Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

"Start noticing what you enjoy." That was my journal entry for September 10, 2023. And to be honest, it wasn't even handwritten in a journal. It was on the Notes app on my phone. I had been reading an article online by a mixed media/abstract artist, and her words gave me pause. What  do I enjoy? Today's conversation is short and sweet, but it's also a powerful invitation to notice how God is movin...

How are you getting ready for the mystery of Christmas?  That is a question I learned to hold when I served as a children's ministries director. Our curriculum described Advent as the time to get ready for the mystery of Christmas, and Lent as the time to get ready for the mystery of Easter. A mystery, indeed. For why would God become flesh? Why would He choose to live among His people? How did it...

There are times when people come to us and end up interrupting something we were already doing.  Like when our kids need help filling up their water bottles. Or when a dear friend is having an especially tough day and just needs to be with someone. Or when a family member calls and needs to figure out how to handle a situation they're in. How would you respond in these situations? I think there ar...

I have an announcement for you: I wrote a book. An actual book that you will be able to buy in paperback form that I plan to launch this book later this month, right as we're going into the holiday season.  Because holidays can be hard, and I know you. You want to find ways to serve and care for those who are struggling this holiday season. And this book will help you do just that. It's called Cou...

It is now November, and that simple change in month means that so many of us are starting to think about the holidays—planning and buying gifts and decorating. But for some of us, holidays also bring along a bit of sadness or stress. Holidays can be hard for numerous reasons. It could be that a loved one has passed during the year, and so it's our first time celebrating without them. It could be t...

Can I confess something to you? I don't always look forward to the holiday season. Perhaps it's my previous years in ministry, planning ahead for the events and programs and using every last ounce of energy to pull it off, only to fall exhausted on the couch when all was said and done. Sometimes when you're in ministry or volunteer roles, you get busy leading the programs and don't necessarily tak...

"I want to journal; I just don't know what to write about."  Is that you? Do you want to journal and reflect on life and maybe record some important experiences that you've had, but once you sit down, you have no idea what to say? Today, I'm going to share three easy ways to journal when you don't know what to write about. This is great for those who are new to journaling as well as those who have...

I was reading a book a few weeks ago about a Christian woman who lost her husband to melanoma. While hard to read at times, it was also very enlightening and inspiring. But then I got to a part where she talked to her spiritual guide for encouragement and insight about what to do next. A spirit guide who used tarot cards and spoke to the lady's husband after he passed. And it hit me—oh no, is that...

We're all familiar with symptoms that let us know we are not feeling well physically. A fever, cough, or runny nose sends us running for medicine to help us feel better. But I've noticed that we each have symptoms that tell us we're not doing well on a more personal level. Today, I am going to help you identify those signs in your own life so you can take a more proactive approach to your health e...

Have you ever tried to grow stronger by lifting weights? I'm not much of a weight-lifter myself, but I know the drill. Start with a low weight and slowly increase it, making it a bit heavier each time. With each successive uplevel, you build more muscle. Or what about running a marathon? Most of us don't start out running an entire mile. We start with a block. Maybe we even just walk that block. A...

Grief impacts all of us in different ways. And today, I want to share a special conversation I had with Natasha Smith. Natasha has a book that is releasing today called Can You Just Sit With Me? And, my friend, it is such a lovely book. She shares her grief story and then she writes about some of the things you'll hear us talk about today: ·        Types of grief ·        Iterations of healing ·  ...

I'm not sure where you live, but it seems like every location these days is experiencing some sort of disaster: wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods. It's one thing to experience that on a personal level—let's say your basement floods after a heavy rain. But it's another thing to experience that as a community or entire region. I've learned that I often have no idea of either the sho...

Healing has layers. No, not in the physical sense, like you can pile one layer on top of the other. But we heal from different parts of grief at different times, and sometimes even revisit some areas we thought we had processed already.  But instead of using the famous onion example of peeling back one layer at a time, I'm choosing to make it a little more personal and look at healing in layers li...

Today's conversation is going to be a bit of a heart-to-heart. Because I've seen something in my own life that I'm guessing might be happening in yours. It's something that is hurting a lot of my relationships. It's hurting people that I love. And I certainly don't intend for that to be happening. Yet all too often, I don't do what it takes to change, to fix it, to do what it takes to make things...

I don't know about you, but I love me a good book. There's just something about sitting down and getting lost in another world for a while—and often gleaning a lesson or two along the way. That's why I've enjoyed recommended some books to you this year. And today is no different. I have a book—well, actually a series of books—that I really couldn't recommend more. A series that is good for you and...

About six weeks ago, we adopted a puppy. We weren't necessarily planning for it, and so when we brought the dog home, we had a lot of changes we needed to make. And I've had to learn to ask for help when I need it. I've had to learn to recognize when something isn't working and then do something to fix it. And so I want to tell you: It's okay to have help. Not just when you're going through a majo...

Bible reading is one of those core spiritual disciplines you think about when you think about the Christian life, right? We are encouraged from a young age to read the Bible every single day. Reading God's Word helps us to recognize His voice. It helps us know His character and what He values or finds important. It teaches us to know what He cares about and how He wants us to live. Why wouldn't we...

This week is going to look a little different from normal, because I want to share with you one of the devotions from my devotional, Imagine . Imagine was written based on the spiritual practice of imaginative prayer, which is where you try to imagine what it might be like to be one of the people in the Bible, or to watch a Bible story unfold before your eyes. The devotional I'm going to read toge...

It's July. And I just ordered a new planner for the rest of the year. This is really hard for me. I don't like leaving things unfinished. Having a half-used planner is definitely unfinished. Incomplete. It feels like failing. And I don't know if you ever feel that way, where you want to push through something just to check it off the list and say you got it done. Or to feel like you got your money...

Have you ever had someone in your church or circle of friends become sick, maybe even have to stay in the hospital? And maybe you wanted to visit them, or you felt God nudging you to visit them, but… you just weren't sure? Maybe you didn't know what to say. Or maybe you felt uncomfortable in a hospital setting. Or maybe you even thought the person was going to die and you didn't know how to approa...

I don't know about you, but I love to hear about how others journal: what journaling methods they use, if they like to write by hand or type, the materials they use, and the rhythms and practices they have put in place. Because journaling is such a personal thing. What works for one person may not work for another. And really, what works for one person at one point in time may not work for them a...

Anxiety can impact us in a deep way, especially when it revolves around something incredibly important to us, like when someone we love is hurting, or when we are going through a trial of our own.  And in some cases, anxiety becomes more severe. We can't shake the worries and fears, and it actually begins to interfere with daily living. ·        We stop driving because we're worried about having a...

How much sleep do you normally get? What happened to you when you didn't get enough sleep?  Did you ever stay up all night? Which part of you was most impacted by lack of sleep: physical, mental, or emotional? I remember a stretch of time when sleep was frequently interrupted. Both kids were getting up for various reasons, whether to use the bathroom or nightmares or what have you. And I was getti...

This year, I am doing a monthly episode where I share a book recommendation with you, because I love to read, and I bet you do, too!  This month, it's Invitation to Retreat , by Ruth Haley Barton. And it fits in perfectly with some of our topics this summer as we take a closer look at spiritual practices that help us stay close to God, even when life is hard or heavy.  Just a couple of weeks ago,...

Have you or a loved one ever been plagued with physical symptoms that seemed to have no rhyme or reason? Ever have to go through a myriad of medical tests, waiting to see what was wrong with your body? Ever have to change the way you ate or moved or worked to accommodate a physical ailment of some sort? This week, I want to share a conversation I had with Lauren Cunningham. Lauren was diagnosed wi...