godly wife

Which Bible Study Method Is Right For YOU? A Simple Breakdown.

Which Bible Study Method Is Right For YOU? A Simple Breakdown.
I used to feel so overwhelmed by all the Bible study methods out there. 

SOAP, inductive, verse mapping, color-coding, commentary deep-dives… whew

As a busy wife and mom, I just needed something that worked and made sense.

The truth is—there’s no “one size fits all” method. But there is a best method for you, in this season.

Let’s break down a few simple ones:

SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer):
This one’s my favorite for busy mornings. You write the verse out or simply summarize it, observe what it’s saying, journal out applications you feel called to make personally, and respond in prayer. It’s simple but deep.

SPECK (Sin to avoid, Promise to claim, Example to follow, Command to obey, Knowledge about God):
This one is more of an overall observation method to help you pull out wisdom you could potentially miss. This is great when you need a little guidance finding application straight from the text—especially if you struggle to see how the Bible connects to your daily life.

Verse Mapping:
If you like digging into the original language and comparing translations, this one’s for you. There is so much more depth when you realize why an author was using a specific word, or learn what other meaning is behind the word they used. It’s a little more detailed, but super rich if you want to grow in understanding.

Bible Digest Method (a.k.a. Homiletics):
This one’s amazing for bigger passages or teaching others. For clarification, let me state that I believe Scripture prohibits women from preaching to men or having authority over them, so this method is not for the purpose of preparing a typical sermon. However, Titus 2 does command older women to teach the younger and this method could be used to help you better understand what you are going to teach younger women (or children). You summarize the main idea, find key points, and think about how to apply and share it.

I always tell women this: the best Bible study method is the one that helps you actually understand and apply what you read. 

It’s not about doing what’s trending—it’s about doing what helps you connect with the Word.

This week, try a new method! I created a little freebie Bible Study Tool Kit (with SOAP and SPECK templates) to help you experiment and find your favorite.




The Difference Between Reading and Studying the Bible

The Difference Between Reading and Studying the Bible
Please tell me you've done this too and I'm not the only one:

Have you ever sat down to “read your Bible” while mentally planning dinner, folding laundry one-handed, or hollering at a toddler to stop climbing the furniture?

We love Jesus. We want to be in the Word. But in the busyness of being a wife, a mom, and a keeper of the home, it’s easy to slip into “check the box” Bible time.

☑️ Read a Psalm? Check.
☑️ Prayed a quick prayer? Check.
☑️ Had quiet...ish time? Check.

But what was that Psalm about? Umm… no clue. Something about praising? Or maybe it was enemies falling into a pit?

Yeah. I’ve been there too.

Here’s the thing—I’ve learned the hard way that reading and studying are not the same thing.

Reading is good. Absolutely. Reading gets the Word in front of us. It introduces us to truth. It reminds us of who God is and what He’s done.

Reading whole chapters or books in one sitting gives us a bird’s-eye view of what the author is saying and how it all fits together. We should read the Bible!

But studying?

Studying is where transformation begins.

Studying is what takes God’s Word off the page and plants it deep in our hearts. It’s where truth starts to shape our thoughts… and that changes everything: our words, our tone, our parenting, our priorities, our marriages.

📝 Reading gives you information.

❤️ Studying leads to understanding.

🔥 And understanding? That’s what leads to transformation.

If you’ve been faithfully reading your Bible and still feel like you’re stuck, unsure, or not really being changed, let me just say—you are not alone. I was there for years.

But when I slowed down…

When I stopped trying to speed through a chapter just to feel accomplished…

When I started asking real questions of the text—that’s when things began to shift.

Here are some simple, powerful questions you can begin asking as you study:

📖 Hermeneutical Questions for Deeper Bible Study

OBSERVATION (What does the text say?):

  • What words or phrases are repeated?
  • Who is speaking? Who is the audience?
  • What commands are given (and to whom, specifically - and what reasons are given for obeying the command)?
  • What contrasts or comparisons are made?
  • Are there any cause-and-effect relationships?
  • What seems important, emphasized, or central to the passage?
INTERPRETATION (What does it mean?):

  • What did this mean to the original audience?
  • What is the main idea or message of this chapter?
  • Are there cultural or historical details I should understand better?
  • How does this passage fit into the surrounding context (the chapters before and after)?
  • What does this passage reveal about God’s character?
APPLICATION (How should it change me?):

  • What truth do I need to believe or remember today?
  • Is there a command to obey, a sin to confess, or a promise to trust?
  • How does this apply to my role as a wife? As a mom?
  • How does this passage challenge my thinking or behavior?
  • What will I do differently today because of what I’ve studied?

Sweet friend, you don’t need hours of uninterrupted quiet to be transformed. You just need a heart that’s hungry to hear from God.

You do not...let me repeat: you DO NOT need to do all of this in one day! 

Sometimes it takes me an entire week to deeply study one single chapter of Scripture. 

So here’s one simple step to take this week:

📖 Pick a short, powerful chapter like Titus 2.

It’s only 15 verses—but it’s full of wisdom for how to live as a godly woman in today’s world. Read it slowly. Read it more than once. Ask questions. Write notes. Pray over it.

You don’t need fancy tools or a theology degree. You just need a teachable spirit and a willingness to slow down and study.

The Word is living and active. It will equip us to do the work. We don't need to approach the Bible feeling like we can instantly obey perfectly.

And if today, all you can do is read one verse out loud while folding a towel or stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce (or gravy, if you're Italian), know this: God sees you. He honors your hunger. And He will meet you right in the middle of your motherhood mess.

One verse at a time. One quiet moment at a time. One transformed heart at a time.

How (and WHY) To Be a Titus 2 Woman Without Kids At Home

How (and WHY) To Be a Titus 2 Woman Without Kids At Home
You don’t need children in your home—or even any children of your own—to walk in the beautiful calling of spiritual motherhood.

Some of the women who’ve shaped my life the most never raised kids themselves, and others impactful women were in a new season of life with grown children and empty nests.

But all of them had one thing in common: they were intentional about nurturing hearts with truth, encouragement, and godly wisdom.

If your season looks different now—maybe your kids are grown and gone, or maybe motherhood wasn’t part of your story—please hear this: your role in the Kingdom has not ended.

It may have shifted, but it’s no less powerful or purposeful.

Titus 2:3–5 paints a picture of spiritual motherhood: older women teaching younger women how to live godly lives.

This isn’t just about age—it’s about spiritual maturity.

If you’ve walked with Jesus for a while, you have something valuable to offer. Your testimony, your experiences, your lessons learned through faith—all of it can be used by God to strengthen the next generation of women.

And here’s why this matters so much:

We're living in a time when younger women are desperate for truth, but drowning in noise.

They’re bombarded with the world’s opinions on marriage, motherhood, identity, and purpose.

No one is teaching them how to seek and study God's Word for HIS TRUTH on marriage, motherhood, identity, and purpose.

God is raising up women like you—women rooted in His Word—to help guide them back to what’s true.

Being a Titus 2 woman isn’t just a sweet idea—it’s a Kingdom assignment.

It’s a way we participate in God’s plan for discipleship, mentorship, and generational impact. If we don’t step in and speak truth, who will?

So what does it actually look like to walk in this calling?

💕 Maybe it’s mentoring a younger wife who’s struggling to balance life and marriage.

💕 Maybe it’s offering to babysit for a weary mom so she can take a breath.

💕 Maybe it’s starting a Bible study in your living room, texting Scripture to a teen girl you’re investing in, or simply being present and available for someone who needs wisdom.

💕 Don’t underestimate how powerful your steady, Christ-centered presence can be.

Here are a few practical ways to embrace spiritual motherhood in this season:

  • Offer to disciple a younger woman one-on-one
  • Volunteer in the children’s or youth ministry at your church
  • Host a Bible study for wives in your home or community
  • Reach out to a young mom with a meal, prayer, or a listening ear
  • Consistently check in on a young wife or college-aged woman
Proverbs 31:26 says,
“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
That can be you. Whether you’re in an empty nest season or have never had children of your own, you still have spiritual fruit to bear.

Don’t let the enemy convince you that your time of influence is over.

God sees your heart, your wisdom, your faithfulness—and He is still using you in mighty, meaningful, and eternal ways.


Share with me: what are some other ways you have seen spiritual mothers pour into the younger generation? What are some ways you have perhaps done this yourself?


Bible Study in the Chaos: Tips for Moms of New Babies and Little Ones

Bible Study in the Chaos: Tips for Moms of New Babies and Little Ones
If you’re in the trenches of motherhood with spit-up on your shoulder, three hours of sleep (on a good night), and a toddler clinging to your leg, I see you. 

And I want you to hear me loud and clear: you are not failing if your Bible study doesn’t look like it used to.

This sacred season of motherhood—yes, even in its exhaustion—is one the Lord sees. 

He’s not asking for quiet time perfection. He’s inviting you into communion, however messy or short it may be. 

Isaiah 40:11 says, 
“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (emphasis mine)
What a sweet picture of His gentleness with mothers.

Maybe right now, your study looks like meditating on one verse all day. 

Write it on a sticky note and put it on your bathroom mirror or the fridge. Use feeding times or nap rocking as moments to pray that verse or ask the Lord to help you understand it more deeply. 

Listen to an audio Bible while folding laundry or playing blocks on the floor (bonus: your kids hear it then too!). 

Hang Scripture verse cards in your home where you’ll see them often. 

Music counts too! Sing hymns over your home and your heart while loading or unloading the dishwasher.

Quick wins for this season:
  • Pick one verse a day and meditate on it (work on memorization, look up the context and make sure you understand the author's intention and meaning so you meditate on truth rather than opinion or incorrect interpretation)
  • Use audio Bibles—play it in the background while you’re nursing or changing diapers
  • Stick Scripture cards around the house for bite-sized truth
  • Pray Scripture during feedings or even during midnight wake-ups (have you seen my Titus 2 or 1 Peter Prayer Cards?)
Most importantly: give yourself grace. 

God is not grading your Bible study. He simply desires for your heart to prioritize Him. Even five minutes with the Lord can change your entire day when it’s done in faith. 

Let Matthew 11:28 remind you that Jesus beckons you: 
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

If you feel like you're reading for a more structured Bible study, reach out to me! I have been praying over the idea of offering customized Bible study plans, based on your style of learning, the time you have available, and what you'd like to study. This would also be an opportunity to learn new Bible study methods to help you dig in deeper.

In the meantime, check out the other digital tools available, and let me know what ONE thing you'll do today to prioritize God in your day!

The Power of Forgiveness: A Lesson from the Cross

The Power of Forgiveness: A Lesson from the Cross
There’s no greater picture of forgiveness than the cross. 

As Jesus hung there, suffering for our sins, He spoke words that still shake me to the core (Luke 23:34):

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"
If Jesus could extend that kind of mercy in His darkest moment, what does that mean for us in our everyday lives—especially in marriage and motherhood?

Forgiveness is hard. When your husband says something hurtful, when your kids push every button you have, when a friend disappoints or hurts you—it’s easy to hold onto resentment.

But sweet friend, withholding forgiveness, hanging on to that resentment and the bitterness that results, only keeps you in bondage. 

Jesus didn’t just forgive to be nice; He forgave to set us free. And He calls us to do the same.

In marriage, forgiveness is crucial. 

Regardless of how wonderful your husband may be, he will mess up—just like you do. 

Choosing to forgive, rather than keeping score, creates an environment of grace where love can thrive. 

A practical step? Instead of rehashing past wrongs, choose to focus on solutions and moving forward together.

I know what you might be thinking: "What if he just keeps doing the same thing over and over again?"

That's an entirely different topic, but let's touch on it real quick. 

If it's a true sin issue where he is unrepentant, like looking at porn, cheating, getting drunk every night, abuse, or other things that are clear-cut sins, I would encourage you to seek wise, godly, biblical counseling. There are different nuances within each of those issues that go deeper than I can discuss in a blog post. 

If it's a personal conviction - or even just personal preference - issue where you don't want him to do something (or TO do something) that he doesn't keep up, I would encourage you to seek God and ask if this is a situation where He is asking YOU to change. Your husband's convictions will likely be different from your own on many topics. You may feel convicted about living a clean, toxin free lifestyle; he may not feel convicted to prioritize that. 

Listen, I will be real with you and say this one is a STRUGGLE for me. While it doesn't necessarily require me to forgive my husband, it DOES require me to continue treating him with respect, honor, and love, despite any aggravation I may feel because he's not doing the things I feel convicted that he should be doing. 

If you're experiencing anything like that, please reach out to me - I would be honored to walk through this with you and offer any biblical wisdom or godly counsel that I am able.

As moms, we can also model forgiveness for our children.

When they see you forgive quickly and extend grace, they learn to do the same. 

A simple way to practice this is by apologizing when you lose our temper or forget to follow through on something, showing them that grace isn’t just something you talk about—it’s something you live.

This also gives them an opportunity to practice forgiveness themselves. 

And I can hear another question you might be asking: what if the other person hasn't asked for forgiveness?

Romans 5:8 tells us:

"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
You didn't ask for forgiveness before Christ gave His life for you.

There are so many others who have been offered forgiveness in Christ that have not asked for His forgiveness - yet it is still extended, available to them, offered freely. 

The forgiveness you give FREES YOU from bitterness, resentment, anxiety, anger, and the actual physical manifestations of those things that can wreak havoc on your body and ruin your ability to live out God's will for you. 

Let's deal with another question: does forgiveness require me to reconcile?

If the other person is unrepentant in their sin, and maintaining a relationship with them puts you in a situation that is dangerous (emotionally, physically, spiritually), then NO - you are not required to reconcile. Reconciliation takes two people works towards a shared goal of unity in the relationship. 

If the other person is repentant and actively desiring reconciliation, and you see fruit of the repentance in their life indicating that a relationship with them could be safe, then I would encourage you to prayerfully consider reconciling with them. Depending on the severity of the sin committed against you, this is absolutely something you will need to seek God's guidance in. 

The cross teaches us that forgiveness is powerful. It breaks chains, heals wounds, and brings peace. 

As a response to our Easter celebration two weeks ago, focusing on Christ's resurrection, let’s ask God to soften our hearts and help us walk in the freedom that comes with forgiving as we have been forgiven.

 
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This is my story!

 
As a Christian, it can be embarrassing to admit I've been married three times. 

As a woman who feels called to teach about marriage and submission, it can be almost unthinkable that God would put this on my heart after two failed marriages.

But God often uses the broken to accomplish His purposes - and He does not clothe us in shame, but in righteousness.

I have lived the life of the controlling wife. I have lived the life of the controlled wife

Neither brings the blessings God has for marriage.

Through my mistakes and failures, I've learned what submission is, and what it is not.

I am learning and growing every day in my role as a biblically submissive wife, a bonus mom, and a homemaker who cares for her home and family in joyful wellness!

Join me on my journey as I share some of my lessons, tips, and ideas to equip you to live in joyful submission and wellness!

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