MomQ: Biblical Wisdom and Support for Christian Moms

The Bible says we are to mature in our faith but how does that work? Is it all up to us or does God play a role? Maybe you have tried to nurture your faith but you just don’t feel like God hears your prayers. Maybe you are in a period of waiting for Him to move but he has been silent. Or maybe you are angry with Him because your life hasn’t turned out the way you wanted it to? Why would God allow hard things in our lives if he is a loving God?    In this conversation we have one of our MomQ leaders Dawn Jackson to discuss how God used an autism diagnosis for one of her sons to teach her to truly trust Him.  Dawn is a Pastor’s wife and while you may think that means she has arrived spiritually speaking, she explains that through this trial, God revealed himself to her in unexpected ways.

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At the end of the day, we all want our home to be full of peace, love, forgiveness and joy. But what control do we have with the vibe of our household?

Annie teaches on how we can turn to scripture for instructions on using our words and actions to reflect Jesus: beneficial, honorable and encouraging. The words we chose to speak to our children, our kids, and others around us can greatly impact the culture and tone of our home.

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18

Peace is something all of us desire. But relationships are hard. Being a mom, a wife, a spouse and friend can often lead to conflict.

How do we become peacemakers in the most challenging situations? Julie teaches on how we can build strong families by pursuing peace by turning our eyes and hearts toward God vs. our own desires.

"Where you treasure is, there your heart will be" - Matthew 6:21

God tells us that what we treasure most is directly tied to the condition of our heart. But the reality is the gods of money, achievement, possessions and success are always trying to capture our attention. How do we reframe our mindset, and the culture of our family to value what God values most?

Candace teaches on practical strategies for how we can implement rythyms in our family that point towards the treasure that lasts forever.

This month we are talking about how God wants us to put His love into action in our relationships. Many people feel like this is the hardest with our spouses. Marriage is hard and there are some scary statistics out there that might feel daunting. But, listening to podcasts like today, show commitment to growth and a deeper relationship with your spouse, so thank you so much for being here! 

Do you ever feel like your marriage hit a rough patch you can’t seem to get out of and it's just downhill from here?  Or that you’re settling for “everything is just fine” because it’s the easier path? Or how about those couples you know that have been married for decades and decades-how in the world do they seem so truly happy? In this episode we hear from Barbara and Joe Bland, long time Austin residents who have been married 42 years! Yes, you heard right! They share their story of how God transformed their hearts and showed them how to truly love each other over the years.

In our second episode of our Renew series as we enter the new year discovering and reflecting on new rhythms in our life, we chat with Becky Terry from Purpose Works, formerly known as Job Seekers Network. Becky has provided guidance in career direction, job search strategies and career management for the last 25 years.

As we are thinking about goals for the new year, many people find themselves asking questions like: “Am I on the right path in life?” “Is there something God has for me to do that I am missing?” And “How can I discover my gifts and talents?” I think you’ll find the answers to these questions and more with in our conversation.

To learn more about Purpose Works visit: JSNatx@org

In this episode we have our last conversation with our MomQ leaders for our Becoming a Confident Mom series wrap up, where we are answering pre-submitted questions from our community members. So far in this series we have answered questions about marriage, spiritual growth, and holiday traditions. In today’s episode we will talk about issues pertaining to our children. like ways to disciple them at home and help them deal with anxiety.

I have Sue McAlinden and Lynette Seitzler with me, both MomQ mentor moms, who will be sharing their collective wisdom and encouragement. I’m excited for you to get to know them as well. 

Sue has been a MomQ mentor mom since our beginning. She spent twenty-one years raising her family, participating in Bible studies, leading small groups and mentoring moms of younger children.  She says being a mom was her favorite job, and she loves to encourage other moms as they juggle their own family, their extended family, their marriage, and time for themselves. Currently, Susan is a contributing writer on the website, Freedtoflourish.com. She was recently published in the Proverbs 31 book, “hope when your heart is heavy.” 

As a mentor mom, Lynette enjoys helping young moms grow deeper in their Christian walk. Originally raised on farms and ranches in both Minnesota and Texas, Lynette has lived in Austin since 2006. As a journalist, she started reporting for Four Points News in 2008 and God gave her the opportunity to own the newspaper in 2011. You can find Lynetter at most local events taking photos and notes. She is also a faithful assistant to her husband who teaches Bible fellowship class at their church.

We hope this episode blesses and encourages you as you enter into the holiday season. Much love from the MomQ family!

In this episode we have a conversation with Barbara Bland and Annie Mendrala to do a deep dive into some pretty tough questions about marriage. Our answers will challenge you. I encourage you to keep an open mind as you listen. We also want to be clear that we are addressing the typical marital issues that we see and experience in our ministry. But, we are not professional counselors and there are certainly situations where their advice would be more appropriate. And of course, if you or your children are in danger, then get to a safe place as soon as possible.

Marriage always one of the most popular topics of our podcast because we all have marriage issues. And it’s no wonder. I mean merging our life with another human being is a tall order. It causes us to confront our own character issues and that’s not fun. 

But, the Bible is clear that marriage is a covenant relationship that God ordained at creation. God tells us that our relationship with our husbands should be our priority behind only our relationship with Him. And if our selfish, prideful nature wasn’t enough to undermine marriage, the devil is always attacking it as well. Why? Because he wants to destroy families. It is through strong Christian families that the character of God is reflected.

I think each of you will be blessed, challenged, and encouraged by this episode. If you are, please feel free to share with a fellow mama as well!

Today on our show, we have e two of our MomQ mentor Moms, Amy Tipps and Kendra Echols.

I’m excited about this because it will be a slightly different format for us. As you know we just wrapped up our series “Becoming a Confident Mom” and the synopsis of that is Episode 45 you guys want to check that out. That theme of that whole series is that as believers, because our identity is in Jesus, we can have peace and hope in the struggles and relationships of life.

As part of our wrap-up at our gathering in Austin, we have a tradition that a live panel of our mentor moms answers pre submitted questions from our community members. This year we decided to go a step further and go on a deep dive with pairs of our mentor moms to get to know them, and learn from them.

Amy is a former high school teacher and coach with lots of ministry adventures over the years, including Bible Study Fellowship and Celebrate Recovery. She is also a certified Life Coach through the Forward Foundation. Amy is passionate about emotional health and spiritual growth through discipleship, recovery, and  walking closely with God on a daily basis. She is a wise, gracious and peace filled woman of God. 

Kendra is native to central Texas. She has served in women's and children's Ministry for 20 plus years and has also been a worship leader in different capacities since she was a teenager. Her smile is infectious and her joyous spirit radiates Jesus to those around her. She appreciates authenticity and seeks to build relationships on the truth of God's Word. 

In week 2 in our series of “Becoming a Confident Mom,” Annie Mendrala teaches on the value of relationships from a biblical perspective. Because we serve a relational God, He uses relationships in all forms to encourage us, inspire us, and sanctify us.

To continue our summer series we had the opportunity to interview Amy Benchener, an amazing mom of 2, professor and community leader. She shares her journey facing some health issues with her daughter and facing the death of her father - and how she and her family experienced the power and realness of God in the middle of those situations.