Episode 5: Singleness
Though this season is often overlooked or pitied by the church, single seasons of life were intended to exist with deep purpose and beyond just a time of “waiting.” Looking to Paul’s teaching, we can get a better context on God’s intent for this season or way of life. (Featuring Jessica Avery)

Questions:
1) What has your experience with singleness been like? What have been (or were) the biggest obstacles in being single?
2) How did this episode alter your perspective on singleness?
3) How should Christians perspective on singleness differ than non-Christians?
4) If you are currently in a season of singleness, what unique opportunities has God given you in this season? What is he calling you to in this season?
5) What are you believing about God’s heart for you in this season?
6) Are there areas of your life you need to grieve your expectations for?
7) If you are not married, how can you support, include, and celebrate your single friends?

Episode 4: Friendship
Women are known to be prone to gossip and drama in our friendships, but particularly in a Kingdom mindset, we have an opportunity to defy that tendency and use our friendships to empower one another to be deeper and more committed in our faith. (Featuring Jen Lucas and Melanie Uhls)

Scripture: Naomi and Ruth

Questions:
1) Who are the people God has already placed in your life that encourage you and walk with you as you grow in faith?
2) What is one way you can practice more vulnerability within your community?
3) Where can you invite people into your community?
4) How can you be more intentional in your friendships?
5) How can you make prayer more of a practice in your friendships?

Episode 3: Compassion, Empathy and the Heart of God
Women often get negatively stereotyped as being highly emotional, but our sensitivity, empathy and relational capacity are far from weakness. These aspects of our character reflect God’s heart for his people. Compassion, sensitivity. (Featuring Rebecca Hatton)

Scripture: Isaiah 49:13-16, Isaiah 66:12-13, Matthew 26:6-13, Matthew 27:55-61

Questions:
1) Read Isaiah 49:14-16 and Isaiah 66:12-13 together. In these passages, God compares his compassion for his people to that of a mother’s compassion for her child. Do you have a hard time seeing God as a God of mercy and compassion? Why or why not?
2) Not only do we see the fingerprints of God’s compassion and mercy in Old Testament passages like these, but we also see the perfect portrayal of God’s compassion and mercy in the person of Jesus Christ. If you study Jesus’ life and ministry, you will quickly realize he was a person of immense compassion and mercy. Do you tend to see your compassion and empathy as a God-given strength? Why or why not?
3) How has the negative portrayal of women as being “too emotional” affected the way you see yourself? In what areas of your life have you encountered this stereotype?
4) What does it look like to have healthy empathy with boundaries? How can we resist being ruled by our emotions and/or being taken advantage of by other people?
5) Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Where do you need the Lord to grow compassion in you? What person (or group of people) is the Lord calling you to have more compassion for?

Episode 2: Cultivating Counter-Cultural Beauty
Beauty is one of the more notable characteristics of God we reflect, but what does that mean in a world that has the concept of beauty twisted? We’ll unpack what Godly beauty means and how we can possess that apart from vanity. (Featuring Michelle Barnette)

Scripture: Proverbs 31:31, 1 Peter 3:3-4, the book of Esther, Psalm 139

Questions:
1) How has our culture’s perception of beauty affected the way you see yourself?
2) Read 1 Peter 3:3-5 and 1 Peter 5:8. In this same letter, Paul reminds us as women to care more about our inner beauty than our outer beauty AND he reminds us that there is a real enemy who is trying to tear us down. Why do you think the enemy often attacks women through our self-appearance and insecurities?
3) While it’s good and godly to take care of our bodies, when we obsess over how we look we quickly become too self-focused and fall into the comparison trap. This is a great tactic of the enemy, who is constantly trying to pull us away from focusing on the big picture of God’s kingdom.
4) How has your relationship with God changed the way you see or define beauty?
5) What are practical steps you can take to focus more on your inner beauty and character than your outer appearance? Where can you make a practical shift in how you’re spending your time and what you’re focusing on?
6) Read Esther 4 together, which talks about Mordecai (Esther’s cousin) and Esther’s response to finding out about the King’s plan to assassinate all the Jews. While Esther is commended for her choice to use her voice and status to save God’s people, it is Mordecai who ultimately reminds her of what’s most important when she is having a moment of doubt. He helps her see beyond her fears and fix her eyes on the big picture of God’s kingdom. As women, we are called to be a similar voice in our friends' lives. Practically speaking, how can we help the women around us focus more on God’s plan and purpose for their lives rather than their insecurities?
7) Esther knew that her worth and identity came from God instead of her outer appearance, which allowed her to leave behind this amazing legacy. Take some time to write down your answers to the following questions: What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? What do you want to be remembered by?
8) If you are open to it, share what you wrote with your group. Take what you wrote and put it somewhere you look often (your mirror, by your bed, etc.), and use it as a reminder of what you want to be the most known for.

Defined is back for a second season and putting our focus on what the Kingdom of God looks like, and how women fit into that picture.

Episode 1: Women in the Kingdom
Overview and original context for women and how we were created; what the “helper” term means, how Proverbs 31 is not an exhaustive list, and what womanhood can look like from a variety of life experiences.

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31, Genesis 2:18, Matthew 1:1-17

Questions:
1) What character-traits define a godly woman?
2) Before listening to this podcast episode, what came to mind when you thought of a “Proverbs 31 woman”? How did the unpacking of Proverbs 31 in this episode add to or challenge the way you approach this passage of Scripture?
3) What parts of your character and personality reflect the Lord’s heart?
4) Do you struggle to believe you add value to God’s kingdom? Why or why not?
5) How do you think the Lord wants to use your unique gifts and personality to contribute to His Kingdom?

We’ll wrap up our first season talking about how to let Jesus into our pain, and how this can be one of the greatest hindrances to faith or one of the greatest gateways for hope.

The lies we may believe don’t just affect how we see ourselves, but how we see God. In order to be spiritually healthy people, we also have to be emotionally healthy people, and that means uprooting lies and finding truth.

We can sometimes get in a habit of checking boxes or chasing perfectionism in our faith. What we may not recognize at the root of that is shame, and the freedom Jesus offers us from it.

We’ll talk about where self-obsession plays a role in our culture and our faith, and the freedom available when we know the reality of a faith that’s not about us.

In our first episode, we'll introduce this podcast and outline our vision for redefining women’s conversations, why this is important right now, and how we’ll dig into this.