Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

About six weeks ago, we adopted a puppy. We weren't necessarily planning for it, and so when we brought the dog home, we had a lot of changes we needed to make.

And I've had to learn to ask for help when I need it. I've had to learn to recognize when something isn't working and then do something to fix it.

And so I want to tell you: It's okay to have help. Not just when you're going through a major crisis, but all the time. We need help! And we need to be willing to find that help, to ask for that help.

Yet all too often, we feel guilt or like a failure because we do. Or maybe we feel like we are burdening others because we're asking for what we feel is too much.

I want to help with that.

Because, my friend, getting help doesn't always necessarily mean going to someone else in person. There are some other ways to get support you may not even think about.

Today, I'm going to give you three specific ways you can get help, and I'm going to share a bunch of examples of how I have gotten help in the past—or am getting help right now.

As I do, I want you to consider where you might need some help in this season of your life. Today, even. Are you ready?

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 11: How to Ask for Help When You Need It

· Episode 60: When Seasons Change and You Have to Make Adjustments

· Episode 103: 6 Strategies to Manage Overwhelm, Stress, and Change

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Bible reading is one of those core spiritual disciplines you think about when you think about the Christian life, right? We are encouraged from a young age to read the Bible every single day.

Reading God's Word helps us to recognize His voice.

It helps us know His character and what He values or finds important.

It teaches us to know what He cares about and how He wants us to live.

Why wouldn't we want to spend time reading the Bible?

Not only does it teach us and prepare us to do His work, it is probably the best way to come to know God intimately. To not just know about God, but to truly know Him as a person.

But sometimes picking up our Bible and reading it can be a chore.

One of the best things you can do to encourage a regular Bible reading habit is to pick a Bible you'll actually use. Here are three tips to help you do just that.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

· Love Packages: Donating old Bibles

· Episode 121: Sleep as a Christian Spiritual Discipline

· Episode 122: Feeling Anxious? Try This 5-Minute Journaling Session

· Episode 125: I Just Ordered A New Planner… Here's Why

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

This week is going to look a little different from normal, because I want to share with you one of the devotions from my devotional, Imagine.

Imagine was written based on the spiritual practice of imaginative prayer, which is where you try to imagine what it might be like to be one of the people in the Bible, or to watch a Bible story unfold before your eyes.

The devotional I'm going to read together with you is focused on those times when we fail—big time. Like, not just the normal, everyday failures we might experience like getting grumpy or being late to a meeting or getting into a disagreement with someone in our family.

But the bigger ones, the ones where we really mess it up and we carry the shame or guilt or condemnation around with us.

You've got one in mind? I know I do.

Let me read through the Bible passage and devotional with you, and then we'll have a few moments at the end to ponder some questions together. It's entitled, "Falling Forward."

Kari

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

· Imagine Devotional: http://lovedoesthat.org/imagine

· Episode 32, Bible Study Made Simple Podcast with Eva Kubasiak

· Bonus Episode 11: [Imaginative Prayer] Jesus, Have Mercy

· Bonus Episode 20: [Imaginative Prayer] Coming Back to God in Thanksgiving and Praise: The Grateful Leper

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

It's July. And I just ordered a new planner for the rest of the year.

This is really hard for me. I don't like leaving things unfinished. Having a half-used planner is definitely unfinished. Incomplete. It feels like failing.

And I don't know if you ever feel that way, where you want to push through something just to check it off the list and say you got it done.

Or to feel like you got your money's worth on a planner or other resource you bought.

But I realized that I needed to make a change.

Let me tell you why.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

· Episode 106: 6 Strategies to Manage Overwhelm, Stress, and Change

· Free PDF: Journal Prompts for Seasons of Change

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Have you ever had someone in your church or circle of friends become sick, maybe even have to stay in the hospital? And maybe you wanted to visit them, or you felt God nudging you to visit them, but… you just weren't sure?

Maybe you didn't know what to say. Or maybe you felt uncomfortable in a hospital setting. Or maybe you even thought the person was going to die and you didn't know how to approach them.

I totally get this. I often feel like I'm interrupting others and I usually don't have a lot to say. So what possible good could I do to visit someone who might be sick or in the hospital?

Yet God has convicted me of this and called me out of my comfort zone to go and do it anyway.

I have walked into hospital rooms of near strangers to talk with them and pray with them.

I have visited the home of someone who was ill, offering her an audio Bible since she was unable to see clearly.

I have driven others to their cancer treatments.

And I do so out of love and care. Because they matter.

But it isn't always easy. And so I have a resource for you that can help.

This month, for my book recommendation, I'd like to offer the book Visit the Sick, by Brian Croft.

Here are three reasons why I like it—and I think you will, too.

Kari

RELATED RESOURCES:

· Courageous Care Masterclass: http://lovedoesthat.org/care

· Book: Visit the Sick, by Brian Croft

______

>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

I don't know about you, but I love to hear about how others journal: what journaling methods they use, if they like to write by hand or type, the materials they use, and the rhythms and practices they have put in place.

Because journaling is such a personal thing. What works for one person may not work for another. And really, what works for one person at one point in time may not work for them a few months down the road.

The truth is, journaling goes through seasons of its own, doesn't it?

Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with Marla Beech, founder of Hunkeedori, where she works as a self-connection coach and mentor.

Marla and I met through our mutual interest in journaling. She uses journaling as a daily practice, and she approaches it in some very intentional ways.

Listen in as we hear what her journaling practice looks like right now, why she started journaling, how depression and grief impacted her journaling, and how the Holy Spirit shows up to lead her and guide her as she journals.

As you listen, I encourage you not to try to mimic everything she does, but listen in to see what might work for you, what piques your interest, and then identify one thing you might do to start—or restart—your journaling practice today.

Kari

MEET MARLA:

Marla Beech is founder of Hunkeedori, where she serves as a self-connection coach and mentor. She mentors women who have lost themselves prioritizing others and are ready to reconnect with what they truly want through her Uniquee Connection Method.

CONNECT WITH MARLA:

· Website: Hunkeedori

· Instagram

· Free Resource: Quick Start Journaling Prompts

· Free Resource: Positive Journaling Checklist

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 54: 4 Simple Ways to Start (or Keep) Journaling

· Episode 55: Reflection and Journaling as a Lifelong Practice with Business Strategist Elizabeth McCravy

· Episode 45: Grief Journal Prompts

· Bonus Episode 18: [Journal Prompts] For Seasons of Change and Transition

· Episode 122: Feeling Anxious? Try This 5-Minute Journaling Session

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RESOURCES FROM KARI:

>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Anxiety can impact us in a deep way, especially when it revolves around something incredibly important to us, like when someone we love is hurting, or when we are going through a trial of our own.

And in some cases, anxiety becomes more severe. We can't shake the worries and fears, and it actually begins to interfere with daily living.

· We stop driving because we're worried about having an accident.

· We stop going to church or events or programs because we're uneasy around groups of people.

· We stop walking into stores and order everything online because we're afraid about potential violence.

There are a lot of great ways to manage or cope with your anxiety, and we don't have time to cover all of them today, but journaling is one of them.

Here's a five-minute journaling session for anxiety that will help you name what is going on inside of you and see how God is inviting you to respond.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES:

· Free PDF Guide: Five-Minute Journaling Session for Anxiety

· Episode 54: 4 Simple Ways to Start (or Keep) Journaling

· Episode 63: Using Christian Spiritual Practices to Draw Closer to God with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller

· Episode 64: Approaching God Even In Your Anxiety with Your Bible Study Best Friend Eva Kubasiak

· Book: The Anxious Christian, by Rhett Smith

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

How much sleep do you normally get? What happened to you when you didn't get enough sleep?

Did you ever stay up all night? Which part of you was most impacted by lack of sleep: physical, mental, or emotional?

I remember a stretch of time when sleep was frequently interrupted. Both kids were getting up for various reasons, whether to use the bathroom or nightmares or what have you. And I was getting woken up every 2-3 hours.

And it's hard, isn't it? If you are the parent of a newborn or taking care of a child with disabilities or an aging parent, you know what I'm talking about.

But there are other times when we can't get enough sleep, aren't there?

We can't get physically comfortable in our bed. Or our minds are racing and we can't find a way to calm them down. Or we're worried about the next day or some big, looming situation that we're in the middle of. Or we feel like we have too much work to get done, and so we frequently stay up late.

And whatever the cause, sleep doesn't come easily.

God has been showing me that sleep can be a spiritual discipline, too.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES:

· Episode 54: 4 Simple Ways to Start (or Keep) Journaling

· Episode 63: Using Christian Spiritual Practices to Draw Closer to God with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller

· Sarah Jackson Coaching: Somatic, Cognitive, and Spiritual Practices

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

This year, I am doing a monthly episode where I share a book recommendation with you, because I love to read, and I bet you do, too!

This month, it's Invitation to Retreat, by Ruth Haley Barton. And it fits in perfectly with some of our topics this summer as we take a closer look at spiritual practices that help us stay close to God, even when life is hard or heavy.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we talked a little bit about journaling—specifically, how to journal in front of others. And next week, we're going to talk about sleep as a spiritual practice. "Sleep?" you ask. Yep. Sleep. I can't wait to share about that one with you.

For now, let's dive into why I recommend the book Invitation to Retreat to you—and learn a little more about Christian retreats in the process.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES:

· Episode 56: How to Create a Personal Spiritual Retreat (And Reflections on My Own)

· Episode 94: Entering the Silence and Stillness with God: A Conversation with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller

· Episode 118: Tips for Journaling in Front of Others

· Podcast: Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

· Transforming Center: Find more resources, including retreats and spiritual directors

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Have you or a loved one ever been plagued with physical symptoms that seemed to have no rhyme or reason? Ever have to go through a myriad of medical tests, waiting to see what was wrong with your body? Ever have to change the way you ate or moved or worked to accommodate a physical ailment of some sort?

This week, I want to share a conversation I had with Lauren Cunningham. Lauren was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease right as she was getting ready to start college.

Her journey led her through multiple surgeries, lengthy hospital stays, countless infusions, and many doctor visits. Though medication worked for a little while, Lauren discovered other ways to take control over her health that helped her manage this chronic disease.

Lauren shares her story of being diagnosed, and then she and I talk about how her family and friends showed up to support her, the secondary complications of illness or surgeries, the impact a health issue can have on family members, and how physical ailments can take a toll on you mentally and emotionally.

And of course, in the midst of that, we talk about her faith journey and how she experienced God through all of this.

If you find Lauren's words encouraging, I hope you'll reach out to her and let her know.

Kari

MEET LAUREN:

Lauren Cunningham was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease right as she was getting ready to start college. Her journey led her through multiple surgeries, lengthy hospital stays, countless infusions, and many doctor visits. Though medication worked for a little while, Lauren discovered other ways to take control over her health that help her manage this chronic disease. Lauren currently works in marketing, but continues to encourage women in their health journeys through creating recipes that support health and nutrition. Lauren is also the host of the podcast So Can I, where she talks with different women about life and careers and relationships, and really follow the dreams on their hearts

CONNECT WITH LAUREN:

· Website

· Free Resource: Recipe ebook

· Podcast: So Can I

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 68: Experiencing God in Cancer with Fitness Coach Carmen James

· Episode 64: Approaching God Even In Your Anxiety with Your Bible Study Best Friend Eva Kubasiak

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 Ways to Encounter God on the Pages of Your Journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week program designed to help you process grief and trauma with God

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection