Relationships Are the Heart of the Christian Life

At a time when American women seem to be at strife with each other in unprecedented ways, Tami Kiser of SmartMartha.com is on a mission to unite them.

The founder of Catholic Conference 4 Women, Tami was the creative force behind last year’s Faces of Mercy online Lenten retreat for moms.

This year, her focus is on building relationships. The brand-new program from Catholic Conference 4 Women is entitled Relationships: Catholic Reflections 4 Women — a 12-part video series, offering encouragement for strengthening and sanctifying the many relationships in the lives of Catholic women.

Presenters include CatholicMom.com's Lisa Hendey, as well as Sarah Reinhard, Sr. Faustina Maria, Emily Jaminet, and many others. There is so much packed into these videos! Topics range from prayer and friendship with Christ, to building rapport with our teenage children, to cultivating godly friendships, and even to loving our own bodies.

I love that Relationships: Catholic Reflections 4 Women was designed specifically to be used in a group setting — making it perfect for weekly gatherings, a Mom’s Night Out, or a women’s retreat! And it even comes with a ready-made study guide to facilitate great conversation. Win-win.

I was privileged to review Stephanie Weinert’s presentation, Young Children: Building Bonds and Cultivating Their Relationship with Christ.

Stephanie is a young mama of four little people, and our life situations are much the same right now. I immediately felt drawn to hear her pearls of wisdom, since she’s right there with me in the trenches!

Stephanie was engaging as well as insightful. She offered practical advice and easy-to-implement strategies for reaching the hearts of our little ones. I loved her premise that primary importance should fall on working hard to bond with our children, because it is through us, their parents, that they come to know the love of God.

Living the liturgical year, Stephanie also pointed out, has a deep impact on the minds and hearts of little people. Even incorporating very simple traditions — such as meals, books, or coloring pages for the Saint of the day! — can lay a strong foundation for our kids and their friendship with Christ.

[tweet "Joy comes from cultivating strong, true, beautiful friendships. By @flourish_hope #relationships"]

I give Relationships an enthusiastic two thumbs up! Our culture is hungry for the joy that comes from cultivating strong, true, beautiful friendships.

Stephanie Weinert really hit the nail on the head:

“I love that we’re talking about relationships, because this is it. This is the most important topic for every single person, because relationships are the heart of the Christian life.”