The Christian Working Woman

There is power in asking. Think about it in the business world. Selling is asking, isn’t it? I remember when training for sales with IBM I was taught to ask for the order and not to be shy about it. To ask again and again. And I was carefully taught how to ask. So, there’s no doubt that there is power in asking. So, why are we often shy and reticent to ask for something? Well, for one reason, aski...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen We have discovered that we were made to lament and examined the examples we have in Scripture through the life of David. What hits the most for me as I read about lament is the deep trust that God’s will is always best, and he alone deserves the glory! We have heard parts of Psalm 6 this week, from David’s most honest cries to God through his tears that flooded his bed....

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Sometimes God seems far away. Many women I speak with have said this very thing from time to time. Despite their prayers, reading the Bible, and going to church, God seemed distant. They feel like there are no answers coming in their distress, and some have even thrown in the towel with long time prayers. This isn’t what God has planned for us. I like to remind myself a...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Who are you the most vulnerable with? This word describes a state of being easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally. Is there a person you trust the most? Maybe you are blessed to have more than one person to talk to about your most private matters. But who are you vulnerable with about your sin? Let’s face the fact. Even those of us who have the beaut...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Are you afraid God doesn’t want to hear your complaints? Do you ever have a feeling you are enduring things that shouldn’t be happening to you? How about waiting for something good to happen? Why me or why not me? David’s life was full of waiting, enemies, and strife! And he knew his direct line to God was the best way for him to cry out! If you read the books of first...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen How do we lament? I guess we should start with understanding what lamenting truly is. Lament is expressing sorrow, mourning, or regret—crying out in grief. As followers of Jesus, we are called to lament! We are made in the image of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And, throughout the Bible we see examples of the trinity lamenting. Early in the Bible, God lamented the...

Presented by Lauren Stigben As a culture we are so consumed with what is in front of us. Typically, we don’t “feel” an injustice or the brokenness in this world until it really hits home. Our concerns are focused on the here and now, the me and not the us. Let’s reflect. I live in a nice suburb of a large city. My grass is green, and my neighbors are friendly. I live on a street that has no outlet...

Presented by Julie Busteed Growing up, for as long as I can remember, the one thing I truly dreamed about was having a family. I imagined what we would do together, what our children’s names would be, what kind of house we would live in, and what life together would look like. When my husband and I got married, we planned for a family. After some time passed and I still wasn’t pregnant, I began to...

Presented by Julie Busteed Have you ever read the book of Book of Job? Or is it one of those books you tend to skim through in your Bible reading plan? I understand if you do. It can be difficult to read chapter after chapter filled with anguish and suffering. But Job’s life gives us a powerful example worth paying attention to. We’re told Job was blameless and upright , a man who feared God and t...

Presented by Julie Busteed The disciples did not expect Jesus to suffer and die on a cross. They believed he was the Messiah sent from God, and after spending three years with him, they had come to know and trust him deeply. Yet they still did not fully understand what was ahead. The prophets had spoken about the Messiah’s suffering, and Jesus himself told the disciples several times that he would...

Presented by Julie Busteed Have you ever dreamed and planned for a future only to have it not work out? In John 4, we see Jesus encounter someone who knew that feeling well. Jesus and his disciples were traveling from Jerusalem back to Galilee. Instead of avoiding Samaria, as most Jews did because of the deep division between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus chose to go through it. Around midday, tired...

Presented by Julie Busteed Maybe you’ve dreamed of a promotion or a certain career path, but for reasons outside your control, those dreams haven’t become reality. Maybe you’ve longed for a spouse, yet that relationship has never come. Maybe you dreamed of a strong and joyful marriage, but it hasn’t turned out the way you had hoped. Or perhaps you’ve desired to have a family, and that longing rema...

There are few days in our lives that are guilt-free, and far-too-many of our days are filled with guilt. Life under a load of guilt is not the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Guilt steals our joy, hinders our productivity, interrupts our peace, harms our relationships, and worst of all, makes us self-focused. Think about it—when you’re feeling guilty, you’re thinking about yourself; and...

I’ve been urging you to think about what you think about—to become more and more aware of wrong thought patterns. Those wrong thoughts are keeping you in bondage—in bondage to fear and doubt and sin of all kinds. I’ve been talking about bringing your thoughts into the captivity of Philippians 4:8, thinking about what is true, noble, right pure, lovely, and admirable. I want to examine the great be...

You’ve heard the phrase that our computer age generated: garbage in, garbage out. It’s not only true of computers, it’s also true of our minds. We’re examining how we can bring our thoughts into captivity, how we can change wrong thought patterns that keep us mired in deception and lies and misery. One important element in creating a right thought life is to carefully guard...

I’m examining our thought lives—the thought patterns we are often in bondage to because we have not learned to bring every thought into captivity and make our thoughts obedient to Christ. Philippians 4:8 gives us clear parameters for our thoughts. They are to be true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Let’s look at how to begin that process. First, you have to truly begin to think a...

Did you realize being open-minded can be very harmful if that means your thoughts are out of control and take you places you really don’t want to go. As Christians we need to learn to bring our thoughts into captivity and think within biblically prescribed limits, because what we think is what we are. I’m encouraging you to think about what you think about. In Philippians 4:8 we are given clear bo...

I want to examine one of the most critical areas of your life—your thought life. Our thought patterns are controlling us in ways we often do not even realize. Truly we must learn to think about what we think about. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul says we are to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ . Honestly, we are in a daily battle as to who will control our thoughts. And whe...

You have everything you need. A good job, a house, the car that you want. Individual freedom to follow your dreams, be who you want to be, do what you want to do, go where you want, when you want, dress in the latest fashion—the god of freedom, an idol. Your desires define your path. That is your identity. And each day you strive to build on this identity because it isn’t fixed. It evolves based o...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen We cannot repair culture with politics, but this is not what the candidates for any political party want you to think. The effect your faith should have on politics should remove from politics what it can never deliver—a redeemed and perfect kingdom. When candidates or laws are up for a vote, are you filled with fear for what that change might mean? Do you catastrophize...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Do you excuse things that contradict your faith? What is important to God doesn’t have a label or a party. It is not a temporary term, nor can it be solved by human hands. Being true to Christ means standing for truth and justice and being honest about the temporary parties and candidates we may be supporting. The politics of the day are quick to point out the “sins” of...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers these things ought to not be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water (James 3:10-12). These verses in James 3 can apply to all the words we speak. Have you excuse...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Is your wellbeing impacted when a specific candidate or political party that isn’t your preference has success? Are you bitter or depressed? Before we talk more about these emotions, I want you to consider what you are consuming. Specifically, if you analyze your last week, have you spent more time watching shows that talk about politically polarizing matters than you h...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen One thing we can all agree on these days is that things feel heavy. There are so many social issues breaking daily on the news, and the headlines can be polarizing. The polarization is most often political. As a believer in Jesus Christ, are you overthinking about politics? Have you made politics an idol? Let’s explore some of the pervasive ways politics can become an i...

How’s your attitude at work? Attitudes are contagious. But the question is: Would anyone want to catch yours? I believe this is one of the areas we can have a strong witness on our jobs, if we can keep our attitudes where they should be. I’m thinking one of the toughest situations to deal with—one that can really affect your attitude—is when you work with someone who gripes and complains all the t...