Encourage-[en-kur-ij] to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
The enCourage Blog is weekly dose of encouragement in a world that is often filled with bad news. We offer life-giving entries each Monday and Thursday written by gifted women from across our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). You can subscribe below to have them delivered to your inbox. With hundreds of blog pieces, you can search on a variety of topics in the search bar above to read and share with friends. Christina Fox, a gifted author, serves as our enCourage General Editor. If you are interested in submitting a piece, you can contact her at cfox@pcanet.org.
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WE Ministry: An Interview With Katie Polski and Cheryl Mullis
KATIE POLSKI | CONTRIBUTOR and CHERYL MULLIS | GUEST The WE ministry of PCA CDM is a growing effort to disciple Teaching and Ruling Elders’ wives across the denomination. With a vision to connect, encourage, and equip women in every season of ministry, WE is led by a team who understand both the joys and challenges of this calling. Today, Cheryl and Katie join us to share their heart for WE and the vision behind it. Can you introduce yourselves and tell us why you said, “yes” to leading the WE ministry? Cheryl: I’m Cheryl Mullis, a Ruling Elder’s wife from Annapolis, Maryland. It is a joy to serve alongside my husband, Don, as he shepherds and cares for our church. I also serve on staff as the Director of Discipleship. Don and I have been married for 41 years and are grateful for our five children, their spouses, and our growing group of energetic grandchildren. I said “yes” to co-leading WE because God has given me a heart for other elders’ wives. When my husband was ordained, I wasn’t sure what that meant for me—what was expected, or how life in the church might change. If I can come alongside other elders’ wives to encourage them, remind them of their identity in Christ, and help them see how God might use them to strengthen His church, it is a joy to say yes. Katie: I’m Katie Polski, a Teaching Elder’s wife from St. Louis, MO. I work full-time for our church serving as the music director and special events coordinator and am also involved in speaking and writing. Prior to my role at the church, I was a high school writing teacher for several years where I enjoyed the great challenge of showing teens that writing can be…fun. I’m not sure I succeeded, but I enjoyed trying! My husband and I have been serving together in ministry for over twenty-five years, and while my role has looked different through the varying seasons, I’ve been deeply grateful for our partnership in all of life’s spheres....
Lessons I’ve Learned in Caregiving
KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR Last night I gave my mom her medications and helped her get comfortable in her bed. Then she pointed to the mirror across the room and asked me if I see “that thing.” I didn’t see anything. I asked her a few questions to try to discern what she was talking about. I finally concluded that my mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was hallucinating. I tried to assure her that there was nothing for her to be concerned about. She seemed satisfied with my assurance and soon fell asleep. And once again, I was faced with the sadness that comes with caring for a parent who is slipping away. This isn’t our first season of caregiving. In the summer of 1999 when I was six months pregnant and had a fifteen-month-old daughter, my mother-in-law suffered a major stroke. What followed was more than a decade of caring for her in our home. I had never imagined myself in the role of caregiver. I’m not a particularly compassionate or nurturing person. Caregiving is hard. It is costly, exhausting, and inconvenient. But for us, it’s how we’ve applied God’s command to “honor your father and mother” (Ex. 20:12). And the Lord has used it to produce unexpected and lasting fruit in my life and the life of our family....
A Prayer for Graduation Day
CHRISTINA FOX | EDITOR My oldest is graduating from college this month. Just typing these words seems unreal. It can’t be true, can it? How did we get here already? Wasn’t I just dropping him off on his first day of kindergarten? Perhaps you have your own graduation ceremonies to attend this month. Whether it’s a preschool, high school, or college graduation—or some grade in between—it’s a season that can be filled with many emotions. Joy. Worry. Pride. Sadness. Gratitude. Relief. Regret. And perhaps all at one time! You are not alone in these feelings. Times of transition in our children’s lives can be a lot to navigate for moms. The reality that time slips through our fingers faster than we realized, is jarring. Wondering and worrying if our son or daughter is ready for next steps can keep us up at night. Feeling so much pride at how far a child has come can almost make one burst. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride. Moms, if you are tracking with me on this, here is a prayer for our hearts—seeking the Lord and His goodness to be the steady horizon in all the ups and downs of this season....
The Uneven Terrain of the Threshing Floor
LEAH JONES | GUEST Have you ever worked hard to do what seems right only to be yelled at, knocked down, or met with condemnation? Life’s disruptions, while intended for refinement, can feel confusing, overwhelming us with doubt. God’s sanctifying work is always good, but it does not always feel fair. For instance, the story of Uzzah can feel like an injustice (2 Sam. 6:1-8). Uzzah’s Encounter with God’s Holiness If you aren’t familiar with Uzzah’s story, he attempted to stop the Ark of the Covenant from falling and hitting the threshing floor while it was being moved. He died instantly. In reading it, we may be taken aback and wonder, why would God put him to death for trying to keep the Ark from falling? Uzzah was the son of Abinadab, from the tribe of Levi. David was the king chosen by God to lead the Israelite people. Both should have known the “Do not Touch” rule (Num. 4:15). It calls into question the lack of long poles God had prescribed for transportation. However, it’s disconcerting to think about God’s response when Uzzah’s interaction with the “holy things” feels so relatable. After all, we can easily imagine we might have responded the same way. Uzzah was obviously familiar with the uneven terrain of the threshing floor. He was also familiar with gravity, which means when objects that are elevated begin to fall, they will keep falling unless someone or something intervenes. When the ark began to tilt and become off balance, Uzzah did what came naturally to him. He intervened to make sure it would not fall to the ground. But in doing so, he revealed something about himself. Uzzah’s action, the Bible tells us, was an “irreverent act.” He did not show proper reverence for God’s presence and holiness (2 Sam. 6:7).
Book Review on Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR It happened in an instant. While on vacation at a national park, I slid on wet tile in the visitor’s center, throwing my feet in the air and ramming my shoulder into a wall. I knew instantly that my shoulder would never be the same. In the two-hour ambulance ride to the nearest hospital, I remember calling out “Lord just take me.” The pain was unbearable. A dear friend who suffers excruciating pain from cancer suggested Paul Tripp’s book, Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, as a source of encouragement after the accident. Truth be known, I was feeling exactly as the title of this book states; that life doesn’t make sense. Why me, why now, why would God allow this when I serve as a helper to my disabled husband, and why now when I can also help with my grandchildren? From the first page of Paul Tripp’s book, I identified with his sudden suffering. He casually walked into the hospital emergency room at the advice of his physician with mild but persistent symptoms. Quickly there were four specialists examining him, talking about dialysis, and ordering tests. Soon his body was going into full-body spasms with pain so intense he was screaming in despair, “God help me!” This would be the first of six hospital stays, each with kidney surgery, over the next two years. Tripp was discouraged, disappointed and in spiritual battle, asking why, in the prime of his career, when he was doing God’s work, would God allow this set of circumstances which would leave him physically damaged forever, devoid of energy, and without a major source of his income. Many good books have been written on suffering, but this one draws you in as Tripp recounts his personal story and also uses examples of suffering beyond physical pain from his years as a counselor, including relational, spiritual, and circumstantial suffering. And because at the time of his writing, he was in a place where his life didn’t make sense, he offers practical and hopeful theology for every sufferer’s struggles. Tripp suggests that our lives are shaped both by what we suffer and by the background we bring to our suffering. For him, pride in his physical health and in his numerous accomplishments made him self-reliant, an idol he was not happy to face. Further, his new physical weakness was a surprise disruption to his carefully planned and executed life. These realizations tugged at his heart, exposing what was really inside. The first half of the book delves into the various trappings that can control our thoughts: fear, envy, doubt, denial and discouragement. He reminds us that nothing we suffer is ultimate or eternal. God is eternal, He is present with His children forever, His power does not wane, and He alone determines our destiny. He is the good news that every sufferer needs. Our suffering is not in the way of God’s plan; it is part of God’s plan. He never lets us alone in our suffering and His presence changes everything...
Beyond Centerpieces: Recovering Biblical Hospitality
ELIZABETH STEELE|GUEST Our God is a God of hospitality. We see this throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden where God our Father provided for His beloved children a place for them to live and food to eat, to the book of Revelation where He prepares the marriage feast of the Lamb to welcome His beloved Bride home. Even though we were strangers and aliens, our Father made a way for us to know Him and be His children. That’s the very premise of Christianity: we have been lavishly welcomed by Christ through the Good News of the Gospel. And He calls us to extend the same hospitality to others. The Apostle Paul gave very direct instructions to the brand-new Christians in Rome when he wrote in Romans 15:7, "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." What does it Mean to be Hospitable? The Greek word for hospitality is philoxenia. We are familiar with "philo" or "phila" meaning "the kind of love between friends." Xenia means "foreigner or one you do not know." Together they mean "to give the love of friendship to a person that we do not know." Does that sound like a very natural thing to do? Not likely! In fact, showing love to people we do not know can be a very difficult thing...
