I can still remember the moment sitting on my living room couch like it was yesterday. The moment when it finally hit me...
"I think God wants me to encourage other moms like me."
How Meantime Mom Came to Be
It had been a hellish couple of years for me. Ones fraught with many a tear, and many a "why is this happening to me?" and "where are you, God?". But finally, mercifully, God intervened.
He met me in my dispair, questions, and storm-tossed faith, and He comforted me. He spoke life to me. He picked me up, dusted me off, and sent me on a mission.
"You're not the only one." He told me. "My daughters are hurting and struggling, just like you. I see them, and I want you to encourage and comfort them - just as I have encouraged and comforted you."
That was just over four years ago. Since then, the Lord has opened the door for me to write and published book, host a podcast (coming soon!), and launch my own personal platform to minister to struggling & suffering Christian moms - Meantime Mom.
And let me be the first to tell you, it's not because of me - it's because of Him.
Because He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6).
Because He longs to comfort His children, and shelter them under His wings like a hen shelters her chicks (Matt 23:37).
And because not a sparrow falls that He doesn't notice, just as not a tear of yours falls that He doesn't treasure (Matt 10:29-31).
It is my prayer that you find solice here. Encouragement. Strengthening. Affirmation. Comfort. Comradery. And all the fullness of power and life that God offers us through His Spirit. Amen!
Eph 3:14-19 (ESV)
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Encourage
Once we feel seen, understood, and valued, then comes time for encouragement. "You can do this!" "We've got your back!" Know that we are some of your biggest fans and will be cheering you on each step of the way.
Equip
Not only do we want to feel seen and cheered-for, we also want you to feel equipped with tangible tools for healing, health, and success. Help yourself to what we have to offer now, and stay tuned for what's coming soon!
Empathize
Sometimes, what we really need most when we're suffering isn't solutions - it's someone to sit with us and cry. Some of the most healing balm is simply knowing that someone else understands and cares. And rest assured, we do.
It is our goal to come alongside you in the following ways
Our Mission
No. 3
No. 2
No. 1
Our Approach
Here at Meantime Mom, we have a three main tools we use to carry out our mission to empathize with, encourage and equip you:
#3: Science
God created every part of us - body, soul, and spirit - and each part influences the others. Utilizing recent breakthoughs in areas of research such as neuroscience, Attachment Theory, Cognative Behavior Therapy, and more, we can gain valuable insights into where breakdowns in our created-selves happen, and how to fix them.
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." - Ps 139:13 (ESV)
#1: Scripture
It is our firm belief that in order for a Christian mom to thrive in her calling, it is imparitive that her life be built on and refueled by the infallable, living Word of God!
"But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."'" - Matt 4:4 (ESV)
#2: Stories
"And they have conquered [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." - Rev 12:11a (ESV)
Our personal stories are meaningful. And powerful! It is our philosophy that sharing authetically about our struggles, strengths, wins, and losses - all in light of God's faithfulness in the midst of them - serves to bring glory to God, silence the enemy, and build up the Church.
Our Vision
These useful tools of Scripture, stories, and science not only enable us to carry out our mission, they also help usher in our threefold vision:
Harmonious Habits
Around here, we're not about quick-fixes or surface-level results. We want long-lasting effects and heart-penitrating change. We're in this for the long haul! Part of what that looks like is in establishing sustainable habits - i.e. repititious practices that become a regular part of daily life. And again, we're not just after habits that only check one box. We want your life to be filled with life-giving habits that minister to the whole you, the whole family, and your whole collection of different life spheres. Hence, harmonious habits.
Honest Healing
The ultimate goal is to get you to soar, but first, we've got to get you back to ground zero. And that's not a bad thing! It's the reality of the situation, and that's OK. Being honest about where you're at is a critical step. It may not feel like it, but healing IS productive, and a very important and meaningful part of getting you on the road to thriving.
Holistic Health
Remember how I mentioned that God created all of us - body, soul, and spirit? Our goal is not just to check some of the boxes, we want ALL of you to experience wellness. Most people when they hear "holistic health" think of whole foods and natural oils. And those things are good. But in our context, we'll use the term "holistic health" to mean whole-you-health - body, soul, mind, and spirit.
Our DNA
"But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift...to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature [womanhood], to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..." - Eph 4:7,12-13 (ESV)
Sisterhood
Comfort
Faith
These key values are woven into the fabric of who we are at Meantime Mom
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Fathr of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we oursleves are comfortd by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." - 2 Cor 1:3-5 (ESV)
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." - Col 2:6-7 (ESV)
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." - Heb 11:1 (ESV)
"Where words fail, music speaks."
Hans Christian Andersen
A little secret about me (Kristen), music is a HUGE part of my life. It has been ever since the day I was born. You'll even find references to various songs in several chapters of my book.
One of the primary ways I connect with God is through song. Praying through the creation of Meantime Mom was no exception.
At one of the most formative decision-making points in the development process, the song you'll find below just "happened" to start playing on my Spotify playlist. It was not only instrumental in our name, but also a much-needed confirmation from the Lord.
I cry every time I listen to it. Every time. I hope it blesses you too!
Ever In-Between
God may transcend time, but we do not. We only ever exist at the present moment. We're not in the past, and we're not in the future - we are only right now. Paradoxically, we are on a constant continuum of transitioning between the "was" and the "will be". Our lives, and our children, are always changing. Just as we "get the hang of" one developmental stage, our child enters a new one. It's this ever-changing progression of motherhood - and mixed bag of emotional, mental, and spiritual states therein - that can often leave us feeling in a state of "in-between".
Already, Not Yet
Our generation lives in a unique spiritual era: post-Christ's first coming, but pre-Christ's second coming; post-salvation, but pre-perfection; post-Christ's victory over sin & death, but pre-Christ's ultimate victory over Satan & the curse. The Kingdom of God has partially, not fully, come. We have the Spirit of God living in us, but also have our sinful nature that likes to rear its ugly head. The nuances of the age in which we're living leads to some complicated eccentricities for us as believers.
Sanctification
We're all works-in-progress. Our Heavenly Father is using every test, trial, and life experience to shape us ever more into the image of His Son, Jesus. We won't fully "arrive" at perfection this side of heaven, but when we do get to those pearly gates, we'll be a masterpiece-made-perfect.
