Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

The New Year is a natural opportunity for us to look at the spiritual practices and habits we want to cultivate in our lives, especially when it comes to caring for those who are hurting or when we are walking through a difficult season ourselves.

I know when I am struggling, I tend to pare back and focus on only a few spiritual practices at a time. Ones that are simple, easy to do, but that also give me space to meet with God and be with Him.

So this week, I am sharing the basic content from episode 4: spiritual practices to help you learn to hear God's voice. Each one of these is powerful in and of itself. The temptation for us will be to try to do all of them at once, but what I really want to encourage you to do is to pick just one and lean into that in the weeks and months ahead.

Which one resonates most with you?

Which one calls to you?

Which one fits most naturally into your schedule or routine?

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Bonus Episode 6: Talking to Your Soul
• Episode 47: 10 Ways to Encounter God Through His Word, Plus 3 Invitations for You in 2022
• Episode 54: 4 Simple Ways to Start (or Keep) Journaling
• Episode 56: How to Create a Personal Spiritual Retreat (And Reflections on My Own)
• Bonus Episode 14: [Spiritual Practice] Good Morning, God
• Episode 63: Using Christian Spiritual Practices to Draw Closer to God with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller
• Bonus Episode 15: [Breath Prayer] I Will Not Be Afraid
• Episode 76: Have a Hard Time Sensing God's Presence? Go Outside!

______

>> 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

Being a spiritual director who focuses on writing back and forth to my clients, I've come to realize just how important letter writing is to my work, to the way I reach out to and encourage others.

It's not just in my personal correspondence with those who work with me in written spiritual direction or the Journal Gently program, but even in the idea that I have chosen to focus on email as my main way to connect with you all outside of this podcast, rather than social media or video.

And so this week, I wanted to share with you a letter I wrote to my friends shortly after Thanksgiving, which I feel is rather relevant now, a few days after Christmas. Because grief has a way of… well, getting in the way. And I wanted to take a moment to address that, to share a personal experience with you, and to offer some journal prompts to help you discern what to do with such grief.

So here is my letter to you.

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Free Resources from Love Does That (just click the image of the resource you want)

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30. Good through December 31, 2022.)

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

I have kind of a fun episode for us today.

As we near 2023, I have been brainstorming ideas to talk about on the podcast. So I looked back through past episodes that have seemed to really resonate with you all, and I reached out to those on my email list with a survey to ask you some questions.

And today, I want to share some of those results with you and how that's going to impact the direction of this podcast. Because I want to make sure I am coming alongside you in the very real, very heavy concerns of daily life.

We'll start out by talking about the survey and then I'll share the top five ranking episodes right now.

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Free Guide: Tips for Encouraging Others When You're Still Healing
• Episode 15: How to Decline Someone's Offer of Help Gracefully
• Episode 28: How Elisha Inspires Me to Look After Others
• Episode 14: How to Respond When a Friend Won't Let You Help
• Episode 56: How to Create a Personal Spiritual Retreat (And Reflections on My Own)
• Episode 9 and Episode 10: Supporting a Friend Through Grief (And Walking Through It Yourself) with Karen Altizer
• Episode 67: We Have a Hard Time Saying and Accepting "No"

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30.)

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Let's Encourage One Another was born in March 2021 as a ministry out of my work at Love Does That. The purpose of Love Does That was really to reach out to women who were hurting or grieving—and teaching you to reach out to them, too.

But the podcast is not where I started. In fact, spiritual direction is not where I started, either.

As we near the end of the year, I've been reflecting on the journey that God has taken me on, from starting as a sympathy gift shop as a side hustle to leaving my position in children's ministries to serving now as a spiritual director and running the Journal Gently program.

I'm going to do something a bit unusual today and actually share pieces of my story at Love Does That through the podcast interviews I've done. Because if you listen to them in chronological order, you can hear what has changed since the beginning and what has stayed the same.

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Quick Link to All Podcasts: http://lovedoesthat.org/featured-on (will be updated as I'm on other shows)
• This is Legacy Podcast, episode 33: How to Help Someone Who is Hurting
• Handmade CEO Podcast, episode 49: How to Create a Business Supporting Others
• Christian Woman Leadership Podcast, episode 149: How to Give and Receive Encouragement as a Leader with Kari Bartkus
• Grant Writing Simplified Podcast, episode 41: Serving Through Ministry-Based Business
• The Care Ministry Podcast, episode 11: The Power of Standing with People Who Are Struggling
• Live It Out with the Planning Woman Podcast, episode 125: Incorporating Journaling Into Your Quiet Time with Kari Bartkus
• Halfway There Podcast, episode 284: Kari Bartkus and the Friendship of Jesus
• Bible Study Made Simple Podcast, episode 32: Imaginative Prayer with Kari Bartkus
• A Season of Caring Podcast, episode 145: Processing the Grief of Caregiving
• Episode 6: The Message That Ignited Love Does That
• Episode 24: An Example in Spiritual Discernment and Decision Making: Going "All In" With Love Does That

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30.)

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Today, I would like to walk with you through a mini Blue Christmas service. While many churches offer these services, traditionally held on December 21, I know that not everyone does, nor can everyone attend.

And, let's be honest, sometimes we're not quite ready to name our losses in community with others yet. We're still trying to come to grips with what has happened.

A Blue Christmas service is designed especially for those who have experienced loss or are suffering or lonely during the holiday season. It recognizes that not everything is "merry and bright" during Christmas. And that's okay. We can name our losses and grief before God and meet Him in that place, even as we cling to hope that Christmas brings.

So this is what this episode is going to look like: I'm going to lead us through a short Blue Christmas service here on the podcast. I would really encourage you to find a quiet place where you can sit with God. It might be helpful to have a journal, to write down your own thoughts or things that you might hear from God during this time.

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Episode 42: Offering a Blue Christmas Service to Honor the Loss and Cling to the Hope
• Free Resource: Blue Christmas Planning Guide
• Advent Resource: When Your Silent Night Feels Empty
• The Care Ministry Podcast episode 11: The Power of Standing with People Who Are Struggling
• Excerpts of prayers taken from various places; find details on the blog post for this episode
• Background music by Dappy T Keys (YouTube Channel)

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30.)

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

In case you haven't noticed it, we've kind of had a theme going on these past few weeks, and that is finding God in the silence.

So when I saw Celia Miller's Advent devotional called Be Still & Know and have been reading about her own journey into silence and stillness, I invited her back to the podcast to share with us.

We talk about how Celia was introduced to the spiritual practice of silence, her initial response, ways we can incorporate silence into our daily lives, and why silence with God can be so powerful.

Kari

MEET CELIA:

Celia resides in Greenwood, Indiana with her husband, Max, and two furbabies, Henry and Hattie. She's an avid pursuer of good storytelling and loves to spend her free time getting lost in a good book or movie. Celia is a writer and blogger who aims to help you cultivate an intimate relationship with the Lord by giving you the tools you need to slow down, seek still moments, and behold God's presence with you in the everyday. She's the author of a Bible study titled, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, which is available now exclusively on Amazon. If you would like to connect with her, check out her blog at https://celiaamiller.com or go say hello on Instagram at @celiaamiller.

CONNECT WITH CELIA:

• Website
• Instagram
• Advent Devotional: Be Still & Know: Seeking Still Moments in God's Presence This Advent Season (E-book)
• Article: Reflections from The Hermitage: A Guided Silent Retreat
• Article: Living Unhurried: An Invitation Into Contemplative Prayer

OTHER EPISODES + RESOURCES:

• Episode 63: Using Christian Spiritual Practices to Draw Closer to God with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller
• Episode 91: When God is Silent: Experiencing His Presence in New Ways
• Episode 92: Practicing the Holy Hush Instead of the Holiday Hustle: Intentionally Inviting Moments of Deep Silence
• Advent Resource: When Your Silent Night Feels Empty

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30)

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

Renee Leonard Kennedy wrote a book called After the Flowers Die: Encouragement for Walking Through Life After Loss.

Through her writing, she shares with both honesty and some humor about various aspects of grief that she has experienced through the loss of loved ones.

Renee and I talk about the difference between coping with grief and processing it, we talk about what it might look like to postpone grief and how to find the time to actually grieve our loss. And we also talk about what Bible reading and prayer might look like for someone who is in that place of hurt and mourning.

And there's one more idea she talked about that I really want to emphasize before we get started, and that is that there is a time to process grief on your own with God and there's a time to start sharing it with others. I truly feel we need both.

So as you sense God leading you to share with others, to tell your story, trust Him, too, to lead you to the right person to share with, whether that's your spouse, a best friend, a counselor, or spiritual director. God will help you find that safe and sacred space to be heard and to have another bear witness to your story.

Okay, without further ado, here is my conversation with Renee Leonard Kennedy.

Kari

MEET RENEE:

Renee Leonard Kennedy's non-fiction debut, After the Flowers Die: Encouragement for Walking Through Life After Loss, is a loving and practical guide through the turbulence of grief and legacy. Renee has made it her lifework to strengthen the bonds of community through shared stories, empathetic understanding, and a healthy dose of humor. Renee lives on a farm in North Carolina, where she draws inspiration from her brood of blended, birthed, and adopted children, and her faith in God.

CONNECT WITH RENEE:

• Website
• Twitter

OTHER EPISODES:

• Episodes 9 and 10: Supporting a Friend Through Grief (And Walking Through It Yourself) with Karen Altizer
• Episode 50: Gritty Faith in the Midst of Grief with Prayer Artist Jessy Paulson
• Episode 55: Reflection and Journaling as a Lifelong Practice with Business Strategist Elizabeth McCravy
• Episode 91: When God is Silent: Experiencing His Presence in New Ways

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30)

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

In this month's bonus episode, we are going to explore the practice of imaginative prayer.

Imaginative prayer is allowing God to help you enter into a Bible story by visualizing it, using your five senses, imagining that you are there, watching it all unfold in front of you.

Or maybe God leads you to enter in as one of the main characters of the story. That happens, too.

Today, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I want to go through the story of the grateful leper with you.

Because to me, it demonstrates how we all have different responses when God moves in our lives. And it raises the question of, do I take the time to thank God for what He has done? Do I even acknowledge it to myself?

Kari

BIBLE VERSES + RESOURCES:

• Luke 17:11-19 MSG
• Episode 32, Bible Study Made Simple with Eva Kubasiak

------

>> 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'm not going to go on and on about the busyness of the season or why our culture has set up this way. You know what it's like. You know the pressure you feel.

You also know that one of the things we miss out on when we're caught up in the holiday hustle is that it leaves us with little room to pay attention—to what we're doing, to the people we're with, and to what God is doing in our lives.

Are you willing to give that up?

Imagine replacing hurry and anxiety with peace and joy.

Imagine having the space to recognize what is stirring within you instead of feeling like you have to shove it back down again because you've got to get on to the next thing.

Imagine actually experiencing God's presence as you celebrate Christmas, Emmanuel, God with us.

What might that be like for you?

The truth is, you don't have to subscribe to the idea of the holiday hustle. You can practice the holy hush, instead.

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Episode 91: When God is Silent: Experiencing His Presence in New Ways
• Holy Silence, by J. Brent Bill

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30.)

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection

When we go through difficult seasons like grief or anxiety or illness, we can find ourselves asking so many questions of God:

Why did this happen?

What am I supposed to do?

You said You're good, but this doesn't feel good.

You said You'd give me Your peace, but I don't feel Your peace. I feel turmoil. I feel anger.

And we ask these questions whether we are the ones who are struggling or if we're the ones loving a friend through a difficult season. It's hard to see those we love struggle, is it not?

Today, I wanted to explore that idea a little more. What happens when God goes silent? And how might we actually experience the very real presence of God in that silence?

Kari

RESOURCES:

• Poem: "Dark Night of the Soul," by John of the Cross
• Article: "My Experience with John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul," by Bill Gaultiere
• "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words." (Romans 8:26 NLT)
• "…a time to be silent and a time to speak." (Ecclesiastes 3:7 NIV)
• "Continue to throw everything in His direction." (Sarah Westfall)

______

>> 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 (Save $30 with seasonal code LDT30.)

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/spiritualdirection