Be Encouraged

It may not feel like it, but we have lots of choices when it comes to how we live our lives. There are invitations to good and bad things all the time. First we must recognize they are invitations we can choose or refuse! Then we can make choices instead of allowing life events to push us around.  Listen in to see if you got your invitations. And then decide if you will accept. Send us Fan Mail Su...

Home is a powerful, dear word that represents something we all need. Explore in this episode what home is for you. Discover some deeper senses of home in your life, that you already have and that you can nurture. Having a clear understanding of what you have and want in "home" can help you get there.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, th...

Catching a beautiful sunrise, or any moment is noticing something that can never be repeated. Often, we are in a fog of thoughts and plans and miss the beauty right now. And the bad times across the world often keep us from this present beautiful moment. Check out this podcast for some inspiration to live your life to the fullest! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practica...

Something is in the air, and it's not good. There is a level of overwhelm people are feeling that has side effects. We become defensive; we pull away.  Inspiring anyone to do more right now is a losing proposition. Feeling motivated ourselves to do more is, well difficult.  Let's explore this together. Is there anything we can do to manage the unmanageable? Listen in! Send us Fan Mail Su...

Are you better at holding on or letting go? We really need to be able to accept and give to live life well. Breathing is a good image of the rhythm we need: Pull in, push out. Receive, give. Hold on, let go.  This episode encourages you to Let Go and Let God. But also to receive what you need, like oxygen.   Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoug...

Humans can be negative. Our culture is negative much of the time. This can result in being against things, maybe a long list of things.  Some have described this time as one of outrage. People find things to be outraged about. But instead of just being against things, consider this:   What do you to stand for? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, tho...

Is it just children who do things to get attention? Or do adults need attention to live happy, healthy lives? Do people around you freely get your attention?  This episode is about giving attention to neighbors with a wave, and encourages you to think about your need, and other's needs for attention.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thought...

Being aware of your life includes everything. Like a toddler noticing a butterfly, adults can enjoy and related to nature too. It's all around you. Is nature the enemy (think mosquito control, traps for rodent pests and so on)? Or can we humans learn a thing or two, be enriched by wild nature and maybe help it survive? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in t...

Innocent children have a wonderful way of looking at the world. And they are in the present moment far more than adults. We can learn a thing or two from them! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement. 

Dogs have a great way of looking at the world. And they live in the moment. We can learn from them, and experience from them some great qualities.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement. 

Thoughts are always with us. We can't stop them. Or can we?  First it helps to realize, as some people say, their "mind is always buzzing." The thoughts fly at them and energize, stress, and confuse. It is exciting to have your mind spin like that, and it can cause anxiety.  What if you could do something different in your life than just be a victim of your thoughts? This episode ca...

This episode could be called the Parable of the Creek Drain. From the story of doing the wrong thing with a drain into a creek we learn being in this moment is sometimes correcting past mistakes. When you see that you screwed up there is no better time to fix it.  The past can't be changed but sometimes you can act today to change direction. What do you need to change? Wallowing in regret or...

Most of us like to hold ourselves together emotionally; we don't want to break down.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement. 

Waiting. No one likes it. But we all have to wait sometimes, lots of times during life.  Rushing on in our minds just makes us unhappy, dissatisfied, grumpy.  How can we wait well? Find out in this episode! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement. 

Do you find sudden change easy or hard? Are you headed, in some aspect of your life, in a way you just need to repent of and turn around?  Or have there been times that you went along, and you should not have? You gave in to another’s will but should have spoken up.  Are you on a path that will make you resentful and unhappy if you don’t change? Maybe it is time to claim your right to an opinion a...

To be in the moment can make you especially honest; you have to face what is actually here, right now, instead of what you want to be happening. If you tell someone else what you experience and it crashes into their desired experience, you risk offending them.  This episode explores how we let others control us sometimes, to avoid offending anyone. Listen in for what we can do instead.  Send us Fa...

A rich awareness can happen when we see more than the obvious. A street may be made of asphalt or concrete but either way, it is more than the materials it is made of.  All that is around us holds deeper meaning than the obvious, if we will just see. Look into the eyes of an animal, beneath the surface of the water, into the heart of the person.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged pod...

Just hold on! And we do. We hold on to lots of tension.  This tension is in our heads and gets into our joints and muscles. It makes headaches, and it makes bodies ache.  What do you do to relieve tension? Have you found anything that works for you? There are thousands of suggestions out there. The promises of relief come in programs, apps and pills. Just do this one thing or take this medicine. O...

Nature has lessons for us humans. We're different than animals, of course. But we can learn a thing or two from them. Sometimes their behavior reminds us of ourselves.  Do you let the first impulse drive your reaction to things? What if you could do something differently? What would you do? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encoura...

There are many noises in our world, literal noises, and things that create noise in our hearts. What is noise to you? Have you thought about it?  Don't let the noise throw you off course. Check out this podcast episode for a thoughtful consideration of noise and how to deal with it.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement....

Life is hard so rest is important. You need to push through the tough times! Right? But regular rest is needed and sometimes what you are doing just needs to stop; you need to quit! Go further along on the walk by the Lake with Jay, learning some lessons that can be learned. Don't spend life in a mindless trance; be present where you are, see the sights along the way! And when it is time to r...

Wherever you walk, it will be a different experience for you if you just pay attention. It's so easy to be in a beautiful place and have your mind on other things. Then you miss the beauty around you; the experience is less than it can be. Come along on a hike in this episode and see what you can experience with just a bit of thought and focus. Take a few minutes in a guided time of noticing...

The story of Jay's dog Callie and her tendency to get stuck smelling illustrates how we humans get stuck on ideas. You have had it happen, we all have. You don't have to be "OCD" to get your mind caught in a loop of thinking over and over about the same thing.  How to get out? Listen in to this episode for a challenge to get those thoughts unstuck, and how to do it! Send us Fan...

Everybody has heard the saying, "if you don't use it, you lose it." It's true, unfortunately! It's true of physical muscle and it's true of your spiritual side. If you don't exercise it, you lose strength and resilience.  This episode teaches a skill you can use to help maintain and grow.  And there is inspiration to keep up the good fight, as often as possible,...

Being aware of what we eat can help with weight management. It can also be a spark to help us be more aware of everything we do. If you notice as you consume that donut or second helping of fries, you might choose to slow down or stop. If you notice when you drive too fast or lose your temper, you might slow down or stop. This episode is a challenge to pay more attention, and reap some great benef...