Sometimes it feels like we can’t finish a thought before a child needs us to grab more water, tie a shoe, or change a diaper. When mom’s brain power is consistently going to urgent things, adding scripture memory into the routine can seem too hard. Who really has time for flashcards? In this episode, Emily and Laura show how memorizing scripture gives us the wisdom we’re craving for the everyday. God’s word renews our minds and transform our lives, which helps us in the carpool line, the kitchen, and every moment of motherhood. God gave us his word as a gift; let’s enjoy it.   

Whenever we ask the R|M community for questions, they range from lighthearted and practical to thought-provoking and theological, which makes the AUA show something special. In this one-hour episode, Emily and Laura answer listeners’ questions from how they handle the work of the ministry and how they manage their personal screen time, to how they’ve changed as mothers and how they intentionally connect with their husbands. We hope as you listen, you’ll see how the gospel applies to everything and how we have freedom in Christ to serve our families in unique ways.

“Mommy, what happens when someone dies?” When our kids ask us about death, answering can feel intimidating and even sad. How much should we share? What can they understand? Will we scare them? In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Tim Challies about how to talk to our kids about death. Tim is a husband, father of teenagers, pastor, and writer who encourages us to bring the conversation about death back to our children’s hearts and the hope they have in Jesus. We don’t need to worry so much about what to say to our kids. God gave us what we need in his word to teach our kids the victory of the gospel in the face of death.

It’s vacation time! We can see ourselves sleeping in, sipping hot coffee, and diving into a good book. But it’s more likely someone will get sick, the traffic will be terrible, and the diaper bag will be left at the house. In this episode, Emily and Laura offer a “Mom Heart Check” to help find the root of difficulty in family trips. When we travel, it’s not about being served but about serving others. We can prep our hearts before, during, and after a trip by rethinking our expectations and remembering the servant love of Christ.

Changing dirty diapers. Providing nourishing meals. Having conversations about patience and self-control. It doesn’t look like an official outreach or job position, but ministering to our kiddos is one way we serve God. In this episode, Emily and Laura share how moms can see and serve their kids. Our individual circumstances are different, but we can all look to Jesus as our perfect example for ministry in everyday life. He worked, traveled, taught, and ate with his disciples to show them what it looks like to obey and love God in all things. Mamas, let’s live a life of ministry too.

Sometimes it feels like “mom world” is another planet. A nursing shield? An all-terrain stroller? Funny-shaped food? It seems easier to build friendships with women in our season of life, but the gospel gives us a bigger picture of community. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Elizabeth Woodson about building flourishing friendships with women in other seasons of life—particularly singles. Elizabeth is a Bible teacher who writes, teaches, and helps to develop leaders at The Village Church and serves as the Director of Resources for the Sparrow Conference. Christian moms and singles can have the most important thing in common: our faith in Christ. So press in a little deeper with a woman in a different season and enjoy God’s gift of community.

Want to start a business? Wondering if you should start traveling for your job or pick up an extra shift? Trying to bend and stretch your schedule to make all your opportunities work? Being able to consider new work responsibilities, ministry roles, or creative endeavors isn’t the norm for everyone, but when we have a choice, it’s a huge privilege to steward. In this episode, Emily and Laura discuss how to evaluate new or changing career or ministry opportunities. We’re made to work and use our gifts to pass on the legacy of faith in all we do. By tuning our thoughts to God’s word, we can pursue holiness, count the cost of each decision, and lay down our lives for others.

Regular date nights are a joy. We love getting out of the house and away from the kids!  But does a flourishing God-honoring marriage require this regular habit? If you and your husband are in an overwhelming season and you’re not “succeeding” at date night, this one’s for you. In this episode, Emily and Laura dig into a different perspective on the “modern date night.” Instead of putting our hope in a single night out with our husbands, God teaches us to cherish and serve one another daily. Date nights aren’t a guarantee, but God’s covenant-keeping grace is, and he can sustain our marriage, even when we don’t get a date night.

Am I an Enneagram 3? A Princess Belle? An INFP? Wait, what are you?! It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 minutes and 100 pop-ups, we’ll click through to learn something new about our personalities. In this episode, Emily and Laura talk about why we love learning about ourselves and what role personality profiles should play in our mothering. Digging into who we are can be useful, but our personalities aren’t the full definition of who we are in Christ. God is making all things new, changing and transforming every part of us—personalities included—into the image of Jesus.

It’s our first episode of 2019, and we’re talking about the little voice in your head. The one that pipes up when you feel guilt over letting your kids eat too many cookies or sets off an alarm bell when you watch something questionable. All of us have one, but it’s not the Holy Spirit. What is it exactly? In this episode, Emily and Laura start the conversation on personal conscience. God gave each of us a conscience to help discern what’s right and wrong in the everyday “gray” areas of life. While it can be dulled by sin, God recalibrates our consciences through the study of his word and fellowship with believers, so we can do all things in faith with love.

Screen time can be a hot topic. We wonder, “Is there a formula for the right amount of TV time?” “Is 30 minutes or 45 minutes holier?” “Do you think my kids will be quiet if I put on a show and hide in the kitchen?” But what we need to ask is, “What’s going on in my heart?” In this episode, Emily and Laura share gospel hope for two issues in many moms’ hearts: guilt and fear. Whether you’ve used screen time to avoid the craziness of the day or created a system of rules to guarantee a particular outcome, the gospel meets you there with wisdom and hope.

Moms have a lot of work to do and the exhaustion of our responsibilities in the home, the church, and the community, often leave us wanting to lean into despair and defeat.. But God uses the work before us to show us his sufficiency and unending love in our weakness so we can lean into grace. In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Debbie Martens about God’s faithfulness and grace in motherhood. Debbie is a wife, mom of seven, and grandmother of five who is actively involved in her local church and community. We’re called to be faithful to God in the work before us, but even when we fail, God is faithful to teach and sustain us in every season of motherhood.