mysoulrefresh - reFresh

Do you strive to be more godly (or more patient, or good, or loving, obedient and humble)? Saint Benedict offers a wonderful invitation for us...to see that the things we long for will naturally flow from our lives when we cherish Christ. Take a listen to this 5ish minute audio as Paula invites us to consider what that might look like in our lives today.

What are your hopes for the new year? Do you have a sense of new beginnings? Take a listen to this 4ish minute audio as Paula shares one of her favorite John O'Donahue poems - a perfect poem with which to step into the new year.

Do you have unanswered questions? What do they stir in you? Take a listen to a this 4ish minute audio to listen to how Mary's posture at Christ's birth invites us to leave room for the gift of unanswered questions.

Christmas time can bring out the family drama! You're not alone...Jesus' whole birth narrative is full of drama! In the midst of this scandalous story, I love that God is the One who holds all that crazy together. Take a listen to this 4ish minute audio and take encouragement that God is holding your story together too!

We are easily tempted to be distracted during this season - by the loud, and powerful and spectacle. And yet, one message of Advent is how we might prepare room in our hearts of the ways God might appear to us as something hardly noticeable. Take a listen to this 4ish minute Wednesday Wonderment reading and reFlection by Paula Gamble-Grant...to what might God be inviting you to notice?

We need the story of the Incarnation now more than ever in our world today. Take a listen as Paula offers a 4ish minute perspective on how the Christmas story can inform and offer welcome in our fractured world today.

It's the first week of Advent - and how does this Advent find you? Empty? Reluctant? Cynical? Hopeful? Take a listen to this 4ish minute audio to help you enter into Advent as you are, not as you think you should be.

How do you experience thankfulness when you actually feel sad, angry, off-kiltered? How might "shallow" gratitude actually hinder transformation? Take a listen to this 4ish minute Wednesday Wonderment for an alternative pathway to authentic gratitude.

Paul prays for the Ephesians in Chapter 3, that they would be rooted and grounded in God's love. What might that look like in the midst of your upcoming "busy" holiday season? Take a listen to this 4ish minute audio to learn a practice that can help you stay grounded in God's love as you walk through your week.

Do you have a harsh inner critic? Do you treat others (and even your pets) better than you treat yourself? Listen in to this short invitation to be more gentle with yourself.