Idlewild Women's Ministry, 18333 Exciting Idlewild Boulevard, Lutz, FL (2026)

05/27/2026

Ladies, we hope you will join us for our next Creative Connections event, "Gather"!

We will be making shabby chic, patriotic flags! Perfect for all of your upcoming July 4th celebrations.

Cost to attend is $20 - which includes all supplies plus some light bites to enjoy during our time together.

Register here: https://idlewild.tpsdb.com//OnlineReg/3040

05/27/2026

A note from Jodie: Confession is good for the soul! Whether we are admitting our sins or proclaiming His worthiness, confession draws us into His presence.
Join with me as we celebrate testimonies of faith.
Philippians 2:11: “…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Susan is one of our Women’s Ministry Bible Study facilitators. A long time member of Idlewild, you may have met her through Invitation Counseling. She loves sharing the Gospel and encouraging another in their salvation. Here is her testimony...

It is always a joy and privilege to share about The One I love most, Jesus Christ but that is not how I felt for the first 33 years of my life. In fact, the only time I would talk about Jesus is when I would take His name in vain – which was often, as I swore like a sailor. Early on in my faith journey, I read this prayer which sums up where I am today: “O Lord, I ain’t what I wanna be and Lord, I ain’t what I oughta be and Lord I ain’t what I’m gonna be, But Lord, thanks I’m not what I used to be”

Because of Jesus, I am a diﬀerent person and so very grateful. I was raised in a pretty dysfunctional family – my father wasn’t mean, just indiﬀerent, not very present. My mother was an alcoholic suﬀering from depression. There was infidelity. My older brother was also an alcoholic. I had a younger brother and sister I often had responsibility for. Upon reflection, I say I wasn’t raised, just grew up like a w**d. Lots of fighting (never knew what would prompt it), added to an already insecure environment, made more so by their divorce.

I had attended church sporadically but more as a social thing, wasn’t interested, not sure I heard much. Sadly, I would make fun of those who had religion- not the ‘in thing”and I was all about doing the “in thing”/ being accepted by others which is where I found my security.

As a teenager I had a great best friend, happened to be a guy, that relationship grew into love. He came from a family that appeared to be like a Donna Reed clone, safe, secure, calm— he became my security. In fact, I’ve said that before I knew the Savior, Chris was my Savior. We later married while still in college. I supported him while in grad school. We believed we were living our dream, but focused on self—then we had two extreme pregnancy situations , both of which led us to pray, as Chris would say later, to a God we didn’t know.

We didn’t give God much more thought until we ended up in a new location and a godly neighbor did some EE on me asking if I knew where I’d go if I were to die—my answer was all wrong but she invited me to a Bible study (later confessing she almost fainted when I said yes)..I thought it would be a good place to meet nice people/not thinking about seeking Go. It was there I heard the Gospel for the first time. I heard about the indwelling Holy Spirit in those who believe and trust Jesus alone for salvation. I knew I didn’t have the Holy Spirit, but wanted Him, so the 2nd week of class, I went home, got on my knees, and asked Jesus to come into my life & forgive my sins, be my Lord and Savior

He is faithful and did and I will never be the same. God has a great sense of humor – that study was in Bethlehem, studying Genesis and my leader’s name was Mary. That was in September of 1981 and since then there has never been a time when I haven’t been in Bible study.

05/07/2026

I’m a Grandma of a Kindergartner ✍Jodie Montgomery

My grandson started kindergarten last fall. This was a big adjustment for the whole family. School starts early so sleep patterns were changed. School includes a whole new people group so new relationships were incorporated in the day to day. School wasn’t next door so a schedule for drop off and pick up became a regular communication. School requires many preparations; the Mom covered all those. School set a new season in motion for the family. Everyone had to grow up a bit.

I confess here that I was the Grandma who messed with the cones in the carpool line. When I dropped off in the morning I went to the far right lanes to be closest to the sidewalk so my grandson didn’t have to walk through the cars. When I picked up in the afternoon, I needed to be in the far left lanes to pick up for the lower grades; far right was those waiting for older students. For some reason, I was on the struggle bus in the afternoon and was that person in line having to move the cones to cut over to the proper lane for the right pickup placement as I was always blocked in when I realized my faux pas. This was humiliating. I confess this wasn’t a one time, lesson learned, experience for me. I confess, I didn’t move a cone and then move my car and get out of my car again to put said cone back. This is a character flaw I am working on…

Vulnerability is visual when you watch the kindergartners learning to navigate a whole new realm. Some are about the size of their backpacks. Some have the weight of the world evident on their faces. Some seem to embrace the adventure with curious joy. Our grandson was hesitant and delighted by the new opportunities to grow up. You realize the importance of school administrators and teachers; thanking God for the leaders who care well.

The school year is getting ready to end; one more month of carpool. I look back on the changes and realize how they benefitted our grandson and our family. Input from dedicated teachers is priceless. New friends are a treasure. Gaining conflict resolution skills is a means of becoming peacemakers. Realizing educational milestones encourages all.

As the school year comes to a close, we thank those investing in the well-being of the children. We thank God for the teachability of the next generation. May we all choose to nourish His life in one another.

Proverbs 13:14 ” The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death.”

05/06/2026

Closing Out a Listening Well Series ✍Jodie Montgomery

Last week, we continued to receive feedback from the Listening Well Series. Thank you for “listening well”. The feedback showed a great deal of what was stated in the series as resonating with many, and it revealed the empathy in the church. I thank God for the saints and their care and encouragement of one another. We long to be a comfort to one another.

In taking one last look at the Listening Well blogs, I hear: the value of trustworthy friendships, prayer (individually and with others), Bible study, uplifting music, and asking questions. I hear: the vulnerability of those hurting, the privilege of encouraging another, and the importance of community. I hear: difficulty in sharing our burdens, the frailty of the home, the longing for healthy relationships, and the hope the church often does provide.

As we close out this series, thank you to the blog writers and their vulnerability in sharing their experiences. We have gained resources in you. Trusting this series led many to pray for our church members and to remember how we are His image bearers entrusted with representing Him to one another. We are His people.

04/23/2026

Listening Well: Even Potential Bible Study Members May Have Fears…
✍ Audie Murphy

I love the faith over fear tshirts you see everywhere—Amazon, Temu, you name it. They seem to have applied to so many parts of my life. But long before I wore the phrase, I lived the tension of it, especially when it came to Bible study.

I remember the very first Bible study I ever attended—as well as all the ones before that one which I aptly avoided entirely because of…fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that I wouldn’t know anyone. Fear that I wouldn’t know enough. I was convinced I’d be lost, behind, or exposed as someone who didn’t belong. If there was a reason not to go, I found it.

When I finally walked into that first class, I did what any reasonable, slightly terrified woman would do: I sat in the very back row. (Backrow Baptist? Possibly.) I scanned the room, picked the friendliest face I could find, and planted myself right next to her. Her name was Stephanie, and I made it my personal mission not to get separated from her—not just that first night, but for essentially every Monday night after that.

What I didn’t expect was how quickly fear gave way to belonging. It didn’t take long to feel accepted and part of the group. The women were kind. Conversations were real. Friendships formed—some that have lasted to this day—all because I took a step into Bible study when I didn’t feel ready. I didn’t get lost. I wasn’t left behind. And slowly, almost without realizing it, I began to know more—not just about Scripture, but about God’s heart and His people.

Some friends have moved away. Some seasons have changed. But one truth remains clear to me: women need other women. We support one another, we laugh together, and we help each other see Scripture in ways we might never notice on our own. We process out loud. We connect the truth to real life. And we carry those insights with us long after the study ends.

One of the greatest blessings of Bible study has been learning how to study God’s Word—not just what it says, but how to engage with it in a way that shapes my life and helps me grow to be more like Christ. Growth doesn’t happen all at once. We learn to crawl before we walk, and we stumble plenty along the way. But if we never learn how to learn—how to open the Word, ask questions, and sit with truth—we’ll struggle to stand firm ourselves, let alone help lift someone else up.

And I need lifting up. Often.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

Bible study has given me hope and confidence I never expected. It’s also given me a deeper awareness of the women around me—the ones standing on the sidelines, hesitating the way I once did. Now, when I invite someone to join a study, I try to remember that fear may be whispering in her ear, just like it once did in mine. Sometimes all it takes is one invitation, one friendly face, one safe place to sit in the back row.

Faith over fear doesn’t mean fear disappears. Sometimes it simply means we show up anyway—and discover we were never meant to do it alone.

04/15/2026

Widows & Widowers, you are invited to join us for a friendship BBQ!

Register here: https://idlewild.tpsdb.com//OnlineReg/3015

04/15/2026

Listening Well: and Loving the Families with LGBTQ Children
By Lisa Hicks

As young couples, we start our journey together with great anticipation of what God will do in our lives. We are then blessed with children, and we love and pray for them with great expectation of how God will work in their lives. Then one day it feels like a bomb just exploded in our home and our heart when our child admits they have struggled with same s*x attraction, and that they have battled it for a long time and have concluded that God does not love them anymore.

As a parent, this acknowledgment becomes a Crisis of Belief – How did this happen God? Where are you in this God? We feel like a failure as parents, we wrestle with the fear of how we and our child will be perceived or accepted by our biological family, our church family, our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We quickly realized not everyone is a safe person to share this burden with and we must choose wisely who we will ask to pray for our child.

Sadly, the church has stood on the sidelines unsure of how to approach “this sin.” No one wants to deal with “this sin”…until it hits their home. We understand this because that is where we stood…until it hit our home. As a parent you seek Godly resources to help navigate this journey for yourself as you watch your child walk into this painful lifestyle. We found refuge in a Parachurch Family Support Group outside the church; the sad reality is every parent in the group was an active member of a Church in town.

These families needed non-judgmental love, and prayer support from their church family because they carry enough self-condemnation of their own, unfortunately it was not there. We are learning that God is using our pain as a platform to help other families who are waking up to this storm. This has breathed life into us to stay the course and see how God works not only in our child, but in us because we know God is still working in us.

Psalm 62:8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Note from Idlewild Women's Ministry: please send us an email if you would further information on a support group [email protected]

04/07/2026

Make plans to join us for our Summer Bible study!

6 sessions starting June 15, (Monday evening) and June 16 (Tuesday morning), ending July 27 / 28

Registration is open! https://idlewild.tpsdb.com//OnlineReg/2983

Quick note on the study:
Join us in community as we consider Paul's teaching on bond-servants of Christ. This is one of Paul's most intimate letters describing how he suffered for the gospel with confidence in the eternal goodness of God. Themes addressed include unity, eternal matters, generosity, and apostleship. "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.: Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

04/07/2026

Listening Well: “I filed for divorce…” ✍Anonymous

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Divorce and grief are a lot heavier than they look from the outside. It’s not just the end of a marriage. It’s the loss of what was, what you hoped for, and what you thought would always be. And it doesn’t resolve quickly. When you’re raising kids in the middle of it, life doesn’t slow down. There’s no pause. No space to fall apart. No one to consistently share the weight with. It’s just a lot. And it’s really lonely. Even when people are around, it can still feel like no one really sees you and what you’re navigating day to day. And even small moments of real connection, someone reaching out, sitting with you, finding something to laugh about, can go a long way in reminding you you’re not alone when you don’t quite know where you fit anymore.

In the church, that loneliness can sometimes feel even more overwhelming. There’s this quiet pressure to be strong, to be faithful, to be okay sooner than you actually are. So, people stop sharing. Not because they’re fine, but because it doesn’t feel like there’s room not to be. What actually helps is more simple than one may think. I find comfort when people listen, sit in the feelings, don’t try to fix it or explain it away, just be there and keep checking in. A quick text, “praying for you,” “thinking of you”, an invite, a hug, matters more than you think. And these kindnesses last longer than you think. It reminds someone they’re not completely alone. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can say is, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere”. or “I don’t know what to say, but I’m here and I’m praying”.

Note from Idlewild Women, Jodie Montgomery:
According to Barnes & Diehl, PC, women initiate the majority of divorces (69-75%) in the USA citing the main reason for divorce as emotional issues and unequal household burdens. College-educated women initiate divorce at even a higher rate (up to 90%). Focus on the Family in an article, “Divorce in the church: An often secret struggle” addresses how a culture of silence surrounding troubled marriages can create a secret struggle. “Churchgoers whose marriages are in trouble very often fly under the radar, right up until they get divorced.”

In caring well, especially in light of abusive relationships, the stigma of divorce must be overcome so that those struggling are not isolated and can find the prayer support and biblical guidance the church is uniquely created to provide Her Body.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22–23

03/17/2026

Listening Well: Loving the Widow ✍ Meredith Wester

My thoughts on grief – everyone grieves differently. I once told a friend (that is also a widower and believer) that I felt guilty because I did not grieve that much. I loved my husband and I really miss him. I think the reason I did not grieve that much was because I was confident that he was in a better place and not suffering any more. The widower told me that he felt the same way when his wife died after a long battle with cancer. This made me feel better knowing that someone else grieved like me. The fact that my husband fought so hard for 4 years and suffered greatly also was a factor in my grief process. He did not die suddenly or unexpectedly.

Over the 4 years prior to his death, I had prepared myself NUMEROUS times for him to die. He would bounce back and the Doctors assured me that he would recover. So, I always had hope of a future retirement with my husband of 47 years, but God had a different plan.

Since his death, I have gotten involved with numerous girlfriend groups. I really never did have that many girlfriends before or after I was married, but now I really am enjoying their company. I joined a gym and started taking care of myself after being my husband’s private nurse for so long. I joined a different Bible Study group on Sunday morning. I started attending Women’s Bible Study on Tuesdays. I joined a Book Club. I joined my sister-in-law’s card game every Monday night. I volunteered at Maple Ridge Camp two summers as a cook. When my husband got sick, I stopped practicing law to care for him. Now, I have offered my legal advice to numerous organizations pro bono. I stay busy with my family and especially grandchildren.

My thought on grief is that your grief is your grief and no one else’s. To combat the loneliness, I suggest keep moving and get involved with your girlfriends. To have peace, be fully here, God has a purpose for your life. His plan is perfect so be open to exploring and learning new things for Jesus. This is not to say that I do not have those moments when I go to the cemetery and just have a good cry, listen to our love song and wonder why!

Proverbs 14:13 “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.”

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