Are you a mother whose hope has vanished, whose world seems drained of color, and whose life is overshadowed by clouds that never seem to part?

In this empathetic, God-centered journey from hopelessness to hope, biblical counselor Christine Chappell takes you by the hand on a path through the darkness. Sharing her own experience with depression and the anguished cries of God’s people throughout Scripture, she reveals Christ’s compassion for the hurting without resorting to quick fixes or trite solutions. As you read, you will be reminded of his faithfulness to you and presence with you—even when the darkness doesn’t lift.

Each chapter concludes with immediate help in the form of simple next steps, a Scripture verse for contemplation and comfort, and questions for journaling. Whether you feel hopeless, weary, sad, angry, anxious, ashamed, or lonely, God’s new morning mercies will sustain you, no matter how dark the night.

“Why me, Lord?”

Amid the toddler tantrums, the mealtime melees, and the backseat blowups, have you found yourself asking God that same question? Maybe even screaming it into a couch pillow? You’re not alone.

Your most trying moments as a parent can quickly spiral into discouragement, hopelessness, and sometimes even resentment toward God or your family—partly because our culture has conditioned us to believe that anything this hard can’t possibly be good for us.

Abbie Halberstadt, author of the bestselling M is for Mama, shares scriptural wisdom and lessons learned from her own challenges as a mama of ten to help shift your perspective on the hardships of parenting and of life, in general.

When you begin to see struggles as a necessary part of God’s plan for your spiritual growth, you can discover supernatural peace and purpose, even when you’re down in the deepest trenches of parenthood.

Want to learn how to connect your Sunday morning faith to the Monday morning toddler tantrum? Tackling real life topics like postpartum body image, food choices, marriage, traditions, and school choices, Emily and Laura will help you discover that the gospel really does change everything.

God is self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, infinite, and incomprehensible.

We're not.

And that's a good thing.

... ESPECIALLY throughout pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and all of motherhood.

Gospel Meditations on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood.

Reading this through the lens of motherhood, this can be applied to the calling of motherhood!

By exploring ten characteristics of who God is—holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, and wise—this book helps us understand who God intends for us to be.

“Holy Labor is a thoughtful guide to approaching birth with wisdom, grace, and yes, even joy! A must-read for expectant and experienced mothers, as well as anyone seeking a deeper understanding for how the love of God shows up in the meaningful labor of childbirth.”

– Courtney B. Ellis

“What if pregnancy did more than change our bodies; what if it transformed our hearts? In a tone that feels like a warm conversation with a dear friend, Heather Cofer encourages us to see pregnancy as an opportunity to bring God glory. Let her words encourage you to worship the Life Giver as you prepare to welcome new life.”

– ERIN DAVIS

The Postpartum Fog: The Week After Birth, Taking Time to Heal from Pregnancy and Birth - Postpartum Care, Not Every Pregnancy is the Same - Encouragement from a Mom of Seven, I'm Pregnant and my Youngest is Almost 5!, and more!

Are you lacking spiritual intimacy in your marriage? Not sure?

Take a look at some of the signs spiritual intimacy may be missing from your relationship:

You may experience conflict in many areas.
You may feel incomplete.
You may lack a firm foundation for your marriage commitment.
You may lack boundaries for guarding your marriage.

Do you know how to be emotionally intimate with the marriage partner God gave you?

One of the keys to reconnecting is understanding that intimacy is a multifaceted thing. In fact, there are five different types of intimacy, and only when we keep all five functioning can we have marriages that feel profoundly connected.

With labor on the horizon, we want to do everything we can to prepare for a safe, healthy and stress-free delivery. But what starts as good desires for well-laid plans, can quickly become an unhealthy idol of control. We start to think that if we just get the right method, the right classes, the right scents, the right sounds, the right environment and the right helpers, then we are nearly guaranteed the birth of our dreams. In this episode, Emily and Laura share their high expectations from previous pregnancies, seeking to understand how our good desires intersect with hope in God's good plans. Because ultimately, our identities aren't wrapped up in how we gave birth, but to whom we belong.

"Sometimes people (even pastors) say things like, “just have faith” and “you’ve just gotta believe” and “claim it in Jesus’ name,” and THEN good things will happen to you. They teach that, “if you have enough faith,” God has amazing things waiting for you, just around the corner. Sometimes as moms, we can unknowingly take this false prosperity gospel and overlay it on our parenting."

"In a moment when my heart should have swelled with unobstructed joy that our child was born, I sulked. In a moment when my eyes should have looked to heaven in wonder that God would be so gracious to me, I wept angrily. My will had not been done, and that bugged me."