Christina Fox, Author at Women.pcacdm.org

Eve: A Helper and Hope Bearer

MEAGHAN MAY | CONTRIBUTOR Ministry life can feel like a strange mix of beauty and burden. You might find yourself wearing multiple hats, holding sacred confidences, and offering wisdom to others while you are weary. You truly love the Lord and His Church, but some days isolation and confusion seem more pressing. As expectations swirl— both spoken and unspoken—you question your adequacy, your purpose, your place. You’re not alone. Eve was the first woman and ministry wife, but she also stood in a place of tension—called by God, yet wrestling with doubt. She struggled to trust His words, to wait for His timing, and to understand her place in His redemptive story. Eve’s life reminds us: we are not the first to waver, but also not the last to be sustained by grace. Her story, like ours, is complex, marked by beauty, brokenness, grace, and growth. And in her story, we find perspective for our own. Like Eve, we are learning to trust and are invited to listen again to the voice of God. His voice still beckons us out of hiding, clothes us, and sends us out with hope. Eve’s Calling, Struggle, and Growing Faith Eve was created with purpose: to live in relationship with God, to reflect His glory, to walk alongside her husband as a helper (ezer) and life-giver. Eve’s identity wasn’t an afterthought; it was intentional. Before God created her, He let Adam name the animals but among them, no suitable companion could be found. This is the first “not good” in all of creation (Gen. 2:18). Afterward, God caused Adam to sleep and took a rib from his side, fashioning it into the woman. When Adam saw her, he exclaimed with joy and recognition: “At last, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” (Gen. 2:23). She was an ezer—a strong helper—a word used of God Himself in Scripture (Deut. 33:26; Psalm 121:2). Yet Eve struggled. “She saw that the fruit was… desirable… so she took it and ate” (Gen. 3:6)....

Eve: A Helper and Hope BearerChristina Fox2025-07-31T23:35:51+00:00

Wearing Our Gospel Clothes

MELANIE COGDILL | GUEST Because we are movie buffs, for more than a decade, some friends from church and I have an annual Oscar watch party. We also evaluate the gowns celebrities wear as they present the awards. Why did she pick that dress? Does it look flattering on her—if not, what was she thinking? Even though not all women are fashionistas, we care about what clothes we wear to worship on Sunday. We put some thought into what we will put on. We do not roll out of bed in our pajamas and head to church. The Seed of Gospel Clothing Throughout Scripture, we see that what we wear is significant. Not our outward clothing, but how we are clothed with gospel truth. In fact, it is God Himself who makes us a garment of gospel clothes and puts it on us. In Genesis 3:7 after Adam and Eve took and ate the forbidden fruit, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” After they do that, God comes to them (v.9) and “the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'" And because the coverings they made for themselves were not sufficient, God clothed them (v. 21), “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God comes to them after their sin in the Garden, and He makes garments to clothe them. This is the gospel in a nutshell. Putting on Our Gospel Clothes Our gospel clothing is much more significant than our physical clothing. After telling the Colossians the worldly things they must put to death (Col. 3:5-10), the Apostle Paul reminds them of the gospel clothing they must wear instead. The context of the gospel clothes they are to put on as the people of God is compassion, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, love for one another in the body. Those verses seem straightforward; however, it’s not always easy to love difficult people in our church, forgive a friend or spouse when we think we have been wronged, or be patient with a child’s behavior that is trying our patience. However, Paul’s admonition is to always “put on” these gospel clothes because we are called as God’s beloved people to be holy....

Wearing Our Gospel ClothesChristina Fox2025-07-21T17:57:24+00:00

The Wind Blows Where It Will

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR On our most recent road trip we spent a couple of days at the Grand Canyon. It had been years since we were last there, but we were still amazed at the wonder of God’s creation while viewing the deep canyons and rock formations carved by the Colorado River. Because school was not yet out, we were able to drive through the park at our leisure to take in the beauty of the landscape. At one particular spot, we were in awe at how the wind moved across the canyon. Far in the distance we could hear the winds picking up somewhere to our left. Then a minute or two later, the wind would rustle the trees right in front of us before moving further to our right. For a moment we could feel the wind, and just as fast as it came, it would leave us, only to start again somewhere to the left side of the canyon. My husband commented that this reminded him of the description of the Holy Spirit in John. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). This is an interesting verse. “The wind blows where it wishes,” reminds us of the mystery and sovereignty of the Spirit’s work. To be born of the Spirit means we are entirely in His hands regarding our regeneration. If God has elected us to salvation, the Holy Spirit assures that sinners’ hearts are opened to Christ. God will get all the glory because he has the right to choose whom He will save. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Ex. 33:19)...

The Wind Blows Where It WillChristina Fox2025-07-21T17:41:22+00:00

Discipling Children in Suffering

AMY SANTARELLI |GUEST When my children were young, my husband and I worked hard to prepare them for life. We taught them skills they needed such as tying their shoes, doing laundry, driving, and choosing a career. We also taught them Bible stories, character lessons, and how to obey. But how to suffer? Mostly, we tried to help them avoid it. Now I am a biblical counselor who sits with people who are enduring a wide range of suffering. Seeing their struggles, I find myself looking back at this aspect of our child rearing and wishing I could have a parenting do-over. In our efforts to raise our children well and prepare them for life, we missed something important—purposefully preparing them for a world where the Bible says we will have trouble (John 16:33; James 1:2; I Pet. 4:12–13). How do we equip our children to biblically respond to life’s troubles, so they do not flounder, or worse, run away from God to false comforts? When trouble hits, practice lament and submission to God with your children....

Discipling Children in SufferingChristina Fox2025-07-11T15:04:24+00:00

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with Hope

MARISSA BONDURANT | CONTRIBUTOR A cloud of collective grief hovers over Texas. For days after the flood, there was an actual dark cloud over all central Texas as the whole of creation groaned together in the pains of grief and longing (Rom. 8:22). A suppressive force of humidity mixed with shock and stirred with sorrow made it hard to breathe, sleep, or even make basic decisions. Although the headlines focus on the heartache in Texas, I know that this grief is seeping much farther from here. So many of the people who died were visiting from all over the country. Little girls at summer camp. Families camping under majestic cypress trees. Grandparents bunked up with grandchildren to make precious memories over the holiday. And now, thousands of people across the country grieve the loss of loved ones, co-workers, classmates, teammates, neighbors, and friends. Living in San Antonio, the Guadalupe River is considered our backyard play place. Everyone I know is only 1 or 2 degrees away from the devastation. My church alone had three girls at Camp Mystic the day the water rose. A dear friend of ours is on the ground doing recovery work. He’s got a military, warzone, ER doctor background, and he said he’s never seen anything like this. As of the writing this, they expect close to 300 image bearers to eventually be found in the debris. And in this deep, collective grief, we need the Church. We need you....

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with HopeChristina Fox2025-07-11T19:04:12+00:00

Growth by the Strength of God

JULIANNE ATKINSON |GUEST “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). I used to go fishing with my grandparents in the lagoons and ocean near their house in Savannah. We would choose bait specific to the fish that we wanted to catch. I’d squirm as I put the raw shrimp on the hook. What I really preferred was to squeeze the squishy, glittery plastic worms that caught the light of the sun like a fish’s scales. Whatever bait we used looked just like what the fish preferred to eat, smelled like what smelled good to them, and moved as they expected. Yet inside the bait is a terrible and deadly hook. Sin can act in a similar way. It’s like a shiny bait that catches our eye and makes us think we’ll be fulfilled and satisfied. Nestled inside the glittery facade is a sharp barb that leads to deep pain. The longer we live, the more we can see the devastation that sin wreaks in our lives. As the Puritan theologian John Owen soberly puts it in his book, The Mortification of Sin, we need to “be killing sin or it will be killing you.”[1] The more we let it get a hold of us, the deeper the hook embeds itself. We find it increasingly hard to remove. And we reap serious consequences. As believers, we know these things about sin and its effect in our lives, but what do we do about it?...

Growth by the Strength of GodChristina Fox2025-07-04T19:16:36+00:00

True Freedom in Christ

BARBARANNE KELLY | CONTRIBUTOR As Americans we’re rather fond of freedom. Every July our communities are clothed in red, white, and blue, and fireworks pierce the sky in jubilant displays of national pride and celebration. “Give me liberty or give me death!” was the rallying cry at the birth of our nation and we repeat it again whenever we feel our freedom slipping away. At best our freedoms are enjoyed together with the mutual responsibilities that make living in community possible and pleasant. At worst, they descend into demands for unfettered individuality—the freedom to do whatever I want without restriction—when our personal Declaration of Independence is reduced to “Don’t tell me what to do!” As Christians however, we are blessed with a different kind of freedom, a freedom that goes spirit-deep and lasts eternally. Our freedom is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. But what exactly is the nature of this freedom? What are we free from, and, conversely, what are we free to? The answers lie in the very name and title of our great Savior: the Lord Jesus. His earthly parents named Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21), and His title is Lord, because we owe Him our loving obedience (John 14:15; Eph. 1:20–22). Give Me Liberty and Give Me Death There is no true liberty apart from God. He is our Creator and we live in the world that He made. The freedom enjoyed by our first parents was a limited freedom, as creatures before their Creator, and depended upon their perfect obedience to him...

True Freedom in ChristChristina Fox2025-07-10T16:54:24+00:00

Colossians 3 and Lessons Learned from My Wedding Day

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR It was a beautiful fall day when my husband and I stood in front of a sanctuary, with family and friends gathered around, and entered into a covenant of marriage. As our nerves jittered and our hearts pounded, our pastor pointed out words from four verses that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae. Almost nine years later, these words continue to remain in my heart and have overflowed into my marriage and family. Colossians 3:12-15: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Our pastor encouraged us with four truths from this passage as we entered into this binding covenant. Love as you have been loved, forgive as you have been forgiven, encourage as you have been encouraged, and serve as you have been served. Love, forgive, encourage, and serve. These are words I’ve always wanted to offer in my relationships, but the Lord has specifically used the way they were taught from this passage to show me more of my need for Jesus and how it is only through Him that we can offer these things to others. Love as you have been loved It’s hard to love others. Over the last nine years of marriage, I’ve realized how much I really don’t have what it takes to love another person without the help of Jesus...

Colossians 3 and Lessons Learned from My Wedding DayChristina Fox2025-07-04T19:05:42+00:00

Wasteful Thinking

SUSAN BENNETT|GUEST We have been hearing a lot lately about cutting wasteful spending from our nation’s budget to reduce the debt burden on taxpayers. But waste isn’t easy to trim—whether it’s extra pounds, finances, or even our thinking. Wait, what? Wasteful thinking? Who said anything about that? Yet, a person’s wasteful thinking can be just as burdensome as out-of-control spending or eating. The problems that arise when we neglect our thought life are huge—and sadly, some have eternal consequences. Paul tells us in Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Here, Paul speaks of those whose hearts were untouched by God’s Spirit, still walking in darkness rather than light. But even those of us called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light are called to strive in our salvation. One of the most common battles in this struggle is wasteful thinking. As a biblical counselor, I’ve seen how real this is. Wasteful thinking can lead to discouragement, discontentment, divisiveness, and despair. Sometimes it becomes so deeply entrenched that it feels like the person has no control over their thoughts. This burden weighs heavily—not just on them, but on those who love them....

Wasteful ThinkingChristina Fox2025-06-30T17:03:30+00:00

Idolatry of Authority and the Supremacy of Christ

KC JONES|GUEST [4] I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. [5] For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. [6] Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, [7] rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. [8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Colossians 2:4-10) It should not surprise us on this side of the Garden that the forbidden tree from which Adam and Eve took and ate the fruit was known as “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17). Knowledge has always been prized and coveted by mankind because of the inherent belief in all of us that it contains power. And, like Adam and Eve, we crave such power because we believe we can and should be in control of our own lives and perhaps over everything else in the universe. A People Deceived Paul warns the church at Colossae of this temptation. He writes, “See that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Col. 2:8-10). This deception is of the same nature as that which the serpent used to lure and entice both the first man and woman to twist the words of their master and disobey His command. First, the serpent planted a seed of doubt by simply asking a question, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). The woman replies by correcting the serpent, yet she adds her own variation as well, “’We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die’” (vs. 2b-3) Eve’s alteration suggests that even before the rest of the story unfolds, she believes God’s rule is up for personal interpretation. She inserts herself as a figure of authority, adapting and using language to meet her own desires....

Idolatry of Authority and the Supremacy of ChristChristina Fox2025-07-09T18:27:16+00:00

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