The church ladies and I recently finished our latest Wednesday night Bible study via the Mom Essentials, 10 Words Successful Mothers Live By by Kasey Johnson. When I received the book as a member of Beacon Hill Press’ Off the Shelf Bloggers, I suggested it as a group study and the gals, while not all moms, jumped on board. Of course, since it was my suggestion I was elected to facilitate the 11-session study and the fun began.
There were about six to 10 of us that took part in the study each week and, as I said, not everyone was a mom. We had grandmothers, great-grandmothers, single moms, married moms and even one lady whom had never had children; but this wonderful mix of Christians had one big thing in common — we were all women. It quickly became clear that while this study was specifically directed to moms, it also spoke to the heart of women in varied seasons of life.
In this study, Kasey emphasizes the need for balance in our lives and to support this balance she addresses how we can learn to be “Put Together,” “Shaped Up,” and “Equipped” through Christ to face the challenges of motherhood and life. In the first session, Kasey writes, “During this time of caring for our family, we need to remember we are investing in something bigger than ourselves and God is working everything together to help us enjoy this season while preparing for seasons to come.” Throughout the study Kasey addresses fears, weaknesses, preparation and perspective among other aspects of a woman’s life. She touches on the need to prioritize our time, shape our own identity, beef up our discipline, create a support system and even unplug from time to time.
There are so many great lessons in this study, that I would recommend it to any women’s group looking for a new venture. My only criticism of the Mom Essentials is that the lessons were a bit disjointed. Each session, standing on its own, contained great Biblical truths, wonderful points and valuable insight, but they didn’t all seem to complement the whole in a fluid manner. Of course In my book, if that’s the only problem, it’s pretty much a winner.
As facilitator, I found the supporting opening and closing videos and leader’s guide to be wonderful resources. They can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here. It was quick and easy to prepare for each lesson and I had ample material to engage the group and generate discussion. There is at-home work to be done between each session, but the length of said “homework” is easily manageable, even for a busy mom.
Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the study was the personal prayers at the end of each chapter. Kasey is definitely grounded in scripture and has a way with words and insight into a mother’s heart. As a group, the church ladies agreed this was a worthwhile study for women of almost any season and we enjoyed the opportunity to really get to know one another in ways some previous Bible studies have not allowed. On a more personal basis and as a mother, I appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at my life, put away some of the mommy guilt and strengthen my walk with God (of course, that super easy-to-use leader’s guide made me look like one of those moms that has it all together, which wasn’t half bad either).