Risen Motherhood is a book and podcast a member of Concordia and a few friends recommended to me. I listened to the Risen Motherhood podcast and it was a nice change of pace. Most episodes are less than 30 minutes. The intro music was upbeat and my little one liked to bounce to it. Emily and Lauren cover a variety of topics, are genuine, and are people I want to listen to. They have a talent of not getting bogged down by details. Instead, they look at the bigger issue of each topic and see the Gospel in those things.
The Risen Motherhood book was an enjoyable read. Emily and Laura cover some of the topics from the podcast in the book, but they go into more depth on that topic. The three parts of the book focus on why the Gospel matters in motherhood, the hope of the Gospel in every day motherhood, and the application of the Gospel in every day motherhood. This book is specifically written by mothers to mothers, but I could see how this book applies to all caregivers.
Most of the chapters talk about the Gospel with the structure of: creation, the fall, redemption, and consummation. I’d seen some similar language at places like the Creation Museum (who use the 7 C’s) but it seems like this language is used in some evangelical circles. Overall, it gives a nice structure and focus to each chapter and topic. The authors explain God’s perfect world, what went wrong, how Jesus redeemed it, and what it will ultimately look like.
In the book, the authors are great at focusing on the Gospel and the “big picture.” It is easy to turn motherhood and our daily lives into law. Instead of saying, “do this” or “do that” and here’s why; they often explain why we have the freedom to live out motherhood in many ways. I feel like the authors “get it” from a mom and theological perspective. Being in a more conservative denomination, I can’t think of theological qualms I have with the book.
At times, I found myself wishing the authors applied deeper theological truths about Baptism and Communion to motherhood and the topics. Considering the wide audience this book is written for I appreciated they did not dive into controversial language or topics among Christians. It allows for greater application to all mothers in many Christian denominations. I could read Risen Motherhood again in a few years and learn something new.
Risen Motherhood is for moms of all ages, but I feel like younger moms would get the most application. Topics like mundane moments, food choices, and self-care are ones I can see many mom’s appreciating. Others like birth experiences, schooling choices, or children with differences would still be beneficial but perhaps more nuanced. Overall, it’s a book I’d recommend for any caregivers looking for a light read that is focused on the Gospel.