Women & Identity

We live only a small fraction of the lives God has for us. Our lives get smaller and smaller, circling around the minute-by-minute disappointments and demands of the present moment while God whispers softly or even hollers for us to harness our whole hearts. Written by experienced spiritual leaders Adele Ahlberg Calhoun and Tracey Bianchi, the nine sessions LifeGuide® Bible Study follow the biblical themes as well as the journeys of women showing the way to embracing God's strength and wisdom to live whole lives. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

Tracey Bianchi (MDiv, Denver Seminary) is a freelance writer, speaker and pastor. She serves as Pastor for Worship and Women at Christ Church of Oak Brook, where she leads a team that creates contemporary worship each week. She is the author of Mom Connection: Creating Vibrant Relationships in the Midst of Motherhood, the featured MOPS International book of the year, and Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Saving the Planet .Tracey has been serving in ministry ever since college and is a featured author and speaker for MOPS International and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board at Christianity Today?s Gifted for Leadership. Her work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including Leadership Journal, The Washington Post, MOPS International's MomSense, Proverbs 31 Magazine, FullFill Magazine and more. In 2012, Christianity Today noted Tracey as one of "50 Women to Watch, Those Most Shaping the Church and Culture."An active participant in faith-based environmental conversations, Tracey serves on the Synergy National Advisory Council as well as the Board of Directors for the Evangelical Environmental Network. Her hope is to engage in the hard but good conversations about grace, peace and all that is possible if we let God lead the way. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three kids.

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun (MA, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) has worked in Christian ministry for over forty years. She and her husband, Doug, currently work with Highrock Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, and work with retreats, the Enneagram, and leader resourcing nationally and internationally. Adele is the author of Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Invitations from God and the coauthor of True You and Women Identity.Previously, Adele and her husband copastored Redeemer Community Church in Needham, Massachusetts, and she was formerly pastor of spiritual formation at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois. A retreat speaker and trained spiritual director, she has taught courses at Wheaton College and Northern Seminary. In the early 1970s she helped pioneer student work with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. She has also worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in New England and Canada and with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in the West Indies and South Africa.