The Soul Enchilada

We’ve all heard that one. Many of us have even used it as an excuse for being busy… too busy. This week we explore why we’re so busy and talk through strategies to slow ourselves down.   This Week’s Listener Question: This past January, I set a goal to take time for myself to meditate and pray. But I can’t slow down and sit still. What’s wrong with me?   SOUL Group Questions: To build connection w...

Conflict. Peace MAKERS resolve it, while peace KEEPERS avoid it. While making peace is harder, it is better in the long run, because the conflict you avoid today will find you tomorrow. This week we talk strategies for how to best handle conflicts in order to minimize their impacts on your mental health and sanity.   This Week’s Listener Question: My husband and I often fight in front of our kids....

It's good to feel wanted. But what happens when that feeling drives you to say "yes" to everything? It's chaos. This week we talk about the burnout that goes along with people pleasing and work towards being able to say "no" in a healthy, relationship and sanity preserving way. This Week's Listener Question: I’m a volunteer at my church. Clearly, I have a reputation of being a helper because I’m c...

This Week's Listener’s Question: I’m so exhausted all the time. I have so many demands on my time and energy. I’m working full time, raising three kids, and trying to be a good everything, a good wife, mother, friend, daughter… How do I juggle all the balls in my life and maintain some kind of balance? Small Group Questions: To build connection with a friend or in your small group, ask each other...

Want more parts? Like it or not, you’ve got them. This week we continue our talk about how to emphasize the good ones and send the “bad” ones packing. This Week’s Listener Question: On the Soul Enchilada Podcast, you often talk about “parts” of us. I’m confused. What’s the difference between parts and emotions? Small Group Questions: To build connection with a friend or in your small group, ask ea...

Let’s face it, ladies, we’re complicated. We’re a mix of different thoughts, emotions, and experiences… and that mix can change from day to day. We like to refer to that mix as a collection of “parts.” So let’s start off the new year at ground zero – talking about our “parts:” how they make us who we are, and how we can put them in the best order. This Week’s Listener Question: On the Soul Enchila...

Dreams. We’ve all had some weird ones. Ones where we’ve woken up and wondered HOW on earth our brains came up with that. Do our dreams actually mean anything? If so, how do we figure them out. This week, we talk dreams… Christine’s whack one in particular. What they may mean and whether God’s got anything to do with them.   This Week's Listener Question: Last week we talked about all the ways God...

Three words that have been used, and mis-used, by all religions since the beginning of time. Although it's a stretch to believe that God "speaks" to us in an audible voice, he does communicate with us through the Holy Spirit's "still small voice." Some dismiss that as just intuition, but many of us having experienced it, believe it is so much more. This week we talk about how to better listen and...

Conflict is part of life, unfortunately. Especially around the holidays. But what happens when that conflict leaves you cut off from the people and things you love? This week, we talk strategies for navigating conflict and building bridges.. even when you weren’t the one to tear them down   This Week’s Listener Question: What should I so for the holidays when my daughter-in-law has cut us off from...

How’s your relationship with shopping? Do you just get what you need, or do you feel like you always need to get more… even when you actually NEED nothing? How and why we shop is complicated and is layered with guilt around debt and need for self- fulfillment. This week, we talk shopping and how to maintain a balance when the pressure is ramped up during the Holidays.   This Week’s Listener Questi...

There are few things as painful as being betrayed by someone you trusted. It shakes our world and shatters our trust in others and our faith in ourselves. This week, we talk about how to deal with the pain of betrayal and steps of courage we can take to build back a level of trust that allows to maintain healthy, fulfilling relationships.   This Week’s Listener Question: I’ve been betrayed by my h...

This Week's Listener Question: My life feels like a really bad country song. I was diagnosed with cancer. My parents died in a car crash. And one of my kids is addicted to drugs. How do I keep going when I’m always in survival mode?   Small Group Questions:   To build connection with a friend or in your small group, ask each other these questions.   1.  What trials are you currently walking throug...

The combination of Daylight Savings Time and Fall moving into Winter means things are getting dark. For many of us, that darkness creeps into our emotional state as well. Changes of season, both in the climate and in our lives can be challenging, but they also bring about opportunities for growth and positive change.    This Week’s Listener  Question: Christine, we just turned our clocks back in C...

Let’s face it, it can be pretty challenging to deal with another person’s negative emotions. When we feel like we’re being sucked down into their pit, our first reaction is often to counter with something positive. But, as it turns out, that’s not always the best thing… either for their emotional wellbeing, or your relationship with them. This week, we talk through strategies to deal with negativi...

No matter how long we’ve been in a relationship, no matter how secure it feels, there are always forces and temptations out there to undermine it. Some from without, and some from within. This week, we talk about those forces and strategies to affair-proof your relationships.   Listener’s Question: I read a text stream that my husband has with a woman at work. They share very private and intimate...

It’s widely believed that we admire and are attracted to people with characteristics we do not possess ourselves. As a result, our closest relationships are often with our opposites, which can make it challenging to remain close. We’ve been married to our opposites for quite a while now, so this week, we talk about why we’re different… and how to maintain deep, close connections with each other.  ...

Secrets. We’ve all got them. According to one study, the average parson has five secrets they’ve never told anyone. Why do we keep them? For the most part it’s shame. And as we’ve talked about before, shame is corrosive. This week, we talk through the benefits of, and strategies for, getting things out in the open.   This Week’s Listener Question: I grew up believing loyal families never share the...

Regrets. We've all got more than we'd like. Some of us have more than we can count... This week, we talk about three commons regrets and some strategies to keep them from weighing us down to the point where we're stuck in the past. So listen in. You won't regret it... Listener’s Question: I’m going through a divorce and I can’t get past the feeling of regret that I choose the wrong person and wast...

Regrets. We've all got more than we'd like. Some of us have more than we can count... This week, we talk about three commons regrets and some strategies to keep them from weighing us down to the point where we're stuck in the past. So listen in. You won't regret it... Listener’s Question: I’m going through a divorce and I can’t get past the feeling of regret that I choose the wrong person and wast...

Bad things happen to good people, and they happen to “bad” people. They happen to everyone. When it feels like they are piling up on and around us, we can begin to “catastrophize” even the smallest of things. A headache becomes a brain tumor and our minds are off to the races. This week we talk strategies to ground our minds when we start feeling out of control.   This Week’s Listener Question: On...

Bad things happen to good people, and they happen to “bad” people. They happen to everyone. When it feels like they are piling up on and around us, we can begin to “catastrophize” even the smallest of things. A headache becomes a brain tumor and our minds are off to the races. This week we talk strategies to ground our minds when we start feeling out of control.   This Week’s Listener Question: On...

Introverts and Extroverts are two very different types of people. Which one are you? As you might have guessed, we’re both extroverts. But we’re married to introverts, which can sometimes be challenging. This week, we talk about how to embrace who you are and give some tips on how to integrate well with the opposites.     Listen’s Question: Sometimes I feel like my husband and I are incompatible....

This week, we continue to take on loneliness by talking about solutions to help you find connections in our disconnected world. There’s something here for just about everybody!   This Week’s Listener Question: My daughter left for college three weeks ago. She called to tell me how lonely she is. Oh… my heart breaks thinking of her alone in her room. I get it! I feel lonely a lot of the time too. W...

Loneliness is an epidemic. Although we’ve never been more connected online, 79% of adults report being lonely. And loneliness is a killer. It’s been shown that the negative health effects of being lonely are equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day! This week we start our two-episode look at loneliness, with some tips on how to break out and make the connections you need.   This Week’s Listener Questi...

Ever heard of the Enneagram? It’s often thought of as a “personality test.” But it’s so much more than that. It’s a great way to figure out the type of person you are and recognize the strategies you use to make your way in the world. You may want to take it first, before listening to the episode www.truity.com This week we geek out a little on the Enneagram; what it is, how it works, and what you...