Episode 266. Illuminate the Talent Around You with Courtney Moore
In this episode, Rebecca discusses Chapter 7 of Do the Thing: Gospel-Centered Goals, Gumption, and Grace for the Go-Getter Girl (Illuminate the Talent Around you) with her guest Courtney Moore!
Courtney Moore is the founder and president of Women & Work, as well as co-host of the Women & Work Podcast. She holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Mobile and an M.A. in Biblical Counseling from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Courtney is passionate about seeing Jesus Christ honored by women as they steward their gifts and leverage their unique potential for His glory. She and Brent are the proud parents of 3 great kids and live in El Paso, Texas where Brent pastors.
Rebecca and Courtney discuss:
Encouragement for women to faithfully sow seeds into fellow sisters in Christ
Seeking deep-rooted community that points us to Jesus
How we reap in different seasons than we sow
Asking for help (and why it's so hard!)
Others who have profoundly encouraged and spurred us on (without even knowing it!)
Order Women & Word: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work
_______________________________
PSSSSSST! Did you know that Rebecca's debut book, Do the Thing: Gospel-Centered Goals, Gumption, and Grace for the Go-Getter Girl is available wherever books are sold? If you’re ready to…
See your gifts and talents from a gospel-centered perspective.
Prioritize goals related to your calling as you move forward with gumption and grace.
Maximize your passions in the work you do every day.
Actively partner with God to serve Him and love others.
Overcome negative thought patterns so you can brainstorm, develop, and create with the confidence of a go-getter girl!
…then order today at the link here!
Each chapter includes prayer prompts, Scripture for further study, questions for reflection, action steps to move your goal forward, and accompanying videos (for individuals or small groups). So grab a friend (or 8) and let’s use God’s Word as our compass to “do the thing”.
After all, if not now…when?
transcript
Rebecca George:
great. Some people say hi, some people, I just let people run with it, so, okay. Courtney, I am so excited to welcome you to Radical Radiance. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Courtney Moore:
I am so honored to be a guest on your show, and I am so pumped to get to know you, and I'm so excited for your book, and just congratulations as your sister in Christ out here in West Texas. So happy to be here, and so happy really to partner with you in ministry today.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, me too. I love when the Lord does this. We said this before we hit record, but I don't know how we became Facebook friends, but we were somehow connected online and you were so kind to comment on, uh, some pictures that we had posted about my launch party. And I remember going to your profile and thinking, Oh, okay, wow. We are running in really similar lanes. I feel like the Lord has given us both just this passion for coming alongside women. who just wanna use their gifts and talents to the glory of God and having conversations and writing resources about what that looks like biblically. And so I just had a couple spots left in this series that we're doing and I thought, okay, here we go. I'm gonna invite Courtney to come into one of these conversations that we're having about each individual chapter of Do The Thing. Today we will be discussing chapter seven, which is titled. illuminating the talent around you, all about community, all about walking alongside our fellow sisters in Christ as they use their gifts and talents to the glory of God and we do the same. And so I'm super excited about the couple of passages that we're gonna be walking through at the beginning of the episode. So as we have in every other one of these episodes, we've pulled a couple of passages that we mentioned in the chapter or unpack in the chapter. to talk about a little bit. And the first one that we're gonna unpack today is in Galatians six. It's verses one through 10, which is a little bit of a longer passage, but I'm gonna read it for us. And it says, "'Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, "'you who are spiritual should restore him "'in a spirit of gentleness. "'Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. "'Bear one another's burdens "'and so fulfill the law of Christ. "'For if anyone thinks he is something, When he is nothing, he deceives himself, but let each one test his own work. And then when he is, and then, man. Bleh. Ha ha ha.
Courtney Moore:
Okay, I do this all the time. Thank God for editing.
Rebecca George:
And then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. So I wonder as I read that passage, Courtney, and we think about community and walking alongside our fellow sisters in Christ as they are using their gifts and talents to the glory of God, how does that passage to sow seeds faithfully into the lives of the women around you.
Courtney Moore:
When I read this passage about reaping, sowing and reaping, my mind goes to several different things. One is back in Matthew chapter 13, when Jesus talks about the parable of the soils, right?
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
And he talks about throwing out the gospel seed and you're just throwing that seed out, you're sowing that seed, and you really don't know what kind of soil it is that you... throwing it onto. And even this weekend I was on a plane flying back home from an event we were at and had the opportunity to share the gospel with actually a soldier. And you know I thought I don't know this guy he feels like I feel like the enemy is gonna come and snatch this seed right. And so I think about that and then I also think about the verse that says when you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly. And so I want to be a woman who who sows abundantly, who throws
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
so that I will one day reap an abundant harvest as well. And even in high school, kind of my heart, the heartbeat, I feel like the Lord really gave me from a young age was the... Example of Caleb. Do you remember back in Numbers 14 when the spies went to spy out the land, the promised land? And they were to come back and bring a report of, is this a good land or is it not? And they all came back and they were very fearful. They didn't want to go forward with what God had called them to. They didn't want to go forward in faith. But Caleb came back and it says in Numbers 14, 24, God says, I will bring him into the land where he is gone and his descendants will inherit the land." And I feel like from a young age, the Lord put that just put that in my heart to just,
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
man, I want to be, I want the Lord to look at me and say, you know what? She is following me fully. She has a different spirit about her and she is willing to throw seeds. She is willing to, to sow,
Rebecca George:
Mmm.
Courtney Moore:
to, to. put the ministry out there and whether that's the non-believers and you're sharing the gospel or that's your sisters in Christ where you're lifting them up and you're encouraging them and you're calling out their gifts, I want to be, I want the Lord to look at me and say I have found her to be faithful. She has used
Rebecca George:
Oh.
Courtney Moore:
her voice to love and to serve and I just pray, I think back about the harvest of Matthew 13, you know, he says that you're planting the seed and you don't know where, what kind of soil it is, but depending on the soil and depending that comes and nourishes that seed around it. Some won't grow at all, right? Sometimes you won't see the fruit from that, depending on where that land, and then other times you will see a yield of 30, 60, or 100. And so I feel like, you know, as we are women serving other people, it's let's be faithful
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
to sow and we're gonna leave the harvest up to the Lord. And I just pray, I just continue to ask and ask and ask, God, make this a fruit. that is a hundred times, make this, give
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
me that 100 fold for your name sake, Lord. I wanna be that servant that follows you fully, who has a different spirit. And Lord, may my ministry, the words I speak, the work that I do and those around me, find life in you because somehow he's graced me to speak it and give it and lift
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
them up. So that's really, really my heart. I love the metaphor of sowing and reaping, but it's really all. It's all of the Lord. It's all of the Spirit.
Rebecca George:
That's right.
Courtney Moore:
We can't work it up. We just have
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
to be faithful to give it and then let the Lord bring the yield.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, you saying that reminded me of a quote in the book that says the outcome is His, right?
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
It's not all up to us. It's not all on us. We get to partner with God and how He desires for us to use our gifts and talents for His glory. But the obedience is ours, right?
Courtney Moore:
The
Rebecca George:
Like
Courtney Moore:
obedience
Rebecca George:
when we sense
Courtney Moore:
is definitely
Rebecca George:
from God,
Courtney Moore:
ours.
Rebecca George:
like this is where you would have me to sow seeds in this season. The outcome is his, but the obedience is ours. And I think that's it when we think about sowing seeds. So I
Courtney Moore:
And I feel
Rebecca George:
love
Courtney Moore:
like
Rebecca George:
that.
Courtney Moore:
sometimes when we push for an outcome, I don't know if you've ever done this.
Rebecca George:
No,
Courtney Moore:
Or
Rebecca George:
I've
Courtney Moore:
some,
Rebecca George:
never done that Courtney.
Courtney Moore:
we're like,
Rebecca George:
Not
Courtney Moore:
you
Rebecca George:
once.
Courtney Moore:
really, you want this outcome, you know?
Rebecca George:
Yeah!
Courtney Moore:
And it's like the harder you push, if that's in the flesh, I mean, he's
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
just not gonna be honored. And it's just like, I feel like you even more quickly hit a wall. So it's just like, Lord, I'm stepping in faith
Rebecca George:
And
Courtney Moore:
here.
Rebecca George:
don't you know in your heart when you're doing that?
Courtney Moore:
You know,
Rebecca George:
I do.
Courtney Moore:
it's so sad. It's so sad, right?
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
It's just like, I don't want this to be of me because you know
Rebecca George:
Yes.
Courtney Moore:
it's not gonna yield an eternal fruit. It'll be a
Rebecca George:
Yes.
Courtney Moore:
short-term fruit maybe, if it's even short-term, but it definitely won't be that eternal fruit that will take our crown off and lay before Jesus and say,
Rebecca George:
Yes.
Courtney Moore:
you did this through me for your sake.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, oh, that's beautiful. Well, while we're here, there's a quote from the book that I think is really helpful. This is something my husband says all the time as it pertains to this, these couple of passages we've talked about of sewing, and it's this, you will reap what you sow, you will reap more than you sow, and you'll reap in a different season than you sow. And there's a lot in that. But I think all of those statements can be true as we look to what happens when we sow seeds, right? We know that we typically will reap more than we sow. We know that we'll reap just in a different season than we sow. Sometimes we get to see the fruit of our sowing this side of heaven, which is a beautiful gift from the Lord. And many times we don't, right?
Courtney Moore:
So true.
Rebecca George:
Like I know for the work that you and I do, sometimes it's hard to know, man, like is... Is it resonating?
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
And sometimes God gives us those beautiful glimpses of that, but we know that some of that fruit we won't see until heaven.
Courtney Moore:
Right,
Rebecca George:
And
Courtney Moore:
right.
Rebecca George:
so what comes up in you? Like, as I read that, how does that resonate with you?
Courtney Moore:
I think that first line you said, you will reap what you sow. I mean, that goes back to the Galatians passage. I think
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
that it's hope-filled, but I also take that as a warning, depending
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
on am I sowing in the Spirit or am I sowing in the flesh, right? And whether that's, you know, I'm sowing seeds of ministry or I'm sowing... sinful seeds just to please myself in the moment, right, when I'm being
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
idle or I'm just not being faithful. And so I take it both ways. So I feel like it's a beautiful, it can be a really beautiful promise that the Lord sees us if we're sowing in the Spirit. Like what an amazing promise that He's saying, listen, I see your work and you're doing it for me and I'm going to build it for you, right? You're being faithful to me, I'm always faithful to you, and He's going to have His way. And so I feel like that's really hope-filled. On the other hand, I think of, oh my gosh, I can think of the ways I'm just being undisciplined or I'm sewing to the flesh. And
Rebecca George:
Sure.
Courtney Moore:
it's just, you know, I was like, I don't wanna reap from that, you know? I don't wanna
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
reap from the flesh, so I take that as a warning. I think it's really interesting you will reap more than you sew. I mean, it really goes back to that 30, 60, 100 fold. And the Lord, I also think about like John chapter three, I think it is where, when Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, you know, that's the passage of John 3.16, but when Jesus is going to Nicodemus and he says, listen, the wind blows where it will, the spirit blows where it will and he will bring fruit just as he plans. So I think the Lord has an eternal purpose that. I think the Lord has an eternal purpose that. You know, most of the time we can't see. I mean, it's just like this podcast. We don't know all the women who are gonna listen to this podcast. We don't know how some phrase is gonna really hit some woman in just the right way. So I think that he has an eternal purpose and we have to just trust him and believe, wow, he's gonna do it. And... I pray it'll be more than we sew, right? I pray there will
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
be exponential fruit for it. And I think it's really interesting reaping in the different season than you sew. I think it's so true. I was just thinking back to my own life of people who have sewn in my own life. and how things get tucked away in my heart and in my mind. And it's just like, maybe in that moment, I can't act on that, but the Lord planted that seed in me. And there'll
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
be a day, maybe there are women listening today who are in a season of preparation, where you're learning and you're growing and you're reading and you're studying. And maybe your ministry is really only to your toddler, but you're growing
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
and you're being faithful. And the moms you connect with are, you're loving on them and really trying to invest in those women. you sense, whoa, okay, I think God is gonna do something with me down the road. And so that doesn't mean that what you're sowing right now isn't important. Take those moments to learn and really press in because that time won't be wasted. He will actually use that as you lean on him and depend on his spirit. So
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
it might not be now, but it will be later as we trust in him.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, that's so good. Well, the other passage that I wanted to mention that we talk about in this in this chapter is where the friends bring their paralytic friend to Jesus and he heals him. And this is one of my favorite friendship stories in scripture.
Courtney Moore:
It's so good.
Rebecca George:
It's so good. And so I want to take a minute. It's a long passage, but for listeners come into the conversation, just like take a deep breath and listen as I read this. It's Mark chapter 2 verses 1 through 12. And when he returned to Capernaum after several days, after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him. And when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that Perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves said to them Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic? Your sins are forgiven or to say rise take up your bed and walk But that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins He said to the paralytic I say to you rise pick up your bed and go home and he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, we never saw anything like this. So I wonder as I read that passage and just recount that story, how does that encourage you to seek deep rooted community, to point other women in your life to Jesus? How does that encourage you?
Courtney Moore:
Well, I love it. There's one word in that passage that really stood out to me, and it's in verse 5. When Jesus, and when Jesus saw their faith, it wasn't
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
just the faith of the paralytic, it was really the faith of his friends. He saw their faith. He said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven. And I think that speaks so well to how much these friends... love the paralytic man. I mean, they were willing to go the extra mile. And just imagine, like this guy could not, he couldn't get there on his own. I mean, he was paralyzed, there was no way.
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
And then you have the crowd, and they really, really went to great lengths to love their friend. And they knew the answer was Jesus, and they were just like, how can we? We're gonna do all we can because we love our friend and Jesus has the answer. And so I just love that it was their faith. Jesus saw, he noticed the friend's faith, not just the paralegs. So I think that's really sweet. And I know we all experienced COVID for me. We had just moved to El Paso right before COVID began, like three months prior to the pandemic starting. And so... you know, when you moved to a new city, and it was very far from our home and our friends. So we were 1200 miles
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
away from our friends and family in Alabama. So when we moved out here, it was a huge leap of faith for us. And to have everything shut down three months in, I mean, that's 12 weeks of barely getting to know people. Really, we did
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
not have friends yet. We did not have community yet. Neither did my kids. I have three children. And so they had just started school, just barely making friends, us two at our church. And so it was pretty strict here in terms of taking precautions for the virus. And so my kids ended up staying home that year from March all the way to Christmas. So that was just a
Rebecca George:
Wow.
Courtney Moore:
super long time. And we, it was the most isolating, lonely season. It was probably one of the hardest seasons of our family's life. And I began to see, I've always, I don't know about you, Rebecca, but it's like, you know, I'm friendly. I can make friends. wherever I
Rebecca George:
Yeah,
Courtney Moore:
go. So I'm
Rebecca George:
totally.
Courtney Moore:
hardly, I mean it's just easy for me. And so, but that season really showed me the necessity of having community
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
because that isolation just depleted me. It just withered
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
me. And so I feel like in this story sometimes we are the paralytic and sometimes we're the friends carrying
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
the paralytic. And I mean I even go back to the scripture we read before. in Galatians that, you know, if anyone's caught in a transgression, you who are spiritual restore him. Sometimes
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
it might be you caught in the transgression or it might be that you are
Rebecca George:
Sure.
Courtney Moore:
the spiritual one depending on where you are. And so I feel like when we are weak, we have to seek out friends and that's what I've had to do in this city. I mean, I have
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
asked the Lord God, will you give me friends, friends from church, friends from my kid's school, friends from, the Lord has brought me friends, I don't even know how I've connected with them in this city, Christian women, and some who are not, that I'm just intentionally getting to know and love and
Rebecca George:
Mmm.
Courtney Moore:
enjoy their friendship, and hopefully we'll be able to share the gospel with them. But at other times though, we are the strong ones, and we have to
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
look around, and we have to be very intentional, because a lot of times our friends, if we're not super close with them, maybe they're not revealing. all of their needs and how much they really, really need
Rebecca George:
Mmm.
Courtney Moore:
a listening ear. So if we can be intentional to look around and say, how can I lift this woman up? How can I encourage her? How can I go the extra mile? Like these friends of the paralytic did to bring her to Jesus. If it's bringing a meal when she didn't ask, dropping coffee off at the front door. How can I love this woman when I'm strong? But
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
then on the flip side, really when we're weak, having the courage to say, no, I really need you today. Can you come and listen to me?
Rebecca George:
Yeah, that is the perfect lead in to where I was headed next because I don't know about you Courtney, but it's real easy for me to make friends. It's real easy for me to love on other people and be the friends that carry the friend of Jesus.
Courtney Moore:
Mm-hmm.
Rebecca George:
It is not so easy for me oftentimes. And I think for many of us as women to raise our hand and say, I need help.
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
and I'm going to make the brave choice to intentionally seek out community in this particular way. I wonder as you think about that, do you relate to that too? And why do you think it's so hard for
Courtney Moore:
Yeah,
Rebecca George:
us?
Courtney Moore:
I do think it's really hard, especially if we have a track record of the Lord's been faithful. I mean, we've just seen Him
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
come through and He's been strong on our behalf. It's really easy to just be that person that you just mentioned.
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
But at other times though, I mean, I feel like, like I said, moving here has been a, it's been a time of weakness even for me. And I think it's difficult for us to ask for help because it really exposes weaknesses. It exposes our vulnerability and for us who know the Lord we're like, no, no, no, no, we're fine. He's gonna be faithful. He's
Rebecca George:
Mmm.
Courtney Moore:
gonna come through. Yes, he will. Those are true promises, you know, as we depend on him. He will definitely come through and he will definitely provide and give us everything we need. But that doesn't mean we don't need someone to help bear our burdens, to lean on, to help carry us, to pick us up. And so I think that being vulnerable, letting our guard down, A, we have to have people that we really, really trust.
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
Because, you know, you mentioned you're a pastor's wife, so am I. I mean, it's really you have to be. careful. I mean you just can't be exposing your soul to untrustworthy
Rebecca George:
No.
Courtney Moore:
women, you know.
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
So, and that's for all women, not just pastor's wives, but we all
Rebecca George:
Sure.
Courtney Moore:
don't, we just have to be wise. Who,
Rebecca George:
Yes.
Courtney Moore:
or this, is this friend in a place where she can even carry this with me? Or is she
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
so rundown and depleted, she, this isn't going to serve her if I share this with her. Or is she strong enough right now where I sense like, okay, A, she's trustworthy and she's at a place in her life. that this won't bog her down too much. And that's my problem. I tend to think, oh, I'm gonna bother them. But that's not the case. When I do share, it's like, oh, they're so happy that I shared, and then they're there for me. And pray
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
for me and lift me up. But I feel like being vulnerable and asking for help, it's a sign of humility. And the Lord, he exalts those who are humble. right?
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
And if we remain in our pride and we continue to go down, you can, I mean, we can really get ourselves in a dark place pretty fast if we're unwilling to be humble enough to say, God, I need you to help me. And God, would you provide
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
a woman, a friend, a mentor who's wise and who can bear this to kind of help me out of this or just give me wisdom
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
from the scripture to take the next step and believe some hope in this situation?
Rebecca George:
Yeah, that's so good. So, so good. And I can't fathom what that was like for you in the middle of the pandemic.
Courtney Moore:
Thank
Rebecca George:
I'm laying
Courtney Moore:
you.
Rebecca George:
the pandemic on top of also you guys were, I'm putting two and two together that you were probably starting at a new church. Yes,
Courtney Moore:
Definitely, yes,
Rebecca George:
yes, yeah.
Courtney Moore:
yes.
Rebecca George:
And so I married my husband in 2019, May of 2019 and moved to a very small town in South Mississippi of about 12,000 people from East Tennessee. And so offline, we can talk about how I think we probably had a very similar pandemic experience, right?
Courtney Moore:
Right?
Rebecca George:
Of learning how to navigate that. I was kind of jumping into being a lead pastor for the first time. Me and my husband didn't really grow up in ministry together. We got married
Courtney Moore:
Mm-hmm.
Rebecca George:
a little later. And so, um, I just related to everything you're saying about the complexities and challenges of that. It's,
Courtney Moore:
Right.
Rebecca George:
it's very real.
Courtney Moore:
Yep.
Rebecca George:
It's very real. Yeah. Well, there is one other piece of this chapter that I think is so fun to think about and think about how we can be this for other people. I recount at the beginning of the chapter how someone just sowed seeds in me and chose to do that in a way that they probably will, maybe never even remember. And it's interesting to think, back over some of those things that happen in our lives where we think, man, God really used that in my life. And that person probably doesn't even remember saying it. And it challenges me to do the same for others. Right. And I wonder as I say that, um, is, is there something that's coming to mind for you where you think, Oh, that was, that was the case for me. And how does that encourage you to, to be on the lookout for those opportunities in our own lives to be that for others?
Courtney Moore:
You know, it's a tough question because I feel like there are probably so many instances of that, right? Where someone will say
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
just the right thing at the perfect time. But I think that one person that really, truly the Lord used in my life at a time I really needed, it was actually our former pastor. We actually lived in Mississippi
Rebecca George:
Mm.
Courtney Moore:
as well. And...
Rebecca George:
Okay.
Courtney Moore:
Our pastor, my husband was a small groups pastor at the church and so
Rebecca George:
Okay.
Courtney Moore:
it was a very, very large church and so he, the lead pastor, we came there and I was coming out of a season of, it was another pretty tough season, you're hearing about all my tough
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
seasons,
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
where like spiritually I, just my faith was, I was very, I was in a really cynical place, kind of
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
apathetic. And his preaching, I said, I have shared with him, listen, but he really has no idea how the Lord used him in my life because
Rebecca George:
Hmm.
Courtney Moore:
through not only his preaching but I think his combined... life matching His words is what
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
really made the difference, right? It was, here's a man who was up there speaking the truth, that in the moment it was just like, gosh, thank you, Lord. It's just like the Lord just knew exactly what I needed. And here's this man just up there preaching it and saying it. It was like water to my soul. And to have that over an extended amount of time was just huge. And to see His life lived out, like I said, just to have that integrity. was just huge for me. And then not only to pull me out of that kind of dark place I was in spiritually, but I feel like his vision for ministry. it really gave me a vision for ministry in a
Rebecca George:
Hmm.
Courtney Moore:
new way because the church itself
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
was very innovative, it was very forward-thinking, and Women in Work was really born out of—Women in Work is my ministry, it's a non-profit—was really born out of that season. And so
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
I think if we had not been at that church, if he had not been our pastor, if he had not preached his words, and had his life really match up with what he was preaching, it just wouldn't have— The Lord just wanted that to work out. And so,
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
not just for me spiritually, but I feel like really to bring about the ministry that he called me to.
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
And so, thanks Chip Henderson.
Rebecca George:
That's such a beautiful
Courtney Moore:
Really
Rebecca George:
example.
Courtney Moore:
huge, a huge impact on my life, really.
Rebecca George:
Yeah,
Courtney Moore:
I don't
Rebecca George:
that's
Courtney Moore:
think
Rebecca George:
so
Courtney Moore:
he knows
Rebecca George:
good.
Courtney Moore:
how huge, but
Rebecca George:
No.
Courtney Moore:
it really was huge.
Rebecca George:
I love that so much. Well, one of the questions that we are asking in all of these episodes as we start to close is just thinking through the woman who's listening and she is a fellow go-getter girl who wants to be faithful and using her gifts and talents to advance the gospel and build God's kingdom, all of those things. What would be your best piece of advice for that girl who just desperately wants to see her calling from a gospel-centered perspective?
Courtney Moore:
So I have a verse that I love. We talk about it all the time at Women at Work and it's Romans 11, 36. And if you're familiar with Romans, you know, chapter nine is pretty spicy in terms of, it's pretty spicy. So your listeners can just go read chapter nine. And then we have chapter
Rebecca George:
Yep.
Courtney Moore:
10, which is all about evangelism. And then chapter 11 gets there. And at the very end of chapter 11, it's just really like who can understand the ways of God, right? His mind is so infinite, so huge. And then the last verse of that chapter says, for from him, through him, and to him are all things to God be the glory forever. And then the very next verse, after that last verse in chapter 11, is Romans 12.1, which you probably know, therefore, you know. my brothers and sisters, and it's a whole verse about offering our bodies as living sacrifices and how that is our act of worship. And so, in our ministry, we love to think about all things coming from God, right? All things. All things. And so, we talk a lot about work. because we're women in work and how there is really no divide between the sacred and the secular. Like we tend to think we have ministry
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
over here and then we have secular work over here. But really we see from the scriptures all things come from God. All things are from Him. All things are through Him. So whatever work you're doing, whatever work God has called you to, we want to operate and be women who walk with God. who abide in him like John 15 talks about, women who work through him, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the wisdom he gives. We're not sowing to the flesh here. We are sowing through the Spirit. We're working through the Spirit. So things are from him, through him, and back to him. And so, and then we can offer, we see in Romans 12, one again, like we can offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices, as our act of worship. And so I love to think about how through our callings, whatever that is, it back to the Lord is worship. And so
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
if you use your voice, if your ministry and your work is speaking, offer, Lord, here's the words in my mouth, may this be worship to you. If you are sitting at a desk and you're typing emails, let your hands worship the Lord through typing those emails with a heart of like, I'm going to serve the other person who's going to receive this. How can I even pray for this person as I'm sending it? If you're a nurse and God's called you to to walk the halls of that hospital, those feet
Rebecca George:
you
Courtney Moore:
or going to, you're offering those feet back up to the Lord. Lord, help me serve these women, help me to be a light to you. These
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
feet are yours today. These hands as I put the IV in, Lord. So I love thinking about all things are from him, through him and back to him. And that's even what
Rebecca George:
Mmm.
Courtney Moore:
we do every single hour of the day. It's all for him.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, that's so beautiful. I love that so much. Well, the last question that we ask at the end of every episode has to do with the theme of the podcast which we talked about before we hit record which is Comes from psalm 34 5 which says those who look to him Are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed and the question I love asking is what about jesus makes you radiant?
Courtney Moore:
I love the name, I love the theme, I love the verse from Psalm 34. And I love thinking about our countenance shining
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
the light of Christ, right? He tells us, you are salt and light in this world and there's so much darkness in this world. What a privilege it is, right? To be a light in the darkness.
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
So just first off. I love the whole concept of that. I was thinking about what makes, what about Jesus makes me radiant. I feel like when I am, talked a lot about this in this podcast, but I really think that being dependent upon the Holy Spirit.
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
is where it's at in the Christian life. So as I think about walking in the power of the Spirit, taking steps of faith forward into what God has called me to, if we're not really doing that from a place of faith, right, we end in weakness, really. God, I don't know if I'm up for this. I don't know if the words
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
I'm gonna say are gonna make sense, but I'm looking to you, I'm depending upon you. And so I feel like when we're really on mission with the Lord, through faith, dependent upon Him. He gives us so much joy as we're taking those steps of faith. And so I feel like
Rebecca George:
So
Courtney Moore:
the
Rebecca George:
much
Courtney Moore:
joy
Rebecca George:
joy.
Courtney Moore:
of the Lord, I mean Nehemiah says it's our strength, and I really do feel like it, He makes us radiant with the joy He gives us as we're abiding in
Rebecca George:
Mm-hmm.
Courtney Moore:
Him and walking in Him and obedient to what He's called us to do. I mean just like I was saying, I was in the airport this
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
just having a pleasant look on your face. It's kind of surprising to people, right? Just kind
Rebecca George:
I know.
Courtney Moore:
of smiling and giving a little nod, hi. I mean, people,
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
they really keep to themselves when they're staring at their phone. So if you actually just look people in the eye and just
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
have the accountants of just joy, just a simple,
Rebecca George:
Yeah. Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
I really do think in our culture today, even that small gesture, like it says it makes an impact.
Rebecca George:
Yeah, I agree. The Lord really convicted me last night. I too was on a plane yesterday and I just, it was a nightmare. I got canceled and bumped about three times. I got back about 28 hours after I was supposed to get back.
Courtney Moore:
That's
Rebecca George:
It was just
Courtney Moore:
the worst.
Rebecca George:
a complete nightmare, which tends to be my luck in Dallas.
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
And so anyway, my last connecting flight, I was sitting beside this college student and we got to talk quite a bit, but you know how when you're on a plane and it can turn into like the hardship Olympics?
Courtney Moore:
Okay.
Rebecca George:
Do you know what I mean? Like
Courtney Moore:
From
Rebecca George:
everybody's,
Courtney Moore:
the passenger you're sitting by?
Rebecca George:
yeah, like everybody can begin to just share their stories
Courtney Moore:
Oh, sure.
Rebecca George:
of what went wrong and how horrible
Courtney Moore:
Oh
Rebecca George:
that
Courtney Moore:
sure.
Rebecca George:
particular airline is and all of those
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
things, right? And the sweet little girl beside me was just, I could tell so stressed out about getting home and she had been delayed like three or four hours, but
Courtney Moore:
Mm-hmm.
Rebecca George:
it had just really affected her. And so there was so much of me in that moment that wanted to be like, yeah, let me tell you what happened to me, right? And
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
the Holy Spirit just like prompted me and said like, Rebecca, can you just hear her?
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
Can you just listen to her and just encourage her? And you don't have to like come back at her. with what you have experienced, like you can actually just, you can just listen and
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
you can just hear her and encourage her. And so anyway, I feel like the airports can be some of the most convicting and challenging places for our patients and
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
our joy and
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
all of those things. But it's funny that you bring that up because that was
Courtney Moore:
But also
Rebecca George:
just
Courtney Moore:
really
Rebecca George:
last
Courtney Moore:
they
Rebecca George:
night.
Courtney Moore:
are opportunities
Rebecca George:
Yes.
Courtney Moore:
because there's not a lot of joy in the airport. There's
Rebecca George:
No,
Courtney Moore:
really
Rebecca George:
uh-uh,
Courtney Moore:
not. So
Rebecca George:
uh-uh.
Courtney Moore:
I feel like if we can walk in and keep it together,
Rebecca George:
That's right.
Courtney Moore:
the Lord really can use us.
Rebecca George:
Yes, I agree, I agree. Well, I am so excited about just having the opportunity to connect with you
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
and hear more about the work that God has you doing, which I want all of our listeners to hear about. So tell us about your book, tell us about
Courtney Moore:
Yes.
Rebecca George:
women and work, all the things.
Courtney Moore:
Okay, so first Women in Work is a non-profit. So we are an organization that seeks to inspire women to confidently step forward into their God-given calling, whatever that is, whatever work it is that He's called you to do, and view it as meaningful to the Kingdom of God. So what you do, like I said, if it's ministry or just not, what you do every single day matters to what God is doing in His Kingdom, in the Kingdom of God. And so we have several initiatives that we, seeing that happen. We have a podcast as well where we interview women in all kinds of work and hear how they're really integrating their faith in their work. It's super fascinating. But the thing we're most excited about right now is we have our own book coming out. It releases June 13th. It's called Women in Work, Bearing God's Image and Joining in His Mission Through Our Work. And so we have 10 contributing authors. It's a collaborative book. And so I have 10 women who each wrote a chapter about a various topic of women and their work. And then I was the general editor. I had the privilege of really cast and vision for the book and then editing these wonderful, it was a dream. Some of these women I have been reading,
Rebecca George:
awesome.
Courtney Moore:
Elise Fitzpatrick was, I literally read her counseling books in seminary as textbooks. So for
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
her to have chapter one in this book is. It's the Ephesians 321, the Lord going
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
above and beyond anything I could ask or imagine. And so we're so excited. I mean, like I said, we cover, we give a biblical foundation for really the theology of work that work starts in the Garden of Eden. And we tend to think it's like a curse, but it's not. Actually, work existed in the paradise of Eden. Of course, the fall happened, so it tainted everything, including our work. So we give a biblical theology of work, and then as the book progresses, we talk about how to live it out, practical tools for living
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
it out, and that's for mothers. We have a chapter on motherhood. We have a chapter on also It's called The Grace, oh gosh, what is it called? It's about being single, the grace and the, oh goodness, it's about grieving basically. Joanna Meyer,
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
she's awesome, she shares about her life as a single woman and how she really didn't
Rebecca George:
Yeah.
Courtney Moore:
want a career, but that's what the Lord had for her. So we cover
Rebecca George:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Courtney Moore:
a broad range of topics. We've even got a chapter about our female bodies and how we show up to work in female bodies. Hannah Anderson wrote that chapter. It's... genius. Honestly, it really blew my mind. We talk about identity. I mean, it's just anything that has to do with work and womanhood. It's in the book. So, I would love for your readers to check it out and pray that, again, that fruit. I'm praying the Lord will bring fruit in the lives of these readers. So,
Rebecca George:
I'm
Courtney Moore:
we're
Rebecca George:
so
Courtney Moore:
grateful.
Rebecca George:
excited for you, friend.
Courtney Moore:
Thank
Rebecca George:
And
Courtney Moore:
you.
Rebecca George:
I feel like this book would be such a great, such a great like cousin book to do the thing. So for
Courtney Moore:
I bet it is,
Rebecca George:
listeners
Courtney Moore:
yes.
Rebecca George:
who are coming to the conversation and maybe you're wrapping up, do the thing and you're thinking, man, I just wanna go deeper into, as you were saying, the biblical theology of what our work means.
Courtney Moore:
Yeah.
Rebecca George:
I think that would be a beautiful compliment to do the thing. So. If you want something to add to your reading list, go grab a copy of Women and Work. That's the title of the book,
Courtney Moore:
That's
Rebecca George:
yes.
Courtney Moore:
the title, yep.
Rebecca George:
Yes. So I just could not be more excited for you. I can't wait
Courtney Moore:
Thank
Rebecca George:
for
Courtney Moore:
you.
Rebecca George:
it to be out in the world and to see how God uses it. And I'm just so excited for you guys. I
Courtney Moore:
Thank
Rebecca George:
love
Courtney Moore:
you.
Rebecca George:
that it's a collaboration book. I think that's really special.
Courtney Moore:
I do
Rebecca George:
And
Courtney Moore:
too.
Rebecca George:
it's so great to hear the perspective of different women as it pertains to work. So that's awesome.
Courtney Moore:
Yes, thank you
Rebecca George:
I love
Courtney Moore:
so
Rebecca George:
it.
Courtney Moore:
much. We're thrilled.
Rebecca George:
Well. Well, I am just so excited to share this conversation with our listeners and I know that God's gonna use it in a big way and I'm just so excited to connect with you and welcome
Courtney Moore:
Definitely.
Rebecca George:
you to the show. So again, thank you for being with me today.
Courtney Moore:
Just my pleasure all around. Thank you.
