The Heartlifter Way

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"In our prayer lives, we cherish the continual chance to strengthen our faith through an active prayer routine, viewing it as a rare privilege. With sincere dedication, we approach each instance of prayer with reverence, recognizing the gravity of the bestowed privilege. Committed to fortifying our faith, we follow scriptural guidance by praying in the spirit on all occasions, utilizing various forms of prayer to deepen our spiritual connection. We keep firing up!

Also, when we perceive our relationship as a privilege, we are better positioned to invest in that connection wholeheartedly. This perspective encourages us to approach the relationship with a sense of gratitude, prompting us to contribute our utmost to its success and fulfillment.
-https://thecophq.org/the-lens-of-perception-on-prayer-relationships/

What does perception have to do with our prayer lives?

Everything.

Because the perception process is a continual process, it means it informs every single aspect of our lives, including our spiritual formation.

Today, Janet McHenry, author of Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style invites us to understand our unique God-breathed design for prayer. She writes, "We've all heard the 'you-shoulds' on prayer from pulpits, presenters, and well-meaning friends. But when none of these ways feel natural, what's next?"

Let's find out. Take a listen and join the further conversation over on Instagram and Substack.

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. Let's grow stronger every day.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during your prayer and meditation practices. I suggest Envision: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Visit the archives: How Awe Can Heal Your Heart, Lessons on Love From the Enneagram (learn more about the motivations of your heart), 3 Strategic Ways to Manage Your Overwhelm, Rewrite Your

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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Easy defined (adj.), "Causing or involving little difficulty or discomfort; Requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection."

We all want easy, right? I know I've asked for it and even prayed for it. 
Even if it is just for a short season.
Yet, real spiritual and mental growth, often requires the opposite.

In today's episode, I continue our conversation on "The Power of Perception" and introduce "The Eight Stages of Perception." I share a little more about Episode 1's object lesson, "Two Dishrags in a Ziploc," and share a second life lesson I've been learning here in Antwerp, Belgium. Here are a few key takeaways:

1. Perception is a continual process our brain undergoes. It is always perceiving.
2. Perception is "how we experience and give meaning to our surroundings" and relationships.
3. Perception is our ability to hear, see, or become aware of something through our senses.
4. There are 4 Types of Perception:
   1. Visual Perception
   2. Scent Perception
   3. Touch Perception
   4. Taste Perception
5. There are 8 Stages of Perception:
   1. Environmental stimulus
   2. Attended stimulus
   3. Image on the retina
   4. Transduction
   5. Neural Processing
   6. Perception
   7. Recognition
   8. Action

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. Let's grow stronger every day.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during your prayer and meditation practices. I suggest Envision: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Visit the archives: How Awe Can Heal Your Heart, Lessons on Love From the Enneagram (learn more about the motivations of your heart), 3 Strategic Ways to Manage Your Overwhelm, Rewrite Your Story: Change is Possible
6. Read, "What is Perception: Recognizing Environmental Stimuli Through the Five Senses," by Kendra Cherry, MSEd, and Steven Gans, M

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are" (C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew).

Did you know that "your mindset plays a significant role in determining your life's outcomes?"

We all have a mindset: expectations, assumptions, and perceptions that help us (or hurt us) as we interact with the world around us.

"Perception is most important because it allows us to experience our environment and interact with it in ways that are appropriate and meaningful."

Welcome to Season 15, Heartlifter!

January's episodes are coming from Antwerp, Belgium, where Janell welcomed her third grandchild, a baby girl, into the family and now helps Mom and Dad care for two little girls under the age of two.

In this opening episode, Janell shares a tangible object lesson, "Two Dish Rags in a Ziploc," that taught her a BIG lesson on perception. In her usual candid, open, and willing-to-be-transparent fashion, Janell lets you inside her "stinkin-thinkin" in hopes that her story will inform your story.

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. Let's grow stronger every day.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during your prayer and meditation practices. I suggest Envision: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Visit the archives: Glimmer Blocks 1, Glimmer Blocks 2, When Our Eyes are Opened, and Moving Towards Our Beloved, Authentic Self
6. Read, "What is Perception: Recognizing Environmental Stimuli Through the Five Senses," by Kendra Cherry, MSEd, and Steven Gans, MD.
7. Read,

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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"When we are confined inside the dark house of suffering,
that moonlight might find a window into our dark house of suffering."
-John O'Donohue

We spend our last Wisdom Wednesday revisiting the ancient wisdom of John O'Donohue's For Light, listening for truths we can apply to our lives. After re-listening, one sentence caught my attention: "May our thoughts be true light."

May our thoughts be true light.

As Heartlifters, we know the power our thoughts have over us.

They rule and reign supreme.

So, my prayer as you close this year is that your thoughts about the coming year will be TRUE LIGHT.

Ask yourself three questions:

1. What do I know to be true about my God?
2. What do I know to be true about myself, God's creation?
3. What do I know to be true about His desires for me this year?

My prayer over you these last days of 2023:

"When you become false and lost that the severe noonlight would cast your shadow clear."

Heartlifter, I know this to be true: "You have value, worth, and dignity. You are created to illuminate every corner of your spheres of influence. This may be quiet and invisible, as it most often is, or loud and public. Most often, it is both. Be true to who God created you to be (Genesis 2:7). Amen."

May John's words and the Word of God illuminate you this week. 

Join the adventure:

1. A Beautiful Meditation For the One Who is Exhausted  by John O'Donohue
2. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
3. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
4. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during today's reading of John O'Donohue's poem and our Scripture meditation. I suggest ENVISION. https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
5. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
6. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and receive extra resources and goodies.
7. Listen to John O'Donohue's interview with Krista Tippet:

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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"When we look into our hearts,
may our eyes have the kindness and
reverence of candlelight."
-John O'Donohue

How is your glimmering going? I'm here in Belgium welcoming my third grandchild into this wintry, Christmas season. What a delightful light-filled time to be born. In this meditative lectio divina Advent Glimmer, I read the gentle words of Irish poet, John O'Donohue, an absolute favorite of mine. His words are life-giving and healing. Worthy of writing down in your heart journal. Listen to these:

"When we become false, may the severe moonlight cast our shadow clear."

As I listened and edited, I also realized I made a massive error. It's around 2:46 or so and "eliminate" ought to be "illuminate." I can't re-record, so I'm allowing my human error to be food for thought. You will see the vast difference in the placement of that word. It must be...illuminate. 

May John's words and the Word of God illuminate you this week. 

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during today's reading of John O'Donohue's poem and our Scripture meditation: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and receive extra resources and goodies.
6. Read the Harvard Health Publishing on Cognitive Distortions
7. Order Heather Alfonso's book: "Glimmers."
8. Learn more about John O'Donohue: Bless the Space Between Us

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

"Joy levels are like the temperature of an oven. We can choose our ingredients carefully, but the oven temperature will determine what our careful preparations will yield. Consider the effect of angry or joyful parents on family prayer and Bible
reading. As joy increases so does the chance that transformation will go in a positive direction. Joy levels greatly affect whether our efforts will be productive and lasting. Why would a powerful factor go unnoticed by most of the church?"
-Jim Wilder, Joy Changes Everything

Have you ever considered the idea of "joy-building?" I hadn't until I found a powerful article, Joy Changes Everything, by Jim Wilder. With all sincerity, it changed my life. It showed up at exactly the point in time that I needed to hear a message on how and why some of us can't sustain joy. After all, what is joy, anyway? I thought I knew. In today's Advent Glimmer, I share Jim Wilder's article and offer a beautiful meditation for your heart, mind, and soul. Be sure to download the PDF, grab a highlighter, and create a sacred space to read it thoroughly. I'm hoping his words have the same effect on you as they did on me.

Read Jim Wilder's Love Changes Everything
Visit Jim's site for more information on his book and work: Life Model Works

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during today's "Remove the Label(s)" meditation: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and receive extra resources and goodies.
6. Read the Harvard Health Publishing on Cognitive Distortions
7. Order Heather Alfonso's book:

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

"As we delve into the realm of positive psychology, we uncover a wealth of evidence supporting the notion that focusing on positive moments contributes significantly to our overall well-being. Psychologically, this emphasis on positivity is linked to the broaden-and-build theory proposed by Barbara Fredrickson. According to this theory, positive emotions broaden our awareness and encourage novel and creative thinking, ultimately building resources that contribute to resilience and long-term flourishing."
-Heather Alfonso, Glimmers: Cultivating Joy in Everyday Moments

How is your glimmer hunting going? Season 14 invited us to look for glimmers of grace this holiday season. It is important to remember that glimmers are micro-moments of joy: unexpected delight and surprising visitations of beauty.  But, as we are learning, there can be blocks to our awareness of glimmers: cognitive distortions. In today's episode, we talk about:

1. All-or-nothing thinking (often called Black-and-White thinking)
2. Jumping to Conclusions (often called Mind Reading or Fortune Telling)
3. Disqualifying the Positive
4. Labeling

This week's podcast prompt: The Stinkin' thinkin' of LABELING often is placed or projected on us by others, even loved ones. After listening to the beautiful meditation on releasing the labels, what glimmers show up? 

 Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
2. Learn more about Beauty Counter's Clean Cosmetics and get 20% off your first order. Merry Christmas to Yourself! www.beautycounter.com/en-us/janellrardon
3. Order your very own Young Living Therapeutic Grade Oil to use during today's "Remove the Label(s)" meditation: https://www.myyl.com/janell-rardon
4. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
5. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and receive extra resources and goodies.
6. Read the Harvard Health Publishing on Cognitive Distortions
7. Order Heather Alfonso's

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

"In the tapestry of our busy lives, the art of mindful living emerges as a guiding thread, leading us toward a richer, more meaningful existence. Mindfulness, a practice rooted in ancient traditions and now validated by modern science, serves as a gateway to heightened awareness of the present moment - a key element in the journey of discovering and appreciating glimmers."
-Heather Alfonso, Glimmers: Cultivating Joy in Everyday Moments

How is your glimmer hunting going? Season 14 invited us to look for glimmers of grace this holiday season. It is important to remember that glimmers are micro-moments of joy: unexpected delight and surprising visitations of beauty.  But, as we are learning, there can be blocks to our awareness of glimmers: cognitive distortions. In today's episode, we talk about:

1. Magnification and Minimization
2. Catastrophizing and Comparing
3. Overgeneralization
4. Magical Thinking

This week's podcast prompt: As you recall past glimmers in your life, do you recognize a theme? This discovery unfolds your signature personal glimmer.

 Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
2. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
3. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and extra goodies.
4. Read the Harvard Health Publishing on Cognitive Distortions
5. Listen to Season 6, Episode 18: Tool 7, Send New Positive Messages to Your Brain
6. Listen to Season 6, Episode 7: Shape Healthy Thoughts

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

"Glimmers are tiny micro-moments of joy that allow us to feel calm and give us a sense of inner peace" (Heather Alfonso, Glimmers: Cultivating Joy in Everyday Moments).

What if I told you it is possible to find glimmers of grace in the possible grind of the holiday season? Would you believe me? I'm curious to hear your answer. Welcome to Season 14: Glimmers of Grace, a heartlifting holiday adventure I created just for our community. In our season opener, I am digging into three big thoughts:

1. Stephen Porge's Polyvagel Theory.
2. LCSW Deb Dana's book, "The Polyvagel Theory: Engaging in the Rhythm of Regulation.
3. The concept of "glimmers" vs "triggers."

At the center of our big thoughts is possibly one of the biggest, found in 2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." Notice the powerful placement of "all" in this verse. 

This week's podcast prompts: 

1. Do you think it is possible to find glimmers of grace in the daily grind? 
2. If you activated the power of 2 Corinthians 9:8 in your daily life, what might happen? I'm willing to try if you are!

Join the adventure:

1. Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for heartlifters worldwide. I will be posting more resources and meditative practices here.
2. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
3. Subscribe to the weekly podcast reveal and extra goodies

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision.”
 ―  Helen Keller

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Alan Wright, pastor and author of "Seeing as Jesus Sees." Together, we explore the importance of seeing things through Jesus's eyes and how it can bring a new perspective and awaken joy. Alan and I  discuss the process of pausing, connecting, and looking, and share personal stories to illustrate the power of seeing with fresh eyes.

Part 1's podcast prompt: "The spiritual battle is a fight for our vision." What are your thoughts about the idea that "seeing things anew through Jesus' eyes can change any of us...in an instant." 

Part 2's podcast prompt: What difference would it make to believe wholeheartedly that God sees before you see?

Read more about Alan's work: Pastor Alan
Order Alan's new book: Seeing As Jesus Sees
Listen to the Daily Broadcast: Daily Broadcast
Follow Alan: Instagram
Follow Janell: Instagram
Learn more about the Heartlft Central Community: Subscribe on Substack

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon