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Today, we're kicking off our deep dive into two ancient women from the book of Esther in a new way. Here, one of our writers depicts the contemplative and courageous moments that led to Vashti's, "no." Although it's fiction and primarily speculative, it still captures the will, emotion and nuance in between, which elicited bold opposition to the crown that sought to objectify her. If you've ever found yourself contemplating a "no" that would cost you everything but your digni

Have you ever had a time in your life when it felt like your prayers hit the ceiling? Like God didn’t hear you? Like maybe he was even against you? Honestly, I have a hard time believing that anyone hasn’t felt that way at some point. I know I have. At those times, an old church saying usually comes to mind. You know, the one where if you feel distant from God, it’s not because he was the one who moved. Which stirs up even more feelings of frustration and shame, making me fe

While Americans disagree on many things, more than three-quarters say they respect individuals with integrity and believe it’s an important personal value, according to a recent Gallup poll. Classical Greek philosophers believed that integrity was key to an individual’s character. And I suspect it’s the reason that a foreigner like Ruth became so loved and accepted in a village as homogeneous as Bethlehem. Simply put, she walked worthy whether or not anyone was looking. Scri

I recently took a trip to Switzerland with my mom and my daughter, and it was one of the very best weeks of my life. I loved getting to give my mom a bucket-list trip, but somewhere along the way, I realized it would probably be the last trip like that we would take together. At 68, my mom can’t hike or walk very far. She struggles with maps, technology, making quick train changes, and following a complicated travel itinerary. All of the research, planning, and decision-makin

Amidst the stories we read in the book of Judges—a chaotic era in Israel’s history—we find Ruth, a Moabite woman who had married into an Israelite family. By the time we meet her, Ruth is in an incredibly vulnerable position, one no woman in the ancient world—or the modern one—would choose for herself. Her husband has died. Naomi has lost not only her husband but both of her sons, leaving three widows—Naomi, Ruth, and Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah—facing uncertain futures. What

Evening campfires were one of the highlights of my daughter’s Christian scouting experience. During every upper-grade campout, we’d share a devotion before making s’mores and turning in for the night. The last years before she graduated, she was assigned to deliver or delegate the topic for our evening discussion. Sometimes they came to her easily; on other occasions, she’d be scouring the Internet for possibilities until the moment we left. Every time that I found her in a p

In movies, TV shows, and books, rain often symbolizes hopelessness and despair. It foreshadows events that are dark, even tragic. It’s almost as if the sky matches the mood; the raindrops foreshadow the tears. Sometimes I wonder whether Deborah battled any feelings of despair as she and Barak marched through the rain toward the engagement with Sisera’s army. The rainstorm in this account is an obscure detail with major implications for Canaanites, but I wonder if it dampened

If Heaven measures obedience rather than visibility, why do so many women struggle to believe God can use them? Deborah and Jael’s story shows us that both women make valuable contributions regardless of their season - whether they are at home with children, illness, or some other circumstance - or on the front lines of the Kingdom. Both get the same reward. The anointing on Jael dealt with the strongman and strongholds. She was positioned correctly to deliver a deadly blow

The book of Judges repeatedly shows God raising unlikely deliverers. Deborah’s story in Judges 4-5 opens where the Israelites have now been oppressed by king Jabin of the Canaanites for 20 years as a consequence for “doing evil in the sight of the Lord.” The men are so paralyzed by fear that they have given up. None of them are leading, they are getting lazy and out of shape because they have no fight left in them. It’s so bad that they FINALLY cry out to God. But in the mids

My oldest daughter has been working for Worthy for a year and half. She spent her entire senior year helping us in social media and our podcast. It was a joy to work alongside my daughter. This weekend she went off to college. While our entire team will miss her weekly impact at Worthy, for this blog post, I’m just a mom living in the tension of what a sending love looks like. Surprise, it's harder and better than I thought it would be. She’s a grown up now, technically an

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! -Psalms 1:33 In music, harmony is such a beautiful thing! The melody carries the tune, but a song could be so much more enjoyable with the depth of additional parts. It is the harmony that creates such a beautiful sound and complements what has already been written in the melody. A similar dynamic can happen in our relationships as well. We have an opportunity to add to what someone else is already doing

Hi Friend, If you haven't heard what's coming, here’s what you can expect this weekend to hold: worship that doesn’t rush you. Teaching from women who carry weight. Space to lay something down at an altar, in a prayer line, in a planter of soil. Bread broken and passed hand to hand. And then, quietly, an invitation to stop being the one who only receives — and step into being one who gathers. It’s for the woman who is still figuring out what her calling looks like. For the on

There are so many different stories from scripture that God brings to mind during different seasons. For me, this week, it's the woman with the alabaster jar. (Mark 14, Matthew 26) I've been thinking about how she stepped into a room where everyone was celebrating life. I imagine the context of the gathering was obvious as they gathered. Jesus was at the pinnacle of His ministry career — a triumphal entry, dining

Last winter, colon cancer claimed the life of one of the best people I’ve ever known. A believer, army veteran, firefighter, and Christian scouting leader, she’d battled the disease for four of the twelve years we’d been friends. Our relationship was rocky at times–usually when she was trying to talk me into yet another commitment during the years I was stretched thin with young children. Staffing a booth at the mall, wrapping Christmas gifts for children in need. Babysitti

The month of May always leaves my heart overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible women I am blessed to know - the women who walk alongside me, encourage me, and challenge me to be a better mom to my own children and a better woman on earth! Sitting in that gratitude, I found myself pausing to ask a fundamental question: What does it truly mean to be a mother? I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. Like so many young girls, my childhood was a continuous rehea

Can I be honest? I have always held incredibly high expectations for myself. I know perfection isn’t obtainable, but for a long time, I wanted to get as close to it as humanly possible. Then came motherhood. When I first became a mom, my baby was like my little sidekick. We did everything together, and frankly, I felt like I was killing it. My life didn’t change the way more experienced moms warned me it would. I maintained a spotless home, put nutritious dinners on the table

As I look back on my early years of motherhood, I reflect on who I was then and what God has done in my life to refine me, making me into who He wants me to be now. I recently discovered the following entry at the beginning of an old writing notebook….a lonely page, penned in 2013, with so much opportunity ahead in an otherwise empty notebook. My notebook was a clean slate, just like the days ahead, full of joys and sorrows to grow from and live out! My plan had always been t

I had a moment recently. A senior moment. Not the AARP kind, I'm not quite there yet. The other kind of “senior.” The cap and gown kind. One day, with my oldest about to graduate, I started to feel my arms ache. Quite a phenomenon. There I was, thinking through the decisions and joys of her next adventure, and it was as if my soul ran into my arms, and looked for something that was no longer there, my baby. I pushed away the tears. Save it, I thought. No use crying yet. Sh

Sitting on the Sidelines For a long time, I kept my faith to myself. People knew I was a Christian because I said I was, and they saw the Bible verses I posted on social media. However, my faith was still mostly a “personal decision.” I believed the lie that any attempt to minister to others would be unwarranted and unwanted. I didn’t follow the Lord’s lead at times when He called me to be bold. It took some time, but I finally gathered the courage and confidence to get “of

I started a small home-based business in the direct sales industry when I was 29 years old. At that time, I was a stay-at-home mom to my two boys, Charlie (4) and Robbie (2), and wife to Robert, who was building a demanding career in the investment industry. We had very little money, and I felt frustrated and unfulfilled. I knew I had something to offer in the marketplace, but I wasn’t willing to give up the flexibility and availability that allowed me to be present for my bo