Whole 05: Think Outside of Your Four Walls + Tips for How to Read More Books

We’ve spent the past nine weeks talking about all of the ways we can pursue God’s design for us as women, but here’s what it really boils down to: mom, do you know how loved, how cherished, how valued you are by your Creator? Do you believe you’re made for more than eating PB&J leftovers at the sink and skipping a shower for days on end? (Ask us how we know!) In this final episode of the Whole mini-series, Emily and Laura remind us that we have dignity and value—not because we claim it for ourselves, but because we bear the very image of God. Even in the busyness of motherhood, we can live as women who are loved by God, redeemed in Christ, and have an important mission in his kingdom. What would it look like to honor his fullness of love for you today? This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to the Christian life: forgiveness. It’s hard, right?! But as we see with every command God gives us, the act of forgiveness is for our own good and flourishing. Many of us have seen how unforgiveness doesn’t stay contained; it seeps out until it permeates a lot of areas of our lives, including motherhood. That’s why Emily and Laura spend this show taking a hard look at forgiveness: what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters. In this world, we will have trouble—but our Redeemer has overcome it all. In him, we find the power and freedom to forgive as we’ve been forgiven. *Note: We know this is a broad topic and understand we couldn’t possibly cover all of the intricacies and experiences at play for you personally. Our hope for this show is to provide you with a few thought-starters and Scripture references to understand forgiveness, but if needed we encourage you to reach out to a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor to speak into your personal situation and circumstances as you work through forgiveness in your own relationships. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Mom, when’s the last time you had FUN? For so many good reasons, our tendency as moms can be to stay behind the scenes and keep the trains running on time. We know this is a big responsibility, and we go all-in on taking it seriously. But what if we let our hair down a bit, and experienced the joy of a motherhood rooted in Christ? In this show, Emily and Laura remind us that as whole women of God, we can experience joy, laughter, thrills, and fun—knowing that in Christ, we’re not as fragile as we may feel. When we set our fears down and remind ourselves that God—not mom—is our family’s refuge, strength, and protector, the goodness that awaits on the other side may just take us (and our kiddos) by surprise. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

We know that meaningful friendships require time and investment… so what do we do as moms when we have so little of these things to spare?! Or what if we have a great mom-to-mom friendship, but our kids struggle to get along or our lives are starting to look totally different from one another? In this episode, Emily and Laura go DEEP on the joy and hardship of maintaining solid friendships throughout various seasons of motherhood. From how to handle it when a friendship falters to what to consider as you’re pursuing God-glorifying relationships, this show is a can’t-miss if you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head at how to love others well despite your limited capacity. God designed us for flourishing, sanctifying friendships, so let’s be willing to think about this area of our lives intentionally and honor him as we do. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

It doesn’t take long for our heads to start spinning when we think about how creative God is: a sea of textures and colors, a sunset bursting in shades of light, a cool night sky speckled with stars… we could go on and on. As image-bearers, we too are wired with an ability to create—even if it feels we lack the time, talent, or desire to do so. In this episode, Emily and Laura look at the many ways creativity can come to life in motherhood, as well as a few practical ways we can make space to create, even if you don’t necessarily think of yourself as “creative.” Let us set our minds on what is true, pure, and lovely (Phil. 4:8)—and revel in the work of our Creator with every step. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

That to-do list is already overwhelming, so are we *really* about to suggest you read more books… on a motherhood podcast?! Yes, and no. Here’s the thing: we serve a God who communicates to us through story in his Word. We were MADE to feel the beat of creation-fall-redemption-consummation in every narrative we become immersed in, and as we pursue quality literature and fill our minds with redemptive stories, we may just learn more about ourselves and how to love others along the way. In this episode, Emily and Laura don’t just lay out the ‘why’ for reading good books and consuming quality media, but the ‘how’ to do it, even when mom life is crazy busy. By God’s grace, every good, true, and beautiful story will draw us back to him, our perfect Storyteller. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Have you ever closed the back cover of a children’s book and found yourself impacted by its message… even if your kids seem unfazed? It’s the power of story at play, and we can learn a lot from it as we seek to teach our kids complex concepts that play out in so many little moments of life. In this special bonus episode, Emily chats with Laura on the ways we can use narrative to teach our children more about God’s design, and how this came to life in Laura’s latest children’s book, A World Wonder. (Side note: if you’re on the hunt for all kinds of book recs for your kids, this show is a must-listen!) God himself is truth, which means we have the joy of finding more of him even within the pages of seemingly simple children’s books. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Can you imagine if we had a tally of all the things we’ve learned since becoming moms?! The trending baby gear, feeding strategies, discipline tactics, and so on—we’ve likely all absorbed more info than we ever planned in motherhood. So when it comes to learning and growing—to pursuing the Lord with all of our mind—how do we make room for it? In this episode, Emily and Laura help us navigate an info-at-our-fingertips world by giving us guideposts and questions to consider as we pursue knowledge. Lord willing, our curiosity will not only model the beauty of lifelong learning for our children, but will draw us closer to the Wellspring of all knowledge and truth himself. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

You know the moments. They may not feel like they come often in the mundane moments of mom life, but many of us have been there: when the sight before you takes your breath away; when God’s creation makes your heart swell; when a song brings tears to your eyes. Down to the way he made our neurons to fire and our hearts to beat faster when captivated by pure beauty, we see that God designed us to experience awe. In this episode, Emily and Laura dive into how awe grows us as women of God, along with practical ways we can step back and reflect in awe, even in the busyness of caring for our children. By God’s grace, we can find ourselves in awe over the simplest of things he’s given us right here, right now. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter

Was there a moment you realized motherhood had changed you? Or did it happen steadily, gradually, until one day you realized: I’m not who I was. For many of us, we can agree that motherhood rightfully requires much of us—but as the seasons of motherhood change, how do we hold our role as ‘mom’ alongside the whole woman God designed us to be? In this episode, Emily and Laura kick off a new mini-series with a look at Scripture to see how we lay down our lives for Christ and flourish as whole women of God. We’re going beyond the bounds of motherhood in this series, but here’s the beauty: as we embrace God’s design for us and give our lives wholly in allegiance to him, we will find ourselves growing in motherhood, too. Whether you’re brand-new to being a mom and it feels all-consuming or you’re in a season where you have time and capacity to cultivate other interests, there’s refuge in our Maker, who sees you, loves you, and is making you new. This episode is brought to you by our generous donors. If you'd like to join them or learn more, click here. Find the free download (Whole: Reflection and Prayer Journal), discussion questions, links, and related resources from our Whole series here. R|M on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter