Karen Ehman

Refresh yourself in Jesus and drink deeply of His presence so that you are ready to pour out love, time, and energy into the people who matter most to you. Kids bickering? Schedule jam-packed? Dishes and laundry both piled up high? Perhaps it's time you pressed pause and took a moment for yourself. Pressing Pause offers you a calm way to start your day. Whether you're juggling a career, kids' schedules, and church commitments or you're covered in spit-up and anxious about what the next 18 years might hold, you can carve out a few quiet moments to rejuvenate your spirit. With these 100 encouraging devotions, moms will:Begin each day with ScriptureDraw on God's powers by discovering His WordLearn practical ways to love and serve Pressing Pause is perfect for:Any mother wanting to approach each day with a positive mindset and develop a closer relationship with GodMotivational gifts, birthdays, Mother's Day, or ChristmasMoms, ages 25-50 Just a few minutes each day can help you center your heart and mind on what God has for you as His beloved daughter. So, resist the rush. Halt the hustle. Press pause and find some calm in the chaos.

Moms have been hoodwinked—tricked into believing lies that keep them from not only enjoying motherhood, but forging friendships with other moms who might tackle the tasks of motherhood differently. Myths such as “Mothering is natural, easy, and instinctive” cause moms to feel like failures if they have questions or apprehensions in raising their kids. Operating from the premise that “The way I mother is the right (and only) way” puts up fences between moms instead of building bridges of encouragement between them. Lies such as “I am my child’s choices” tempt moms to mistakenly believe that if their child makes a wrong choice then they, in turn, must be a bad mom. In their encouraging “we’ve been there” style, Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk enable mothers to:Identify the ten myths of motherhood our current culture perpetuatesReplace the lies with the truth of what God says in the Bible about motheringAcquire practical tools to help them form new and improved thought patterns and healthy behaviorsForge healthy, supportive relationships with other moms of all ages and stagesConfidently embrace the calling of motherhood as they care for their families in their own unique way A six-session video Bible study for group or individual use is also available.

Mothers will find a fresh new vision for an age-old calling as they tackle the challenges and embrace the blessings of motherhood, instead of being taken in by the myths and "Mommy Wars." Because of culture, family, friends, or lack of biblical teaching, today's wives and mothers are easily hoodwinked by a set of myths that have grown up around motherhood. Myths like:"Mothering is natural, easy, and instinctive.""The way I mother is the right (and only) way.""My parenting is only as good as my child's choices.""Serving my family is a subservient and antiquated role." All these lies are not only damaging to you and your family, but they are also opposed to the teachings and wisdom of the Bible. In this six-session video-based study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Bible teachers and experienced mothers Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk have teamed up to encourage and inspire women to embrace their roles as mothers wholeheartedly yet realistically, whether they work outside the home, have a home business, or are stay-at-home moms. Throughout this study, you and your mom's group will be introduced to a healthier, more biblical vision of motherhood and learn realistic and attainable tips for parenting well and thriving as an individual. Sessions include:Build Bridges, Not Fences: When Others Mother DifferentlyMothering Matters: Seeing the Hard Years as the Heart YearsAt the Top of the Tightrope: When You Try to Do It AllPressing the Pause Button: Taking Your Schedule from Racing to RestIn Armor of Their Own: On Revealing the Picture God's PaintingRaising Children on Your Knees: When Your Child Makes a Bad ChoiceStudy guide includes a bonus session (“No More Hoodwinked Moms”), ideas for building mom bridges, recipes, minute-long mom pep talks, and Scripture memory verses. Designed for use with the Hoodwinked Video Study (sold separately).

MORE THAN 100,000 COPIES SOLD! Have you ever said something you wished you could take back? The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue and the kind of power it has. In his New Testament letter, James tells us that it can corrupt the whole body. The book of Proverbs claims that "death and life are in the power of the tongue." Biblical, encouraging, and humorous, New York Times bestselling author Karen Ehman will help you:Learn the essential practice of using your words more constructively. Understand what God has to say about our tongues and how we should use them. See how your words have power—whether it's in private, in public, online, or in prayer. Gain practical insights into breaking habits of gossip, flattery, verbal retaliation, and people-pleasing. Keep It Shut explores the hows (and how-not-tos) of dealing with our own words (and our silences), so that you can reduce regret and relational tension and deepen your relationship with God, the one true Word. Also available: Keep It Shut small group video study and study guide.

What to say and how to say it. What not to say. When it's best to remain silent. What to do when you've said something you wish you could take back. . . In this study, you'll take a personal tour through the hows (and how-not-tos) of dealing with the tongue. The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue and what kind of power it has. James tells us that it can corrupt the whole body and that it can't be tamed. The book of Proverbs claims that "death and life are in the power of the tongue." This 6-session video Bible study (DVD/streaming video sold separately) is designed to offer hope for all of us who struggle with the way we've used our words and practical wisdom for getting our tongues under control. Biblical, encouraging, and kind, New York Times bestselling author Karen Ehman will help you:Learn the essential practice of using our words (and our mannerisms!) more constructively. Understand what God has to say about our tongues by studying verses and figures from Scripture. Discern what far-reaching effects our speech has—whether it's in private, in public, online, or in prayer. Gain practical insights into breaking habits of gossip, flattery, verbal retaliation, and people-pleasing. Most of us have been affected by the heartache and injury that words can cause, not only in family relationships, but also in friendships, work, and church settings. This is your guidebook to fully realizing the power of the tongue and how to use your words in the service of truth and love. Sessions include:Sparks, Squabbles, Spats, and Such: Our Words MatterOn Filling Gaps and Zipping Lips: Listen to Others, Talk to GodOpinion-Slinging and Salty Speech: Assessing Our Digital TonguesGossip, Flattery, and People-Pleasing: How to Speak the Truth in LovePause Before You Pounce: On Cultivating Soft SpeechAs Sweet as Honey: Wonderful Ways to Use Your WordsDesigned for use with the Keep It Shut Video Study 9780310819417 (sold separately).

From Bible times to modern times women have struggled with their words: what to say and how to say it. What not to say. When it is best to remain silent. Or what to do when you’ve said something you wish you could now take back. Beyond just a “How not to gossip” study, Karen will teach what the Bible says about the many ways we are to use our words and the times when we are to remain silent. Using our speech to interact with friends, co-workers, family and strangers will be covered along with the many places we use our words such as in private, in public, online and in prayer. Even the words we say silently to ourselves. Unsolicited opinion-slinging, speaking the truth in love, not saying words just to people-please and dealing with our verbal anger are sub-topics that will also be addressed. Each session will feature a different character from the Bible, using them either as an example of someone to emulate or whose verbal actions we should avoid replicating. Sessions include:Sparks, Squabbles, Spats, and Such: Our Words Matter (19:00)On Filling Gaps and Zipping Lips: Listen to Others, Talk to God (18:00)Opinion-Slinging and Salty Speech: Assessing Our Digital Tongues (22:00)Gossip, Flattery, and People-Pleasing: How to Speak the Truth in Love (22:00)Pause Before You Pounce: On Cultivating Soft Speech (23:00)As Sweet as Honey: Wonderful Ways to Use Your Words (23:00)Designed for use with the Keep It Shut Study Guide 9780310819400 (sold separately).

In this six-session women’s small group Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Karen Ehman provides practical, biblically based steps for letting go of the need to control. Let’s face it: many women are wired to control. We make sure that the house is clean, the meals are prepared on time, the beds are made, the children are dressed, and everyone gets to work, school, and other activities on time. And trying to control it all is not only exhausting, but can also cause us to lose friends and sometimes, the affection of our families. It can earn wives and mothers the label of control freak and send those within our sphere of influence packing. In this humorous, yet thought-provoking small group Bible study you’ll find the freedom and reward of living “out of control” – putting God in the rightful place he deserves in your life. Armed with relevant biblical and current examples (both to emulate and to avoid), doable ideas, new thought patterns, and practical tools to implement, this study will gently lead you out of the land of over-control and into a place of quiet trust. Sessions include:God Called and He’d Like His Job BackCombating the “Me First” MentalityPursuing the Appearance of PerfectionPracticing the Art of Soul ControlWhen Comparisons Lead to Over-ControlFixing Your Eyes on the Attitude IndicatorDesigned for use with the Let. It. Go. Video Study (sold separately).

The thought of hosting a dinner party or even having a friend over for coffee is enough to give some women flashbacks of lopsided cakes or doomed casseroles from home economics class. But opening up your home to others doesn't have to be fancy or frightening or cost a fortune, says Karen Ehman. In A Life That Says Welcome, she offers a practical, painless (no crafting or cooking aptitude required) course on hospitality. It helps busy women open up their hearts in order to open up their homes. Full of tips, ideas, recipes, to-dos, and how-tos, A Life That Says Welcome shows readers that opening up their homes is less scary and less work than they might think.