For those of us who are drawn to journaling, whether we are new to it or have been at it for years, there are still some obstacles and questions that come up.

• I don’t have time to journal.
• I don’t know what to write about.
• Writing by hand is hard for me. Is there a way to journal where I don’t have write it out by hand?
• I started journaling, but it’s hard for me to make it a regular practice.
• What if I don’t want anyone else to read it?

So today, while I can’t dive into everything there is to know about journaling and how you can practice it, I want to dive into those first two obstacles: I don’t have time to journal and I don’t know what to write about.

To do that, I am going to offer you four simple ways to start, or keep, journaling. My hope is that you’ll see there are literally dozens of ways to incorporate journaling into your life, and some really don’t take that much time. You can fit them into the tiny spaces of your day, even with a 3-to-5-minute break, or even tack it on to something you are already doing.

Let’s dive in,

Kari

>> Written Spiritual Direction: Recognize God’s presence in your pain

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Scribe Bible Study and Workshop (Scripture writing)
• Free Grief Journal Prompts
• Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal
• Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing Guided Journal
• The Daily Kairos Journal
• Episode 4: Spiritual Practices to Help You Learn to Hear God's Voice

QUOTES AND BIBLE VERSES:

• “We don’t learn from our experiences. We learn from our reflection upon our experiences.” (Trevor Hudson)
• “Be thankful in all circumstances…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)
• “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” (Psalm 92:1 NLT)

This is another bonus episode, where we tend to focus on spiritual practices and faith. And in today’s episode, I am sharing a message I gave a couple of weeks ago at my church.

As you can see from the title, this focuses on Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, and it piggybacks on what we are learning in the Soul Care Group this month. We are looking at this passage and we are exploring the SOAP Bible study method, breath prayers, and art journaling. If you want to join us there, you can sign up at lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup.

This was a really meaningful passage for me as I entered into it, and I know it will be for you, too. I leave in the pauses and the time of reflection at the end because I want you to experience it with us. I will end with a prayer, so you’ll know then that it’s over.

Let’s dive in.

Kari

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Song: Dry Bones

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

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 surgery and need someone helping to take care of them. In Rayna’s case, it was caring for her dad after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

I feel like so many of us miss opportunities to love our friends well through this season of caring for a loved one. Because so much of their time is taken up by caring for an aging parent or another loved one, it’s easy for us to let feelings of jealousy or bitterness get in the way. We miss our time with them, sure. We miss the way they used to serve at church. It makes sense. But friends, do you have any idea what they are going through? How much their life might have changed?

I am so excited for Rayna to share more of her story with us, and you guys, she packs in so many practical stories and examples… so much wisdom. So whether you are a friend of someone in a caregiving season, or if you are the one caring for someone else right now, you will learn so much from my conversation with her.

Let’s dive in to my conversation with Rayna Neises.

Kari

MEET RAYNA:

Rayna Neises author of No Regrets: Hope for Your Caregiving Season, ICF certified coach, PAC Trainer, the host of “A Season of Caring” podcast, and speaker who is passionate about supporting daughters and sons in a season of caring with their aging parents.

Rayna lost both of her parents to Alzheimer’s disease twenty years apart. After her season of caring for her dad through his journey, she founded A Season of Caring Coaching where she offers regret-free resources, encouragement, and support aimed at preventing family caregivers from aimlessly wandering through this important season of life.

Rayna lives on a farm in southeast Kansas with her husband, Ron, and small pack of adorable dogs. She is the baby of her family, but most would never guess that. She is a former teacher and enjoys crafts of all kinds and spending time with her grandkids most of all.

CONNECT WITH RAYNA:

• Website – go here for information on her book, podcast, support groups, and coaching services
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Resource: Tips for Finding Peace in a Full Life
• Caring Quiz

CONNECT WITH KARI:

>> Spiritual Direction: Recognize God’s presence in your pain

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

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 and moving at a quick pace. Or if they are reading quietly, they might have soft piano music playing in the background.

But we can also use music when we are in seasons of hurt. Today, we are going to dive into the power of music and the role it can play when we are going through difficult times—whether we are grieving, struggling with depression, caring for someone else, parenting littles, having problems in our marriage, dealing with anxiety or fear, or any host of things. I’ll also walk you through some things when it comes to creating your own playlist of songs to listen to when you are hurting.

Let’s dive in,

Kari

>> Spiritual Direction: Recognize God’s presence in your pain

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Article: Six Ways Story Helps with Grief (from the Huntsman Cancer Institute)
• Bonus Episode: Talking to Your Soul

QUOTES AND BIBLE VERSES:

• “Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again…. And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away (1 Samuel 16:16, 23 NLT)

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 we discern who is safe and who is not?

While there is no definitive answer, I want to suggest some guidelines that will help us pray through who to turn to when we are hurting.

As you listen, I invite you to consider which characteristics are most important to you. Also, are there any that I didn’t include that you want to be sure to add to your own list?

Kari

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Episode 49: Finding Your Stretcher Bearers: The People Who Can Help Carry You Through a Difficult Season
• Episode 7: 5 Things to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say with Laura Howe
• Episode 11: How to Ask for Help When You Need It
• Free Guide: How to Ask for Help When You Need It

QUOTES AND BIBLE VERSES:

• “Over and over again, I am struck by the transforming significance and profound simplicity of the ministry of listening.” (Jean Stairs, Listening for the Soul)
• “A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” (Proverbs 11:13, NLT)

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

“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 shared four things she learned about grief. And in today’s episode, Jessy and I sit down and dive deeper into some of these things.

I know that so many of you are carrying grief around with you, whether the loss has been recent or was experienced years ago. And I know many of you are loving someone right now who is grieving a loss of their own, and you’re trying to find ways to care for them and love them through.

I feel like Jessy’s story and experience will resonate with so many of you. We talk about things like grieving out loud, grieving while parenting, using art as a way to pray, and how grief impacted her experience of God.

My friends, this is a sacred and tender conversation. I imagine you know how difficult it can be to share those places in your story where you carry grief and wounds and pain, and I always start each interview letting my guest know that if I ask a question that is too hard to talk about, too personal, just to let me know and we’ll move on. Some things aren’t meant to be shared yet. And that’s okay.

And Jessy was so incredibly open and gracious in sharing a bit of her heart and soul with us, and I know you won’t take that lightly. So I invite you to reach out to her following the episode and let her know how much you appreciate her. Can you do that for me?

Jessy and I met through an organization called Painted Prayers, where we both became trained to lead others in praying through art. She will share more of her work and ministry throughout our conversation, but for now, let’s go ahead and dive in and I’ll let her introduce herself.

Kari

MEET JESSY PAULSON:

Jessy Paulson is a small-town South Dakotan who shares her life with her husband Kyle and their three kids, Aleigha, Charley, and Conrad. Jessy is the prayer artist behind the j.hazel.paulson Prayer Art & Jewelry, the owner of the online retail store Purpose + Grit, and the founder of Gritty Faith Magazine. You’ll often find Jessy with paint on her clothes and coffee in her cup, tackling one of her many projects, 15 minutes at a time.

CONNECT WITH JESSY:

• Purpose + Grit Shop
• Download a free copy of Gritty Faith Magazine
• Facebook
• Facebook Group
• Email

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Book: Faith Over Fear: Walking Angie Home
• Episode 40: Meaningful Gifts for Those Who are Hurting: 4 Shops That Help You Show Love and Care
• Painted Prayers Inc.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

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 well enough to walk on their own again.

But today, we’re turning that around and thinking about when we are the one on the stretcher. Because at some point, we all end up there, don’t we?

Cancer. Depression. Anxiety. Chronic illness. Grief. Homesickness. Job loss. Extended sickness.

And so, I want to break this down a little bit and help us figure out this question: If you found yourself on a stretcher—physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, or spiritually—who could help carry you through that season?

Kari

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Book: Becoming a Stretcher Bearer, by Michael Slater
• Episode 30: Three Favorite Books About Encouraging One Another
• Mark 2:1-12

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 story.

It’s much like reading a fiction book and experiencing what the main character is experiencing. We just sort of “take it on” ourselves.

Some people struggle with using their imaginations to read Scripture. After all, we’ve been taught to study it, to use our minds and reasons. However, I want to invite you to consider it differently. If we offer our imaginations to God, He can empower us to engage with His Word on an entirely different level. All I ask is that you give it an honest try.

And if you like it, you can grab the entire devotional on the website at lovedoesthat.org/shop.

The devotional is written about blind Bartimaeus, from Mark 10:46-52. I’ll read through the passage first, then read through the devotional.

Kari

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

>> 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal Workshop: Tuesday, January 18th at 11:00am Eastern

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Imagine Devotional
• Episode 47: 10 Ways to Encounter God in His Word

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

https://lovedoesthat.org/apply

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 during difficult seasons to decide some things in advance. So join me for this episode as I share some examples and walk you through four questions to ask as you pre-decide some things this year.

Kari

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

>> 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal Workshop: Tuesday, January 18th at 11:00am Eastern

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Episode 2: Discerning Who to Encourage

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

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 in my quiet time with Him. Sometimes I need something to help me do more than just read, but to engage with what I’m reading. To understand it. To reflect on it. To listen for His nudges and invitations to me as I read.

And so I wanted to kick off this year exploring 10 different ways to encounter God in His Word. These are practical, tangible things you can put into practice in your own time with the Lord.

I don’t recommend you do them all right away at the same time, but listen and see which ones pique your interest and then try them on and see how they work for you. I imagine you’ll gravitate toward two or three of them based on your personality, your schedule, and just how God has designed you to meet with Him.

Let’s dive in,

Kari

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:

>> Soul Care Group: Monthly email with soul care practices

http://lovedoesthat.org/soulcaregroup

>> 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal Workshop: Tuesday, January 18th at 11:00am Eastern

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Online Retreats:

Email me at [email protected] to get on the waitlist

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Navigators
• Precepts Ministries International
• Horacio Printing SOAP Studies
• Daily Grace Co.
• Kelly Minter’s Bible studies
• Imagine Bible Study Devotional
• Scribe: Scripture Writing Class
• Bible Study Made Simple podcast with Eva Kubasiak

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD GOES SILENT?

As an introvert, silence is your strength. You cherish quiet moments. Time alone replenishes your soul like nothing else can.

But what happens when God goes silent? When you raise your questions of grief and hurt and doubt—and He doesn't answer?

Dear one, what if your very quietness has positioned you to experience the presence of God in a totally new way?

What if in these seasons of silence, God is actually speaking to you louder than He has ever spoken to you before?

If you ready to press into God in this season of silence, I invite you to fill out the form at lovedoesthat.org/apply. I use a modern-day letter writing style of spiritual direction perfect for Christian women drawn to quiet spaces and written words.

Throughout our correspondence, I will compassionately listen to your story, gently ask questions that point you to God, and help you discover personal spiritual practices that invite you to stay close to Him. Start now at lovedoesthat.org/apply.

https://lovedoesthat.org/apply