’s Guide to Teaching Your Children About Money
A guest post by Rachel Newcomb of Smart Mom Smart Ideas. "Mom, may I have $20 to go to the movies with friends?" "Mom, I need $10 for a new game to play with my friends?" "Mom, can you give me $5 for …?" Does it feel like your children are always asking you for money? Every time a new game is released or they hear about the newest toy, they must get it immediately. I understand now why when I was growing up my mom would say that kids thought money grew on trees. Today, it feels like kids think money comes from Paypal. In a world where money seems to just magically transfer (i.e. Paypal, credit cards), it’s more important than ever to teach our children about money and how to be financially responsible. Our attitudes and habits about learn more...
