Life Lessons for Single Moms
Emerge, Vol. 1
In this Life Lesson Series, you’ll discover fresh encouragement to flourish as a single mom in your roles as the cook, taxi driver, homework monitor, and more! You’ll gain practical insight and godly wisdom from eight single-parent experts through pertinent topics relevant to your life.
As a single mom, you will emerge from this study more equipped with the onslaught of responsibilities and challenges. It’s a perfect set in leading you toward emotional wholeness: biblically sound, applicable, and loaded with hope. Looking for an action-packed kit for raising children alone? This is it!
Session 1: Knowing Your Identity in Christ
Do you ever feel lost as a mom amidst your onslaught of responsibilities? Activating your identity in Christ is key to emerging into a wholesome woman of God with a sense of significance and purpose. However, many single mothers don’t connect their truest value to what God says about them. In this lesson, you’ll discover three foundational truths that enable single mothers to grasp the Father’s unconditional love. Every single mother will leave this session empowered with fresh faith in her worth as a person, parent, and possession of God. You’re not who you think you are… You’re much, much MORE!
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Pam Kanaly, National Mother of Achievement in Washington, DC – 2015, and Edmond Woman of the Year – 2015, thrives as a national speaker and presenter of God’s Word. Serving as the co-founder of the national single mothers’ conference, Survive ‘N’ Thrive, Pam shares the love of Christ with thousands of single mothers across America. She’s the author of Will the Real Me Please Stand Up (knowing your identity in Christ), and Amazon’s best seller, The Single Mom and Her Rollercoaster Emotions. She’s appeared on the national programs 700 Club, God Answers Prayer, and more. Pam’s passionate about mothers rising to their highest God-given calling.
Session 2: Staying Strong in the Trenches
Do you ever feel lost as a mom amidst your onslaught of responsibilities? Activating your identity in Christ is key to emerging into a wholesome woman of God with a sense of significance and purpose. However, many single mothers don’t connect their truest value to what God says about them. In this lesson, you’ll discover three foundational truths that enable single mothers to grasp the Father’s unconditional love. Every single mother will leave this session empowered with fresh faith in her worth as a person, parent, and possession of God. You’re not who you think you are… You’re much, much MORE!
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Chiquita Nolan knows the walk of a single parent from experience. She was married 22 years, and after 6 separations and 2 divorces – all with the same man – she finally had the strength to leave a domestic violent relationship and move forward. God has blessed her with three beautiful children, two girls and a boy, all of which are now grown. As an ordained minister and certified Christian counselor, Chiquita is a sought after speaker conducting revivals, workshops, and conferences across America. God uses her in various ways of ministry including being a gospel recording artist, song writer, playwright, and author. She thrives on helping others find their purpose.
Session 3: Practical Parenting Techniques — Creating a More Peaceful Home
As a single mother, it can be difficult to know how to best parent your child. The world’s view of parenting and discipline is often very different compared to Biblical truths. Hebrews 12:11(NIV) says, “ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” If you are looking for practical ways to provide discipline that will bring peace to your family, this study is for you!
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Amber Given has been working in the social services field since 1996 when she graduated from Kansas State University. In June of 1999, she earned her Master’s Degree in Community Counseling and became a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Oklahoma. God brought great restoration and healing after being raised in a chaotic home. He purposed her life to advocate for children in foster care and to teach positive parenting skills. In 2009 she and her husband became foster parents and eventually adopted a child who is now fifteen. She currently serves as executive director and counselor at Infant Parent Intervention Center.
Session 4: What about dating?
There is a lot to consider on the subject of dating, particularly for a single mom. Similar to all areas of our life, dating gives us an opportunity to model to our children God’s ways over the world’s ways. Why would you want to date? When is a good time to start dating? What is the difference between dating and courtship? Learning God’s perspective on right relationships will guide you to blessings and fulfillment you weren’t sure even existed!
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Heather McFarland was a former single mom for 7 years. Her journey as a single mom began rearing her 2 daughters and special needs son, who were 5 months, 3, and 5. She believes God has prepared her through many trials to send a message of hope that “no experience is wasted.” This makes her very passionate about enriching women’s lives, especially single moms. She celebrates 22 years of success in leadership and mentoring women as a Sales Director with Mary Kay and a Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. Heather is remarried and currently lives in Edmond in a blended family of 6 children.
Session 5: Forgiveness
Everyone knows we’re supposed to forgive, but who teaches us how? How do you deal with the challenges of raising children alone or forget the mangled mess of a nasty divorce? How do you handle unpaid child support, custody battles or the “other woman” without blowing your top? Most often our propensity to bitterness is due to false beliefs we hold about adversity and what it means to forgive and forget. In this session you will discover key truths to overlooking offenses so that you can live free from the bondage of bitterness.
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Christy Johnson, an award-winning writer, life coach and soul-health advocate, is passionate about imparting hope to women and encouraging them to see the beauty on the other side of brokenness. Her captivating testimony about how Christ redeemed her addiction to love and helped her forgive the offender who was responsible for her son’s death will inspire you to walk in forgiveness. Christy’s book, Love Junkies, Seven Steps for Breaking the Toxic Relationship Cycle, will be released in March 2014. She also self-publishes an inspiring bi-monthly column. Visit her at christyjohnson.org.
Session 6: Spiritually Training Your Children
In our role as a parent, our most important responsibility is to lead our children to the heart of God. Sometimes that can seem a bit intimidating and overwhelming. Where do we start? How do we do it? In this session, you’ll gain insight into nurturing a child’s spiritual development – at any age. Learn practical ways to connect the reality of the world in which we live with the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Discover four key thoughts that will empower you to make the most of every opportunity to share biblical principles that will leave a lasting impression on children.
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Kim Heinecke is a former single mother and uses her personal testimony of God’s provision, healing and restoration to encourage others in their journey of raising children alone. She is passionate about bringing the Word of God into the lives of her children in easy, practical ways that connect God’s truth to the reality of their world. With humor and personal experience, Kim challenges her audience to be intentional in the spiritual development of children. She is on staff with Arise Ministries and teaches at the annual single mother’s conference. She leads a Bible study for single mothers at her church and enjoys speaking to women’s groups. Kim and her husband live in Edmond where they are raising four sons to be followers of Christ.
Session 7: Time Management for Single Moms
Only two hands, only 24 hours in a day, and the “to-do” list just gets longer! Let’s take a deep, prayerful breath and start with a new approach. You have – and you are – everything you need to stop the frantic pace, the feeling of being overwhelmed, and the guilt that strangles you. In this session you will learn ten tips to get time back on your side, avoid time-stealing traps, establish priorities and gain permission to just let some things go. Embrace the lovely, confident woman He created you to be with this family-friendly, scripturally-based time-management strategy!
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Beth Brown, a former director of music and Christian education, currently serves as the Vice President for one of the nation’s largest Christian charitable foundations. Beth is known nationally for her presentations and work with Christian non-profits. But her greatest love is speaking to and working with women, youth and young families. Her own experience as a former single mom fuels her passion to help families chart a purposeful way forward by discovering and developing their divine God-given gifts. She is a highly-sought presenter for events and conferences addressing a broad range of topics such as raising godly children, time management, budgets for young families, and families living in fullness. She and her husband live in Norman, Oklahoma and are the parents of three grown sons and two grandsons.
Session 8: Hearing From God
TVs blaring, cell phones vibrating, deadlines, and dead ends. Is it possible that God is speaking to you in the midst of the frenzy? What is He saying? How can you hear Him? For many Christians today, life has become so noisy that its events drown out the voice of God. Instead of His voice, what is heard is one’s own voice devising worldly reasoning instead of God’s voice revealing divine wisdom. This session will teach you practical ways to turn down the volume of the world so you can truly hear the voice of God. He is speaking, let us listen!
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Alice Richardson, a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University and Trinity Biblical College, serves as the Assistant to the Pastor at Prospect Church. Raised by a phenomenal single mother, Alice exceled at athletics and developed into a college athlete, coach, and Division 1 basketball official. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Air Force Reserves after 25 years of service to our country. Alice has a passion for supporting single moms and their children through her volunteer service to help house, feed, and educate underprivileged youth. She travels nationally and internationally encouraging women to be transformed in their thinking and to live in the promises of God by faith. Alice has two children and lives in OKC with her husband.