“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

 

Fall will soon be upon us and once it starts it feels like one big jump to the end of the year. When you get to the end of 2022, what do you want to be different for you? Who do you want to be? In this episode of the Margin Maker podcast, I take you through some of the questions I use with my clients as they create healthy rhythms and boundaries and care for their soul.

Before you make a plan of action you need to be able to see the vision Jesus has for you.

Pull out a piece of paper, a journal, or something to capture what Jesus will say to you. Get...

Summer is my favorite season but this summer has been hard. When things became overwhelming, I made 3 life-giving decisions that have made all the difference in the world.

My 3 Decisions

• I deleted all news apps on my phone. There is something to be said about being informed about what is happening in our world and in our communities, but watching and reading the news was not helping me be the best version of myself. I wasn't more loving. I wasn't more empathetic. The constant bombardment of watching people tear each other down while not making any strides to actually solve any issues was too much, so I quit and it has been life-giving!

• I stopped my morning bible and prayer routine. Ok, before you think I've lost it completely, let me tell you what I started doing. My husband and I started having coffee outside in the mornings. We also go for a morning walk. And I have been using the 30 Days to Resilient feature on the Pause App put together by John Eldredge and...

Setting boundaries inevitably involves taking responsibility for your choices. You are the one who makes them. You are the one who must live with their consequences. And you are the one who may be keeping yourself from making the choices you could be happy with. We must own our own thoughts and clarify distorted thinking.        -Henry Cloud

Many of us wonder how we ended up where we are today...so far away from the person we were created to be. It's because we are caught up in The Drift.

We have one life to live and we don't want to leave anything to chance. Boundaries are key to keeping us on track. That means that we need to grow in spiritual and emotionally maturity and exercise the authority Jesus gave us over our life and leadership. In other words, we need to become the adult. We need to take responsibility for our own choices.

And yet, many of us are at the whim of the waters, being tossed back and forth by everyone else's opinion...

A gradual shift in attitude, opinion or position.

An aimless course.

To move along a line of least resistance.

To vary or deviate from a set course or adjustment.

This is what it means to drift.

You will never drift into a mind filled with peace. You will never drift into a heart full of life. You will never drift into contentment and security. Perfect peace comes when we intentionally and continually fix our thoughts on God (Isaiah). A heart that flows with life comes when we constantly are on guard...carefully choosing what we let in. (Proverbs 4:23) Security comes when we cling to God (Psalm 63).

We can't think whatever we want, watch whatever we want, meditate on what ever we want and cling to whatever we want and hope to somehow stay aligned and focused on who God created us to be.

What do you do if you are caught in the drift?

Set boundaries and take ownership of your soul and do the hard work of keeping watch.

And we'll talk more about...

Are you looking for new ways to renew your soul? Sometimes we can get in a rut and spiritual practices that have worked so well for us in the past don't seem to be as helpful. In order to be healthy pastors and leaders as well as women living in the freedom of Christ, we should be growing closer to the Lord each and every day. While there is nothing "magical" about a spiritual practice per se, trying a new spiritual discipline, even one that may be a bit uncomfortable, is a great way to stay connected with Jesus and learn to hear Him and See Him in fresh new ways.

In this episode, I share 4 spiritual disciplines you can use to help you renew your soul and grow closer to God. Here are the spiritual disciplines we cover:

EXAMEN

SILENCE AND SOLITUDE

MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE

PRAYING A PSALM IN NATURE

Questions to Consider for EXAMEN

• Where did you sense God and His presence?
• How were you loved by God today?
• Where did you not feel God present?
• In what part of your day was...

O God, you are my God;

     I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

     My whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

     where there is no water.

Can you relate to these words written by David in Psalm 63?

Do you feel like you are searching for God? Maybe you can feel the dryness of your soul and you know it is impacting your life and leadership. Maybe you are worn out. The journey has depleted you, it’s made you tired and even though you search for God you can’t seem to connect with Him. He feels distant and you feel lost.

We all go through times when we feel less connected to God and there can be a variety of reasons for it. Maybe you feel stuck as you seek to grow in intimacy with God. Nothing you’re doing right now makes you feel like you are growing closer to Him. Maybe you are not able to hear Him because you are distracted or not...

Do you feel drained? Irritated? Restless? Do you feel as though you are constantly running on empty? Many times we attribute these types of feelings to a need for physical rest, and while that may be true, it is just as likely that our souls are undernourished and need some care, especially if we struggle to maintain healthy balance and boundaries.

John Ortberg, author of Soul Keeping says, "The soul is NOT 'a theological and abstract subject.' The soul is the coolest, eeriest, most mysterious, evocative, crucial, sacred, eternal, life-directing, fragile, indestructible, controversial, expensive dimension of your existence. Jesus said it’s worth more than the world.". Yes, EXPENSIVE dimension...think about that...

Most of us rarely think about how the state of our soul affects our overall health and well being. But neglecting your soul has implications that run deep. It can wreak havoc on our relationships, actions, attitudes, energy levels and perspective.

It is important to...