Gems of Motherhood

Latest Episodes:

Understanding Gender Confusion :: Denise Shick [EP47] May 17, 2021

Show notes

This world has a completely different point of view about gender identity than the Christian worldview. This difference causes hesitancy in many when the subject is broached. To be honest, it is such a difficult topic to talk about with adults, now think about how difficult it is to talk about it with our children. My guest Denise Shick addresses the issue of gender identity speaking about Understanding Gender Confusion.

Denise shares her personal story on how her father told her he wanted to live as a woman. She was a young girl. Needless to say, she didn’t understand why and didn’t know how to process it. She only came to deal with it much later in life when she could start wrapping her mind around what her father’s decision meant.

As Denise grappled with her father’s decision, she began to understand that she had to speak to her own children early and often about God’s rightful plan for men and women.

“Speak to your children in a safe environment. Talk about God creating two genders in God’s plan”

Parents should share that we live in a fallen world with lots of confusion, yet God’s plan is perfect. Sharing can be difficult, so using age appropriate language is essential to getting the correct message through to our children. That message, however, has to be well studied and researched because gender confusion is not just a couple of people who don’t know God’s plan for their life, but rather it is a movement to turn God’s plan on its head.

“If the parent becomes educated and understands that it comes from a Biblical perspective, they are able to explain it.”

What we chat about

Talking to children about different genders

Helping children and parents understand gender confusion

Managing Career and Motherhood :: Lila Rose [EP46] May 10, 2021

Show notes

Motherhood is one of the most fulfilling journeys life offers, but it is exhausting. Add work outside the house to the mix, and you may find yourself stretched very thin. Today my guest Lila Rose shares her experience balancing her career with motherhood.

Lila shares how intense a career can be routinely, yet when you add the wrinkles, like events, conferences and travel it becomes very challenging. She personally realized when she became a mother that she would have to adjust her career to serve her family. She learned different lessons, including the freedom of saying NO.

“When I entered motherhood, I wanted to do it very intentionally. Overall it’s a journey and I learned how to prioritize, and to make sure I’m getting that quality time with my son on a daily basis.”

Lila’s day-to-day is unique to her; however, her prioritizing is not foreign to other mothers. Her time with her son is not just about quantity time, but quality time living life fully invested in his nurturing and growth. It’s not always easy, yet it is satisfying and spiritually healing.

“Motherhood is a full-time job and we need to start appreciating it. Each mom is different. And we need to give ourselves grace as mom”

What we chat about

Pressures that moms face

Helping mothers to gain a sense of self

Importance of motherhood

Balancing career and prioritizing time

Motherhood penalty

No More Perfect Moms :: Jill Savage [EP45] May 03, 2021

Show notes

As mothers we all struggle one way or another because the juggle is real! Today my guest Jill Savage will be talking about no more being perfect.

What we chat about

The pressures of needing to be the perfect mom

The comparison game

How does the pressure affect children emotionally and mentally

Expectations vs realistic hope

Coping with Infertility :: Melissa Vande Kieft [EP44] Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s podcast, my guest Melissa Vande Kieft shares her story about eagerly waiting on God while coping with infertility. Infertility is not an easy situation; you feel social pressure to have kids and you feel judged by well-meaning friends, family members, or even strangers. It is a journey, even if it is lonely and grounded in fear.

“This whole process of navigating infertility was something I wasn’t prepared for and shook who I was.”

Melissa’s journey dealing with infertility was her first God test emotionally and spiritually. She saw her experience similar to climbing a mountain; she was just climbing and climbing and not seeing the end. She had to get up everyday to experience the identical result while having to accept waiting on God. What she couldn’t imagine is that her wait would take 2.5 years before she would fully receive what God was trying to tell her.

“When you are going through infertility, you are doing things that are right, but yet it never happens. And you don’t know why. And it can be so frustrating.”

Melissa also shares some tips on how to support someone who is going through infertility. When someone is going navigating infertility, they want to know that someone cares, that they are seen, that they are heard and above all they want authenticate relationship. Authenticity is the bridge between God and us, and Melissa surmises that it is no different between us and others!

What we chat about

Living in the wait

Be educated about infertility

Preparing the challenges

Reason infertility exists

True Intimacy With Our First Love :: Mo Isom Aiken [EP43] Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s podcast, my guest Mo Isom Aiken shares about the secret of having true intimacy with our first love based on her third book, Fully Known.

A mom’s job is hard and important work. And the only way we can perform this work is through God’s spirit and His love. His spirit is already poured out for us to receive. And His love is a function of His sacrifice on the Cross. These truths act as reminders that being a mom and wife is a beautiful thing, and are to be cherished and experienced fully on intimacy with Him. When we embrace the truth, a mom’s true beauty is revealed by our time and frequency in His presence, we can let our guard down.

“We were made for intimacy—spiritual intimacy with God that brings oneness and bears powerful fruit. We were made to know Him and be known by Him, fully.”

Intimacy with Christ is different from intimacy with our husband. Intimacy with Him is both intentional and ongoing. We can experience this intimacy while performing mundane house chores or in the shower or going out shopping. It is a privilege to be able to commune with Him daily.

“I don’t have to fight for His presence. I can talk with Him and commune with Him all day long. We can cease from the striving.”

Mo shares that Fully Known is for people who feel disconnected from God, burned out, and desire to understand what it means to actually have a relationship with God.

What we chat about

Motherhood and intimacy with God

Intentional and on-going intimacy

Actionable tips for burnt-out moms

True intimacy

The Miracle of Forgiveness :: Ruth Graham [EP42] Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s podcast, my guest Ruth Graham shares about the miracle of forgiveness. When we live with unresolved anger or hurt, the result is nearly always bitterness, broken relationships, and unhealthy behaviors. Unforgiveness if left unresolved can sabotage our entire life from the spiritual to the mental to the physical.

Ruth Graham shares her personal journey to finding forgiveness in her heart for individuals who hurt her. God is about forgiveness. However, we often can’t imagine the depths of forgiveness until He demonstrates it to us. Ruth learned the truth and the meaning of forgiveness when she visited Angola prison in Louisiana.

“Forgiveness is Holy. It is an opportunity to participate in the nature and character of God.”

We have a choice to forgive people who have hurt us. Yet, once we make the decision to forgive, be prepared to feel all sorts of emotions because we have an Enemy who desires to make us feel like we haven’t truly forgiven. And we cannot allow that to happen.

“When we know our place in Christ. We need not hold ourselves in condemnation. We want to be working for the Lord in the freedom of forgiveness.”

Ruth also shares how forgiveness is vitally important in other areas of our lives, like marriage and parenting. Her mother always said that a good marriage is made up of two good forgivers since we’re always asking for forgiveness. This habit of forgiving and extending forgiveness is played out each day is only saturates our children with the learned behavior of expressing forgiveness as well as accepting forgiveness.

What we chat about

Ruth’s journey to forgiveness

The meaning of forgiveness

Tips for those struggling with forgiveness

How to Make the Bible Come Alive for Our Children :: Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright [EP41] Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

The Bible is the most important book in history. In this week’s episode, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright talks about how to make the Bible come alive to our children. She shares how she presented her daughter with the Gospel from the moment she was born and talks about Bible stories with her children at all times.

“I try to always tell them stories. I wanted it to be relevant all the time and not just reading it during one set time.”

Playing fun games to focus children on Bible stories and characters grows their interest. It also gets children to learn different people and different places highlighted in the Bible. Rachel-Ruth shares her experience of playing Bible charades with her children to ensure her children stay in their Word and live it out.

“Making the Bible come alive to your children is so important. If you’re dead about the Bible and you don’t know those stories then your kids will be that way too. The key is to have it in your own heart.”

Helping children to uncover the Bible’s big ideas and good values only encourages children to see that God is interested in their personal development.

“If my kids did something wrong, I will try to talk them through. I always try to present the Bible in a positive light so they don’t have a negative view of scripture or of the Lord.”

What we chat about

Ways of telling Bible stories

Instilling scripture in the dark days ahead

Uncovering big ideas and applying to life

Grace

Being transparent with children

Empowering Moms :: Maria Durso [EP40] Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

There are so many incredible moms in the Bible. Yet, there is one mother who rarely grabs any acclaim — that’s Moses’s mom, Jochebed. In this week’s episode, Maria Durso talks about empowering moms by using Jochebed’s life as an example.

Jochobed lived in dark and challenging times. Pharaoh wanted to kill every Jewish boy two years and younger. Yet, Moses’s mother had a plan. She had an anointed eye, a gift of foresight. The moment she saw her baby, she was determined to fight for his life.

“We need an anointed eye… What do you see when you see your child”

Today’s children are born in dark times. As moms, it’s one thing to see when things are going great, it is another to see when things are turning dark. Maria encourages moms to wash their children with words of affirmations and prayer in order to see them through these perilous times. Maria reenforces what the Bible challenges us to do … which is to put on the full armor of God. Why you might ask? Because there’s an invisible war being waged in the heavenlies and right here on earth.

“Prayer for our children doesn’t stop. It’s ongoing. So many of us don’t know that the armor is already ours. It’s already hanging in our closet and perfectly suited for us to put on.”

What we chat about

Moses’s Mom

Covering our children with words of affirmation

Prayer

Armor of God

Preparing for life’s opposition

The Importance of a Mother's Role :: Mo Isom Aiken [EP39] Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Today’s episode seems more critically important today than ever before. The role of mothers is slowly eroding blocked out by competing interests and societal priorities, yet it doesn’t mean a mother’s value has changed. In this episode, Mo Isom Aiken shares her heart on the importance of a mother using the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mo points to Mary’s perseverance, tenacity, and above all her humility, as the mother of Jesus to make her point about mother’s privilege.

“When I think of motherhood, I just weep. After I had my first, I just thought of Mary, and the pains of her labor and the reality of bringing forth life and what a privilege it is…”

Mo shares that when people look at the word of God, they instantly are faced with the truth about a women’s worth and true beauty. She opines that she needs to be constantly reminded of this and keep it locked deeply in heart while aligning it with God’s will for her life.

“If we look at the word of God, we can see the role and value of woman. It is a beautiful and miraculous thing. And the gift of motherhood is truly an honor and of kingdom importance.”

To showcase a mother’s importance, God allows what we’ll term as “sovereign shaking.” That means He allows disruption and shifting to enter our lives, but not to harm us but to squeeze out the very best. Mo has seen the excellent results of “sovereign shaking,” especially during the pandemic. God wants to open our eyes to our weaknesses and wake us from our slumber to let us see our true identity. Why you may ask? Mo answers it: He wants us to take up our mantle.

“Right now God is raising up a generation of kingdom warriors. He is the general and we are the ranks right beneath Him, following His orders and raising the kingdom army that is to come.”

What we chat about

Role of motherhood

The importance of motherhood

Kingdom importance

Raising up kingdom children

Preparation in times of adversity

Dealing with Postpartum Depression :: Carly Graham [EP38] Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Postpartum depression is something seldom discussed, but which affects many people. Mental health can mean different things to different people, depending on individual experiences. In this week’s podcast, my guest Carly Graham shares her postpartum depression story.

Carly speaks about the different signs of postpartum from loss of interest of things to decrease mood to trouble sleeping or sleeping too much to eating habits.

"When you have postpartum depression it’s hard to see into the future with excitement, hope, and expectancy.”

While 7 out of 10 mothers who go through postpartum, surprisingly 3 out of 10 fathers also experience it. Carly explains how different hormones in women and men affect the onset of postpartum and dissects scientifically the reason why women go through it more frequently and with greater impact on their daily function.

“Be aware of patterns and behavior that doesn’t feel like the real you. Self awareness is key. Know yourself and how you function.”

What we chat about

Signs of postpartum

Being aware of yourself

How can husbands be more supportive

Actionable tips for moms to take when going through postpartum