Encouraged & Equipped

Motherhood is full of joys and challenges. Misty Denman, Lori Sultemeier, and Camille Adams sit down for an authentic, heartfelt conversation you do not want to miss.

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen. Also, feel free to contact today's guests with any encouragement or questions: Misty Denman at [email protected], Lori Sultemeier at [email protected], Camille Adams at [email protected].

Let's celebrate Easter together! In addition to this week's episode on living in Christ, enjoy the devotional and reflection questions.

Easter Devotional On Living in Christ

By Katie Torbett

I have always loved Easter. Growing up, my sister and I were always angels in our Easter drama at church. We had long white robes with sparkling sleeves and would perform sign language to the song “Arise my Love” by NewSong. This scene always ended with claps and shouts from the audience and was a powerful reminder of Jesus’ defeat over death. While it is the most powerful event in history, Jesus first revealed His resurrection far more subtly than the Easter drama picture I grew up with. As noted by Wendi in this podcast episode, His powerful resurrection was displayed privately and intimately. 

We find the full picture of this scene in John 20:1-18. Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb in the dark and finds that the stone is rolled away. Of course, she goes into panic mode thinking that someone has stolen Jesus’ body. She runs to find Peter and another disciple, and sure enough, the scene is as bad as she fears. They quickly leave to gather the other disciples while Mary stays staring at the empty grave in terror, tears streaming down her face. 

While we read this story every year, knowing the ending, it’s important to remember that Mary had no clue. Even though Jesus had hinted towards His resurrection numerous times, it doesn’t click with Mary. I picture her in that moment laden with heart-sinking grief. A situation that she thought couldn’t possibly get worse just did and here she stands scared, alone, and broken. 

Have you ever been in Mary’s shoes? So trapped by grief that nothing around you makes sense or even exists? The only thing you see, hear, and feel is the deep pain and the sharp longing to go back to the previous day, month, or year before you knew such a pain. I believe that is where Mary was at this moment. And, while Jesus could have made Himself known to anyone and everyone, He first came to Mary. While she was crying to the angels at the tomb, Jesus was right behind her, waiting to comfort and bring her out of the pain and confusion she felt. 

Jesus still does this for us today. That is the resurrection. It does not take away the painful memories we have, but it transforms our grief into joy by providing everlasting Hope. Let’s let Him transform our pain today and live the life of Hope that He has provided for us!

Reflection Questions

Read through John 20:1-18. What about Jesus’ revealing himself to Mary stands out to you? How does Mary’s reaction encourage you to worship Jesus?

Considering the hope that we have through Jesus’ resurrection, what step can you take in growing in your faith through His power? (Consider opportunities to serve, areas of repentance or forgiveness, prayer, giving, etc.)

Jesus desires to know us individually and intimately – His love for us is overwhelming! Is there someone in your life with whom you can share this beautiful news? Pray for an opportunity to do so, and for the Holy Spirit to give you the words to share!

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

Let's celebrate Easter together! In addition to this week's episode on celebration, enjoy the devotional and reflection questions.

Easter Devotional on Celebration

By Kacey Williamson

If you’re like me, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of an Easter egg hunt. Whether they’re strewn across an open field or carefully sprinkled throughout your backyard, there’s something thrilling about spotting brightly colored plastic nestled in dewy grass and hard-to-reach places. This was especially true for me one Easter morning when I was about five years old. In previous years, I was the only one searching for eggs, but that year, my younger brother joined in the search. I was so excited to share the joy of Easter egg hunts with him that I deposited every egg I came across into his basket rather than my own. My parents had to tell me to start putting eggs in my own basket so I’d have some of my own! My excitement filled me with so much joy that I couldn’t help but share that with my brother.

In this podcast episode, Kate and Olivia share about the beauty of celebration as a Christian. Both on Easter and year-round, we get to celebrate Christ’s resurrection—He is our Living Hope!

This truth is so beautiful, so profound, that we can’t help but share this Good News with others, just as I couldn’t help but share the Easter eggs I found with my brother that special Easter morning. In Acts 4:20, after being reprimanded for sharing the gospel, the apostles Peter and John say, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” As Christians, our celebration is contagious, and it’s meant to be shared.

Today’s podcast also reminds us that service and celebration don’t have to be separate—they can be one in the same. In heartfelt response to what Christ has already accomplished for us on the cross, service allows us to celebrate His goodness, His mercy, and His love. Service both prompts us to celebrate and gives us an opportunity to celebrate. In Romans 12:1, Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Both Easter and year-round, we get to be women who celebrate God’s goodness through our service, all the while “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

May we be women who constantly celebrate and remember all that the Lord has done. May we celebrate and serve in a way that points others to the cross. May we live a life of celebration as we look ahead to the biggest thrill of all, more so than any Easter egg hunt—eternity with Him.

Reflection Questions

Read and consider Acts 4:13-22. What was noticeable about Peter and John? How had the good news impacted not only them, but the crowd of people around them?

How has the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection changed your life? How can you celebrate this joy and hope in the coming week? Share with one person this week how the resurrection has changed your life.

Considering Romans 12:1, what is one step you can take in humility to serve others? 

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

Let's celebrate Easter together! In addition to this week's episode on lament, enjoy the devotional and reflection questions.

Easter Devotional On Lament

By Mary Arnold

Lament. The word might evoke a cringe or a catch in your spirit. It’s not a concept we run toward or eagerly embrace. Human logic accuses lament of being a hopeless time where God is not present. However, repeatedly, scripture tells us quite the opposite. Yes, scripture does show times of lament to be weighty expressions of grief and sorrow—mourning—the heavy kind where sack cloth and ashes are donned. But, if you study Lamentations, Job, and many of the Psalms, you will see that God is ever present in the author’s lament. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself laments over Lazarus’ death and later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, before His own. In James 4:8-10 we are called to lament. The verses say, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded. Be wretched, mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Christ invites us to be part of the process of our spiritual restoration by allowing us to express our grievances and pain before our loving heavenly Father who promises to draw near to us and lift us out of despair and give us comfort.

Lament resonates with me especially in this Easter season. Growing up my mom had us stop whatever we were doing around the 3 o’clock hour on Good Friday and reflect on Christ’s crucifixion (Mark 15:33-38 tells us it was at this hour that Christ willingly gave up His spirit and died). Over time I began to deeply value this tradition and I intentionally continue it today. Each year I pause to contemplate and grieve the truth of Christ being nailed to a cross and suffering a horrific death so that my sin could be rectified with God. My mind grapples with the darkness and scheming of humanity; the pure evil unrestrained, for a time; the death of my innocent, holy Lord in my place—because of my sin. I lament. It is heavy—and it should be. Christ’s sacrifice is overwhelmingly gracious. I need this reminder of the cost of my sin because it shifts my perspective. I am humbled and filled with awe and praise for our merciful Lord, and I am encouraged to carry on because I have hope through Christ’s redemption.

Most commonly, lament is prompted by a loss or a difficult or unjust circumstance. But as James alludes, lament is also a pivotal habit in the Christian walk. It’s a healthy type of pause or check-up in our spiritual life. As He says in chapter 4, lament is a drawing near to God involving an acknowledgement of areas where we need sanctification and renewal. Our Lord communes with us as we bear these burdens before Him. Because we are His, we can ask boldly for healing, strength, and endurance. We must then choose to obey Him, trusting that He is sovereign and righteous and that He will lift us up just as He says. 

Like Easter, lament is a season of turning from despair and death and walking into abundant life in Christ. May we willingly embrace lament!

Reflection Questions

Read through James 4:8-10 and pray for humility and faith to lament openly to the Lord. Are there areas in your life that can be renewed and made right with the Lord through lament?

Consider ways in which God’s character is highlighted in the faithful and honest lament of people in the Bible (for examples, look into Psalm 13:1-6 or Psalm 10). What can be gained when we bring a heavy lament to the Lord in prayer?

As you look toward Easter and remember the sacrifice Jesus willingly made for our sin, what prompts you to worship Him more dearly?

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

Let's celebrate Easter together! In addition to this week's episode on brokenness, enjoy the devotional and reflection questions.

Easter Devotional On Brokenness
By BethEmily Kwast

“Take heart! I have overcome the world.” It seems one of the most ironic statements in Scripture. Jesus proclaims this to His closest disciples, at the opening of the events we would come to know as Easter. In the following days, the disciples would watch as everything in the world seemed to overcome Him. Through the perfect account of Scripture, we watch, along with the disciples, as Judas’s betrayal, the Jewish leaders’ idolatry, the Roman government’s ambivalence, and the warped desires of a sinful crowd send Jesus to a brutal, humiliating death on the cross. It is a tale driven by brokenness. 

All around, we feel this same brokenness in our lives today. And in the immediacy of our experiences, we can find ourselves asking “Has Jesus really overcome the world?”

And by “we”, I mean “me”. I asked it 

When I got fired from my first job for falsifying documents; 

When my future mother-in-law’s terminal diagnosis changed all the wedding plans;

When the driver ran the red light and put my husband and me in the hospital on Christmas Day; 

When our first pregnancy turned into our first miscarriage in a Panera restroom;

When I looked at my husband and said “I don’t know how to live with you after this.” 

Brokenness can lead us to think and hear words like “disgrace” and “failure”.  It can lead us to fight back: against our own desires, against futility, against loss, against injustice. It can lead us into retreat, doubting if hope, joy, and peace are possible.

Amidst the labels, the conflict and the doubt, Jesus invites us closer – to watch Him endure everything we cannot on our own. 

The One who created “thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities” would willingly submit Himself to their brokenness for those He came to save. He would bear the labels of the world – “a disgrace, a taunt, a warning and a horror” – on our behalf. They would call His life–and death–offensive. 

But because of the brokenness that births the Easter story, we now call Him the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” “worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” His endurance is our only hope.

So, as we hear from Anna and Kristin in this podcast episode, I’m not asking you to move past the brokenness too quickly. Quite the opposite. I’m asking you to fix your eyes (red from crying), your mind (racing at 2am), your heart (broken and hurt), and your soul (weary for rest) on Jesus. Watch Him as He endures the cross. Reflect deeply on the brokenness that put Him there. And as you wrestle with that same brokenness that clamors for victory in your life, take heart. “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Truly He has promised us: He has overcome the world! 

Reflection Questions
Quoted Scriptures for reflection: John 16:33, Colossians 1:16, Ezekiel 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:6-8, Hebrews 12:2-3, Revelation 5:9-14, Colossians 2:17. Read over these scripture references, and pray for a sensitive heart to see the care and mercy Jesus has for the brokenness in our lives.

In which areas of your life can you ask Jesus to step in and “perfect your faith” as you trust His provision or power? What doubts or fears can you bring to Him in prayer?

What step can you take today to worship Jesus (through reading scripture, prayer, confession, etc.) as you consider His sacrifice for you?

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

We have been planning something encouraging for Easter. And now we finally get to tell you about it!

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

We might be obsessed with Taylor’s story. From pancakes to the state fair all the way to the big city, Taylor Hadwiger walks us through her journey. We cannot help but see ourselves in her quest to find the fairy-tale ending and her honest struggles along the way. Taylor reminds us of the God who never withholds good things from His children. Enjoy her story – and be sure to listen all the way to the end for an after-credit scene.

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

We loved having Kendall Reed into the studio to share part of her story. We have to admit we felt a gut punch or two while recording this episode –some from the agony of grief and some from the beauty of heaven’s healing. We have often thought of her as a bit of a Renaissance woman, willing and able to do a little bit of anything. But we are most grateful for the way she gives away the comfort and grace she has received. Consider making yourself a vanilla latte as you listen to her heart.

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

We love getting to know people. It truly is one of our favorite things. And getting to know Hillary Kelso through this episode is a gift. Especially because she loves living authentically and encouraging other people to bring all of who they are to the table. From the good to the ugly to everything in between, all of who you are is invited Hillary’s table. And the Lord will be there too.

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.

We definitely did not learn everything we needed to know about kindness in kindergarten. It requires far more discernment, strength, and grace than most of us realize. And it’s also more beautiful and life-changing than a 5 year old can grasp. Lori Sultemeier & Sarah Beagles stopped by to chat about what they’ve learned – and what they love – about kindness. We think you’ll be challenged and inspired by their conversation.

To find out more about our community or how to get involved in the Fort Worth area (Tarrant, Parker, & Johnson County locations), visit us online at www.ccbcfamily.org/women or find us on Instagram @christchapelwomen.