Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to certified coach and author Rayna Neises. Rayna is my go-to resource when it comes to those who are in a season of caregiving. What is caregiving? It's simply a season of caring for someone else. For some of you, this means caring for a child with special needs, for others it means taking care of someone who is chronically ill or after they have surg...

These past few days, there has been a lot of talk in my world about music. Music as one way to worship God. Music we miss hearing on the radio. How we all like different types and styles of music. People also talk about how they use music to set their mood for whatever activity they are doing, so if they need a power hour at work, maybe they use energetic and upbeat music to keep their energy up a...

A couple of weeks ago, in episode 49, we talked about finding your stretcher bearers, those people who can carry you through difficult and challenging seasons like illness, grief, and depression. But how do you choose who to go to for help? Who do you choose as your stretcher bearers? Today, I want to narrow in on finding those safe people we can trust and depend on. What makes them safe? How do w...

"Grief isn't something you get over; it is something you learn to accept. In order to heal, we need to get uncomfortable. We need to make space for our grief by spending time in the quiet, by leaning on a community of people who truly get it, and by doing things that soothe our soul." Those words come from an email sent from Jessy Paulson on the fourth anniversary of her sister's death as she shar...

One of the books that have meant the most to me in this season of caring for others is Becoming a Stretcher Bearer , by Michael Slater. The whole premise of Slater's book is how we can be like the four men who carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus on a mat, digging a hole through the roof, even, to get him to Jesus. We can help carry our friends through their difficult seasons until they are wel...

In today's bonus episode, where we try on some spiritual practices together, I would like to read you a chapter from my Imagine devotional, which incorporates imaginative prayer in the writing. Imaginative prayer, as we talked about in episode 47, is about really trying to enter into the story and watch it unfold in front of you. Or, perhaps, you try to enter in as one of the characters in the sto...

Pre-deciding is exactly what it sounds like: making a decision before a decision actually has to be made. This eliminates the pressure of having to make a last-minute decision that may not be thought out, and it also helps with decision fatigue, those times when you're making decision after decision after decision and you just don't want to make another decision. And it's incredibly important duri...

It is the beginning of a new year, and I don't know about you, but I am absolutely determined to spend more time with God in His Word—not just reading it and not just to check it off my to-do list, but to actually engage with Him and listen to see what He wants to share with me this year. Has He laid that desire on your heart, as well? But I know that sometimes, I get stuck in what to actually do...

Can you believe we are just a few days away from the new year? It's a time full of reflection and planning (both of which I love). It's a time of identifying our word for the year or setting goals or intentions. And honestly, there's a lot I enjoy about starting a new year or a new season. So as we get ready to enter into 2022, I want to offer you some special encouragement. I know it's so easy fo...

Today, I want to offer you some prompts that are especially for those seasons of grief and heartache. Now, grief looks like a lot of different things, right? The death of a loved one. The loss of a friendship. The move from one town to another. Letting go of dreams or expectations. The heaviness that comes when we realize our life has just been radically changed. Today, I want to share with you te...

Guided Scripture reading has been powerful for me because it helps me engage with the story in a deeper way. It's often combined with a practice called imaginative prayer, where you use all of your senses and imagination to enter into the story itself. What sounds do you hear? What does it smell like? Who is around you? And then God uses these details and stories to speak to you right where you ar...

Knowing the Stages of Change impacts our ability to help others, or even to understand our own healing journey. Which stage are you in? Which stage is your friend in? Precontemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance What are some important truths to keep in mind as we seek to support a friend through a major change? Listen in to find out! Kari   GRIEF IS HARD. Whether you are reeling...

Have you ever had a friend or family member who was going through a challenging situation and you wanted to help them, only to realize that your help wasn't actually all that helpful? Today, we are talking about those moments when we might be hurting or enabling someone through our actions, which doesn't really lead to the help or healing they need in their lives. What does it look like to set hea...

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the tension of experiencing grief and heartache in a season of celebration, how it can be hard to hold those two things together in a way that feels authentic and true. And I gave you three truths to hold onto when it came to going through a difficult holiday season of your own.  But today we're talking about difficult holidays from a different angle, and tha...

Imagine this scenario with me… someone from church is going through a difficult time. Maybe they have a surgery coming up this week, and you want to send them a card to let them know you are thinking about them and praying for them as their big day comes up. So you go to your desk to grab some cards, but they're not where you thought you had them. You dig around in your drawers and files, but stil...

I have a something so incredibly special to share with you today. I actually hinted at it in my last episode, but I want to take some time and explain it more fully so you can join me in this. For those of you who don't know, in addition to working as a spiritual director for women who are experiencing depression or grief or any sort of difficult season in their life, I also own a gift shop where...

I have such a special episode for you today. I know that you are here listening to this podcast because you care so very much for those around you. God has given you a heart for those who are hurting. And so when it comes to the holiday season, you want to find not just a gift off the shelf, but a truly meaningful gift, something that will comfort and encourage your friend and let her know that sh...

This week, I welcome back Jennifer Brianne from Pens to Prison Ministry to share with us about a special project to express God's love to the inmates this holiday season. It is such a tender and practical way to reach out to those who are often forgotten about. Listen in and then be ready to take action, because the deadline is coming up in just a week or two. But it really only takes a few moment...

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. And I know a lot of people are buying gifts early, not knowing how long shipping might take or if what they want to get is even going to be available in a month or two, and so they are snagging it now. But for some of us, holidays also brin...

Today I want to share with you something that I shared with my Sunday school class a few weeks ago. It has been a message that has continued to resonate with me, and I know that many of you will relate to it, as well. There are a lot of times when I'm working my way through a book of the Bible and a story just gets stuck in my heart and I keep coming back to it. And that's what today's episode is...

Imagine with me, if you will… you get that email from church letting you know that so-and-so's family needs meals for the next three weeks as they adjust to having a new baby at home. You click the link and sign up for a couple of the days. You love to serve others in this way, providing a meal so they can get the rest they need, as well as time just to be with baby. But then you begin to wonder…...

Can I guess what you're thinking? You saw the title to this episode and thought, "Job was the one who needed encouragement, wasn't he? Not the one to offer it." But today, I want to share with you this little insight into Job: he was an encourager, too! I have absolutely loved learning about this part of his life. And truth be told, we don't have a lot of information about it, but it's just enough...

Oh, my goodness, do I have a treat for you today. I sat down with a new friend, Jennifer Brianne, and we had a great chat about reaching out to those who are hurting. And you guys, we had never really talked before, so essentially, it was like we were having a virtual coffee chat and you guys just get to listen in to the conversation. And it's so good. I love Jennifer's heart to reach out to those...

Today, I wanted to talk about the idea of getting ready to meet with God. Now, the caveat is that you can talk to God anytime, anywhere, right? In fact, we're instructed to pray at all times, aren't we? Ephesians 6:18 says, "Pray in the Spirit at all times." And 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Never stop praying." And that is such a blessing, such a gift, that we can talk to God at any moment. We don'...

Today, we are going to talk about something that might seem a little unusual, and that is written spiritual direction. A couple of months ago, I did an episode that explored spiritual direction in general, and how we use direction to listen to God together, to attune ourselves to His presence and movement in our lives. And I answered several frequently asked questions when it comes to spiritual di...