Created For The Season: The Coaches’ Wives Ministry Podcast

Dear Friends,

This week we’re in Numbers 13–25, and it’s both heartbreaking and hopeful. These chapters are full of stories: twelve spies scouting the Promised Land, a bronze serpent lifted up in the wilderness and even a talking donkey. We can’t cover them all in one episode, so I hope you’ll read these chapters for yourself!

Our key verse is Numbers 23:19:

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19, ESV)

What amazes me about this verse is who said it. It wasn’t Moses, it was Balaam- a pagan sorcerer King Balak hired to curse Israel. Every time Balaam opened his mouth to curse the people, God turned the curse into a blessing. In the middle of all of Israel’s fear, complaining, rebellion and disobedience, God kept His Word, and He spoke it through an unlikely person. (Read chapters 23-24 for more details!)

Most of us know what it’s like to “see giants in the land” especially when God is calling us to move forward in some way for His glory! In this episode, we get to hear from my dad about the blessings of walking by faith- which is so important as coaching families! And when you’re tempted to fixate on whatever problems are before you, look up instead. The Lord is our stability and our trustworthy foundation, and He has never once broken His word. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 TImothy 2:13)

I hope you’ll take some time with the questions below, on your own, with your husband, or with a friend!

Love to you all,

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

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Dear Friends,

In this episode we are kicking off the book of Numbers! Chapters 1–12 cover the Israelites’ second year out of Egypt, as God prepares His people for the big move. He counts them in a census, arranges the camp around His presence, and leads them from Sinai toward Paran. Right in the middle of the logistics, God gives one of the most beautiful blessings in Scripture which are our key verses this week.

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

Every line of this blessing points to Jesus! “God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jesus is the Prince of Peace Himself.

For the coach’s wife, moving is part of the game: packing boxes, finding a realtor, choosing schools and doctors in a new town. Like Moses, we need help, and God invites us to ask. No detail is too small for Him to care about. Even when the scoreboard and the contract are out of our hands, His favor rests on our home.

So this week, I encourage you to speak this blessing over your husband and your kids. It isn’t a magic formula, it’s a way of entrusting the people you love to the God of grace and peace. While so much in our lives is outside of our control, we can always speak a blessing!

I hope you’ll take some time with the questions below as you read Numbers this week!!

Discussion/Reflection Questions

Dear Friends,

This week we're finishing Leviticus with the final chapters 14-27, which include the Day of Atonement, laws of holiness, the feasts, the Year of Jubilee and more! As always, we will only touch on a small part of each week's reading on the podcast, because the goal is to encourage you to read the Word for yourself and let the Lord speak to you personally through it. (If you are new to reading Scripture, you don’t have to start in Leviticus! Try the book of John and read about Jesus, the Lamb of God. The book of Leviticus is pointing to Him all throughout!)

Our key verse this week is Leviticus 20:26:

"You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine."

"Holy" can sound intimidating, like striving for perfection — but here it simply means "set apart." We belong to God, and we're set apart on purpose, for a purpose, created for the season He's placed us in. In this episode, my dad and I talk about what it means to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) — representing Jesus faithfully right where we are, specifically in the world of sports.

We are grateful for all that the Lord has done in Coaches’ Wives Ministry as we celebrate 6 years as a non-profit on Thursday, October 15th! I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

Love to you all,

Candace

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

Dear Friends,

This week in our Cover-to-Cover Girl Project we're reading Leviticus 1–13, the book where it's so easy to get stuck or stop altogether! Between the offerings, the sacrifices, the graphic details about clean and unclean- it is alot! But please be encouraged, while the instructions are detailed and complicated- we can simplify! As you read, just notice how much we have to be thankful for — we can have an intimate relationship with the Lord, and the sacrificial system is no more!

Our key verse is:

"This is what the LORD has said: 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" — Leviticus 10:3 (ESV)

All through Leviticus we see how serious sin is — even unintentional wrongs. Because God is Holy and Just, He can't just say, "Don't worry about it, I know you didn’t mean it." Every sin must be paid for. The priests were working so very hard to deal with all the sin, and make things right with God, but it was never enough. However, because of Jesus' intentional, costly sacrifice, we can have rest.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." — Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

We no longer carry the yoke of the sacrificial system. We can release all the striving and find rest, yet still be intentional to pursue Jesus! We will talk more about these things in our episode today, along with some theology time with my dad!

I'm praying for you and your journey through the Word. Even if you're not doing the whole project, please take the verses from this week and meditate on them. I hope the questions below will help you do just that!

Love to you all,

Discussion/Reflection Questions

Dear Friends,

In this episode we are closing out Exodus — chapters 25 through 40. These chapters cover everything from Moses getting the blueprint instructions for the tabernacle, the golden calf idol worship, Moses interceding for mercy, God’s response and the tabernacle being built and filled with His glory! It is a lot!!

Our key verse of the week comes from Exodus 34, right in the middle!

"The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness..." — Exodus 34:6 (ESV)

This is God’s response to Moses’ prayers for forgiveness. There are consquences for the idol worship, but the Lord reveals His character in it too and continues to pursue dwelling with His people and keeping His covenant. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful-for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

We were created to worship, and it is so easy to worship other things besides the Lord- even the good things that are gifts from Him! My prayer is that we will become so overjoyed with the Lord’s mercy, grace and forgiveness in our lives, that it will overflow into the lives of those around us. I hope you are blessed by the conversation with my Dad today as we talk about idols and blessings and blueprints, and that you will take a moment to reflect on the questions below!

Love to you all,

Candace

Discussion/Reflection Questions

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Dear Friends,

This is week 6 of our journey through the Old Testament, and we’re reading Exodus 14–24. Some of the highlights are the Red Sea, God’s provision of manna and quail, and we have the Ten Commandments. As I’ve said before, if you are reading with us, let God’s word wash over you and don’t get bogged down! And if you are not reading cover-to-cover, our weekly key verses are great Scriptures to meditate on! This week’s comes from Exodus 19:5-6, right before the 10 commandments are first given in Exodus 20. God says to Moses:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” — Exodus 19:5-6 (ESV)

We are His treasured representatives everywhere we go with the priestly calling of leading others to Jesus, and this episode is a conversation on identity, purpose, the Ten (impossible to keep perfectly) Commandments and the beautiful grace of God. My dad is back with us, and I am excited to go deeper into the applications with him.

AND, BONUS SCRIPTURE focus for the week! We need to take the advice of Moses’ father-in-law into consideration! He comes to visit and helps Moses get organized with his new role of wilderness leader, and this is his take on the situation in Exodus 18:17–18:

"Moses’ father-in-law replied, 'What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.'"

We all need help. We are not meant to do life alone. We need community. Remember, we are referred to as a kingdom of priests, not a lone priest out in the wilderness by ourselves. I hope you will join in the CWM community if you haven’t already, and please use the questions below for personal reflection or conversations with your people!! We are treasured, called and often exhausted - so let’s live out our purpose together!

Love to you all,

Candace

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Dear Friends,

This is week 5 of our Cover-to-Cover Girl Project through the Old Testament, and we're reading Exodus 1–13, where we meet Moses and Pharaoh and see the Israelites delivered from slavery in Egypt and set on their journey into the wilderness. Regardless of where you are in the reading, our key verse of the week is so powerful!

It’s Exodus 6:6: "Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.'"

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew God as El Shaddai, the God Almighty who makes promises. They died before they ever saw those promises fulfilled. Moses' generation was about to see something different: not just a God who promises, but Yahweh — the Promise-Keeper — actively setting captives free, splitting open the Red Sea, providing in the wilderness, present as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. Genesis laid the foundation and Exodus is where it becomes an experience.

And that’s really my prayer for us — not just to know the names, the stories, and the verses intellectually, but to experience God in a real way, through His Word and in our own lives. The beautiful thing is that the name Jesus, in Hebrew, is Yeshua, which means "Yahweh is salvation," or "the Lord saves."

Exodus reminds us that we cannot deliver ourselves. It is Jesus with arms outstretched on the cross who sets us free. And even after we are saved, our difficult seasons in the wilderness are still part of His plan to grow us and make us perfect as Christ is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

If you are in a wilderness season, if you are weary and brokenhearted, please be encouraged that the Lord is the Promise-Keeper and He wants us to experience His love and power in the waiting. My prayer is that we will all know Him more deeply, not just know about Him.

I hope as you listen to the podcast this week — and as my dad and I talk more about Jesus in Exodus— you'll take some time with the questions below.

Love to you all,

Candace

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Discussion and/or Reflection Questions:

Dear Friends,

This week we're reading Genesis 37–50 and closing out the book of Genesis with the story of Joseph. If you are behind in your reading, please don’t worry! Every word of God's Word is inspired and helpful, and I truly believe the one key verse we're focusing on this week is life-changing all on its own! It is both encouraging and convicting, especially if you're struggling with bitterness or working through wrongs that have been done to you.

Our key verse is Genesis 50:20: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."

Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy and hatred. He was falsely accused, forgotten in prison, and separated from his family for years. He encountered more injustice along the way, and yet towards the end, standing before the very brothers who betrayed him with the power to punish them, Joseph says something that only makes sense through the lens of God's sovereignty: what you meant for evil, God meant for good. He didn’t say, "it worked out okay in the end.” Instead, he acknowledged that God was actively at work in the very acts done against him, redeeming them for a purpose bigger than Joseph could have seen at the time. He trusted God and rose above the betrayal.

We've talked a lot this season about God's sovereignty — that He is in control, working all things together for His glory and our good. Even in the garden and in the lives of the other messy people in the Bible. Even in our own sin and messiness, and even when others sin against us. Joseph's life is such a clear picture of this truth. It doesn't erase what his brothers did or minimize the pain of those years, but we see God’s sovereignty over his suffering.

Obviously, in the world of sports, keeping score is part of the game, but it doesn’t have to be part of our lives. There will always be challenging people in every town and in every program, and the deepest hurts can come from the ones we love the most. But keeping score leads to bitterness, so we get to depend on the Lord to help us walk forward in truth and love.

Living this out might look like naming a specific person or situation where you've been keeping score of what someone meant for evil, and asking God to show you where He might be meaning it for good — not to excuse what happened, but to loosen a negative grip on your heart. It might mean praying for the grace to forgive someone who has never apologized. And it might mean looking back at a hard season in your own story and asking where God's hand was present even when you couldn't see it at the time.

I know you will be encouraged by my dad’s personal story of overcoming suffering as he shares in our episode today!

Love to you all,

Candace

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Old Testament Journal Guide

Dear Friends,

This week we're moving into Genesis 26–36, which goes deep into the family drama of Abraham's descendants, and we are highlighting Jacob’s wrestling match with God. Joining me again for this episode is my dad — a pastor and coach of over 55 years — who'll be sharing his own story of wrestling with God, along with his perspective on how God is sovereign and in control even when the people in these stories are out of control, scheming, running and continually failing!

Our key verse is: "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." — Genesis 28:15 (ESV)

God speaks this promise over Jacob in a dream, in the wilderness, with a stone for a pillow — right in the middle of Jacob's running. And that's the pattern of grace all throughout the Bible! God doesn't say, "Clean yourself up, and then I'll be with you." He says, "I am with you" — first.

His commitment comes before our surrender. Jacob doesn't fully surrender until he wrestles with God and walks away changed. There are three blessings that came out of Jacob's wrestling match- intimacy, injury and identity, and I share more on this in the episode today as well.

Then in chapter 33, we see the reconciliation with Esau. A painful family relationship begins to heal because Jacob has been humbled, injured, and truly blessed in his relationship with God. If you're walking through a messy family situation right now, or you're far from the people you love because of a move, hold onto this: Our Heavenly Father does not, will not, cannot leave us. He is sovereign over all of it. He has promised, and He will do it. We can wrestle in prayer with Jesus and surrender our doubts, concerns and hearts to Him.

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Dear Friends,

We're in week 2 of our journey through the Old Testament, and this week we move from the beginning of everything into the beginning of a family — the family of faith. Our reading is Genesis 12–25, and we get to meet Abram (later Abraham), and learn from his messy, beautiful story of trusting God.

I'm also excited to share that my dad- a pastor and a coach for over 55 years, will be joining us again on our upcoming episodes! He is passionate about every believer being able to read and understand the Bible for themselves, and to know Jesus more deeply- which is the heart of this Cover-to-Cover Project!!

Our key verse this week is Genesis 15:6:

"And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." — Genesis 15:6 (ESV)

Hebrews 11, sometimes known as "The Hall of Fame of Faith" lists name after name — Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah — and every single entry starts the same way: "By faith..." Not by performance. Not by getting it right. By faith. By simply taking God at His Word, again and again, even when things didn’t make sense. Although performance is the language of athletics, the gospel says our standing with God was never going to come from performance because Jesus performed perfectly in our place, and what gets counted to us is His righteousness, received the same way Abraham received it: by faith, not by works, "so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Love to you all,

Candace