Stories of Motherhood Momentum Church

Mother's Day, wasn't that such a treat seeing all these beautiful kids up here this morning? So good. So glad that you are here this morning. You know, Mother's Day has so many emotions for us, right? Some of us are in seasons possibly of loss. Maybe this is our first Mother's Day without mom. Maybe for some of us mothers, we look back and we wish, man, if I could go back, I would change X, Y, Z. I know none of us mothers have ever thought that. But there's so many different emotions. Maybe you've lost a child. Maybe you're waiting to become a mom and you're still hanging on to the dream that God is going to give you a family. No matter where you are today, we want you to walk out of here knowing that you are seen, God loves you, He is for you, and you are not alone no matter what season that you are in. Well, this morning, you are in for a treat. Like I said, it's not going to be me, so I'm not patting myself on my back. I have five incredible women. It's going to be five to thrive. They each have five minutes each, okay? So pray for them because they have a lot of wisdom that they're wanting to share with us and just their journey with Jesus and motherhood and what that looks like in every season. So I'm going to, without further ado, I'm going to introduce you to our first mom and that is Ms. Hannah Baccarini. I first met Hannah when Jimmy—I know, girl, you're like a superstar—I first met Hannah when Jimmy applied to become the Navarre campus pastor. And Jimmy was okay, but then when we met Hannah, I'm like, sign the papers, done deal. And you probably know this, but we also have baby James. He's Momentum's mascot.

He goes around and gives fist bumps to everybody, but sad day for, sad day for James, but maybe he's getting a promotion. Was he getting a promotion? Yeah, he's going to be a big brother this fall. Yes. So a new season, he may be bumped down from favorite child, okay, he has to share it now. But I wanted Hannah to come share with you what it, like what God has taken her on a journey of becoming a new mom. You know, because God shows Himself in every season of all of our lives. God shows Himself to us in new ways in every season. And I want her to share with you what it's been like becoming a mom and what God has shown her in this season. Thank you, Pastor Stephanie. Good morning, everyone. I would first just like to say what an honor it is to be asked to share part of my testimony with you guys and my journey in motherhood. It's truly a privilege just to be up here on this stage and I'm thankful for the opportunity and I hope that today God uses my story to encourage you and bless you. My motherhood journey began in an unexpected way back in 2023. Jimmy and I found out that we were pregnant that fall and we were over the moon excited. However, we were met with unfortunate news at our first appointment that we were likely having a miscarriage. A few days later, on November 18th, we lost our first baby. This was absolutely devastating. Our hearts were completely broken. It was such a crushing and heavy feeling of loss and grief. And it was really strange to grieve because we were grieving someone we'd never met and that we loved so much and that we didn't even, it felt like it wasn't even in our grasp yet. And I look back on those days because it was around the holidays and where it was supposed to be a season of joy and a time of joy, we were in a season of pain and brokenness.

But God met me in that brokenness. And He brought hope and peace that only He can bring. His presence and His love carried me through that season. I find myself relating to the story of Hannah and Samuel found in 1 Samuel 1 to be such an encouragement because in that story, Hannah cries out to God and she's weeping and God remembers her and blesses her with Samuel and He did the same for me in my brokenness. He remembered me and gave me my sweet little James. When I had James, God really just taught me the depth of his love. He'd already started to show that to me before my motherhood journey started, but when I actually had him. and he really truly showed me the depth of his love. You know, I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home and I'd always been taught how much God loves me and how much that he cares for me. But when I actually had James, like, I just realized how deep that love went. You know, I met this new little baby and I fell in love with him immediately. I didn't even know him and you know, you're looking at him, you could stare at him all day. They're just so perfect. And you're like, how could they ever do anything wrong? And then they get a little bigger and they do. But somehow we love them even more. But the love that grew and continues to grow in my heart for James is indescribable. And that, I realized in that moment that that is just a glimpse of the love that God has for me. Stepping into motherhood and discovering this new love,

um, I realize, or sorry, discovering this new love, I realized that the same way that God feels about how I felt about James is how God feels about me. You know, we would do anything for our children, but God did do anything for his children. He sent his son to die on the cross for you, for me. And that includes my son, James. And that helped me realize that as much as I love James, God loves him even more. You know, the world is really scary, especially when you become a new mom and fear is pushed at you from one way and another. And this just makes it even more overwhelming. And we want to protect our children and keep them safe. And we would do anything to do that. But the truth is we can't control what happens to them. You know, we can use the wisdom and discernment that God has given us. But it all comes back that we have to surrender them back to him. Surrender means to yield control. And I can remember God just reminding and whispering to me, like, I need you to surrender him to me. And I remember just saying, okay, God, he's yours. I surrender whatever the situation was, like his health or whatever it is I was struggling with. And I'd pray, Lord, I pray you would protect him. I pray you would keep him safe. But most importantly,

I pray that you would lead me as his mother because I can't do it on my own strength. There's a lot of hard days in motherhood, the newborn days, or let's be honest, any day, because sometimes these kids are a little feral. But in those moments, like maybe in the middle of the night when I could barely keep my eyes open rocking him, or all I could do was cry, I would whisper, God, I need you, give me strength, give me patience, give me your peace. And I could feel God in all those moments, comforting me and changing the posture of my heart. Because I know, I don't know about you guys, but when I start to get a little sleep deprived, I get a little cranky. So I really needed the Lord in those moments. And he would just change my heart and change it to a posture of gratitude. And I was able to just thank him, like, thank you that I'm able to be awake with my baby tonight. Like maybe I don't get all the sleep I need and maybe I'm crying, but thank you Jesus for this moment. And I was able to just praise him through that. And the last thing I'll leave you with is that throughout this season of motherhood, one of the things that made such a difference was community. So I just wanna encourage you guys, build a community of godly people

and surround yourself with godly women and godly mothers. Because there's gonna be moments when you need to know that you aren't alone. Others have been through it. You might need a little advice or you might need somebody to push you back to Jesus. But build that community because it takes a village and don't be afraid to ask for help. Man, thank you so much. Hannah, thank you so much for sharing your story. So good. We do need a community and we do need to be reminded to be pushed back to Jesus, Hannah. Just like my kids, I too can get a little feral as well in motherhood. Well, our next mom we have coming up is our one and only Cindy Warren, our campus leader here. I am so excited for Cindy being here. I was thinking about it and I thought of two, I was like, what is two words? I'm like, boss babe. Yeah. And the real, the true words are servant leader. And what I love about Cindy is the fact that there is nothing she won't do. There is nothing that is beneath her. She is there for everyone. She loves Jesus with her heart. I don't know how she, all of her heart. I don't know how she gets everything done.

I think she has more than 24 hours in a day. But what I love is her drive, her drive and her passion, and God has called her to more as a career mom. And so that's what I wanted to, her to share with you this morning. A fun quick fact that shows you how determined she was even at a young age, and it's not wrong to have that drive because God gives us drives and determination to do big things for Him. But at 16, she flew her first solo flight. We knew she was destined for greatness, and she is going to tell us today how she found the balance between motherhood and being a career mom. Thank you, Pastor Steph. Happy Mother's Day, everybody. Mom, career woman, and community advocate, none of these roles were perfectly balanced, but all included a great deal of faith. You know, faithfulness isn't choosing just one role. It is walking with God through seasons. It's lots of prayer and listening for His call on your life. You know, I grew up with a godly mom, and I had two godly grandmothers. And I knew, like, this is the kind of mom I want to be. I want to be able to lead my children well and teach them about Jesus and lead them to Jesus. And so, that is how I approached motherhood, and, you know, being a mom has taught me that I need God's wisdom way more than any other thing I have ever done in my life. And I knew, as a career person and a mom, that I needed certain non-negotiables. And so, for me, those non-negotiables were wake-up time, bedtime, and then special events. And I wanted to make sure that I was there all of those times that I could be. And I didn't miss a whole lot of them. But, you know, I thought, if I'm there for things that my child thinks are important, then I know, He knows I see Him. You are important to me, and I will always be there.

And that is how God is with us, you know? If we are walking with Him and we are following Him, and there's something important to us, I believe that it is important to God as well. You know, I became a Christian long before I became a mom. And about three years into my career, I came to work for three very godly men who were married to godly women, and they modeled what I thought was the right balance. You know, they knew how the order was supposed to go, and they lived it—God, family, and career, or community, whatever—in that order. They modeled excellence and faithfulness, family without apology, and they led with integrity. They showed me that my faith, my family, and my career didn't have to compete, that I could have all of those and have success. And it's so important to have those mentors in your life, to have people who champion you and your values and your goals. First Thessalonians 5.24 tells us that God will make this happen, because He who calls you is faithful. And I believe that part of the way He helps you do this and how He is faithful is that He puts these people in your life to help you accomplish what He's called you to do. And I also believe that that's part of what He's calling these people to do. It's a part of their calling on their lives, so let people help you. And then community involvement was just something that grew out of my love for people, my love for Jesus, and wanting to help my neighbor. You know, I knew I could use my gifts and my talents and my passions to help other people, and I'm so glad that I've been able to do all of those things. I've had so many blessings in my life from those roles, but those roles didn't just co-exist. They stretched me emotionally, spiritually, and physically. There were moments when I felt so capable at something, and then I felt so miserably bad at other things, but you know, I realized that in that stretching is when God was really growing me and shaping me. He was teaching me humility.

He was teaching me to ask for help, and He was teaching me not to rely on my own strength. to rely on Him because He had called me to do these things and He was faithful. So as I leave today, I want to leave you with just a couple of takeaways. One, there is no such thing as balance. There is rhythm. So you have to find your rhythm and go with it in the season that you are in. Don't do it alone. And then ask God, what does faithfulness look like for me in this season? Happy Mother's Day, everybody. So good. What does faithfulness look like in this season? And it looks different for all of us. We just have to be in tune with Jesus and He speaks to us and lets us know what it's supposed to be. Isn't that incredible? Thank you, Cindy. Man, so good. Our next mom coming up is Brenda Simmons. She is our Southern Belle. And this is payback for Adam putting this old picture up here. You're welcome. When mama gets the mic, mama gets to do what she wants on Mother's Day. So Brenda is from Alabama. She's Southern Sweet. Her favorite two words are War Eagle, War Eagle. No, seriously, it's Roll Tide. But I am so excited for her to share with you today her journey. And there are so many people that I know will relate to this. She is representing the blended family mom. And you know, when we blend our families together, what we think life may look like and what

life looks like sometimes are two different things. So when God brings our families together, sometimes we've got big dynamite personalities, right? That we're trying to mold and blend together. And she's such a great representation. She has such a big heart for people. And she's going to share with you what God has taught her with her beautiful family. Thank you, Pastor Steph, for thinking of me and just giving me this opportunity. And thank you, guys. It is a privilege to just share just a short few minutes of my story of our blended family. And so I come from a blended family. I'm one of 14, which wasn't easy. But we definitely never had a dull moment at our home. And my parents showed us love, each and every one of us, every single day. And so that's what my heart was to carry over into my blended family that the Lord blessed me with. So when Adam and I met, he was the dad of four wild boys, which, if you know, wasn't on my list of dating a guy with four boys. But, you know, the Lord knew different, and he had a plan. So yeah, four wild boys, and here I was, a mom of a sweet little girl and a mischievous little boy. And our parenting styles were completely different. But, you know, we've learned a few things. I remember once Adam got his kind of first, like, lesson of a little girl is going to be different around here. So he had bought me a taser gun, and he was putting the batteries in it, and of course he got it working. So he was, like, acting like he was going to shock all the boys. And they were laughing and telling, you know, shock this one, shock that one. And I look over at poor Mary Ellen, and she is just like, what is going on here?

And I know in that moment that she was praying that she was invisible. Sure enough, Adam was like, you know, he can't leave her out. So he goes to shock her, and she burst into tears. And so in that moment, he was like, I'm going to have to treat her a little bit different than those boys. And so, of course, you know, the Lord is like, let me teach Brenda a little lesson too. So definitely had to have some patience when it came to all those five boys and the little girl. And I just remember all the times that we ever were together, the boys would always want to wrestle and fight and just be boys and, like, talk junk to each other. And I was like, why? And then I quickly learned that this is just kind of what guys do, right? So those were just our times that we had to learn, just, you know, those were probably the easier moments of what we had to learn. But just like Hannah said earlier, as a new mom, you think, how could I possibly love someone that I've never met, that I've never laid eyes on? And as a blended family, marrying in two, I think, how could I possibly love these boys? as much as I love my kids, but as soon as I met him, I instantly knew that I was in love with him. And so it makes me think of my mom and how she taught me at a young age that it didn't matter who your biological parents are. The thing that mattered was that we're all God's children and we deserve to be loved. I also remember her telling me, Brenda, never stop loving people the way that you do. She said, it's a gift and it's something that the world cannot take away from you. And so I hold that, you know, close to my heart. And also realizing that she was talking about God's love. I know that now that I have a relationship with him and that I can walk through that with him. And so I have no doubt that I was placed in Adam's boy's lives to show them and to teach

them the love of God that my mom showed me and taught me, as I am for many of you that are in here today. So one of the greatest compliments that I've ever, ever received was being called a church mom. And that has, you know, high standards, but I just remember just recently one of the young ladies said, you know, you feel so much like a mom and so you're just going to be my church mom. And it was so, like it filled me so much with so much love and so much joy. And so I want to leave you guys with this. To the fellow mom walking through the challenges of a blended family, don't lose hope. The struggle doesn't mean failure. God can restore what feels broken, strengthen what feels weak, and bring beauty from the seasons that once felt impossible. Some of the deepest love is formed when people choose to stay, fight, serve one another, and allow God to lead the way. And so, just like Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13, 13, and now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. So my prayer today, this Mother's Day, is that you feel loved, and you feel God's love for all the days to come. Thank you and happy Mother's Day. She is definitely Adam's better half, okay, I said it. Women get the mic today, so, so good. Thank you so much, Brenda, for sharing. I know we're going to walk away with so many truths in our heart. The greatest of these is love. Well, our next mom is Terri, Terri Ross. I am telling you, I am so excited for Terri being here. She is one that I've probably known the least amount of time, but I love her so much. You can't walk onto Momentum campus without knowing her.

She greets you, she wants to make sure that you're seen, that you're loved by Jesus, and she gets you connected. She doesn't want you to leave here alone, she wants you to know that you're loved and you're seen. I know one of her biggest gifts is hospitality, and she uses that not only in her home bringing people in, but also here at the house, here at church for kingdom purpose. And I know one of her greatest treasures, she's not only a mom, she's a grandma, and She's a great grandma, and she's from New Orleans, so she brings in a little flavor, all about that jazz music. So she is here to share with us just wisdom of being a mom, a grandma, a great grandma, and how we can learn from her today. So I'm so excited to hear what you have to say, Terri. Thank you, Steph. Good morning, church family. We are so blessed to belong to a church where we can show each other unconditional love. The best days of my life are the days that I'm praying and thinking of others. Moms rarely have time to think about themselves. Basically, we get to serve others all the time. I think God wants us to be happy, and I think God wants us to be happy serving others. As a young mom, I knew I could pray about everything. Prayer got me through a lot of tough times. First marriage, having a baby, growing up real quick, divorce, and sadness. God heard my grandparents' prayers. God healed me, and he helped me get back on my feet. And with those prayers I was given a new life, a new career, a new marriage, and another child. I started hearing God's gentle nudge. I said yes. Praying and actually listening to God, he showed me how to make a difference. I had a third child. We transferred to Pensacola from New Orleans. New life, new careers, new schools, a lifetime of nudges and calls from God. Praying for my family is a full-time job. My kids are adults. My kids have had careers. My kids are married

with kids of their own. Now my grandkids are having my great-grandkids. A lifetime of prayers and listening to God. Let me end with this story. Once upon a time there was an old man walking on the beach. Suddenly he saw a boy who was reaching his hands to the beach and picking up something and throwing it back in the water. He continued to approach and ask, good morning, may I ask what you're doing? The young boy paused and replied, I'm throwing starfish back into the sea. The tides going out. If I don't throw them in, they're gonna die. The wise man listened and replied, but boy don't you know that this long beach is full of starfish? You can't make a difference. After hearing that, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the water. Smiling as he said, I made a difference in that one. I encourage you all to pray, listen to God, say yes, and make a difference. It's worth it. Happy Mother's Day. So good. I know, how can starfish make us cry, right? Like I want to make a difference, just one. So good. Thank you so much for sharing, Terry. Now you'll know her story, some of her story, and her face. Make sure to stop by the Blue Tent if she doesn't stop you first and say hello. Our last and final mom is Dawn I'm so excited for her to share her story with you. You know when I first met Dawn, I was at YTH and I came in and here's this new face and of course me being as shy as I am, I'm like, hey what's your name? And I really, she had brought her daughter in for the first time, making sure we weren't a cult. And what was going on here at this church in this office space and building? And I was so drawn in by her smile, her warm spirit, which we know is Jesus inside of you. And Steve learned really quick. He was like, I need her on my team. So then she got recruited to work at YTH because not only does she have a heart for her own family, but she also has a heart for so many other students. She loves them unconditionally. We've been able to go on a few camping trips together with ski, you know, winter camp, summer camps. And I knew Dawn. I'm like, this is the kind of person you need, you know, because we're going from Florida to snow. And a lot of our kids didn't realize what that was

about. So they're like, we, they forgot their gloves. She's like, got an extra pair. They're like, I forgot a scarf. She's like, I got a scarf for you. We've even had kids forget their coats. She's like, here, just take my coat. But that's the kind of incredible person that she is. And, um, it was so fun because we asked her kids like, what are some fun facts about mom? And they listed all these fun facts, but just a couple she's lived all over the world, Japan, Guam. Um, she, I love the fact that they said she'll drop a beat and dance anywhere. We're not going to make her prove it today, but that is the word on the street. She loves gymnastics, barrel racer, and all the fun stuff. Um, but most importantly, she is a mom who loves Jesus with all of her heart. She loves seeing students serve and get a relationship with Jesus. And she is here today representing the single moms and what that journey has looked like and how to raise strong, godly children, even as a single mom. Tell us, tell us what it's like, Dawn. Am I on? Okay. All right. Well, thank you, Pastor Stephanie. And I'm honored to share the stage with all of these women of God. Um, it's good company. Um, I'd like to start by saying whether you are on this stage or in the audience, we all have stories and we need each other's stories, as evidenced by the recent series here at our church, the stories that have been shared. Just wow, they're impactful. And part of my story, as Steph said, is I'm a single mom of three now-grown children. And for much of their lives, I've been in a season of singleness. My screen is frozen, oh, sorry guys, oh wow, I might need my notes. Okay, so much of their lives, I've been in a season of singleness. And if I'm honest, waiting on the Lord hasn't always been easy. We say things like God's timing is perfect and His will be done. And that's easier said than done some days, day after day and year after year. And more honestly, I haven't always been obedient in my waiting. There were times actually that I tried to take control and each time I took the reins, it usually led to some kind of hurt.

There were seasons as a single mom where I felt overlooked, lonely, stretched thin, and unsure of what God was doing in my story. But as my walk and my faith deepened, so did my obedience. And so did the awareness of His hand and His grace in my life. Because even in singleness, God has always been faithful. Thank you. There were times that people over the years spoke things over me like, you're just good at being single, or you're so independent, or even you're better off alone. But the truth is, I am never, nor have I ever been alone. That is a lie from the enemy, and singleness does not mean not chosen. Hebrews 13, 5 reminds us, I will never leave you, never, and I will not loosen my grip on your life. And I love that version from the Passion Translation. We will not loosen His grip on our lives. So even when I felt uncertain, I could look back and see His protection, His provision, and His purpose in my life. Because God didn't leave me empty in singleness, He gave me an assignment. My first mission field is my children. And along the way, I decided I'm going to wait on the Lord. And in my waiting, even if it is forever, I'm going to make sure that my children know Jesus. Not just know about Him, but truly know Him as their Savior. Deuteronomy 6, 6 and 7 says, these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road. That's everywhere. I recently had a conversation with my oldest daughter, Kaylee, and she was sharing how her and her husband had recently began a year in the Bible reading plan together. And you see, even as believers, their marriage hasn't always been centered on God. But even in the moments that they drifted, He remained faithful, gently calling them

back. And as she was sharing this, I became quite emotional, and I just explained how I simply wanted my children to know and follow Jesus. And through her own tears, she told me, you did that, Mom. We know Him and we love Him because of your example. Watching my children love Jesus is my single greatest joy as their mama. Proverbs 22, 6 reminds us of another promise, train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it. And I held tight to that promise. And standing here today, I can say that each of my three children know and love Him and call Him their Savior. And on this Mother's Day, I want to leave you with this, a prayer that was sent to me just a few short weeks back from my son, Wyatt. And this is especially significant because there were several years where Wyatt walked away from his faith entirely. You see, after we lost their dad to a long battle with brain cancer in 2015, Wyatt, just 18 years old, was angry with God. And just four short years later, I almost lost him in a near-fatal motorcycle accident with injuries that should have taken him from me or at minimum left him permanently disabled. But God was not done with Wyatt. And like the prodigal son in Luke 15, Wyatt was lost, but he is now found. And I want to pray, thank you, and I want to pray the prayer that he sent me over each and every one of you moms here today. And the prayer reads, dear heavenly father, I thank you for my mom. Thank you for the love that she gives so freely, the kind that holds everything together, even when no one notices. Thank you for her quiet sacrifices, her strength, and the way that she continues to show up even when she's tired. God pour back into her everything she has poured out. Flourish her soul where she feels drained.

Bring her peace in the middle of all that she carries. Protect her heart from worry and her mind from stress. And when she's overthinking, calm her. When she feels unappreciated, remind her that you see everything. Surround her with your presence in the small, everyday moments. Give her joy that isn't dependent on circumstance, strength that does not run out, and a peace that goes deeper than anything this world can offer. In Jesus' name, amen. And to all my single moms here today, whether you are in a season of stretching or a season of joy, be encouraged. God sees you and he is faithful. And to all the moms here today, what you are doing matters. Motherhood is a high and holy calling. And pray for your children and pray with them. Happy Mother's Day. So good. So good. I told you guys you were in for a treat. Something that resonates with all of the stories is Jesus. None of us could be standing up here, all of our stories involve Jesus and his love for us. Because motherhood is hard, our journeys are hard, life is hard, but with Jesus, he gives us the strength to make it through. It doesn't take away our hard times, he gives us the strength and makes us stronger. And his strength shines through us. So the best gift you can receive today is the good news of Jesus Christ. If you've never received him as your personal Lord and Savior, I want to give you that opportunity today to receive him. Jesus died on a cross for you. John 3, 16 says, for God so loved the world, and if you break the world down, put your

name in there, for God so loved Stephanie, put your name in there, that he gave his one and only son, Jesus, just for you. That the world would not perish, but have everlasting life and eternity with him. And today, just like one of the moms said, I think it was Hannah, the first mom, surrender. If you surrender your life to Jesus, you're not going to have all the answers, but you're going to have a heart that surrendered to Jesus, and he is going to help you on this journey. And Jesus says, if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has been raised, Jesus has been raised from the dead, we will be saved. The gift of salvation is yours today. So we're going to say a prayer, and I'd encourage you to pray it along with us. You're not praying to me, through me, you're praying straight to Jesus. We're just helping you have the courage to say it together. Let this be your day where you surrender to Jesus. Let's pray together. Everybody close their eyes and bow their heads, say, dear Jesus, I realize that you died on the cross for me and came back up out of the grave. Three days later, I surrender my life to you. Please forgive me of my sin and my shame. Take it all away today and make me new. I thank you, Jesus, for coming into my life. And I ask all this in Jesus' name, amen. Man, if today has been your first day that you have made that decision, we want to celebrate with you. Maybe that today is a day that you've rededicated your life. You're like, like what Dawn was talking about with her son, how there were many years that he had wandered away, but then he came back home. That's your story today. The prodigal son or the daughter coming back home. We wanna celebrate with you.

So on the count of three, if you made that decision today, I want you to raise your hand and we're gonna celebrate with you. Church, are you ready? Let's do it. On the count of three. One, two, three. I'm telling you best decision you can ever make. And if you're watching today online and you've received Jesus, I want you to text Jesus to the number on the screen. For the men in Blackwater, we're celebrating with you as well. We're so excited. Best decision. Well, I want everybody to stand. We're gonna finish out in a song.