This past Saturday, around 6,500 women congregated in Allen, Texas, for the second annual Share the Arrows conference, hosted by Allie Beth Stuckey. The event served as a vibrant gathering focused on faith, encouragement, and community, aimed at empowering women to stand firm in the truths of the gospel.
Worship and Opening
It kicked off with an uplifting worship session led by Francesca Battistelli, who delivered heartfelt performances of songs like “In Christ Alone” and Chris Tomlin’s “Is He Worthy.” Following this, a series of speakers took the stage to discuss critical challenges facing women today, touching on motherhood, marriage, health, and the often toxic cultural environment, all through the lens of God’s teachings.
Alisa Childers: Insight in a Deceptive Age
Christian author and speaker Alisa Childers began with a compelling message about the importance of discernment in an age where “progressive Christianity” often disguises misleading ideologies. She likened this to Queen Anne’s lace and poison hemlock—two seemingly similar plants that hold vastly different implications.
Childers urged the audience to differentiate between God’s truth and falsehoods, echoing the lingering question, “Did God really say that?” Her emphasis was on evaluating issues surrounding gender, sexuality, abortion, and marriage against biblical standards rather than transient feelings. She further noted that discerning requires overcoming the fear of human opinion: “Give me one woman who fears God more than anyone else, and you will find an unstoppable force for Christ,” she passionately stated.
Abby Halberstadt and Hilary Morgan Ferrer: The Mission of Motherhood
In a second session, Stuckey engaged in an open dialogue with Abby Halberstadt, a homeschooling mother of ten, and Hilary Morgan Ferrer, founder of Mama Bear Apologetics. They navigated the various challenges of motherhood, including aspects of discipleship and the effects of technology.
Halberstadt shared insights drawn from her parenting journey, while Ferrer, who has faced difficulties with infertility, offered research-based strategies to help parents challenge cultural misinformation with biblical truths.
The pair emphasized that all women are called to a form of motherhood—whether biological, through adoption, or as mentors—and encouraged attendees to reject the notion that motherhood is a burden. Instead, they advocated for embracing this calling.
Katie Faust: Defending Children’s Rights
Katie Faust, founder of Them Before Us, gave a passionate address advocating for the welfare of children, cautioning against a culture that prioritizes adult desires over child welfare.
Faust highlighted the significance of stable family structures and discussed the negative impacts of divorce, same-sex marriage, and reproductive technologies that leave children without parental figures. She argued that statistical evidence shows kids thrive best with married biological parents, noting, “It’s very difficult for children to answer the question ‘Who am I?’”
She called for the cessation of practices like surrogacy and urged a staunch defense of child-protecting policies, framing it as a vital mission that could “save our country.”
Shauna Holman and Taylor Dukes: Managing Your Health as a Temple
Next, Stuckey conversed with Shawna Holman, the author of the blog A Little Less Toxic, and nurse Taylor Dukes. They animatedly discussed the importance of holistic health, sharing their personal battles with serious health issues that motivated them to advocate for healthier living.
They stressed that Christians should honor their bodies as temples by focusing on nutrition, exercise, sleep, and hormonal balance. “Use your abilities to do what makes sense for you,” Holman suggested, while Dukes reminded attendees to return to living in alignment with God’s design in modern times.
Jinger Vuolo: Building Your Personal Faith
Jinger Vuolo, known from TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” shared her experience of stepping away from ingrained people-pleasing habits, as documented in her memoir, *Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Faith from Fear.* She discussed how she has cultivated a personal faith that deviates from the fear-based beliefs of her upbringing while still showing respect to her parents.
She cautioned that pursuing human approval can hinder genuine relationships and encouraged women to seek authentic faith and connections.
Integrated Call to Action
The Share the Arrows conference blended faith, resilience, and truth, motivating women to embrace their divine roles. From Childers’ discernment insights to Faust’s child advocacy, as well as Halberstadt and Ferrer’s redefined view of motherhood, Holman and Dukes’ holistic health focus, and Vuolo’s personal faith journey, attendees left feeling empowered to face cultural challenges with biblical wisdom. All those gathered in Texas departed inspired to live courageously for Christ, embracing their roles as nurturers and defenders of truth in a world that desperately needs their light.
