WT 260: Spiritual Disciplines for Moms: Community with Other Believers
Gathering together this past year has been a complicated component of spiritual life for many of us. On today’s episode Karen and Sunny answer questions from moms weary of virtual church, about what to do when your kids hate going to church, and offer suggestions for gathering together with other moms during this unique season.
Resources from today’s episode:
Curious about starting a BOAW group? Head here.
Read about each of the BOAW mom studies HERE.
Parent Cue - faith resources for kids
NorthPoint Community Church - resources for elementary students
Wire Talk episode 258 - full of links to resources for kids
Question 1: Our church hasn’t met in person for an entire year now and I am WEARY of it. My husband and kids aren’t interested in trying somewhere new and I don’t know what to do. I feel so disconnected from the Body and adrift spiritually. Any advice?
Karen’s Answer: I am with you!!! We started going somewhere new, and it has been life giving to me. Even my daughters Abby and Emily said they didn’t realize how much they had missed it. My advice is since no one else in your family wants to try a new place, what if you went by yourself? Maybe with a friend? I mean, I’ve been in a small group with just women before or done a Bible study for women, and Greg wasn’t involved, this would be no different. But you could fill your cup.
Question 2: Those of you not back to church or unable to go... what are you doing for church at home specifically with your kiddos? Our church goes live for our gatherings, but they discontinued their kids ministry videos months ago which was so disappointing! We were able to go back for a couple months but now we have some Covid issues at our church and are unable to go right now. We have found some other churches that do kids ministry videos, but I was curious to what others do! My daughters are 9 and 6, and we have a 2 year old little guy.
Karen’s Answer: There are plenty of churches that are doing their children programs online, so I would find out some of those and watch those, that is the beauty of online. IF you can’t find anything, you can go to NorthPoint online and I know their children’s program, UpStreet is online and the pre-school, Waumba Land. Check that out. Get on their mailing list too, because they send out great mailers for the children, I know because I get Kelsey’s children’s mailers. Also, I would check out Orange resources.
Question 3: My husband and I grew up in church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Plus anytime there was a revival or a church activity, we were there and WE LOVED IT! I have always prayed that my kids would love to go to church and be involved like I was.
My 7 and 6 year old fight me EVERY Sunday to not go to church, and it puts me in such a bad place. By the time we get to church I have cried at least 3x and I am drained. I already deal with anxiety and depression and on Saturday the anxiety kicks in. This is NOT how it’s supposed to be!
How can I get them to love church like my husband and I did at their age? We are struggling so much.
Karen’s Answer: I would call a family meeting and ask your children what they are looking for in a church and talk about it as a family. Then, I would visit different churches and have discussions on what they liked and what they didn’t like. (since you’ve been doing this for a while you can go ahead and start your list with the churches you have already attended) Then I would make a decision with your husband on which church is the best fit for your family. For instance, if your children LOVE the children’s department at a church, but you and your husband don’t love the service for adults, I would still consider attending that church because your children like it. You and your husband can dive into something more spiritually on your own. I think my number one goal would be to get the children plugged in and engaged. I think talking it through as a family is the key. But, I would communicate to your children that “Not” going to church is not an option. Hope that helps!
Question 4: I am so lonely. As someone who is an extreme extrovert, this quarantine has really hurt my friendships. We live in South Florida without nearby family so I go weeks without really hanging out with anyone but my husband and daughter. I’m a stay at home mom and that makes it even more lonely. I'm goal oriented so I'm always trying to fix situations but... There seems to be no solution for the time being. How do I combat this loneliness?
Karen’s Answer: Whew! That struggle is REAL!!!! I think more than anything COVID has done a number on our mental health. Honestly, if you can call a friend, and sit six feet away from them in your driveway or at a park or anywhere and just talk to catch up it will do your heart so good. I would also FaceTime a friend, or family member, or the dreaded zoom call. ☺ I think you have to get creative. I think if you are walking outside, it would be safe to hang out with a friend. But, I’m with you, at this point in the game, my mental health is just as important as my physical health. I would make some moves to get with some people.
Question 5: Can you talk about each of your curriculum options at BOAW? There are so many and I’d like to get a better feel for each one and where you would start...and then would you do the studies in any particular order after you get going?
Karen’s Answer: Head here to check out all of our studies for moms!
Show Credits: hosted by Karen Stubbs with Sunny Williams, written & produced by Katie Leipprandt, edited by Kyle Cummings
HELP THE WIRE TALK PODCAST REACH MORE MOMS
Subscribe | To subscribe on iOS, go to our iTunes page and subscribe to Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs. If you're an Android user, we recommend using the Stitcher app which you can find in the Google Play store. Then, once you're in the app, search for "Wire Talk" Click the plus (+) sign to add our podcast to your Favorites list.
Leave a review | When you leave a five star iTunes review, it helps other mothers find us when they're seeking out podcasts on iTunes. Need directions? Head here.
Share with a friend | We want to encourage more moms with Wire Talk, and that’s where you come in! Share our episodes—via Facebook, email, Twitter or Instagram and help us reach more moms like you.