SoulWork Sanctuary

Show Notes e108 From the Page: Be Strong in the Lord About five years ago, I found myself lying on the floor, unable to stand because the room was spinning. I remember thinking about my to-do list and the people who were depending on me. Yet, no amount of determination could get me off that floor. That experience forced me to confront something I had spent years avoiding: my own strength has limit...

Show Notes e107 From the Page: Walking by Faith Over the years, I've watched people I love face serious health challenges. I've witnessed recoveries that felt nothing short of miraculous, but I've also experienced the worry and uncertainty that come with not knowing what will happen next. One of the things that continues to amaze me is how the very people I'm worried about often demonstrate a leve...

Show Notes e106 From the Page: Don’t Forget Your Pearls In this episode of From the Page , I’m remembering my grandaunt, Lunetha “Helen” Gary, whom I knew as Aunt Helen and later came to call Auntie. She was one of three women who helped raise me, and she left me with memories, wisdom, and a few lessons I didn’t fully understand until I was older. From her piercing “Jerido eyes” and her reputation...

Show Notes e105 From the Page: Let God Be the Shepherd Episode Summary This month, I’m sharing from some of the things I’ve been writing lately. In this episode, I’m sitting with Psalm 23 and the reminder that if the Lord is our Shepherd, then we are not. For those of us who are accustomed to working, helping, solving problems, and carrying responsibility, that can be difficult to receive. Psalm 2...

Show Notes e104: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Self-Control Episode Summary Creative discipline creates room for faithful writing. In this final episode, we reflect on protecting our attention, honoring our commitments, and stewarding the gifts God has entrusted to us. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation What practice would help your writing flourish? Breath Prayer Inhale: G...

Show Notes e103: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Gentleness Episode Summary Gentleness teaches us to carry our gifts with humility and grace. Together, we'll explore how a teachable spirit shapes both the writer and the writing. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation Where is God inviting greater humility in your writing? Breath Prayer Inhale: Christ, make me gentle. Exhale: Teac...

Show Notes e102: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Faithfulness Episode Summary Faithfulness is the quiet discipline of returning to the work, even when no one is watching. In this episode, we reflect on remaining committed to the calling to write. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation What writing commitment are you being invited to keep? Breath Prayer Inhale: God, strengthen my...

Show Notes e101: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Goodness Episode Summary What are we offering the world through our writing? This episode reflects on goodness as an invitation to create words that are shaped by truth, beauty, and love. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation What truth are you called to share? Breath Prayer Inhale: God, form goodness within me. Exhale: May my wor...

Show Notes e100: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Kindness Episode Summary Words have the power to heal, encourage, and welcome. This episode explores how kindness shapes the way we tell stories and steward the gift of language. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation Write about words that gave you life. Breath Prayer Inhale: God, cultivate kindness in me. Exhale: Let my words bri...

Show Notes e99: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Patience Episode Summary Writing and spiritual formation both require patience. Together, we'll consider how honoring the slow work of becoming shapes both our stories and our souls. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation Write about something beautiful that required waiting. Breath Prayer Inhale: God, teach me patience. Exhale: Hel...

Show Notes e98: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Peace Episode Summary Faithful writing begins with listening. In this episode, we explore how peace creates space for us to slow down, pay attention, and write from a place of trust rather than anxiety. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation What is God inviting you to notice in this season? Breath Prayer Inhale: God, quiet my heart...

Show Notes e97: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Joy Episode Summary Creativity is first a gift before it becomes a responsibility. This episode invites us to rediscover the delight, curiosity, and wonder that first drew us to writing. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) Writing Invitation Write about a moment when creating something brought you unexpected joy. Breath Prayer Inhale: God, restore...

Show Notes e96: The Fruitful Writer: Cultivating Love Episode Summary Love is the foundation of meaningful storytelling because it teaches us to see people with compassion and care. In this episode, we reflect on how the fruit of love shapes the writer before it shapes the words we write. Scripture Galatians 5:22–23 (NRSVUE) "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kind...

Show Notes e95 Sabbath Invitation: Silence In the final episode of the Sabbath series, we return to the woman Jesus healed and examine what happened after the miracle. When the religious leaders challenged Jesus' decision to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them that compassion and freedom were always at the heart of God's law. Through this passage, we discover that Jesus not only heals the wom...

Show Notes This month we are in a series called Sabbath Invitation. We will be looking at Sabbath through the story of the crippled woman found in Luke 13:10-17. This week, our Sabbath invitation is Response. Breath Prayer Inhale: Jesus we thank you Exhale: For being our Healer Opening Prayer Gracious God, we come today asking for hearts that recognize Your presence. Keep us from becoming so attac...

Show Notes This month we are in a series called Sabbath Invitation. We will be looking at Sabbath through the story of the crippled woman found in Luke 13:10-17. This week, our Sabbath invitation is Connection. Breath Prayer Inhale: Jesus we thank you Exhale: For seeing us Opening Prayer Gracious God, We come today asking to be seen Not for what we have done Or what we have failed to do But becaus...

SoulWork Notes This month we are in a series called, Sabbath Invitation. We will be looking at Sabbath through the story of the crippled women found in Luke 13:10-17. This week, our sabbath invitation is Unburden. Breath Prayer Inhale: God I come to you Exhale: With all I am carrying Opening Prayer Gracious God, We come today with all our burdens Those we’ve been carrying for a little while And th...

SoulWork Notes e91 Echoing Silence: Resting As you move through this week, notice where you are still striving. Not in the obvious places — but in the quiet ones. The way you measure your prayer time. The way you evaluate your stillness. The way you turn even rest into something to get right. We are not a resting people. And that restlessness follows us even into the presence of God. But rest — tr...

SoulWork Notes e90 Echoing Silence: Listening As you move through this week, pay attention to what you almost missed. The thought that surfaced and slipped away. The emotion that rose and was quickly buried. The quiet nudge you talked yourself out of. God is not always loud. And we have grown so accustomed to noise that we sometimes mistake God’s silence for absence — when it may simply be an invi...

SoulWork Notes e89 Echoing Silence: Dwelling As you move through this week, notice how quickly you leave. Not just in silence — but in prayer, in conversation, in rest. How often do you arrive somewhere only to begin planning your exit? Most of us have never been taught to dwell. We have been taught to produce, to move, to accomplish. Stillness feels like a luxury we haven’t earned. But dwelling i...

SoulWork Notes e88 Echoing Silence: Entering As you move through this week, notice what it costs you to get quiet. Not to judge it. Not to fix it. But to simply be honest about what stands between you and stillness. Entering silence is rarely as simple as it sounds. There is always something pulling us back — a task unfinished, a worry unresolved, the noise we have learned to live inside of. And y...

SoulWork Notes Search Me — in Disappointment A Reflection on Luke 24:13-35 As you move through this week, notice where disappointment is still lingering within you. Not to rush past it. Not to force resolution. But to bring it honestly into the presence of God. Disappointment often emerges when life unfolds differently than we hoped it would. The disciples on the road to Emmaus knew this feeling w...

SoulWork Notes e86 Search Me: in Shame A Reflection on Genesis 3:7-13, 21 As you move through this week, notice where shame causes hiding. Not to judge yourself. Not to push your feelings away. But to bring them honestly into the presence of God. Shame often convinces us that because we have failed, we are failures. It whispers that we are too exposed, too broken, too far gone to remain fully seen...

SoulWork Notes Search Me — in Anger A Reflection on Jonah 4:1-11 As you move through this week, notice where anger rises within you. Not to judge it. Not to suppress it. But to bring it honestly into the presence of God. Anger often points to something deeper— a wound, a grief, a longing, or the sense that something sacred has been threatened. And while anger can harm when it hardens into bitterne...

SoulWork Notes Search Me — in Fear A Reflection on Judges 6:11-17; 36-39 As you move through this week, notice where fear rises within you. Not to shame it. Not to deny it. But to bring it honestly into the presence of God. Fear often appears where something feels uncertain, vulnerable, or beyond our control. It can lead to hiding, hesitation, overthinking, or the feeling that we are not enough fo...