Moms at the Well - (IVP Bible Study Experience) by Tara Edelschick & Kathy Tuan-MacLean (Paperback)

About the Book

Motherhood is hard. Really hard. That's why we need a well. For centuries, neighborhood wells served as gathering spaces that provided community and relationships for women. This seven-week Bible study offers a modern day "well" for mothers to gather and experience the God who invites us into a process of spiritual transformation.

Book Synopsis

Motherhood is hard. Really hard. That's why we need a well. For centuries, neighborhood wells served as gathering spaces that provided community and relationships for women. This seven-week Bible study offers a modern day "well" for mothers to gather and experience the God who invites us into a process of spiritual transformation.

Review Quotes

"Moms at the Well has wisdom that is tested in the world, refined by everyday real-life pressures, and crafted into this helpful resource. Thoughtfully and with reliable insights, the authors developed a study that truly meets parents in their deepest questions. The advice is simple and practical-dinnertime questions that help me connect my faith to my kids or applications of sabbath for different ages. The book works (judgment free) for busy parents navigating complicated time-I highly recommend Moms at the Well."

"Moms at the Well lives up to its name. Here we find cool, refreshing wisdom and encouragement for mothers everywhere. These devotions are richly researched, raw, and revelatory. They beckon us as moms to freshly encounter Christ, experience healing, and flourish right where we are."

"As I began to read Moms at the Well, I was hooked by the introduction! I teach a women's Bible study with lots of young mothers, and I look forward to gifting each of them with a copy of this book! Moms today experience a loneliness and a sense of helplessness that this delightfully honest book recognizes. Based on Scripture and made readable and interactive by design, this book reads like fresh water for thirsty moms!"

"I have had the privilege of learning from Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean firsthand, witnessing how their tremendous wisdom flows out of more than two decades of deep community and rich spiritual practices. Moms at the Well is a rare gem that combines profound biblical insight, practical tools, and emotional depth. Best of all, it shows you how to engage the hard, holy work of parenting in community with others."

"In Moms at the Well, Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean offer an honest, practical, thoughtful, and life-seasoned study of mothers in the Bible who encounter God time and again in a process of persistent and patient spiritual transformation. The invitations to reflect on Scripture and personal experience, to engage in breath prayers, to check in with the Holy Spirit, and to practice family sabbath provide helpful ways to integrate this resource into a personal journey taken alongside others. This book will be much appreciated by mothers who need time at the well to be refreshed, renewed, and transformed."

"Maybe you love books written for moms. Maybe you usually don't like books written for moms. Maybe you often feel as if books for moms are written for some other kind of mom, not you. Whatever kind of mom you are-and even if rather than a mom, you're an aunt, dad, uncle, or friend-this book offers you a wealth of deep, honest engagement with stories from Scripture of ten people (some moms, some childless women, and even a dad) who encounter God's invitation to be transformed by his love."

"Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean unpack motherhood-in all its unnerving, beautiful, transformative, exhausting, and confusing aspects-under the warm glow of gospel light. The truths are salient, practical, and delivered with a kind transparency that stands in stark contrast to the ways social media and the culture might afflict 'maternal norms' on women. If you feel inadequate raising your children, if you feel like a failure, if you feel like your kids deserve more than you have to offer, Moms at the Well is a balm of encouragement that can transform the way you see yourself, your family, and your loving God."

"This book is a remarkable resource for moms, but its fundamental focus on spiritual formation is relevant for everyone. It illuminates how the loving hand of God can shape and refine us through the joys and challenges of parenting. Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean invite us to drink deeply from the well of stories of mothers in the Bible, to reflect on the Holy Spirit's activity in our lives, and to practice spiritual exercises that deepen our connection with God."

"This wise and creative study offers a lifeline for less-than-perfect moms, for those who don't have it all together and struggle with self-doubt, anger, competition, invisibility, need for control, and the like. Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean are vulnerable and transparent, courageously sharing their own failures, heartaches, and fears regarding motherhood. Their study invites us to walk with biblical women who lived with circumstances they did not choose and with wounds they could not heal. Their lives become lenses that open our eyes to ourselves and to the God who comes to be with us. You will be thankful for Moms at the Well."

"To more fully know God, we need community. To be better mothers to our children, we need community. My friends Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean get that, and they want you to get that too. Their new insights into well-known Bible stories beautifully point us to God and encourage our hearts as we walk out being faithful, loving moms. Collect a group of moms you know-whatever their stage of life-and do this study. You will be grateful you did."

About the Author

Kathy Tuan-MacLean (PhD, Northwestern) is the national faculty ministry director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where she invites and resources faculty to follow Jesus together. Since joining InterVarsity in 1990, she has led numerous students and faculty in Bible study, spiritual formation, and leadership development. She is also a spiritual director who has led marriage ministry and women's retreats. Kathy is married to Scott, and they have three young adult children and an overanxious mini labradoodle. To learn more about Kathy and discover additional resources, go to welcomejesuswelcome.com.

Tara Edelschick (EdD, Harvard) is a teacher, a writer, mother of three, and grandmother. For three decades, she has worked as an educator, teaching public high school students in New York, graduate students at Harvard's School of Education, homeschoolers in Massachusetts, and incarcerated men taking college courses through the Emerson Prison Initiative. In her church, you can find her speaking at a women's conference or marriage retreat, teaching Sunday school, gathering mothers for prayer and Bible study, or leading retreats for families. To learn more about Tara and discover additional resources, go to welcomejesuswelcome.com.