Women Growth

Mothering is messy. Our joy and hope in raising children doesn’t change the reality that being a mom can be frustrating, stressful, and tiring. But just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us. In The Better Mom, author Ruth Schwenk, herself a mother of four children, encourages us with the good news that there is more to being a mom than the extremes of striving for perfection or simply embracing the mess. We don’t need to settle for surviving our kids’ childhood. We can grow through it.

Insecurity is easily the most pervasive struggle of women in America today. We have more ways than ever to compare ourselves to others, and our sense of self-worth takes a serious beating on an almost daily basis. We want real, workable solutions about how to find peace with ourselves. This is what professional Christian counselor Donna Gibbs gives women. Drawing from her 20 years of experience, she exposes the many lies that produce insecurities in us, the result of letting those insecurities get the best of us, and, most importantly, the way out of insecurity for good.

Books were always Sarah Clarkson's delight. Raised in the company of the lively Anne of Green Gables, the brave Pevensie children of Narnia, and the wise Austen heroines, she discovered reading early on as a daily gift, a way of encountering the world in all its wonder. But what she came to realize as an adult was just how powerfully books had shaped her as a woman to live a story within that world, to be a lifelong learner, to grasp hope in struggle, and to create and act with courage. She's convinced that books can do the same for you.

This inspiring book gives you a splendid example of how to live as a Christian in a secular environment that can be indifferent or hostile to your faith. For Elisabeth Leseur had two great loves: God, and her husband Felix. Felix loved Elisabeth as well; yet to their mutual sorrow, he couldn’t share the life of the spirit that Elisabeth cherished.

We say we're free in Christ, but many of us are still living in captivity - to fear, anger, shame, isolation, unforgiveness, and control. We're good at faking it around others, but we're exhausted by the ruse. Andi Andrew wants women to break free of their self-imposed prisons and live the lives that are rightly theirs in Christ. Sharing her own intentional journey of finding true freedom by surrendering control of her heart and life to the God who welcomed her with open arms, Andrew encourages women to give their pain and brokenness to Jesus.

We all want to live simpler lives and to put Jesus first – and we struggle with both. While we are busy strategizing new ways to streamline our calendars and clean out our closets of the clutter, what really needs attention is what will give us long-term clarity and peace — the priority order of Jesus over everything in our lives. In Jesus Over Everything, Lisa shares eight statements of choice to help us grow in our understanding of what it means to put Jesus first amid the craziness of our days.

For the modern Christian woman living in today's sexually charged society, embracing God's design for sex and purity can often feel like an impossible pursuit. As the culture seeks to normalize things such as pornography, erotica, and casual sex, both single and married women of all ages feel immense pressure to conform. With alluring temptations constantly inviting them to join in, they might even begin to question whether God's design is truly good.

From accidentally starting a small business instead of using her college degree, to embarrassing herself onstage in front of thousands, to wasting time worrying about what others think or say, Jordan Lee Dooley knows exactly how that feels - and she’s learned some important lessons about living a purposeful life along the way.

Part cookbook and part spiritual memoir, Bread & Wine illuminates how sharing food together mirrors the way we share our hearts with each other and with God. And it explores what it means to follow a God who reveals his presence in breaking bread and passing a cup.

The very fact that listeners may find themselves surprised now and again by the prominent role of women in certain events and movements proves an inequality that historical narrative has often been guilty of. This is a book about women. In Daughters of the Church, authors Ruth A. Tucker and Walter Liefeld have endeavored to present an objective story.

You're strong. You're responsible. You're good. But…as day fades to dusk, you begin to feel the familiar fog of anxiety, the weight and pressure of holding it together and of longing left unmet. Good girls sometimes feel the Christian life means doing hard work with a sweet disposition. We tend to focus only on the things we can handle, our disciplined lives, and our unshakable good moods. But what would happen if we let grace pour out boundless acceptance into our worn-out hearts and undo us?

Grieving the loss of a child to stillbirth can be a lonely and agonizing experience. Sadly, this overwhelming loss is far more common than one may think, affecting around 1 in 160 births. Gibson honestly acknowledges the sorrow, the loneliness, and fears that come from suffering the loss of a child while pointing to the gospel with gentleness and understanding.

In The Hannah Anointing, Michelle McClain-Walters reveals a special kind of spiritual power that stands unwaveringly in the face of recurring disappointment and the enemy's taunts. With her unique and empowering prophetic, McClain-Walters tackles issues women face on the road to their destiny and purpose, including how to: release the cry of the barren, pray in faith, and get God's attention.

Holly Cramer's past choices have finally caught up to her, but she never expected them to endanger her baby. Though Holly's stumbled through most of her adult life as a party girl, she longs to live a more stable life for her daughter. Then police show up to question her about the whereabouts of Creed Kershaw, Lily's father. She has kept his identity a secret from friends and family - she never even told him about the pregnancy. Now he's a person of interest in a drug-related murder case.

Why do moms find themselves settling for a depleted and frustrated existence when motherhood is truly one of the greatest gifts from God? Being a mom is one of the most important-yet-difficult roles a woman will ever fill. Deep in their hearts, many women believe they are failing their families, are emotionally anemic, and are utterly helpless to maintain their peace while raising kids. As a result, hearts and homes are constantly defeated by the "peace pirates" that are allowed to take away the security God paid for His children to have.

We have all heard of post traumatic stress, but few of us think about the possibility of post traumatic growth—the positive ways in which we can be transformed by our trauma. Yet this is precisely what can happen when we face our hurts, struggle through the rubble of our broken relationships, and unearth the ways God wants to use our trials to refine and mature us.

The chaos of life can be overwhelming, and women get a heavier dose than most. Each day comes with its own pressures and disappointments that slowly erode joy, peace, and closeness to Him. Chaos always feels like the enemy as it rages around us and inside us. But there is hope! In The Storm Inside, best-selling author and Women of Faith speaker Sheila Walsh invites you into 10 life-changing, hope-filled transformations where God's divine redemption quiets the chaos you feel.

We deal with our "issues" every day in one form or another. After a while, they start to feel... normal. Just part of who we are. And we forget that we have access to the power of Christ - a power that can transform our everyday weaknesses into our greatest strengths and gifts. In She's Got Issues, Christian counselor, ministry leader, and regular mom Nicole Unice explores the ordinary issues that are keeping you from the full and free life you were meant to have. Nicole shows you how to let God freely shape your character and transform your life from ordinary to abundant.

Throughout Keep Showing Up, Karen includes ideas to implement in your marriage right now, such as powerful statements to speak to your spouse, date-night-on-a-shoestring suggestions, and discussion starters. Discover how your "incompatibility" can become the strength of your marital team in this real-life guide to both living with and loving your spouse - differences and all.

Unwilling to return to the darkness of her former life, Sherry Gore attacks her faith head on. Soon the life she remakes for herself and her children as she seeks to follow the teachings of the Bible features head coverings, simple dress, and a focus on Jesus Christ. Only then does she realize, in a fit of excitement, that there are others like her. They are called Amish and Mennonite, and she realizes she has found her people.