Momma Theologians | Christian Motherhood Ministry

It’s always amazing to see that first black and white glimpse of that tiny body as the ultrasound tech looks for a heartbeat and movement and measurements of each organ. 

Listen to the rest of this episode to hear Leah share her reflections from underneath the ultrasound wand and the Prayer of Dedication she's been praying over her newest baby since in utero | 

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE PRAYERS OF DEDICATION TO PRAY OVER YOUR LITTLE ONE

Go to our website to read Leah's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend? Perhaps, share it with a momma who is expecting? 

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

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Leah Andersen

Leah lives in the little town of Rib Lake, WI with her husband, Jake, and their young children. They both serve as missionary staff at a Christian camp. Leah was born and raised in rural Wisconsin, and has a background in (and a love for) music and teaching. Most of her time is currently spent adventuring and learning alongside her children -  Lucas (9), William (7), Ava (6), Natalie (4), and Phoebe (newborn) - as well as bringing order to their everyday chaos.  In the moments in between, you just might find her writing a song, digging in the dirt, knitting a hat, reading a good book, or baking something scrumptious. She is a worshipper and student of Jesus Christ, and is learning to treasure His word, His people, and His creation.

Moms need theology, apologetics, and church history. Moms need Bible reading plans, Bible study, and support while they get in the Word of God.

Don’t believe me?

I guarantee every mom you meet will say yes.

Do you know why?

Because spiritual warfare is real. Moms are the frontline of the spiritual battlefield for their children. These women are on their faces praying for these tiny people from the minute that they know the child exists. They are doing battle daily. They absolutely must be better armed.

Listen to the rest of Morgan D. Farr's essay today as she shares her passion for mothers being equipped by their local churches. 

Go to our website to read Morgan's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

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Morgan D. Farr

Morgan is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd and aspiring author. An Army wife of 8 years, Morgan has learned to lean heavily on Christ as she walks this military life. Morgan and her husband have four young children and two fantastic dogs. 

As a jack-of-all-trades Morgan is always working on projects. When she isn’t homeschooling her children, writing for Christian publications, or training her Dutch Shepherd, Morgan can be found listening to Texas country music while crafting, lifting weights, or reading. Morgan is best known for her discipline, organization, and love of turquoise jewelry. 

You can connect with Morgan on her blog (morgandfarr.blogspot.com) and on all major social media platforms using her handle: morgandfarr. 

Week One Recap | The Promise of a Savior| From our free Advent Study, "O Come O Come Emmanuel | Marvel at the Magnitude of the Incarnation."

To join our study, sign up today at mommatheologians.com/advent and your free study guide will be sent to your inbox.

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Our Advent Study Began November 28th- December 26th

When you sign up, you can expect to receive:

* A five-day per week reading plan for the duration of the Advent season, where we will be reading from a Bible Reading Plan curated by Blue Letter Bible and the classic Christian 4th Century work by Saint Athanasius, On The Incarnation.

* Our Advent Study Guide, which includes reflection questions, theological insights, daily Scripture passages, excerpts from the daily readings, and space to record your notes, thoughts, and prayers.

* Weekly Advent emails to provide accountability and support.

* Weekly Devotional Podcast Episodes (That's this!)  to expound and reflect on the Advent Study.

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

Our instrumental music in the background of our Advent and Podcast episodes has been composed and played by our talented Momma Theologian, Kyleigh Dunn @kyleighrdunn

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Rachel Lynn Lawrence

Founder of Momma Theologians

Rachel delights in each day with her husband, Steve, and their three children, Isaiah, Elijah, and Ruth. She enjoys early morning quiet times, being home in their “Northwoods Eden” and deep theological study of God. She has been in Seminary her entire motherhood life and will be completing her MDiv in 2021, with plans to pursue a DMin proceeding that. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, she worked as a Pediatric ICU nurse and specialized in bereavement and end-of-life care. Rachel has a passion for equipping fellow mothers to grow in relationship with God and believes spiritual growth can be revived in the midst of motherhood. Rachel enjoys connecting with others on Instagram (@rachellynnlawrence).

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Go to www.mommatheologians.com 

Find articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood.

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Connect with Rachel on Instagram @rachellynnlawrence

Renewing our minds is not a one-time thing.  It isn’t a box we check and move on with our lives.  True renewal takes a daily—if not hourly, or minute-by-minute practice of pausing and praying that God would reorient our hearts and minds towards Him and as His Spirit helps filter the wasteful inputs that can clutter our minds and teeter us off a transformative track.  Out of this prayerful and intentional practice, we will see God’s transformation.  And from that transformation, we will better know the heart and desire of God and His will in our lives. Living with transformed and transforming minds, we are then able to truly walk forward in faithful confidence.

Listen to the rest of Laura Beaver's article today as she encourages your mind to be renewed and transformed by God.  

Go to our website to read Laura's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

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Laura Beaver

Laura has been married to her husband for 13 years and is a mom to four children, who they homeschool.  Laura is a social worker by training, but loves to share her heart for helping and caring for others through her writing.  She believes that even though we all have different journeys in life, connection with each other is one way we can see how our journeys fit together in God's story.  It is her hope that her writing and life coaching services provide just that.  When she isn't writing or working, you can find her running the local trails in St. Louis, camping, cooking, and spending time with her family.  You can follow her online at www.couragecommunity.co or @courageandcommunity.

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

"I felt like I was drowning.

My baby was easy, but my normally stable emotions were raging. I didn’t know how to cope with them or my life. With our first baby, I fell head over heels in love the instant I saw her. This time, I felt distant from my baby. Instead of the logic and attention to detail that usually characterized me, I was scatterbrained and forgetful. Nights were miserable, but days were no better. Even little things, like spilling a cup of water or the baby waking early from a nap, set off my anger.

This was not the idyllic postpartum I had worked so hard to prepare for." 

Listen to the rest of Kyleigh Dunn's essay, "Light in the Darkness of Postpartum Depression," or share with a mother who may need to hear more about a biblical foundation for postpartum depression. 

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKSHEET TO GO ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE

Go to our website to read Kyeligh's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

___________

If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

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Kyleigh Dunn is wife to Ezra and mother to three young girls. She reads obsessively, enjoys playing oboe and piano, and seeks to spread awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the church and apply theology and biblical encouragement to moms experiencing them. Kyleigh blogs at www.thesojourningdunns.wordpress.com and can be found on Instagram @kyleighrdunn or Facebook @thesojourningdunns.

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*If you are struggling with postpartum depression or other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, please know that you are not alone and there is real, effective help for what you’re going through! I have a resource page on my blog (https://thesojourningdunns.wordpress.com/resources-for-pmads/), and Postpartum Support International (https://www.postpartum.net/) has a warmline, provider directory, and many other resources.

Introduction Episode for our free Advent Study, "O Come O Come Emmanuel | Marvel at the Magnitude of the Incarnation." 

To join our study, sign up today at mommatheologians.com/advent and your free study guide will be sent to your inbox.

"We feel this groaning. We feel this tension of the 'already but not yet' reality that we live in as Christians. We are in a season of waiting. Much like the Israelites in the Old Testament who were longing for the Savior to come, we are also longing for our Savior- who we know to be Jesus- to return again. We are waiting. And we are called to wait well and diligently.

Therefore, this season of Advent should amplify our hearts to acknowledge that we are awaiting our Savior. To Acknowledge and rejoice that He has already come- and that He will come again. It is also a season to reflect upon the darkness of sin that our world is under and to celebrate the Light- Jesus- and to compel us to bring that light to others."

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Our Advent Study Begins November 28th- December 26th

When you sign up, you can expect to receive:

* A five-day per week reading plan for the duration of the Advent season, where we will be reading from a Bible Reading Plan curated by Blue Letter Bible and the classic Christian 4th Century work, On The Incarnation.

* Our Advent Study Guide, which includes reflection questions, theological insights, daily Scripture passages, excerpts from the daily readings, and space to record your notes, thoughts, and prayers.


* Weekly Advent emails to provide accountability and support.


* Weekly Devotional Podcast Episodes (That's this!)  to expound and reflect on the Advent Study.


***

___________

If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

------------------

Rachel Lynn Lawrence

Founder of Momma Theologians

Rachel delights in each day with her husband, Steve, and their three children, Isaiah, Elijah, and Ruth. She enjoys early morning quiet times, being home in their “Northwoods Eden” and deep theological study of God. She has been in Seminary her entire motherhood life and will be completing her MDiv in 2021, with plans to pursue a DMin proceeding that. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, she worked as a Pediatric ICU nurse and specialized in bereavement and end-of-life care. Rachel has a passion for equipping fellow mothers to grow in relationship with God and believes spiritual growth can be revived in the midst of motherhood. Rachel enjoys connecting with others on Instagram (@rachellynnlawrence).

***

Go to www.mommatheologians.com 

Find articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood.

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Connect with Rachel on Instagram @rachellynnlawrence

Every relationship with God is unique, but we are all designed to crave God. God created us to be His, and if we ignore that impulse, we will always be hungry. I know many spiritual disciplines feed us, and a healthy spiritual diet will consist of various spiritual foods. But the Word and prayer are the two most direct forms of pursuing intimacy with God. They are gifts to connect us with our Father in Heaven and provide fundamental sustenance for our spiritual growth. These disciplines are not something we have to do; they are something we get to do – a way to grow closer to God, become familiar with His voice, and bask in His love, presence, and wisdom. When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, it becomes the voice inside our head, guiding, comforting, and transforming us. And prayer is our ongoing conversation with God’s Spirit, given to indwell us.

Listen to the rest of Leslie Klosterman's essay as she encourages you to be nourished by God daily.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKSHEET TO GO ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE

Go to our website to read Leslie's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

___________

If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

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About Leslie

Leslie Klosterman has savored more than a decade as a stay-at-home mother and volunteer. However, she recently took a leap of faith and completed her master’s degree in Christian Spirituality and Formation at Regent University. God has blessed Leslie with three lively sons (a teenager and twins who are eight). Leslie loves God, reading, writing, K-Dramas, dessert, and taking pictures. She also has a passion for ministering to women and children. You can find more of her writing at her personal blog: https://theblinkinghorn.wordpress.com/.

Today is a public holiday to commemorate a bountiful harvest, unite cultures together, and recount the blessings of a year gone by.

Sitting among loved ones today, or wherever you are in the world, we’re reminded to cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving.

In these times of heightened anxiety and depression, a practice of gratitude is especially vital. Gratitude is well researched to improve our mental health and well-being, but it’s not only positive psychology, it’s the Lord’s instruction for us. He admonishes us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18), to thank Him in whatever we do (Col 3:17), and to practice thankfulness in each day He’s made (Ps 118:24).

Listen to the rest of Amber Thiessen's article today as she encourages you to practice daily thankfulness.  

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKSHEET TO GO ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE

Go to our website to read Amber's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Join our community on Instagram @mommatheologians

Follow our page on Facebook @mommatheologians

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Amber Thiessen

Amber loves equipping women to navigate the chaos and calm of life’s changes by applying the gospel to everyday moments. After six years in East Africa as church planters, they’re back on the Canadian prairies where her husband serves as pastor. They have three children. You'll find her hiding behind a book, exploring with her family in the woods, or writing on her blog, In The Vine. Connect with Amber on Facebook or Instagram @thiessenamber

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

"Inviting Christ to lead me in my journey through motherhood has not only changed the way I see myself as a mother, but also the way that I see my sons. I know now that, although I love my babies with everything that I have, they also have a Heavenly Father that loves them. He even loves them so much that sent His son to save them.  I don’t need to worry about things that are outside of my control, because their Heavenly Father never loses control. I don’t need to be perfect, I  only need to be willing to allow God to continually work in me. He will make me become a better mother, wife, and a better daughter to Him."

Listen to the rest of Denise Assis Dos Santos' essay today as she encourages you to rely on Christ in the midst of motherhood. 

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKSHEET TO GO ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE

Go to our website to read Denise's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

JOIN OUR FREE ADVENT STUDY 

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Denise Assis Dos Santos

Denise is a pastor, wife, and mother of two boys who wake up way too early every morning. She is a Brazilian living in Oslo, Norway, and speaks Norwegian and English in addition to her mother language, Portuguese. Denise has a burning desire to serve Jesus and to manifest His Kingdom on earth, all while juggling motherhood and a full-time job. You will find her writing, drinking coffee, listening to worship music, and working up the courage to do the dishes.

These moments of “mom guilt” occur more often in my home than I would like to admit. I’m tempted to pridefully wallow in self-condemnation or excuse myself with self-righteousness. Yet God, in His kindness, reminds me that my mothering mistakes are not who I am, but they do reveal a  deeper misunderstanding of who He is. My parenting choices expose the lies I believe about God.

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As we behold our Heavenly Father, we become who we were created to be;  we become the mothers He called us to be. We receive God’s grace over our imperfections and show the same mercy when our children make mistakes. We remember Christ absorbed the wrath due us and are slow to anger when our children disobey. We rest in the steadfast love of God,  overflowing with his unconditional love, even on messy Monday mornings.

Listen to the rest of Bethany Broderick's essay today as she encourages you to behold our God and His all-sufficiency in the midst of motherhood.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORKSHEET TO GO ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE

Go to Momma Theologians to read Bethany's entire Essay

Find more articles and essays written by mothers just like you as they share stories and reflections about how they grow spiritually in Christ in the midst of motherhood. www.mommatheologians.com

Follow and connect with us on Instagram @mommatheologians

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Bethany Broderick

Bethany Broderick lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, three-year-old daughter,

and one-year-old son. A recovering perfectionist, she writes about resting in God’s grace in the

everyday moments of life as a woman, wife, and mother. She is on the blog contributor team at

The Joyful Life and has featured articles at Risen Motherhood, Coffee + Crumbs, and Kindred

Mom. You can find her words on her personal blog (dwellingword.com) and on Instagram

(@bethanygbroderick).

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If this episode resonated with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

We would be delighted if you took a few minutes to leave a rating and review. These truly help to make the podcast more searchable and accessible so that other mothers like you can be encouraged to deepen their relationship with Christ in the midst of motherhood. We cherish and appreciate every single one.

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