Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

I don't know what season you are in right now, but I do recognize that in some seasons of life, we are simply going to have more availability than we do in others. But we looked in episode 20 at how a lack of time can be an obstacle, an excuse we use to NOT reach out to others. We said, "I don't have the time. I don't have the time to take them to their doctor's appointment. I don't have the time...

Today, I just want to have a bit of a heart-to-heart conversation with you about something that I feel so many of us get stuck by, and that is failure. And what I want to focus on today is when we think we mess up when it comes to caring for those around us. We say the wrong thing. We do the wrong thing. We don't send the card like we were going to. We give a gift card to a restaurant instead of c...

I'm starting this episode with a confession: I am a bookworm. I'm actually one of those nerds who, since 2015, has kept track of every book I've read. Anybody else? Anybody? There is no doubt that I have a soft spot for books. In fact, that's one of the hardest things for me to say no to, when one of my kids asks for a book. I want to encourage a love of reading and learning in them, and so we hav...

One of my core beliefs as a children's ministries director, one that I continue to hold today, is that children already experience and know God in a deep and personal way. Kids are not junior varsity Christians. They are able to communicate with God, to hear from Him, and to engage with Him in so many incredible ways. But because we are adults, we don't always see it. We don't always believe it. W...

"When our soul is in turmoil, God does not want us to be passive. We must pray, yes. But sometimes we need to stop praying. We need to stop listening to our soul recite its fears. Then is when it's time to preach to our soul." That quote from Jon Bloom was something I read during a Night of Prayer and Worship at church about six years ago. And it is what started my journey of learning to talk to m...

I love when I am reading God's Word and He just brings to light something I haven't seen before, don't you? A year ago, I was reading through the books of First and Second Kings, and I really lingered with the stories of Elijah and Elisha, the prophets. And I stumbled upon two stories that I had known about Elisha, but that hit me in an entirely new way. And it hit me big enough that I STILL think...

Today, we are going to talk about a part of encouragement and care that is often overlooked—or, rather, it's often used as an excuse to NOT reaching out to those around us who are hurting. We're talking about the cost of caring for others. Now, I don't mean financial cost, though there are actually many times and situations where you may need to be willing to part with some money in order to care...

I don't know about you, but I always get a little anxious when visiting someone who is sick, especially when they aren't a close family member. Am I interrupting them? Are they truly up for visitors? How can I help? This week, I have a special treat for you as I join BriAnne Bell, a registered nurse with experience working in the ER, and we have a conversation regarding encouragement and care in a...

Eugene Peterson wrote, "It is easier to find guides, someone to tell you what to do, than someone to be with you in a discerning, prayerful companionship as you work it out yourself. This is what spiritual direction is." If you noticed in my introduction, I speak to my background in communication, spiritual direction, and ministry. And recently, I was asked, "What is spiritual direction? How is th...

Raise your hand if you have ever set a goal or intention at the beginning of the year and then promptly forgotten about it? Or maybe you got distracted and it simply got pushed to the side. This is where reflection comes in. Why is reflection so important? Why do we need to pause and take a look back? Trevor Hudson said that we don't learn from our experiences; we learn from our reflection upon th...

It was about 15 months ago when I stepped down from my job in children's ministries to go what I call "all in" with Love Does That. And as I share that story with different people, I keep getting asked, "How did you know? How did you know to step down? How did you make that decision?" And let me tell you, it was not easy. I know a lot of you might be facing similar decisions—whether to step down f...

We are on the last day of our 5-Day Courageous Care Challenge. This challenge is going to help you replace fear and uncertainty with courage and compassion. We are going to be looking at the top five obstacles and objections to taking action when someone you love is hurting so that you don't live with regret because you didn't reach out. Today, we're diving into the last obstacle, and that is that...

We are on day 4 of our 5-Day Courageous Care Challenge. This challenge is going to help you replace fear and uncertainty with courage and compassion. We are going to be looking at the top five obstacles and objections to taking action when someone you love is hurting so that you don't live with regret because you didn't reach out. Today, we're diving into the fourth obstacle, and that is that you...

We are on day 3 of our 5-Day Courageous Care Challenge. This challenge is going to help you replace fear and uncertainty with courage and compassion. We are going to be looking at the top five obstacles and objections to taking action when someone you love is hurting so that you don't live with regret because you didn't reach out. Today, we're diving into the third obstacle, and that is that you a...

We are in the middle of the 5-Day Courageous Care Challenge. This challenge is going to help you replace fear and uncertainty with courage and compassion. We are going to be looking at the top five obstacles and objections to taking action when someone you love is hurting so that you don't live with regret because you didn't reach out. Today, we're diving into the second obstacle, and that is that...

I am so excited for you to join me today as we kick off the Courageous Care Challenge. This is going to be a power-packed week that can completely transform the way you reach out to your friends and neighbors and love them—really love them—when they are struggling or hurting. And it all starts by recognizing what is getting in the way of reaching out in the first place. Why is it that we can have...

I don't know about you, but there have been several seasons in my life when I struggled to find and experience joy. And whether you are grieving or struggling with depression or medical issues, I want you to know that it really is possible to find joy in those hard and heavy places. To help us learn how to do that, my friend Kristen Joy is chatting with us today, sharing some of her own stories an...

We are wrapping up our series about how to respond in different situations when it comes to encouragement and care. Some have been from the perspective of the helper, such as how to respond when someone asks about your hurting friend and how to respond when a friend won't let you help. Others have been from the perspective of the one needing support and encouragement, like how to decline an offer...

Has there ever been a moment in your life when everything just changed? One phone call that radically altered your world? One comment that impacted how you saw everything around you? One experience that changed the trajectory of your life? That was a traumatic experience, and today, my guest Kristen Brock is going to help us understand what trauma is, how it impacts us, and how we can better come...

I can't wait to dive into today's guided Scripture reading with you. As I prepared it, God spoke some really powerful truths to me, and I'm sure He will do the same for you. I encourage you to take a moment to pause and get ready, if you have not done so yet. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted for 5-10 minutes. Quiet your heart. And then, when you're ready, join me in the prayer as...

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? Today, we're talking about how to respond when someone offers help you don't need or want. In other words, how to gracefully and respectfully decline. Because, again, there are times we really do need to say no to someone's offer. T...

What do you do when you offer help to a friend who is going through a difficult time, and they say "no"? How do you handle that? I know it is so incredibly easy to take it personally when a friend turns down our offer to help. But today, I want to help you think through why they may not be in a place to accept help right now, as well as some tips that will help us respond in a healthy and God-hono...

We are starting a kind of mini-series where we are going to talk about how to respond in different situations. You know, some of those awkward situations that happen when we're trying to encourage and care for our friends who are hurting. We're starting with the question, "How do I respond when someone asks me about my friend?" Specifically, your hurting friend. The one others know is going throug...

How many of you serve with the kids at your church in some way? How many of you at least smile and wave to the kids when you see them on Sunday? What you may not realize is how many of those kids are coming with some type of hurt or struggle, whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. How can those of us in the church care for them during this time? Here are three very powerful, but very s...

Welcome to our third bonus episode. In our bonus episodes, we engage with some different spiritual practices together. This is a chance for us to explore some practices we may not be familiar with, and ultimately, it's for the purpose of staying close to God so that we can share His love, care, and encouragement with those around us who are hurting. Today, I want to share with you one of my favori...