Episode Transcript
[00:00:08] Speaker A: You're listening to faith in healthcare, the cmda matters podcast. Here's your host, Dr. Mike chubb.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Welcome friends, to Faith in Healthcare. You know, I'm really excited for this special episode on Being in a medical or dental marriage brings a unique set of challenges that those outside of health care often don't fully understand.
Long hours, emotional strain and the weight of caring for others, it can take a toll, leaving couples feeling disconnected or simply trying to keep up.
Strong Christ centered marriages do not happen by accident, especially in in this field of medicine or dentistry or any of our healthcare professions. For many medical wives, it can feel isolating and at times frankly overwhelming. Without support, it is easy to feel like a wife is carrying a lot on her own.
Well, in this episode I'm joined by Rebecca Lehman and Lindsay Ilgenfritz from one of CMDA's ministries that we call Side by Side. It supports and encourages medical wives and that's wives of students, residents and and graduate practicing professionals. They share how the ministry comes alongside women from the training years, through long established careers and into retirement, offering mentorship and Christ centered community to help strengthen marriages all along the way.
So let's dive in.
Well, welcome to Faith and Healthcare and today I have two women leaders of one of our decades old ministries called Side by Side, a ministry dedicated to supporting medical marriages. And we'll throw in their dental and other healthcare marriages as well along the way.
Rebecca Layman is the Executive Director of Side by Side and has had prior to this leadership role extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, having run a nonprofit organization prior to this role. She's been married to Joshua, a family medicine DOC for 18 years and they live in beautiful getting warmer every day Tampa, Florida with their four children, Noah and Lily, Levi and Emma and Rebekah is very passionate about faith, marriage and community and is committed to equipping other couples to strengthen their relationships through Christ centered connection and support. And joining Rebecca today is her ever faithful sidekick, Director of Ministry Development, Mrs. Lindsay Ilgen Fritz.
I'm going to say it one time and then maybe I don't have to say it Lindsay the rest of the time. And Lindsay's been the wife of an emergency medicine physician, Seth for 18 years, mother of seven children ages 8 to 17 and for the past four years and I have seen this myself, she and her family have been living in an rv traveling across the continent. While Seth does these little commutes to various Locums sites where he does ER work, Lindsay is currently serving as the Side by Side Director of Ministry Development, Passionate about seeing women in the healthcare community and building resources to help them thrive. So, ladies, welcome to Faith and Healthcare Today. Great to have you.
[00:03:41] Speaker C: Thank you so much.
[00:03:43] Speaker B: You know, Rebecca, Side By Side has been around for years. Founded by Robin Morgenthaler, whom we gave the President's Heritage Award to just a few years back. Incredible. When I came and saw that there were 90 to 100 chapters across the country and with that growth, there was a wonderful fellowship and relationship with cmda. It was less formal than it has become.
And this season four Side by Side is. Well, I've just almost been an observer even as CEO to watch all that's going on and the growth that's happening. And it does feel significant.
So what do you sense God is doing right now in this ministry? And why does this moment feel different for you and your executive team and the other leaders across the country?
[00:04:27] Speaker D: Three years ago, I sat in your office when I came on board with CMDA and we talked about what it would look like to have a word for Side by Side. And that word has stuck with me for the last three years, which was integration.
And so when I started up with CMDA and in this new role, I really felt like there was such a legacy that was being built before me. And then the baton was passed and everything started.
Kind of knew I was almost like a deer in the headlights for what felt like I thought would be three months. And then, you know, I'll have it down. I'll be. I'll be ready to go. Then six months passed, a year. Here we are three years later, and every day I feel like I'm just learning something new. God is showing me about what it looks like to steward a ministry. But what I'm most excited about in this season is that my feet feel so firmly planted with steadiness and assurance of not only the legacy that has passed in Side by Side, but really the vision of where we're going. And just this unity of our team and this bringing up, this rising of our team members, which is really why we have Lindsay on here today. Because as she has come on board as our Side By Side Ministry development director, we are able to just propel forward into all the things that God is calling us to. And so we're just excited to be with you today to share a little piece of the goodness that we get to work in day in and day out.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: And Lindsay, what a unique role that you bring in your life situation. As we explained, moving about, you're a mobile ministry development director. So how do you See that as a strength as you've been moving around. I observed you here for two or three weeks here in Bristol during that time and man, your kids were just a blessing to all of us. And chalk work, you know, all that chalk art on the parking lot and stuff, it was great. But it brings something unique to the way that you're interacting with the various chapters across the country, isn't it?
[00:06:32] Speaker C: It definitely does, Mike. I love being able to visit different CMDA chapters and side by side chapters as we travel and getting to see different perspectives, but also to be able to pour into them and be like a cool just refreshment as we go through and encourage them and lift them up. And also it's, I think it's opening people's minds to, to a different way of prioritizing faith and family in medicine that isn't as commonly seen. And it's a joy to get to give options. That's what I tell Rebecca all the time. I love creating options, I love sharing options and I think that's something great we're doing as we travel.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: So how much in advance, Lindsay, do you know where you're going to be? Is it a three or six month plan or a 12 month plan?
[00:07:21] Speaker C: Yes, we actually have our year pretty scheduled out right now, especially with Locum's work. You have to have at least three to four months in advance to get all of those contracts lined up. So I'm able to connect with people before I get there and set up coffee dates and things like that. So it's been a blessing.
[00:07:40] Speaker B: And Rebecca, this name, side by side, you know, you can look at it different ways, can't you? Certainly women are side by side in these medical marriages, but you're also. Maybe the, the picture is side by side with your husbands as well. Correct. I mean there's a couple different ways and you've got to, I mean, I think you're stable because you're side by side with a wonderful leadership team including Lindsay.
[00:08:03] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. We have three pillars in our logo and really that's what we're chasing after as a ministry.
A sub ministry of CMDA is supporting women in their walk with the Lord, helping them pursue and chase after just the richness and the depth that Christ offers. And. And then also to be able to stand with their husbands and build up marriages and homes from the inside out. And then lastly to see these women walk in fellowship through the journey to have true friendship, lasting community.
Because we know that the culmination of all three of these pillars together is going to bring on earth as it is in heaven a picture, a glimpse of how God created us to live.
[00:08:46] Speaker B: There's no question that marriage is at the heart of side by side ministry. I mean, it exists within CMDA because of marriage and it's on your hearts to invest in and encourage and build up those marriages. And so it seemed a natural fit. There was, you know, maybe a restlessness on the part of a long standing commission called the Marriage Enrichment Commission.
And you came along, your leadership team and both of you, and said, you know, we would be willing to help shoulder this load. In fact, if you'd like us to the commission, we will take this on. So it's a new day and the Marriage Enrichment Commission, we had a wonderful, wonderful gathering on Zoom and Lindsay wrote a wonderful tribute to the decades of ministry that have come out of that Marriage Enrichment Commission, but they've now handed over to you. So talk to us about what's ahead for Marriage Enrichment weekends.
[00:09:43] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. We're so excited about a new opportunity. Like you said, side by side, the heart of it is seeing marriages thrive and be their best. We believe that we can impact as a family the outcome of what is happening in the clinic and in the hospitals only by first taking care of what God has given us to steward at home with our husbands and with our families. And so the Marriage Enrichment, what was the Marriage Enrichment Commission and weekends is so closely knit in our DNA. And as we were interacting together over the past three years, it just seemed like this is going to be a lane where we're going to see this beautiful again. Integration. That word is like God just kept laying it on our hearts. We know that 20% of marriages statistically are absolutely struggling, like at the lowest in the pits. And nobody loves living in that area, but the other 80%, so many in healthcare, they're just kind of living on fumes. They might not be at the lowest of lows, but just everything that life requires in medicine and healthcare, it's a lot. And so we wanted to come alongside couples, husbands, wives, both medical and maybe their non medical spouse, and provide an environment where we could speak directly into their lives and build up community and see the CMDA chapters grow. The side by side chapters, all of it come together to work towards that common goal and be able to be face to face in real life, in person, having that energy of being together, which is so important.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: And Lindsay, just six weeks ago about you and your husband Seth, you were at one of these Marriage Enrichment weekends. Is that the first one that you guys have ever done as a couple and tell us about that.
[00:11:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it was the first time we'd ever attended what was an mew. And it was so precious to hear the stories of other couples in medicine and realize we were normal, that there are. You're not alone in a medical marriage. There are unique challenges to it, and you don't have to walk them alone. You can sit in a room with other people and share stories and receive that encouragement and hope together to move forward and be energized so well.
[00:12:12] Speaker B: I think I've shared with both of you, and I certainly shared with your leadership team, that it was just a year and a half into my practice in Michigan, in general surgery, that I attended a marriage enrichment weekend in Grand Rapids where Margaret, your administrative assistant, lives. And I will never forget that weekend with Alan Harmer, our Midwest regional director there supporting it and the main leader of the group having us go around, give our testimonies. And I'll never forget this OBGYN from Michigan, Rod Mirage, saying to everyone, hi, I'm Rod, and I just have a confession tonight. I have a mistress. And we're all, like, floored. Looking at his wife, wondering how she's going to react. And she knew what was coming.
And he said, I love my practice so much that it's become my first wife. It's become my mistress.
And I was floored because then what followed over the next 24 hours was him explaining what was going on. And my heart started racing. I was like, that is incredibly close to what I'm experiencing right now in my own practice. First, a year and a half into my private practice and really going forward, wanting to be successful, make my patients happy. And Pam having had a baby. And so I could see where in two or three years, that mistress description would be very true for me.
And so hearing that story, hearing that story from a more senior physician was life changing for me. And we talked a lot about that that weekend. You know, these weekends you have a lot of time to talk together just away from the kids.
Well, speaking of story, Lindsay and shared story, a shared journey.
That's really what side by Side is about more than trying to fix marriages.
How have you seen the power of story bringing healing and clarity to couples who are walking through particularly hard seasons?
[00:14:10] Speaker C: Oh, yes. I love story. I feel that the story really creates awareness. When you hear stories, get the chance to share stories, those blind spots, like you mentioned, are gently exposed. I remember a couple months after I started attending Side by Side, Seth, my husband, said, lindsay, I Am sorry, so sorry. I had not realized how depressed you had become.
And that just exposed it to him. Through hearing those stories, I was being poured into and I was becoming the woman he married again. A shared journey helps restore clarity. That kind of got distorted in long seasons of hard survival mode. And it really shifts that goal from fixing to understanding where instead of, oh, we have to fix this, we now get these, this deeper narrative of empathy and compassion and understanding the challenges that we're facing. And recognizing this isn't unique to this one person. There's a whole community experiencing similar challenges and it reveals those needs without blame. Right. Because this is just the community. This is what's normal. And the realization of hearing stories and sharing stories, it brings a freedom rather than pressure with one another. Like my husband suddenly realized I had needs that he could not meet, but those sisters in Christ could meet. And it wasn't on him to try to build that. And through that community, recognizing this is what the Lord has built us to be in the body of Christ and to lean into that building process, that structure, rather than trying to do it on our own. And it just really showed us that others are walking in similar valleys and they have found renewal and it suddenly replaces that despair with possibility. So we truly love just sitting and sharing and hearing stories.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: Rebecca, talk to us about the national Convention a little bit because I know you've put together a program for Family Life Track and a marriage panel and you've asked us to tell some stories. Those of us who are on the panel tell our listeners a little bit about what's coming up at the national convention.
[00:16:35] Speaker D: Yeah, we're so excited to be in Colorado. I am a Florida girl, so I'm a little bit nervous that even April in Denver might be colder than the coldest temperatures in Tampa. And my husband, he's nervous that we can fit all of the cold weather gear into our suitcases. But we will get everything there. And once we arrive in beautiful Loveland, our side by side team, you can find us usually pretty easily. We're often wearing pink, as you can see, Lindsay and myself. And oftentimes a lot of women will come over to us, say, what's all this pink about? Or even men too. They would just want to know what's happening over here. We're usually laughing and having a great time. But what I like to say about the Family life track, which we have enjoyed hosting so much, is that it's a place to be a part of what's happening in all of the big medical and Healthcare talk where you can actually just kind of pop out for a second and get back down to the heart level. So the family life track is for anyone, male or female. Friday afternoon we're going to be hosting three breakout sessions. My husband Joshua and myself will be doing a talk on marriage and what it looks like too, as we lift our eyes to the hills. What it looks like to be able to have. Being kept by the keeper. Being kept by the keeper is really the focus of our talk. And then after that, we're going to be welcoming in yourself and your lovely wife and two other couples to have real talk. We're calling it trail talk. So we're going to be doing this real talk on the trail and what it's like to be kind of in the dirt together and telling those stories. Like we said, they're so powerful, they're so impactful. You don't forget a story.
People will want to come to see yourself and your wife, but also the other couples and hear firsthand what it's been like to walk in your shoes in perhaps a role that they may not be so familiar with. And then the last session we're going to be hosting for the family Life track after that panel is actually kind of like a table talk session where we're going to be rotating and giving the members of the session a chance to interact with each other and engage their own story after hearing examples of real life in the field, in the faith and in their calling, of what's happening in their lives. So we're really excited about the family life track Friday afternoon at natcon.
[00:19:01] Speaker B: So, Rebecca, for the non medical spouse, it can feel easy to get to be overlooked and disconnected from their own calling. So how does side by side this ministry intentionally care for and empower those spouses?
[00:19:17] Speaker D: Well, I'm really excited to tell you a little bit about a new endeavor because Lindsay and I say we're a lot like balloons. We love to get these ideas and then float along. And then our wonderful Margaret, our administrative assistant, she's our string, she tells us she's our like our balloon string. And sometimes if she goes on vacation, she's really nervous to come back because who knows what the two balloons have been up to while she's been gone the last week. So one of these kind of balloon visions that Joshua and I had laid on our heart this last year and actually even some time before that, but it came to fruition in the last semester really is what we're calling healing rounds. And it's a CCM Community Chapter of cmda, located in the Tampa area, where we are with our side by side chapter. There's also a student chapter here. So we're starting to see kind of this powerhouse of students, spouses, and now also like a culminating group, this group we're calling Healing Rounds. And it's really near and dear to my heart because for myself, around the kitchen table, we have a round dining table. And Josh and I will sit there with our four kids. And at the dining table, we have the best conversations about what's happening in their lives, the victories that they're seeing, the blessings that are happening in their lives.
And then we also talk about the lowest, hardest things. Sometimes there's repentance issues, sometimes there's bitterness, forgiveness that needs to happen between their siblings, between ourselves, between relationships that we have. But around the table is our safe place where we can come together to talk about the highs, the lows, and just about everything in between.
And for Joshua, this same idea of rounding, which is gonna be familiar to you, when he was in residency, when they would do their rounds, their attending would take them into a private area. And when they came to this private area, they could be encouraged, recognized, lifted up. They could sometimes be admonished, they might be corrected. There might be some really hard conversations, mistakes that were made. But when they were having those rounds, it happened in the privacy and the intimacy of the residents and the attendings. And it was a safe place. Again, the highs to the lows and everything in between. And so when we were talking about this idea of rounds, healing Rounds, we just decided, this is. This has got to be it. We're going to set the room and round tables.
We're going to get everyone together, whether they are a student that one day dreams about being in the healthcare field, a spouse they could be retired in the middle of their career. We're going to span it all, and we're going to get these people around the table to share their stories again and to be able to encourage each other and each step of the journey. And so we are looking in Tampa to make sure that no one gets forgotten. Right, like that. We're casting this really wide net where you can feel that at CMDA you belong and there's a space for you there.
[00:22:27] Speaker A: Before we continue with this week's episode, here's a special announcement for you.
The CMDA Learning center is continuing to grow, and it's an incredible resource for Christian healthcare professionals.
You'll find content from recent national conventions, the Faith Prescription series, continuing education opportunities, and a wide range of courses designed to support both your professional work and your spiritual growth.
And here's the best part. As a CMDA member, you can earn continuing education credits at no cost.
To start exploring the full library, visit CMDA.org learn.
We're also grateful for our premier sponsors who are supporting CMDA's 2026 National Convention, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Samaritan's Purse World Medical Mission.
LUCOM is committed to training Christian centered physicians through a student focused, distinctly Christian medical education, and Samaritan's Purse continues to provide both spiritual and physical care to those in need around the world in the name of Jesus Christ.
Both organizations will be at the convention, so be sure to stop by to learn more about their work and connect with their teams.
This year's National Convention will be held April 23 through 26 in Loveland, Colorado, and it's coming up quickly.
If you haven't registered yet, now is the time to learn more and secure your spot. Visit natcon.cmda.org let's jump right back into this week's episode.
[00:24:18] Speaker B: What role in that setting do you see? Mentoring one on one, two on two, that sort of situation playing now. And also talk to us about mentoring. We talk about mentoring a lot around here at CMD in our various ministries. So how do you see that being fleshed out and side by side?
[00:24:35] Speaker D: Mentorship is huge. I even just think about the integration between we had Dr. Eileen Lindsay went on a GHO trip with Dr. Eileen last year with her husband and children and then Dr. Eileen turns out she lives in Tampa. She is here at our CCM group. She's working with students now we've got side by side and she can get up and share about the work that she's doing all around the globe working with ministries that are fighting against sex trafficking and all types of trips that are medical. I mean it is mind blowing to see just how vast the reach is even within this one area of Tampa. And so it has been so encouraging to see her experience translate to I think the youngest student that we had at Healing Rounds last month was 16 years old and is so excited about pursuing biomed in their high school and absolutely can't wait to see what their life could be like. Fast forward 10, 20, 30 some people in the room even 40 and 50 years.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: Rebecca, you've been mentioning students quite a bit and that doesn't surprise me certainly for there in Tampa but even here in Eastern Tennessee at the Quillen Metal, the side by side vibrancy yes, there are some wives of practicing physicians, but they shepherd a group of students, students wives and residents wives. So Lindsay, as you've traveled across the country and been with all these different groups and Rebecca as well, I would assume that's a common theme that your groups that are associated with medical students and medical schools, maybe some of your larger groups, I would guess.
[00:26:19] Speaker C: Yes, definitely. We see a good mix of those post training year w as well as the training wives. And we do see a few chapters that are mostly training wise. But we're actually launching a new initiative called Love Made Visible where our chapters can partner with one another. So if you have if we have a chapter with many more seasoned women and they want to speak some truth into some younger women, they can partner with some other chapters and create more of those mentorship opportunities. I'm really excited. Tampa is actually looking to partner with another chapter in Florida and so maybe they can start building some more regional events to speak truth into their communities as they speak truth to one another. So it's just the ripple effects of mentorship in Side by Side. It just keeps going and going and going.
[00:27:13] Speaker B: That's fantastic, Lindsay. You know, Rebecca, I can't shake a memory of you telling me from a couple three years ago at the national convention at your exhibit for Side by Side that you had maybe more men coming up to the exhibit to ask questions.
Is there a group for non medical men married to female physicians? And you're like, this is not what I expected.
Whether it came out of that or we've been talking about some sort of men's ministry for years at CMDA because we know that more than half of med school graduates these days, probably also dental graduates, are women. And so you guys have been focused on this and you're raising something up. Tell us about that. William.
[00:27:56] Speaker D: Well, we're really excited about our men's virtual Side by Side group. Yeah, that pink color at natcon, it definitely really attracts attention. And there were so many women physicians that were coming up and saying, why doesn't something exist like this for my husband, he had to pick up and move his life across the country to follow my career. And he is struggling to make community.
And as the female physician population continues to grow, we know that as a marriage ministry, there is also going to be a continuing number of men that need community.
And I sometimes think it's even harder for them. So with bringing Lindsay on board, we've been able to make some really big headway and I'd love for her to even just to continue to share about this new passion project that she's been able to launch in the very short time that she's already come on as a field staff member.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: Go for it, Lindsey.
[00:28:52] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:28:52] Speaker C: Thank you. I just, it felt like we kept hearing that question of do you have anything for men on repeat? And if I've learned anything in my 40 years of living, if it feels like something is playing on repeat, you need to pause and ask the Lord, is this from you? And we really did. We started seeing this great need for it.
But we also recognize we're women and men are facing some different societal expectations and different challenges than we're going to face. So it was hard for us to carry the weight of this need and yet know we couldn't meet this need on our own. But you know, that's exactly where God wants us.
[00:29:31] Speaker A: Right?
[00:29:32] Speaker C: Is needing Him. And so we just laid it at the foot of his cross. And it has been beautiful to see God raise up the right men at the right time and give us the honor of being able to give them some structure and some connections through side by side overflow. And really I just, it's so beautiful to see God providing when we step in obedience and hand the reins to him. And so if anyone listening is thinking, actually, you know what, I really would love to get connected with that group. Our wonderful leader is Arturo Vilanueva. He is a med student husband.
And you know what, if you also know that there is a female in healthcare, this ministry is for her and her husband. So you can find, find a male spouse's link on our website, sidebysidecmda.org and you will get plugged right in to that new budding community that we are very excited to see what God is going to do with it.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, thank you both and side by side for serving as catalysts. Because I'm asked the question not infrequently. So I know if I've heard the question a dozen times, I Bet you've heard it 5x more than that, both of you. So I'm, I'm excited that you're serving as this catalyst because I think sometimes it just there needs to be a catalyst and then these men, they'll figure it out. I mean, they'll figure out how to lead themselves. The Holy Spirit in them will bring them together. So thank you for facilitating that community. And community is really the central theme. It makes sense that you guys are motivated to help the men. So why is it so critical for couples in medicine to walk alongside others who truly Understand the world. I mean our members, they're all parts of churches and they're church ministries that we're all part of.
But why specifically this community? What is it bringing in? What's the value add for this specific community?
[00:31:32] Speaker D: I will love to make an analogy to a Chick Fil A cup. I wish I had it here, but I don't have it with me at this moment. I'm sort of surprised. But if you can picture my white Chick Fil a cup with the red straw sticking out, I could put soda in a cup at home. But there's just something about going to Chick Fil a that when they put the soda in the cup or make some chicken nuggets at home. But when you drive up and you get your chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A it just hits different.
And I think that is so true about community.
We have seen over the years that you can walk this medical life, your career, you can be married and just be in where you are at home and talking to your spouse. You can do all of these things, even trying to lead up a ministry. But when you get people together in the room, it just hits different. There's something that happens when we're together that can't happen alone. And so I just remember that as I drink from my Chick Fil a cup like this tastes so good. And I know that is going to be true about when we're together at natcon.
When you take that extra step of faith to show up at a community meeting, a side by side chapter location, to go out on a limb and make a phone call or take a walk with a friend, a new friend, meet a new student or mentor someone. Every single time we take a step of faith in obedience, God just meets us and he blesses us more than we could ever even ask or imagine. And so that is the hope filled in Christ that we can have when we live out this life of community.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: I'm never going to be able to watch a Chick Fil A commercial again. The same. I've got this as you're describing, this vision of this cow, you know, the eat more chicken cow holding up side by side logo or something like that. So I see a grant in your future. You need to write a grant to Atlanta to their head office.
Well, for any couples listening right now who feel tired and disconnected or unsure if what they're experiencing is normal, what hope or encouragement would you want them to hear today, either one of you? And I'll just as I ask you to answer that question, I'll just say I personally am walking through a very difficult situation with a doc that I've been mentoring for some time now in his marriage. And there's been a period of separation now and just a very difficult. So it's just my heart is aching for his marriage. And so what encouragement to those listening, whether men, women, medical, non medical, would either one or both of you give to them?
[00:34:13] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I love this question because I've experienced all of those emotions. I've been in that valley and I want to say four years ago, when Seth and I followed God into this full time traveling, I was excited about what God had for us. But I also grieved deeply because I was leaving my Side by Side chapter here in Reading, Pennsylvania, that I'd been a part of the leadership team for years at that point. And it really felt like I was walking away from family.
And I want to say to those listening, sometimes obedience doesn't always feel like triumph. You know, sometimes it feels like surrender. I'm so grateful that that year, right after we got on the road, we actually attended our first CMDA National Convention. It was 2023. And I remember just sitting in the audience crying as I heard story after story from people who understood our life. It was just so overwhelming. And that was actually also the year that Robin Morgenthaler received her award for the President's heritage. And I just remember I was sitting there just sobbing in gratitude that here was this woman who was being honored. She didn't even know me. She had no idea how what she had done. Her walking in obedience had affected my life. It had changed my marriage, it had changed me. Coming out of depression, it gave so much to my life. The Side by Side team was there. And I actually remember being really scared to approach the booth because I had like just saying no to my chapter had felt so raw. And I was scared that I was going to be told no again. And so it was hard for me to put myself out there again. But I remember Seth, my husband, he just, he took my hand and he said, you're not asking for anything except for a conversation with a group of women who get you. And I'm so glad he gave me that courage. And sometimes when your courage is gone, God lends you your spouses. And that is such a beautiful thing to lean into. I could have said, no, I don't want to do this. But I let him lead me. And now, of course, God was not saying no to Side by Side. He was saying, grow.
And today I am in community with a side by side virtual chapter. I get to serve on the side by side prayer team and now I get to watch God meet real needs in real times as being in ministry development, which just so happens to be my dream job. I had no idea it was my dream job, but it very much is. And what felt like loss turned into expansion. So I would just encourage if you are feeling alone right now, be bold. Take one step toward community. Maybe attend netcon. There's no further commitment in that. Just attend or find a social media account with one of us, the CMDA or the side by side and find a local chapter and just let someone see you in your exhaustion and your tiredness and know that God is still writing your story. You know, what feels like a dry season may be the very ground where he is preparing new growth because my husband and I leaned into that and followed his guiding actively seeking Him.
What once was scorched places, I didn't even realize they were fully scorched places until I started walking with him. And now it's a thriving garden of community. And it's so beautiful, you have no idea how far the ripples of your obedience are going to extend.
[00:38:00] Speaker B: I think Jesus or the Father will whisper it to you someday in eternity when we get there slowly over eternity. It's one of the fun things about eternity is actually realizing what was taking place behind the scenes and the impact.
Rebecca, other thoughts? And by the way, you might just mention about Heart to Heart at the national convention.
[00:38:22] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. If you feel encouraged or discouraged, you feel discouraged, you definitely want to stop by Heart to Heart at natcon. Heart to Heart is a time for all women. So it does not matter if that's the only qualifier if you are a female, if you are a woman. International Convention Come to Heart to Heart. It's during the coffee break and it is one of the most just, sacred, special, unique times of the convention that cannot be replicated anywhere else else. Let me just tell you. So there's nowhere else during the rest of the entire year that you can have this experience where we put together all women in all seasons of the journey. We put together students and PAs and residents and wives that are non medical and we have just the most beautiful, deep, rich conversation. This year we're going to be talking a lot about hospitality. We're going to be talking about real concerns of real women that apply to everyone.
And the hardest part about Heart to Heart is that it's only 45 minutes and nobody wants to leave. And I don't Want to get in trouble. So usually I tell them, like, there's 250 of you. We can't all show up late to the next plenary session, so you have to leave, you have to go on time, or else they won't let us keep doing this. But that is one of the reasons why we're doing that table talk session during the family life track, so that we can encourage that you can come back and keep having great conversation, because those conversations have such a lasting impact into carrying you through and giving you momentum as you start to encounter the things ahead. And so the ripple effects, like Lindsay said, last so far into the year, I just cannot absolutely wait to be there and be together and see what God's going to do. We're expected for some big things.
[00:40:15] Speaker B: Well, I want to wrap up by praying for both of you and the whole side by side ministry. My favorite Pauline prayer to the Thessalonians. So we at cmda, we keep on praying, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call.
May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. And then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live and travel around the country in an rv and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And in his name I pray for side by side. Amen.
[00:40:55] Speaker D: Amen.
[00:40:56] Speaker B: All right, thanks, ladies. And we'll see you in just a few weeks there in Loveland. What a great, great name of a town for marriage ministry, huh? Loveland.
[00:41:06] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:41:07] Speaker C: Oh, thank you so much, Mike, for giving us this opportunity. Has really been a blessing to us. Could I possibly share a blessing with the healthcare community as well?
[00:41:19] Speaker B: I know you gave a blessing to the Marriage Enrichment Commission, so fire away, Lindsay.
[00:41:23] Speaker C: Oh. To our healthcare community, whoever is listening. May the one who provides water in parched places refresh your weary hearts. May he send the right people beside you when you feel unseen and unheard. May you remember that he is not finished with your calling. Not in the long nights, not in the hard cases, and not in the quiet sacrifices that no one applauds.
May your mighty father give you courage to step forward in faith and trust in his leading.
May you know deep in your heart that what may feel like dry and barren ground today can become a thriving garden tomorrow.
May you be bold, may you be open, and may you be seen.
And may you experience the great honor of watching God do miracles.
[00:42:22] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:42:22] Speaker C: Thank you so much.
[00:42:23] Speaker B: Amen. And I'll throw in the Swahili word Kapisa. It's my favorite Swahili word and it means overwhelmingly, completely. Yes, Capisa.
[00:42:32] Speaker D: So capisa.
[00:42:36] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:42:37] Speaker B: All right. God bless.
[00:42:38] Speaker C: God bless.
[00:42:48] Speaker B: Well, my thanks again to Rebecca and Lindsay for joining me and for the meaningful work that they are leading through side by side ministry.
This conversation is a reminder that strong Christ centered marriages are built with intention and strengthened through support as well as they are sustained in Christ and within his community.
No one is meant to walk this journey alone, friends.
Well, if this episode encouraged you, I want to invite you to share it with a medical wife or a couple in your life who could benefit from this kind of support. And if you would like to learn more about Side by Side or other CMDA resources, you can just visit cmda.org or cmda.org sidebyside hey, next week I'm gonna be joined by someone, maybe one of the most famous and influential and powerful doctors today in America, and that's Dr. J. Bhattacharya. He's Director of of the National Institutes of Health and for the time being he's the Acting Director of the cdc. We're going to discuss lessons from the pandemic, the role of open scientific debate, and how healthcare professionals can help rebuild trust in medicine with integrity and with faith.
I want to thank you for listening to Faith in Healthcare, where our mission is to bring the hope and healing of Jesus Christ to our world through committed Christ followers within healthcare. We'll see you next time, God willing.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: Thanks for listening to Faith in Healthcare, the CMDA Matters Podcast.
If you would like to suggest a future guest or share a comment with us, please email cmdamatterscmda.org and if you'd to like if you like the podcast, be sure to give us a five star rating and share it on your favorite social media platform.
This podcast has been a production of Christian medical and dental associations.
The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are not necessarily endorsed by Christian medical and dental associations.
CMDA is a nonpartisan organization that does not endorse political parties or candidates for public office.
The views expressed on this podcast reflect judgments regarding principles and values held by CMDA and its members and are not intended to imply endorsement of any political party or candidate.
