Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

Journaling through God's Word is a great way to read, study, and actually  engage with what He is saying to you.  And since the New Year is just a few weeks away, it's a natural time to recommit ourselves to being in the Bible. Psalm 119:16 (NIV) says, "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Not only are we to not neglect God's Word, we are to take delight in it! Do you delight...

I remember sitting on my bed, reading through a box of old journals I had tucked away in the closet. At first, it was fun, remembering some of the friendships I had and experiences I had gone through. Laughing at some of my immature moments. But instead of storing them back in the closet, I dumped them all in a trash can. Have you ever done that? Back in episode 55 , Elizabeth McCravy and I talked...

In today's podcast, we are going to dive into the story of Jesus meeting the disciples on the lake during the storm. And through that story, we're going to ask God to show us where He is when it feels we are left alone.  Because I know there are times when I—and many of my clients—are wondering where in the world God is at when we are going through a difficult season. And I can't wait to share wit...

Last year, our family took a trip to the Smoky Mountains. One my "must-dos" was to go into the National Park and get as high as I could to see those breathtaking views. The problem? Too. Many. People. We waited  an hour  at the top of the mountain to inch toward the parking lot where you could get out of the car and see. And there was nowhere to park. When we realized this, my husband said, "Why d...

I remember when my kiddos were little. Those months after bringing a baby home just radically change how you do life, don't they? From trying to figure out how to get some sleep to finding time to shower to learning what temperature to warm their bottle and when they can start eating different foods… it's just all so much. Journaling in that season looked a lot different than it did in other, more...

(There are a few technical glitches in here. I apologize in advance!) What wounds do you carry around with you? I have scars on my arm from a childhood disease, places where the skin is darker than the rest. For you, it might be a physical scar from an experience that left you scraped and bleeding.  Or it might be something deeper: a fear of close relationships, the ever-present sting of betrayal,...

Do you ever have one of those moments when you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has laid something on your heart? Maybe it's an idea. Maybe it's a truth from His Word. Maybe it's a calling. It is these things that I often write down in my journal. These words from God that I want to remember and hold onto and keep thinking about. Well, I have experienced this recently, and today I want t...

C.S. Lewis wrote, "You can't see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears." And tears often come when we lose something or someone that was very important to us. The truth is, grief is something we all experience, especially when we lose someone we love, but even when we experience other loss, like the loss of a job, the death of a dream, and the end of a marriage. Journaling can b...

Isn't it funny how, once you get settled into a good routine, something will change that makes it out of whack?  Your child finally starts sleeping through the night, but then they start waking up super early. Or you dedicated nights for your quiet time, but then your teenager decides to use that time to chat with you before bed. Or you theme out your work days, only to have appointments or sports...

Something that I have often struggled with as an adult is making new friends. It's easier when you're younger and in school. You see your classmates every day or kids from youth group each week. You're given opportunities to interact and see if there is someone kind of like you that you could be friends with. Talk with. Hang out with. But as an adult, time for friendships seems more limited. While...

Several years ago, my family and I got to raise a tiny caterpillar. For weeks, we hunted down milkweed to feed it. We watched it grow. And we saw it create its little chrysalis. We even got the blessing of watching it come out of the chrysalis, and caught most of it on video. It was such a beautiful moment. While our little pet didn't have any major trouble, we've all heard, I'm sure, that if you...

A new app popped up on my phone with one of the latest updates, and it's a journaling app! Did you get it, too? Did you try it? What do you think? I confess, even though I do some digital journaling (which I'll talk about later in the episode), I haven't tried any sort of journaling app yet. But I know there are several journaling apps out there.  Have you wanted to check them out? Are you worried...

In preparation for homeschool next year, I've been pre-reading some missionary biographies that we'll be using for our history curriculum. And in the one on Amy Carmichael, it shared several times when she would spend the day in prayer, seeking the Lord on one question or another. For example, should she build a house for the Bible study she led with the "shawlies"? Should she and her group of chi...

When you are going through something like betrayal, depression, or deep grief, it can be hard to talk about what is going on inside of you. And I dare to say, there are times when talking doesn't actually help the situation. I remember when I struggled with depression in college, and every time I talked about it, it just seemed to make things worse. I felt alone. I felt like no one understood. I f...

When you are struggling with depression or anxiety, it can often feel heavy. Overwhelming. Hopeless. The worries and fears you carry around can impact every aspect of your life. The sadness can overshadow every other thing around you. I know, because I've been there. Have you? And in addition to counseling or coaching or seeing a doctor, journaling has also proven quite beneficial for those experi...

It wasn't that long ago that I led my Journal Gently Mini Workshop, and during that time, I led women through three different journal prompts that focused on perspective. And here's the kicker: I only offered five minutes for them to write about each one. But you know what? So many of them were surprised at how much they were able to cover in only five minutes. And I want you to discover that, too...

Have you ever had someone offer some sort of support or help to you that you didn't necessarily want, but you didn't know how to say no without hurting their feelings? When you are hurting or struggling or need some extra help, you do get to have a say in the matter. You can choose which counselor you want to meet with. You can decide which friends to confide in. You can determine which activities...

Have you ever wondered what it was like to experience a spiritual direction session? What happens? What do you talk about? While some coaches will air live coaching sessions, I can't very well do that, for two different reasons. One, I don't do live spiritual direction sessions, since I focus on written spiritual direction. And two, spiritual direction is often deeply personal, and many women woul...

A few weeks ago, I led the first Journal Gently Mini Workshop. During this time, I took one piece of the Journal Gently program and expanded it to an hour of teaching and writing exercises. We focused on perspective and the role it plays not just in our journaling but in our healing, as well.  And today, I'm going to play a short section from the mini workshop where I talked about one very specifi...

"Mom, I need a tank top!"  "Okay, borrow one of mine." "Mom, I'm out of body wash." "You can use my soap until we get you some more." "Mom, I can't find my brush." "Go ahead and use mine." My daughter is now at the age where she is starting to share and borrow some of my things. And most of the time, it's completely okay. But I will admit that there are some things she asks to use that I am a lot...

It's almost a If You Give a Mouse a Cookie type story. You know the one? If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. If you give him a glass of milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw." And so on. Well, if you vacuum while the dog's sleeping, then you're going to wake him up. If you wake him up, he's going to need to go outside. If he goes outside, he might get all muddy fro...

"I don't want to face that again. It feels like too much."  Many of my clients have experienced tremendous grief or trauma in their lives, and as we seek God together through our writing back and forth, there is often a pressure they are feeling—whether from themselves or family members or friends—to use journaling to write about their deepest wounds. And friend, you already know I believe in the...

When I say the word journal , the image that might very well pop into your mind is that of a woman sitting with a notebook at a quiet desk, writing for 20 or 30 minutes about her deepest thoughts and fears. Or maybe you think back to your teenage self, when you recorded the day's events and poured out your heart on paper. Or your grandmother, keeping a diary of the prices of eggs and what birthday...

Diligent. Rooted. Ask. Unhurried. Those are some of the words I've held through the past four years as a way to set an intention for the year, a focus or theme to keep me moving in a particular direction.  Diligent and rooted were for those first years of business, doing what I needed to do to build a strong foundation and get things started right, in a way that was honoring to God. Ask represente...

One of the things my clients often ask about is how to journal while they are on vacation, or if family is staying over, or even now, over the holiday season, when schedules and routines are different than the norm. And I think that is such a great question. Something that has really helped me—and them—is creating two different journaling routines. One is the normal, perhaps longer journaling sess...