Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

Imagine this... You've settled in your favorite chair, blanket wrapped over your lap, as you pull out your notebook and pen. You've been looking forward to journaling about some things that have been stirring in your heart lately. Taking a deep breath, you open the cover and find the right page. Your pen is posed to start writing. And then your husband walks in. He hasn't seen you all day and want...

One of the best practices we can have through the summer to care for our own soul is to read God's Word. This is especially true if we are caring for others around us who might be hurting or going through difficult seasons. If want to know God, if we want to experience Him, if we want to know His heart and desires for us, if we want wisdom as we make decisions for ourselves and our families and ou...

Imagine that one of your best friends is going through an incredibly difficult time. Maybe she even ends up in the hospital, and her children are all at home missing her like crazy, and she is struggling to be away from them, and her husband is trying to hold it all together. There are a lot of tests your friend has to go through. Some painful. She's scared. Her family is scared. You're scared. Ho...

This week, I want to share with you about something that is dear to my heart, and that is the ministry of intercession. In essence, praying for others, especially when they are hurting. I call these prayers "standing between" prayers, because essentially, you are standing in the space between that person and the enemy or the hurt, and you are lifting them up before God, asking Him to act on their...

"Think… of the last time you were with people. In whatever situation you pictured, half or more of the people around you were likely introverts—even if it didn't seem like it. Now imagine with me a world in which 100 percent of people, introverts and extroverts, dare to be who they are.   What if we all understood how we're wired, intentionally used our strengths to serve the greater good, and thr...

I don't know about you, but I look around me and I see changes everywhere.  Either changes that have been happening over the past several months, or changes about to happen in the coming weeks. I see loved ones walking through loss or hardship, or desperately seeking an answer to something that feels incredibly overwhelming and out of their control. And it reminded me of a story from the life of t...

I'm wondering if you have a family member in your life—a parent, a son or daughter, a brother or sister—who doesn't know Christ.   If so, then you probably know the heaviness and grief that can bring to your spirit.   You wonder how you can witness to them. You pray for their salvation. You try to find ways to love them and show them you care.   But ultimately, you cannot make them accept Christ....

Today is the day! I am going to share with you what happened during the break in the podcast and how God encouraged me during that time. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, just go back a couple of episodes to episode 109 and you'll hear more about how God invited me to pause the podcast for the last month of Lent so that I could spend that time with Him in silence. I share how it all came...

Stop with me for a moment and consider how many decisions you make every single day. What clothes to wear. What to eat for breakfast. For lunch. For supper. How to spend your time at work. What gets cleaned that day at home. What time to go to the grocery store, how to get there, and which items to buy and which ones to pass on. Whether to answer that phone call, or that text message, or that emai...

So today, I'm supposed to be sharing with you my book recommendation for the month of March.  But apparently God has some other plans. Listen in to find out what's going on. Kari   BIBLE VERSES + RESOURCES: ·        Episode 92 : Practicing the Holy Hush Instead of the Holiday Hustle: Intentionally Inviting Moments of Deep Silence ·        Episode 94 : Entering the Silence and Stillness with God: A...

I'm wondering if you are doing something that is really, really hard right now. Maybe you are raising little ones. Maybe you are caring for an aging parent. Maybe you have a friend who is in a season of grief. Maybe you are working extra hours to pay off debt. Maybe you are getting a degree or certification in your so-called free time. Maybe you are leading a small group or Bible study or ministry...

God designed us each so differently. And we want to use those characteristics to love others well, right? But what I've experienced, and maybe you have, too, is that it is so easy for us to get this idea in our heads that we don't fit the right mold.  I'm not outgoing. I don't know what to say. I'm not like so-and-so… she always knows what to do. I don't really know her that well, so how can I try...

If you are an introvert, you have probably found yourself questioning why God designed you that way and how you can possibly do what He has called you to do. You're not outgoing. You're not fond of being in front of others. Maybe you don't like small talk or ice breakers or things of that sort.  Perhaps you've found yourself looking for ways to serve God and impact others in spite of your introver...

This year, I started a monthly series where I share some of the books have been so very meaningful and transformative to me. Ones that will either invite you to step closer to the Lord or ones that equip you to better care for those around you who are hurting. This month, I would like to offer you a prayer book. Written prayers can help us discover words stirring within us when we can't find the w...

I have a special treat for you today. Now, if you remember, I spoke recently about leading as an introvert at the Small Church Women's Ministries Conference. And guys, it was so much fun. If you are here, listening to the podcast because you heard me there, then welcome. I am so glad you found me here. And if you weren't at the conference but want to hear the message I gave, then email me and let...

Raise your hand if you are experiencing one of these situations: Child returning to college after a lengthy Christmas break Recently diagnosed with a disease or illness Caring for an aging parent or child with disabilities Transitioning from one job to another—within the same company or to a different one altogether Moving to a new home Retiring from a job Saying goodbye to a friend Starting a bus...

In school right now, my daughter has been tasked with writing a hymn. How would you feel if I invited you to do the same? What would you write about? What aspect of God would you want to focus on? How has He been revealing Himself to you lately? How are you longing for Him to reveal Himself to you? In this bonus episode, I'm going to share an original poem I wrote years ago that focuses on God's l...

How do you support a friend or family member—or even "just" an acquaintance—who has just lost someone they love? Are you willing to step into that sacred space of grief with them? Or, if they need additional support, can you point them toward someone who can be there in that more professional role? Let me introduce you to Grief Coach Julie Lynn Ashley. Julie Lynn offers 1:1 coaching services to in...

Do you have a friend who parents a child with disabilities? Perhaps there's a family in your church who has a kid with special needs? I've discovered that what is unfamiliar is often scary to us, and so we shy away or keep our distance from the situation. But these families need our care and support. This week, I am excited to introduce you to Kristin Faith Evans, a mental health counselor who als...

As an avid reader and someone who loves to learn, I enjoy passing on ideas to others who want to grow in specific areas. These authors have been mentors to me in many ways, and I hope they become the same to you. (And I promise that none of the book recommendations will include spoilers. I would be so disappointed to ruin a book for you.) My first book recommendation is really the first book I rec...

The New Year is a natural opportunity for us to look at the spiritual practices and habits we want to cultivate in our lives, especially when it comes to caring for those who are hurting or when we are walking through a difficult season ourselves. I know when I am struggling, I tend to pare back and focus on only a few spiritual practices at a time. Ones that are simple, easy to do, but that also...

Being a spiritual director who focuses on writing back and forth to my clients, I've come to realize just how important letter writing is to my work, to the way I reach out to and encourage others. It's not just in my personal correspondence with those who work with me in written spiritual direction or the Journal Gently program, but even in the idea that I have chosen to focus on email as my main...

I have kind of a fun episode for us today. As we near 2023, I have been brainstorming ideas to talk about on the podcast. So I looked back through past episodes that have seemed to really resonate with you all, and I reached out to those on my email list with a survey to ask you some questions. And today, I want to share some of those results with you and how that's going to impact the direction o...

Let's Encourage One Another was born in March 2021 as a ministry out of my work at Love Does That. The purpose of Love Does That was really to reach out to women who were hurting or grieving—and teaching you to reach out to them, too. But the podcast is not where I started. In fact, spiritual direction is not where I started, either. As we near the end of the year, I've been reflecting on the jour...

Today, I would like to walk with you through a mini Blue Christmas service. While many churches offer these services, traditionally held on December 21, I know that not everyone does, nor can everyone attend. And, let's be honest, sometimes we're not quite ready to name our losses in community with others yet. We're still trying to come to grips with what has happened. A Blue Christmas service is...