FAQs

What is your vision for TraceyEyster.com a/k/a BetheMom.com?

My vision is an open handed one – I will share and encourage for as long as God directs and I hope that this site will be a helpful resource for women who will then influence others for Christ!

I want women, first and foremost to seek wisdom and knowledge by reading the word of God. However, Titus 2 does direct that older women are to teach the younger women and younger women are on line reading blogs! That’s why God drug me into the on-line world over a decade ago! Honestly – I want women to not waste time on the internet!  Grab what you need and go live life and build relationships.

FYI – there are times when I don’t write posts…and that is simply because life comes first! But there are years worth of blog posts I have written available that are for sure “evergreen” in our lives! Search away on those tabs! :0)

I know you wrote a book for moms, is your writing and speaking for moms only?

Actually no, because I write and speak about more than just motherhood.  God graciously uses me in the lives of others to mainly just be an encourager. That is especially true through my serving as the Co-Host of the weekly radio program Encouragement Café. At Encouragement Café we speak to just about every need a woman has – it is a powerful radio/podcast ministry to women and I am blessed to be a part of it!

I have written and spoken on a vast array of topics and really enjoy just meeting any felt need – once I spend time studying and praying, God has always provided!  On a side note – I recently felt led to share a talk called FiftyTude, Aging With Grace and a Bit of Tude that is REALLY ministering to women and I hope God broadens those opportunities.  I guess I am officially an “older woman” now to many, since I am over 50!  Ha!

Do you like to go out and speak and are you available to come speak at my retreat – even if it’s a smaller type event?

I used to avoid going out and speaking because I live what I write about – choosing family and home over being away. However, now that my youngest is out of the home I have lots of discretionary time and am saying yes whenever possible. I do get great joy out of speaking at retreats and smaller events because I used to plan those types of events and I know they allow amazing opportunity for God to work! So I am absolutely available for your retreat, church or smaller group – just shoot me an email!

You created the on-line ministry of MomLife Today.com, how does the content of Be the Mom vary from what readers may find on MomLifeToday.com?

MomLife Today was the original multi voice blog site (started in early 2008) featuring moms of every age and every stage of momlife and moms living in varying circumstances. My heart for MomLife Today has been for moms to learn from each other and to better understand the lives of those moms different than themselves as they find encouragement, seek a deeper relationship with the Lord and learn the truth that “every moment counts!” As the Founder and Creator of MomLife Today and the annual Mom Camp event I am deeply invested in that ministry.

TraceyEyster.com is my opportunity to share more regularly and personally with readers so they can get to know me better and determine how I might serve them and their needs as women and moms.

I have been described as sweet and spicy, so my desire is to just be me and in my own imperfect, energetic, silly, bold, broken, full of hope and spunk way and graciously share what God is teaching me and what I am learning from the wonderful women who share their lives with me.

I mess up too you know, and I do not have it all figured out, but I know the One who does and I hope to share His love with grace!

Where did your heart for moms come from?

I was told by doctors I wouldn’t be able to have children, when I was blessed with a successful pregnancy I became a “student” of motherhood through reading, doing life with and serving moms. As I have shared life with moms living in nine different communities (due to job transfers) I have noticed common concerns and needs. What started as my own need to understand motherhood grew into ministry…God did that! My heart is to encourage moms to be the mom with joy in their own beautiful mess!

My first book Be The Mom was actually written for my daughter, who knew God had a broader audience in mind?! I stand in awe that my spiritual gift of encouragement has evolved into something only God could make happen – a passion, and even a burden, for moms to understand the high calling of motherhood and to embrace that they are the perfect mom for the children God has entrusted to them!

LifeWay called me and asked me to write the Beautiful Mess Bible Study and that sort of freaked me out because I have done LifeWay Bible studies for years! What an amazing blessing writing Beautiful Mess was…I cried, I wrote and I cried some more at the heart words that God pulled out of me for that study!

I am consistently hearing that both of these writings are changing mom lives for God’s purposes and that is extremely humbling — Go God!

What was the single best piece of advice that you received as a young mom?

To be “all in” in every season of my children’s lives, and to not be in a hurry to get to the next stage, but be fully present at all times. This great advice led to what I now share with moms as my “life tenets” which are to be intentional, be relational and be selfless…and to have ridiculous fun while doing so! That, in a nut shell, is what God has called me share with moms in a bold way! But anyone who has heard me talk knows you could not BEGIN to put all God wants me to share with women in a nutshell!   {wink}

What is the single best piece of advice you have received as a woman?

Not to take myself too seriously, slow down and cut myself some slack. Accept how God made me, always seek to improve in the areas God wants to work on in me…which is a life long process – but don’t beat myself up as I am growing and changing. Oh, and drink lots of water, never stop moving my body or challenging my brain!

That’s enough questions…no one is reading anymore anyway! ;o)