As women, we often are overwhelmed by the demands and circumstances of life, resulting in stress, fear, worry, impatience, fatigue, frustration, and even depression. The truth is that we were created to be overwhelmed . . . not by life but by God! When we learn to be overwhelmed by God, the fruit in our lives goes from rotten to fragrant—filling our days with peace, hope, love, and joy. In this six-week Bible study, Hayley DiMarco walks us through the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who knew what it was like to be overwhelmed. As we explore Mary’s life—from the news that she would give birth to God’s Son to the day she witnessed his tragic death on the cross—we find ourselves on a journey from overwhelming joy to overwhelming sorrow and back again, learning along the way how to be consumed with the mission of God rather than the “mission of me.” Each week begins with an in-depth exploration of a part of Mary’s story, with the remaining days providing practical and biblical application related to a particular aspect of life that can make us feel overwhelmed. As we dig into Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, Hayley shows us how to find freedom by becoming overwhelmed instead with who God is—learning to “treasure in our hearts” what we know about God so that we can hold onto faith even when it seems that all is lost. Get ready to discover how to experience the overwhelming grace and love of God! The participant workbook includes five days of lessons for each week, combining stories from Hayley, study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer. Available components for the study, each available separately, include a Participant Workbook with five days of lessons per week, Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions (with closed captioning), and boxed Leader Kit containing one of each component.

As women, we often are overwhelmed by the demands and circumstances of life, resulting in stress, fear, worry, impatience, fatigue, frustration, and even depression. The truth is that we were created to be overwhelmed . . . not by life but by God! When we learn to be overwhelmed by God, the fruit in our lives goes from rotten to fragrant—filling our days with peace, hope, love, and joy. In this six-week Bible study, Hayley DiMarco walks us through the story of Mary, Jesus’ mother, who knew what it was like to be overwhelmed. As we explore Mary’s life—from the news that she would give birth to God’s Son to the day she witnessed his tragic death on the cross—we find ourselves on a journey from overwhelming joy to overwhelming sorrow and back again, learning along the way how to be consumed with the mission of God rather than the “mission of me.” Each week explores a part of Mary’s story along with practical and biblical application related to a particular aspect of life that can make us feel overwhelmed. As we dig into Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, Hayley shows us how to find freedom by becoming overwhelmed instead with who God is—learning to “treasure in our hearts” what we know about God so that we can hold onto faith even when it seems that all is lost. Get ready to discover how to have an amazingly overwhelming relationship with God! The Leader Guide contains six session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more—plus leader helps for facilitating a group. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit.

"A Woman Overwhelmed" is a phrase with which many women can relate. But what would happen if we could see the insanity in our pace and embrace our overwhelming God? There is a reason they say that a woman’s work is never done— because it isn’t! As women, we often are overwhelmed by the demands and circumstances of life, resulting in stress, fear, worry, impatience, fatigue, frustration, and even depression. The truth is that we were created to be overwhelmed . . . not by life but by God! When we learn to be overwhelmed by God, the fruit in our lives goes from rotten to fragrant—filling our days with peace, hope, love, and joy. In A Woman Overwhelmed, best-selling author Hayley DiMarco shares biblical insights and personal stories to offer a glimpse at the comedy of an overwhelmed life while encouraging us to discover the depths and heights of God’s love and power. Be empowered to find freedom in becoming overwhelmed with who God is—by learning to focus on what we know about God so that we can hold onto faith even when it seems that all is lost. For it is when an overwhelmed woman gives up the mission of me and exchanges it for the mission of God that being overwhelmed becomes a good thing. Choose to bask in the abundance of the Father instead of the abundance of life as his unfathomable depths can surely replace our fathomable messes.

Walking in Faith...even when times are tough. In Thrive, author and teacher Jen Cowart helps women develop the habits and attitudes necessary to thrive, whatever their circumstances. Leading readers through the Book of James, a letter written about enduring hardships, she lifts up six characteristics of mature Christians. From endurance and humility to controlling our words, Jen helps participants find the divine and the practical in living faithfully. Jen’s teaching has inspired thousands of women across the country. Her authenticity inspires others to open their hearts and minds. One reviewer wrote, “Her ‘realness’ and her vulnerability just work together to open your heart to dig deeper and deeper.” Through this study, women will find inspiration and tools around six traits: Endurance – Embracing obstacles as a means to maturity. Wisdom – Using a heavenly perspective on earthly issues. Action – Living a life where actions match faith. Control – Taming the tongue. Humility – Developing the attitude of Christ. Prayer – Exercising the power tool of the faith. Additional components for this six-week Bible study, each available separately, are a Leader Guide and six video sessions, 8 to 13 minutes long (with closed captioning).

Lessons from Naomi in the Book of Ruth. Few things make us feel as helpless as living with a story we don’t like. Maybe one that involves the loss of a loved one, an unwanted transition, a difficult diagnosis, or a dream that fell through. At one time or another, we all deal with disappointments and feelings that life is unfair or that we are being punished. In Renewed, a four-week study of the Book of Ruth, women glean wisdom from Naomi’s perspective, a woman who lived a story she didn’t choose or like. Forced to chart a new path as she mourned the loss of her husband and two sons, Naomi learned that the journey from bitterness to renewed hope and joy was rooted in God’s promise of redemption. With insight from her own journey of living with a story that is not easy, Heather teaches women to flourish even as they live hard stories through a willingness to trust that God can transform them and trade their heartache for hope. They will learn to rely on God’s movement in the details of their story, even when it can’t be seen, gain confidence to act in the part of their stories that they can change, and watch expectantly for God to redeem the parts they can’t. Components for this four-week Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook with Leader Helps and a DVD with four 20 to 25-minute segments (with closed captioning).

Something in us aches for more—more hope, more joy, more freedom. All around us people are dancing to the steps of bigger, better, and faster, and we can easily join in without even realizing it. Before long complaining and comparing accompany our desire for more, yet we’re not any closer to filling the ache inside. God offers us another way. In this study of the Book of Numbers, we’ll find a group of people that wandered in the desert for forty years, unable to enter the Promised Land because of their complaining, grumbling, and lack of faith. The New Testament tells us that their story was written to warn us (1 Corinthians 10:6) so that we would not make the same mistakes and suffer the same consequences. God sent his only Son to die to buy our freedom from the sin that leads to discontentment, and we find our own promised land of peace and contentment in the life he gives us. By exploring Numbers we can come to identify the reasons for our complaining, learn contentment while being authentic about the difficulties of life, accept short-term hardship in light of the greater good of God’s ultimate deliverance, recognize the relationship between complaining and worry, and discover how to realign with God’s character and promises. Together we will learn contentment as we discover more of our incredible God who truly is more than enough. Only God can fill that ache inside and help us focus on his provision and purpose in the midst of life’s joys and pains. The participant workbook includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).

From the time we’re little girls, we long to be loved and accepted—from the playground to the lunchroom to the places where we live and work as grown women. We do our best to prove we’re lovable and to avoid being left all alone. But the truth is that it’s impossible to walk through life without experiencing the pain and loneliness of betrayal, shame, guilt, loss, judgment, or rejection. These wounds can shape our views of ourselves, others, and God and even make us question if we are worthy of love and acceptance. Whether old or new, our heartache can convince us there’s no one who understands or cares. Yet Jesus tells us a different story, promising us that we are never alone. In this six-week study, Tiffany Bluhm reveals the depth and healing power of Jesus’ unconditional love for us through a refreshing look at encounters He had with six shame-filled, hurting women in the Gospels: the woman caught in adultery, the hemorrhaging woman, the woman at the well, the woman who anointed Him, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each life-changing encounter reveals a compassionate Redeemer who offers hope, second chances, and grace-giving love—helping us to recognize and embrace our own incredible value as well as our indispensable role in the Kingdom. With powerful teaching and authentic sharing from her own life and the lives of others, Tiffany invites us to find healing for our deepest hurts as we experience the unfailing companionship of Jesus—the Rescuer and Redeemer of broken lives and wounded hearts. The participant workbook includes 5 lessons for each week with space for recording reflections and answers. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).