Journal Gently: Spiritual Formation for Christian Women

It's funny how pieces of our stories get set down, lost, discovered, or picked up again.

Some pieces we hide away, hoping never to look at them again. (We think if we don't acknowledge them, they never really happened, right?) Of course, some pieces always stay with us, regularly in the forefront of our minds. And some, we never really know how they're going to fit in until years down the road. But they're all pieces of us. They're not good, necessarily. They're not bad, either. They just... are.

Today, I want to talk about what healing might look like as we explore our stories one piece at a time. Then, I have a special invitation for you for this summer.

Kari

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 164: 3 Key Lessons for Journaling in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 147: The Flip-Out Rule in Journaling

· Episode 98: Grief Has A Way Of… Well, Getting In The Way: A Personal Letter From Me To You

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

What hard decisions have you had to make? Maybe it regarded your job, like me. Or maybe it focused on which school your kids should go to, or where you live. Maybe someone in your family needed extra care from you, and that meant you had to step away from something else, at least for a little while.

There are hard decisions, and then there are decisions you don't want to make—when your heart and your head are telling you two different things.

Lauren Black had a decision like this. And she has had to lay down her dream and move forward in surrender.

Lauren is a Decision Coach, as she'll talk more about in our first moments together. And she has been able to develop some frameworks that have helped her—and others—discern what choices to make.

We also talk about how to grieve these hard decisions and if you should ever reconsider decisions later down the road. Is it okay to change your mind? Or is that too flakey?

And after this conversation, be sure to catch our episode over on Lauren's podcast, Anchored Decisions.

Kari

Listen to my episode on Lauren's podcast, Anchored Decisions:

www.anchoreddecisions.com/35

CONNECT WITH LAUREN BLACK:

· Anchored Decisions website

· Instagram

· Free Decision Compass

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 77: Three Prayers for Discernment: Making Difficult Choices in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 160: When Life Changes, Re-evaluate

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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 grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

In high school, my best friend and I were known as the Perfectionists. We had high standards for ourselves when it came to our school work, our extracurricular activities, and our jobs. If someone asked us to do something, they knew it would be done and be done well. Extremely well.

While I have relaxed some over the years, I still have a high standard I hold myself to. Remember that strength of "responsibility" I mentioned last time? I tend to beat myself up if I don't meet a deadline or forget to follow up with someone. I feel horrible about it and do everything I can to make it up to the other person.

This perfectionism can show up in many areas of life, including our journaling. In fact, I dare say it's one of the biggest obstacles I see women facing as they start a journaling practice of their own.

But it's tricky. It doesn't always look like perfectionism. So today, we'll talk about the disguises perfectionism can wear in your journaling and what you can do to overcome it.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

· 20 Ways to Journal with God (PDF)

· Episode 164: 3 Key Lessons for Journaling in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 153: Can 5 Minutes Journaling Really Make a Difference?

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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 grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

I'm pretty good at juggling multiple commitments and responsibilities. In fact, my number one strength per StrengthsFinder is "responsible" and my spiritual gifts include the gift of administration. Yet when everybody needs something at the same time, it can get really hard, really fast.

And when I start to feel overwhelmed or discouraged, I've noticed that I usually end up retreating. In other words, I hide away.

Can you relate?

We can't just ignore these seasons altogether. They are just a part of life. But by creating regular times of intentional solitude, we not only prepare ourselves for these overwhelming seasons, but we also give ourselves moments of peace and calm during them.

Why is that? Why is solitude such a big superpower for introverts? Stick around and we'll explore that together.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 173: [Written Spiritual Direction Session] Dialogue Journaling

· Episode 166: God in the Midst of the Storm: A Devotional Reading of Mark 6:45-52

· Episode 164: 3 Key Lessons for Journaling in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 159: Loneliness and Belonging: A Conversation with Sarah Westfall

· Episode 118: Tips for Journaling In Front of Others

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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 grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

Have you ever found your Bible reading to be a little dull or lifeless? Is it hard to see the people of the Bible as real individuals who encountered God?

There's a practice that can help with this, and it's called imaginative prayer.

Now, every time I think about explaining imaginative prayer to others, I can't help but think about my conversation with Eva Kubasiak on her podcast, Bible Study Made Simple.

When I was talking with her, I shared with her this idea about imaginative prayer. With her permission, I want to share part of that conversation with you.

I not only explain what imaginative prayer is, but I also walk us through an example so you can see what it might look like in real life.

Kari

>> GROUP JOURNAL COACHING CALL RECORDING

http://lovedoesthat.org/store

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

· Eva Kubasiak's YouTube channel

· Episode 32 Bible Study Made Simple podcast: Imaginative Prayer with Kari Bartkus

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

· Bonus Episode 2: [Guided Scripture Reading] When Someone Fights For You

· Bonus Episode 4: [Guided Scripture Reading] The Courage to Ask to Be Healed

· Bonus Episode 10: [Guided Scripture Reading] When You Don't Get Picked

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

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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 grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> JOURNAL COACHING: A 1:1 call to talk about journaling

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalcoaching

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

Do you ever talk to God—and expect to hear back from Him?

Back in episode 109, I shared a little conversation that God and I had as it related to something He was calling me to do during Lent a couple of years ago.

It's one of many conversations I've had with Him. Some that I've just sensed in my spirit as I've prayed about something. But some that have taken place on the pages of my journal.

That's right. Sometimes these conversations happen in writing in something called dialogue journaling. Today, we're going to take a closer look at what dialogue journaling is and what it can look like as it relates to your relationship with God.

Kari

LENT JOURNALING RETREAT

http://lovedoesthat.org/lent2025

JOURNAL COACHING

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalcoaching

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 109: It's Getting Real: God's Invitation to Me for the Rest of Lent

· Episode 82: Posturing Your Heart to Hear from God, Part 1: Ready

· Episode 83: Posturing Your Heart to Hear from God, Part 2: Recognize

· Episode 84: Posturing Your Heart to Hear from God, Part 3: Receive

· Episode 85: Posturing Your Heart to Hear from God, Part 4: Respond

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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 grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

I don't know about you, but I read a lot of books. And there are a lot of good books out there. Many of which I recommend to you. But there are only a few that really stir deeply in my soul.

Neil Broere's upcoming book, Obedience, Suffering, & Reward was one of those. When I read it, I knew I wanted to talk to him more about it. And today, you get to hear that conversation.

While obedience is a simple concept to understand, it can be hard to live out. Especially when there are questions or doubts weighing on your mind. What might it be like to obey Jesus with everything we have? What does that kind of a life look like?

I can't wait for you to hear what he has to share about this. And when his book is released, I highly encourage you to grab a copy.

Plus, stay tuned to the end, where I'll share about my upcoming Lent Journaling Retreat. I'd love for you to join me.

Kari

LENT JOURNALING RETREAT

http://lovedoesthat.org/lent2025

CONNECT WITH NEIL BROERE:

· Instagram

· The Table California

· Book: Obedience, Suffering, & Reward (Amazon affiliate link)

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 163: Letting God Use Our Wounds: A Conversation with Russell Joyce

· Episode 109: It's Getting Real: God's Invitation to Me for the Rest of Lent

· Episode 62: Questions to Ask When You Doubt a Decision You've Made

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Coaching: A 1:1 call to talk about journaling

http://lovedoesthat.org/coaching

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

I don't know what it is, but life has just felt… hard.

People misunderstanding one another. Feelings getting hurt. Work to do. Family to care for. Trying to balance it all while also cleaning the house and completing other mundane but necessary tasks.

All piled on top of one another and it's hard not to wonder if something deeper is going on. Is this what spiritual warfare looks like in 21st century America? Is the enemy trying to just wear us out with all the compounded grief and piled-up hardships that we can never escape from?

Or is God trying to test us, refine us in this season? Is there something in us that needs to be removed, and He is using this situation to do a spiritual surgery within us?

What do we do in the face of hardship and trial? How does God want us to respond?

That's what we're going to talk about on today's episode. I want to review some of the common reasons we experience hard times in this life and then share with you how I believe God is calling us to respond to each of them.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 164: 3 Key Lessons for Journaling in Difficult Seasons

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

· Episode 108: Just Because Something's Hard Doesn't Mean It's Wrong

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Coaching: A 1:1 call to talk about journaling

http://lovedoesthat.org/coaching

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week grief and trauma journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

I can have a difficult time explaining how I feel about something, and when it's incredibly important to me, the words seem even harder to find.

But there are other times when words feel hard, too: when you're grieving, when you're busy, when you're depressed, when you're anxious. What do you do then?

Today, I want to share with you two ways you can still journal, even when you are struggling to find the words to do so. Both of these can be incredibly powerful, and I can't wait to see what happens when you try them.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 137: 3 Easy Ways to Journal When You Don't Know What to Write About

· Episode 153: Can 5 Minutes Journaling Really Make a Difference?

· Episode 118: Tips for Journaling In Front of Others

______

>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Journal Coaching: A 1:1 call to talk about journaling

http://lovedoesthat.org/coaching

>> Journal Gently: An 8-week grief journaling program

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

>> Support the work of Love Does That

http://PayPal.Me/LoveDoesThat

Music by DappyTKeys

In July of 2021, I ran my first challenge as a ministry. It was the Courageous Care 5-day challenge, and it walked women through five obstacles that prevent us from reaching out to those around us who are hurting.

What was a challenge became a masterclass, which became a book. And it features the key principle behind what Love Does That is all about: that God has called every one of us to care for those around us who are going through difficult seasons. To walk alongside them. To love them. To support them.

Because, as Michael Slater said, "To hurt is bad enough, but to hurt alone destroys people physically, mentally, and spiritually."

Courageous Care is all about discovering how God has designed you to do this, to care for others. And last summer, I had the chance to teach about the CARE framework to a group of pastor's wives.

Today, I want to share that opening part of that message with you. And I lovingly and gently ask you, what is stopping you from caring for others? Which of the five obstacles hits closest to home? Take a few minutes to journal about it once the episode is over and see what God might have to say to that.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 2: Discerning Who to Encourage

· Episode 31: Why You Can't Let Failure Stop You From Reaching Out

· Episode 69: The Problem with "What Not to Say" Lists and What You Need to Know Instead

· Episode 158: Burdens vs. Loads: Discerning When to Help Someone

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>> Free Journaling Workshop: 3 ways to encounter God on the pages of your journal

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

>> Grab your copy of my Courageous Care book

http://lovedoesthat.org/care

>> Support the work of Love Does That

http://PayPal.Me/LoveDoesThat

Music by DappyTKeys