Women & Work: Stepping into Kingdom Productivity

Naná Castillo and Claudia Lotti, Co-authors of Toda Mulher Trabalha

Naná Castillo is the creator and mentor of the Filipenses Quatro Oito ministry (Philippians 4:8), which aims to transform the everyday lives of women through the truths of the gospel. She is a speaker, blogger, and co-author of the book Toda Mulher Trabalha (Every Woman Works). She is also a registered nurse with a master’s degree in pediatric nursing and a PhD in health sciences. She taught for years at a university before dedicating herself exclusively to ministry and her family. She lives with her husband and two children in São Paulo, Brazil, where they are members of the Igreja Batista Maranata. You can learn more about her and her ministry at @filipensesquatrooito or reach her at nana@filipensesquatrooito.com.

Claudia Lotti is a medical doctor specializing in neurology and a university professor. She grew up in a Christian home as the daughter of a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. She is a Sunday school teacher at her church and a Bible counselor. She began her public Bible teaching ministry in 2019. Claudia is married to Rinaldo, they have 3 children and live in Brazil.

Follow Naná on Instagram.
Follow Claudia on Instagram.

In this episode, Courtney and Missie asked Naná and Claudia these questions:  
—Claudia, how did God lead you to become a doctor and a professor?
—Nana, how did you transition from pediatric nursing and teaching to founding Filipenses Quatro Oito?
—What is Filipenses Quatro Oito, and how did it begin?
—How did you two meet? 
—What is Christian culture like in Brazil for women and particularly for women working outside the home?
—What did you learn about the Brazilian women who participated in the research you did in your book?
—Chapter 2 in your book is entitled (in English), “Created to Serve.” What is God’s design for women especially as it relates to what we’re called to do?
—What do you say to those who think a woman’s place is solely to bear children and tend to the home? How does the Bible validate women’s work outside the home?
—How do you both manage all of your God-given responsibilities well (serving family, women, patients, students)? 
—How should Christians respond to the frustrating moments in our work?
—How can we work for the glory of God instead of for our own names and recognition or as those striving out of fear?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Toda Mulher Trabalha 
Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work
La Mujer Y El Trabajo: Portadoras de la Imagen de Dios Y Unidas a Su Misión Mediante Nuestro Trabajo
The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference 2024
Nancy Guthrie

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Courtney Doctor, Dir of Women's Initiatives at TGC

Courtney Doctor received an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Director of Women’s Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. She is a Bible teacher and author of From Garden to Glory as well as several Bible studies including In View of God’s Mercies, Behold and Believe, and Remember Your Joy. Courtney and her husband Craig have four children and five beautiful grandchildren.

Follow Courtney on Instagram.
Visit courtneydoctor.org

In this episode, Courtney answered these questions from Courtney Moore and Missie Branch:

—How did God lead you to this point as the Director of Women’s Initiatives at TGC? 
—How would you encourage women trying to discern where God is leading them career-wise? 
—What are some of the difficult things you’ve experienced in ministry to women? How did you overcome those?
—As director, where do you see your gifting and daily tasks align? 
—How does your team decide on each TGC Women’s Conference theme such as “Behold & Believe?”
—For women who are looking to plan and host their own events or conferences, what should they know?
—What does it look like for you to prepare a message or write a curriculum/book? 
—How do you distinguish (or do you?) your own personal time with the Lord vs prep time for teaching/writing?
—How old were you when you published your first book? What should our younger listeners who’d like to publish know?
—How do you balance serving in a parachurch organization which may involve traveling, etc. vs serving in your local church?
—What’s 1 piece of advice you’d leave with women who want to honor God through their vocational calling?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Working Genius Assessment
The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference 2024
Shane & Shane’s “Behold & Believe” Song
Courtney’s TGCW ‘24 Message 

Thank you for listening. Please support our work by giving today and subscribing to our show.

 

Ask Us Anything, Courtney Moore and Missie Branch

Courtney Moore founded the nonprofit organization Women & Work in 2018. She is co-host of the Women & Work Podcast and general editor of Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work (B&H Publishing, 2023). Courtney received her BA in Religious Studies from the University of Mobile and an MA in Biblical Counseling from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is passionate about seeing Jesus Christ honored by women as they steward their gifts and leverage their unique potential for His glory. Courtney, her husband Brent, and their 3 kids now live in Birmingham, Alabama after serving for 5 years in El Paso, Texas.

Missie Branch serves as CEO of My BLVD and is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a degree in Ethics, Theology, and Culture. She is passionate about women seeing themselves as theologians and disciples first. Missie is the author of Guided Prayer Journal for teen girls and is a contributing author to Women & Work and The Whole Woman. She also serves as co-host of the Women & Work Podcast. Missie is married to Duce Branch and together they have four children.

In this episode, Courtney and Missie give life updates and answer these questions from listeners:

— How do you deal with male co-workers presenting your ideas as their own or as new insights they've come up with?
— Outside of treating people with kindness, what practical ways do you suggest bringing your faith into your workplace if you do not work for a Christian company? 
— As a mother who recognizes her first priority is to the family given to her by the Lord, how do you keep in check the balance of raising kids, but also pursuing the passions the Lord has given you?
— What is the Lord revealing to both of you through His Word?
— What are key practical steps that high-capacity women must take to increase their margin?

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Bible in 90 Days: Cover to Cover in 12 Pages a Day 
Wisdom's Call: 100 Meditations for a Life in Christ

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction 
Women & Work Podcast Episode 56: Justin Earley, The Common Rule Book Discussion
Habit Kit app 
Guided Prayer Journal (For Teen Girls) 
The Whole Woman: Ministering to Her Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength 
Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work  

Thank you for listening. Please support our work by giving today.

 

Krystal Wilson, Former Police Officer

Krystal has been blessed to live a life full of experiences. She's a former D1 softball player, saved at age 23, a former police officer, mother of 2 on earth, 1 in heaven and 1 in the womb. She's worked in finances, been an event planner for a Southern Baptist seminary, and is currently a project manager for a pro-life, whole life Christian ministry.

 

In this episode, Krystal shares mostly about her time as a police officer. She discusses:

• What led her to desire this profession
• What police academy was like, especially as a woman
• What a typical day looks like as an officer
• How she viewed her work as a police officer through the lens of the kingdom of God
• How she responds to critiques that women should not serve in this role
• What the average citizen should know about this work

Thank you for listening. If this content is helpful to you as you seek to live out your God-given calling to His glory, purchase Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, or donate today to help us continue to produce more inspiring content!

Whitney Pipkin, Journalist & Author

Whitney K. Pipkin is a journalist and writer living with her husband and three kids in Northern Virginia where they are members of Grace Bible Church. She serves as the written content coordinator for the ministry Women & Work and the author of We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us, releasing February 2024 from Moody Publishing. Find her @WhitneyKPipkin on Instagram and Twitter, and read more of her work at WhitneyKPipkin.com.

In this episode, host Missie Branch and Courtney Moore interview journalist and writer Whitney Pipkin. They discuss the importance of curiosity and hard work in journalism, the role of relationships in the industry, and Whitney's personal experiences with grief and loss. They also cover topics such as the presence of God in difficult times, the process of writing, and the challenges of balancing work and family life.

In this episode, Whitney shares about:

• The importance of curiosity and hard work in journalism
• Building relationships and maintaining connections in the industry
• Her personal experiences with grief and loss
• The process of writing and the role it plays in processing emotions
• Balancing work and family life with three young children

Read more of Whitney's work on the womenwork.net blog, including articles like Why You Need a Hard Stop, How to Think about Work When You Get Overlooked, and (Re)considering the Proverbial Woman.

Whitney's new book, We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us, will be released in February of 2024.

Thank you for listening. If this content is helpful to you as you seek to live out your God-given calling to His glory, purchase Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, or donate today to help us continue to produce more inspiring content!

Caroline Cobb, Singer-Songwriter

Caroline Cobb is a singer-songwriter who before her 30th birthday, set a goal to write a song for every book of the Bible in one year. That year set a new calling into motion: to tell God's Story through music, helping you rehearse it and respond to it as you go about your everyday. 

 

Her latest album, Psalms, released in May of 2023. Before that, A King & His Kindness (2021), zoomed in on Jesus and built on Caroline’s previous Story-telling projects: A Seed, A Sunrise (2019), The Blood + the Breath (2013), and A Home & a Hunger (2017). 

 

Caroline has been featured by Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, and many more, with a Home & a Hunger being named among “The Best Albums of the 2010s Decade” by The Gospel Coalition. Caroline and her husband live in Dallas, TX with their three children Ellie, Harrison, and Libby. Listen to Caroline’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming services. 

 

In this episode, Caroline shares:

• How she began her work in music
• What she loves most about it
• Why storytelling is so important in music and art
• How she was led to focus on the Psalms for her latest album
• Her songwriting process
• Tips for women just starting out 
• How she manages her schedule with work, touring, being a mother

 

Thank you for listening. If this content is helpful to you as you seek to live out your God-given calling to His glory, purchase Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work, or donate today to help us continue to produce more inspiring content!

 

Erica P., Missionary & Widow

Erica P.  is a graduate of Auburn University where she pursued a degree in electrical engineering. During that time, the Lord gave her a passion for Himself and a burden for the nations. He specifically called her to serve amongst East Asia. 

She married her husband David in 2002 and joined the International Mission Board in 2004 with plans to serve an unreached people group in East Asia. David and Erica, along with their three children, served this people group for 16 years before being forced to leave due to security issues in March of 2020. Little did they know that the Lord would use this to prepare Erica for the loss of David suddenly and unexpectedly in October 2020. 

 

Since then, the Lord has also continued to place the call of international missions on Erica’s heart and reminded her that though her circumstances had drastically changed, her God and her calling had not. Erica and her children will serve overseas later this year.

You will love hearing from Erica. In this episode, she discusses with Missie and Courtney:

– How the Lord led her to put down her electrical engineering degree and follow His call to the mission field

– Recommendations for discerning your own call and preparation for a life in missions

– How she met David, how they navigated challenges as missionaries, and how she has dealt with his sudden death

– What married women can do now to prepare if their husbands pass unexpectedly 

– How she has found the resilience and faith to now go back to the mission field as a widow with her three children

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Hudson Taylor: The Classic Autobiography
• Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman
• Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China
• Perspectives Class
• Receive Updates from the Mission Field

Thank you for listening. If this content is helpful to you as you seek to live out your God-given calling to His glory, please donate today to help us continue to produce more inspiring content!

Ask Anything with Courtney Moore & Missie Branch, Fall Season Launch

On this episode of the Women & Work podcast, Courtney Moore and Missie Branch kick off the fall 2023 podcast season answering some questions the Women & Work community asked over the summer. On this episode we discuss: 

• The importance of balancing work and family responsibilities.
• The challenges and rewards of being a stay-at-home parent.
• Navigating societal expectations and cultural perceptions of women's roles.
• The value of friendships and community in supporting and encouraging one another.
• Finding purpose and contentment in one's current season of life.

And so much more. We can't wait for this season of the Women & Work podcast. Learn more about the mission of Women & Work at womenwork.net. 

 

Want to support our team and help develop more resources? Give today at womenwork.net/give.

 

 

Justin Whitmel Earley, The Common Rule Book Disucssion

In 2021, Justin Earley joined the Women & Work team for a live disucssion about his book The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction.

Justin Earley provides concrete, doable practices, such as a daily hour of phoneless presence or a weekly conversation with a friend. These habits are “common” not only because they are ordinary, but also because they can be practiced in community. They have been lived out by people across all walks of life―businesspeople, professionals, parents, students, retirees―who have discovered new hope and purpose.

In this Q&A, Courtney Moore, founder and president of Women & Work, and Courtney Powell, Ministry Content Director covered topics with Justin such as:

• His transition from full-time missionary to lawyer
• Habits as Formation
• A Theology of Work
• How our Daily Habits Redeem Our Work and Reorient our Minds
• The Freedom of Daily Habits
• Rhythms of Rest
• Boundaries and Limitations in our Work
• Habit and Heart Formation in the Home 

Dr. Jim Hamilton, Work and Our Labor in the Lord Book Discussion

We are nearing the end of this Summer Podcast season - we hope you have enjoyed these book club discussions.

 

Work has been a part of God's good creation since before the fall―created to reflect His image and glory to the world. What are we to make of this when work today is all too often characterized by unwanted toil, pain, and futility? Dr. Jim Hamilton, Professor of Biblical Theology at @southernseminary and senior pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, joined the Women & Work team to talk about his book Work and Our Labor in the Lord.