Pastor and author Beth Jones says the biblical story of a widowed mother with two boys who went from being desperate to completely reinvented by God is an example women can look to for inspiration today. 

Jones, whose television show “The Basics With Beth” airs on several networks internationally, founded Valley Family Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband, Jeff. The mother of four adult children hopes her new book, Reinvent, will serve to help women of all ages uncover their “new you!”

The following is an edited transcript of Jones’ interview with The Christian Post where she talks about her own upbringing and how mothers everywhere can find transformation in God — heart, mind, body and soul.

CP: Mother’s Day is a time where everyone seems to appreciate their mom. Your new book is dedicated to your own mother, tell us a little bit about your experience of growing up in a single-parent home?

Jones: My mom was my hero! When I was 8 years old we sat in a Kroger [supermarket] parking lot and she told me things weren’t working out with her and my dad. Everything changed that day and I remember walking around school in a daze as I didn’t know any other kids whose parents had split up.

I am the oldest of four girls and somehow, as a…

A study of the well-being of healthcare workers in the United States found that those who regularly attend worship services are at a lower risk of deaths related to alcohol, drugs, or suicide, collectively known as “deaths from despair.”

Researchers with the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University had a study published last week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry titled “Religious Service Attendance and Deaths Related to Drugs, Alcohol, and Suicide Among US Health Care Professionals.”

The research drew from a sample of 66,492 female registered nurses via the Nurses’ Health Study II of 2001-2017 and 43,141 male healthcare professionals drawn from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1988-2014.

According to the researchers, women who attended religious services at least once per week had a 68% lower hazard of death from despair compared to peers who did not, while men who attended worship at least once a week had a 33% lower hazard compared to men who never attended.

“… this study suggests that religious service attendance was associated with lower risk of deaths from despair among both men and women, accounting for a wide range of potential confounders (including other aspects of social integration),” stated the Discussion section of the study.

“Findings of this study were congruent with previous evidence suggesting that religious…

I flew.

Those are two words I haven’t said for at least 11 weeks, as trip after trip was canceled or indefinitely postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Finally, I had the opportunity to travel again.

With the long Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer upon us I wanted to get away. Anywhere. Just somewhere since pools were closed at home.

So, I started looking at which states were fully open. It soon became apparent that if I wanted the best weather, pools and open restaurants it was Arizona. But first I had to get there, which meant going to an airport.

After a monotonous Uber ride to Denver International Airport I made my way through a mostly empty concourse to the check-in desks for Delta Air Lines, which save for one employee were completely deserted. Using the priority line for passengers with frequent flyer elite status was pointless.

The airport looked empty, but it was probably busier than most people expected. In fact, new data from the Transportation Security Administration reveals that more passengers are flying now than at any point since travel collapsed in March. This might explain my 5-minute wait at the single open TSA checkpoint. Clear and Precheck — two of the fast-track options normally available…

Summer travel is here.

Yes, your vacation or annual family getaway is going to look and feel different this year, thanks to lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the biggest changes will be flying, which I covered in last week’s column.

With an increasing number of destinations and things to do and see open or about to reopen, here are three places you can go in June.

Cody, Wyoming

Wyoming has been open for a few weeks now after ending a mandatory quarantine for visitors from out-of-state.

One of the best places to visit is Cody, which is a popular gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Traffic has picked up, especially since access to the spectacular park through bordering Montana has been restricted.

While Yellowstone is the big draw, all things Old West can be discovered at the Buffalo Bill Museum.

The museum, which is named after Old West legend and showman William Cody, punches well above its weight. The exhibits and wide-ranging collection are very informative for anyone. Somewhat bizarrely, four other museums are housed in other wings of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Consider staying at either the upscale Chamberlin Inn or the family-friendly Holiday Inn at Buffalo Bill Village.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Mackinac Island is truly a special place.

Known for its horses — no…

When many readers think of old churches and cathedrals they think of Europe.

The architectural masterpieces in northern Europe are generally Romanesque or Gothic in style as opposed to the more common classical or baroque edifices of southern Europe.

In many destinations, historic churches are among the most visited attractions. Think Westminster Abbey in London or Trier Cathedral, Germany’s oldest church.

But coronavirus forced churches and cathedrals to close their doors, both to public worship and tourists.

Months later, countries across Europe are slowly reopening. This includes churches, museums and other cultural attractions.

However, Britain and France — arguably the two most popular summer destinations for American tourists — remain effectively closed, thanks to mandatory quarantine policies.

France lifted restrictions on local travel, though foreigners are still subject to quarantine through July 24, according to CNN. It’s a similar situation across the English Channel in Britain, where the government only now imposed a quarantine.

As a result, it is all but impossible to visit some of the finest churches in all of Christendom this summer, unless you plan a trip for August or September. By then, things may be fully open.

Here is a guide to some of the places you can’t visit right now, but should visit as soon as the situation changes.