This week on the show, we're sharing eight reasons why the Old Testament should matter to moms. Below are descriptions and links to books that will help you understand the beauty of the Old Testament and how to communicate its truths with others, especially your children.

We're so excited to announce that the full tutorial for how to study the Bible Inductively is live! While there are many wonderful resources out there to study the Bible, the Inductive method is one that requires at minimum, nothing but a Bible and a pen (and maybe some extra paper if it's not a journaling Bible), and is a skill that can be applied to any verse or passage of scripture, making it a great launching point for any Bible study you engage in. 

"What does the church need to give moms this Mother's Day?" <--- a question we received on Twitter that's worth considering ...

At first, my brain shuffled through the obvious things: the church needs to support moms, to thank them, to equip them for discipleship, and to provide outlets for fellowship and spiritual growth. These messages, at some level, always feel timely and helpful. But as I thought about it more, what moms really need to hear from their church this Mother's Day isn't a burdensome statement about the hugeness of their calling, a heartfelt "thanks" that can sometimes fall on deaf ears due to guilt, or a list of ways they can do even better in motherhood...

What moms really need, if we are to give them the strength to run the race set before them, is a reminder of who they are and what they have in Christ.

This week on the show (ep. 62), we're talking about finding ways to adjust our hearts and attitudes when your husband works long hours. No matter if it's one night a week or a month of travel, here are some tips to help you love your husband well and avoid becoming angry or bitter with him or your situation. 

If you've been married for longer than your honeymoon, you know that a covenant marriage relationship includes conflict.  In some seasons it's more frequent than others, and the severity can range from vow-hindering sin to the slight offense of leaving a trash can un-emptied.  One great skill that happy and holy married couples possess is the ability to forgive, especially as they constructively approach difficult conversations.  Lovingly approaching sins and hurts in your marriage isn't the primary change agent for your spouse's heart, but it can pave the way for repentance, reconciliation, and restored marital health.

Ever since we've been married my husband has worked long hours. I don't know why I've ever expected it to change, but I suppose there has always been this hope in me that it would. To give perspective (and I suppose some credibility as to why I'm writing this post), my husband typically works 12 hour days, and though he is supposed to have every other Friday off, he works them about half the time and at times, he is unexpectedly called in on the weekends or in the middle of the night. He also goes through long seasons once or twice a year, working 12-15 hour days (or nights) for anywhere from 30-90 days straight (yes, even weekends), although this past year they introduced "Fatigue Days," where it became a requirement that they give the employees every 14th day off. (I'll be honest, I've always wondered how this could be legal.)

I know there are a lot of professions that require husbands to work long hours and I am not the only mother preparing and eating dinner with the kids by myself. But it can feel like a very lonely road sometimes and it can be tough to know how to talk about it or what to do, because for most of us, we know deep down, it's not going to change anytime soon, so what good does talking about it do?

That said, I'm not writing this to say that I have anything revelatory to add, nor do I always have a good perspective or follow the advice I'm about to share, but in seven years of being married to a man that works long hours and four of which I've been a mom to small children, I have come a long way in my attitude and learned a few tricks to ease the frustration. So to the mom who's husband works long hours, this is my letter to you.

Susanna Welsey had 11 children and still found time to pray.

In motherhood, prayer can feel as elusive as finding space in your day to take a shower. It seems we all wish we did it more, but it can be a struggle to find the time or be consistent with it. Thankfully, there's no perfect formula to prayer - it's simply talking with God - and you can do that anytime, even while changing diapers or making lunch. God longs for us to come to him all the time, any time, just as we are - even as a frazzled mom trying to get out the door for preschool drop off in the morning. 

Because prayer isn't about rules, it's about relationship.

As busy moms, it's easy to come to scripture with a "debit account" mentality, hoping for a quick and sweet bite of truth to obtain what we think we need for the day. But God's word is more than just a quick bite! Although He is faithful to use little nuggets of truth to encourage us, there is even more value in making a lifelong investment in the study of His word. Every word of scripture is valuable for heart transformation, even when we can't see the results right away! We hope that these free resources will help you grow in your love of God as you grow in knowledge of Him through Bible study.

Sometimes, God sees it good for us to wait at the base of the mountain, blind and helpless, because that is where our rags are refined, our souls are sweetened and our hearts healed.

Here are questions that can help a family prayerfully determine the "family size" question using Biblical principals. 

"See needs and meet them."

My mom pounded this phrase into me as a kid. All she had to do was say, "see needs..." and I knew what she was going to say and (more importantly) what she meant. Today, I'm finding myself repeating that phrase to my children. Whether it's someone needing a tissue because they're crying, a cabinet door that needs shut, or toys spread across the floor that need cleaned up, my prayer for my children is they will grow to be people that see needs – and instead of waiting for someone to ask them to help – they are the first to stand up and help without ever being asked.