Soul Care: What To Do When You Feel Stuck

Feeling stuck in our journey with Jesus is a common experience. Being stuck in the Christian life can feel frustrating, defeating, and even depressing. The causes of stuckness are many and varied. Seasons of life like a new baby, job, school, or a simple schedule change are common reasons for finding yourself stuck. Sometimes the reasons are more complicated, like sin issues or neglecting our souls. The good news about stuckness is that although the causes are many, there are also an amazing number of solutions to set you free! You can go from feeling frustrated to satisfied, happy, and content with some intention.

Below, we will look at a common area where we find ourselves stuck and then conclude with some help for feeling stuck in general. The solutions are approached through the 3 C’s: Connecting, (being) Creative, and Community.

Tools for Getting Unstuck

The three C’s approach to moving from stuck to freedom and satisfaction are:

Connect — Intentionally choosing to connect to your source of strength and wisdom: God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. The best place to start with anything in life is with the One who created you and knows you better than anyone! Instead of seeking answers on the internet, Seek answers from God. (Psalm 86:6-7)

“We go astray when we attempt to do spiritual work, without spiritual power.”

— A. W. Tozer

(be) Creative — God is the creator and made us to be creative. Intentionally think outside the box, breaking through self-imposed rules and expectations.

Community —Ideally, this is your church small group, a soul friend, or a spiritual director.

Now that we have defined our tools let’s look at one of the most common areas of stuckness and brainstorm using the 3 C’s together.

One Common Area of Stuckness: Bible Reading/Devotional Time

Maybe you haven’t picked up a Bible or had a devotional time in days, weeks, months, or years. Perhaps you started a plan (January 1st, anyone?) and haven’t progressed as you hoped. Maybe you don’t like reading but know that Bible reading/devotional time is vital to your soul health. Maybe what you have been doing feels dry or boring. No matter the reasons, solutions are here!

Connect — Always the best first step. Simply pray to God regarding your situation and ask Him for help. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but I do suggest being completely honest (He knows anyways). The next step is to take some time to listen. If you don’t sense any promptings, then it is time to pay attention. Pay attention for the answer to your prayer from friends, sermons, podcasts, and even social media. Answers can come from many sources but always align with God’s word and character.

(be) Creative — The ways to be creative are many and unique to you and your personality, resources, and individual prayer. Here are a few ways to be creative in the area of Bible reading/devotional time:

• Change up your sources. Purchase or borrow a new Bible version or style, devotional book or try an app. 

• Instead of, or in addition to reading, take advantage of, audio devotional books and Bibles. Another way to listen to the Bible or text is to ask an older child or spouse to read to you while driving. 

• Change up the time and/or place.  

• If you are on a reading plan and are behind, you can keep forging ahead and end not on time, keep reading trying to catch up, or even block out where you are behind and jump up to where you are supposed to be to eliminate the feeling of always being behind. You can catch up on the blocked-out section during hidden opportunities such as waiting at doctor appointments, airplane rides, or vacation time.

Community —

• Partner with a friend or spouse. 

• Create a Bible/devotional book club that meets regularly to keep you on track and provide accountability.  

• Enlist the help and encouragement from your small group, soul friend, or spiritual director. Ask for suggestions for ways to refresh and renew your current rhythms. Remember, being stuck is common, and there is plenty of advice out there that speaks from a place of personal experience.

Now you can see how the 3 C’s can help you to break through challenges with Bible reading/devotional time. These tools can also help with prayer, other spiritual disciplines, and almost any area of your journey.

Resources: 

Here are some ideas that I (Valerie) or Alisa have personally used that you may find helpful along your way.

Bibles

Alabaster Bibles — each book is one book of the Bible. They are beautifully presented with artistic imagery and photography. 

Abide Bible — I absolutely love this Bible, which was created to help the reader engage with Scripture through journaling, prayer, contemplation, engaging through art, and more.

ESV Journaling Bible — this Bible comes in many different forms, including individual books of the Bible.

Study Bibles — I have personally used the ESV Study Bible, but there are many styles and translations. A good Study Bible can be inspiring and fun.

Devotionals

Seeking God’s Face: Praying through the Year — with a foreword by Eugene H. Peterson, it is both a prayer book and a devotional book, which also follows the church calendar.

New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp — not light reading; the author is frank, direct, and gospel-centered.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day: A 40-Day Journey with the Daily Office by Pete Scazzero — helps you to grow in your daily awareness of God’s presence and grow in your relationship with Him.

Apps

The Bible App — is free and amazing! You can access dozens of Bible versions, use audio for Bible reading, find devotional plans, and more.

Lectio 365 — morning and evening prayer and scripture plan

Every Moment Holy — brings prayers to our everyday liturgies and can be used as a daily devotion, thought, encouragement, or meditation

First 15 — daily devotional, which helps you spend your first 15 minutes with God. It also has an audio option which is great for taking in the bathroom when you are getting ready daily.

Tools

Bible Project — articles, podcasts, reading plans, and classroom experiences to help you understand the Bible in an approachable way.

Bible Recap — website, podcast, and books all to help you read through and 

learn from the Bible.

Encouraging each other on the Journey!

Valerie


* this post contains some affiliate links that support the blog at no additional cost to you. Your clicks are appreciated!

Cultivating a Healthy Soul: Silence and Solitude

Tired — almost fatigued. Restless. Irritable. Disconnected from God. This summarizes how I was feeling recently on an ordinary day. I could not point to an event or reason that was the cause of these less-than-desirable feelings. But because I am on the well-paved journey of listening to my soul, I stopped and asked myself and God, “What’s going on?” I then had that small, still prompting in my heart that said, “Silence and Solitude.” At that moment, those three words told me the answer and the solution to my problem.

I hope you are also on a journey to Soul health. Just like feeling pain in our bodies indicates a problem, we can listen to our souls as a way of knowing that our soul needs some attention. That day, all my feelings showed me that I needed to stop and ask my Father and Creator what was happening. He made me, knows me, loves me, and gave me the answer and solution that He knew I needed. He knew the answer I wouldn’t have come up with alone. In that moment, He became my Great Physician, healing my soul.

This spiritual discipline does not have to be costly or time-consuming. You don’t have to read a book or take a course to take advantage of its benefits today. Over 60 years ago, C.S. Lewis noted, “We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence….” 

What is Silence and Solitude, and what does it look like?

Practicing the Way explains Silence and Solitude by saying, “Simply put, it's a moment of intentional time in the quiet to be alone with God.” And John Mark Comer, in The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, says, “Solitude is when you set aside time to feed and water and nourish your soul.”  

At Soul Shepherding, they explain that “solitude is for being alone with God. It is completed by silence. In other words, if you are practicing solitude and silence, they come together as one experience. The purpose and joy of that experience is time doing nothing except being with God.”

How to practice Silence and Solitude

Here at Intentionally Ordinary, we like to keep things simple, practical, and easy to integrate into your life. So, at this time, I would like to give some simple tips on practicing Silence and Solitude in an easy but impactful way.

One way to start practicing Silence and Solitude is to take advantage of what Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline calls “little solitudes.” When we are paying attention, we can find hidden moments such as: 

1. Those early moments before the family awakes — instead of thinking about the to-do list for the day, grabbing the phone, or even pressing the snooze button, be intentional to lie quietly and focus your mind on God. 

2. Sitting in traffic — instead of listening to music, news, or podcasts, direct your thoughts to God. You don’t have to say or do anything, although I find it helpful to imagine Jesus sitting next to me or imagining myself in a meadow underneath a tree with Jesus. Use your imagination for what feels relaxing and comfortable to you.

3. Mealtimes — if you are by yourself, take a few moments to quiet your body and mind and focus on God and his presence. If you have a family, make it fun for the whole family and invite everyone at the table for a moment of silence. This can even help your children develop this skill at an early age.

As you seek to be more intentional about Silence and Solitude, you can try some of these ideas:

1. Create a “quiet place” to look forward to just “being.” In our home, we have a room where the children rarely play. It has a minimalist feeling, adorned with plants and a big front window for just sitting and enjoying the view. This place naturally brings me peace just by entering into the space.

2. If you have an outdoor area, create a space to be by yourself in the fresh air. This space can be as simple as a chair with a table and a potted plant. This outdoor space can even be a park, or maybe you have a church building or resort area that brings feelings of peace to your heart.

3. Take a Silence and Solitude walk by yourself, and bring intentional focus on seeing God in nature.

As you move deeper into this discipline, you can plan for longer times of planned silence and solitude, which might mean 10 minutes, a partial day, or even longer. Silence and Solitude nourish our souls; as you make it part of your life, your soul will crave it. If you are like me and occasionally get off track in caring for your soul, you will begin to see the signs as I did (with some help) when I felt less than great.

On that recent day when I was struggling, I thanked God for prompting me to spend time with Him in Silence and Solitude. I simply sat in my chair and quieted my body and mind, which led to feeling His presence and refreshing my soul. It was less than 10 minutes of outer and inward rest. So restoring!

Recommended Resources

If you are interested in digging deeper, here are some helpful resources:

Bible verses on Silence and Solitude: https://soulshepherding.org/bible-verses-on-solitude-and-silence/

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Here’s to being on the journey to healthier souls — together!

Creating Your Perfect Morning Routine

I recently shared a little sneak peek into my morning routine on Instagram. I’ve heard from many friends that mornings are hard and chaotic, especially as a mother! So today, I want to share my typical morning routine and some tips to perfect a morning routine that works for you! This is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing, so take what you need, use it for yourself, and disregard the rest!

A Sneak Peak Into My Morning Routine

Since I work outside the home Monday - Friday, I like to have my days look similar. Weekends are much more relaxed, though I try to accomplish most of the same tasks on a different timeline. So here’s what a typical Monday - Friday morning looks like for me:

5:40 am - my alarm goes off. It is charging across the room, so I have to get up to turn it off. I’ve committed not to hit the snooze button, so I start my day on time. I was a chronic snoozer until very recently, but this switch has been instrumental in changing my mornings for the better.

5:41 am - I go to the kitchen to take my pre-workout. This helps wake me up and energizes me for my morning workout. I’ve been using and loving this one from Rootz Nutrition. Half of a scoop is all I need to start my day.

5:45 am - I head back to my room to read my Bible and pray. I’m a huge advocate for leaving my phone plugged in across the room, so I take out a physical copy of my Bible and have a printed piece of paper that lists my Bible reading plan (I use the Bible Project’s). All of the Bible apps can be super helpful, but there’s also evidence that waiting to pick up your phone in the morning can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.

6:30 am - I get up, put on my workout clothes, make my bed, and pull up my workout for the day. I love using Nourish Move Love’s Youtube videos, but I’ve also worked through Rachael Good Eat’s ebook Good Sweat At Home. This personally works for me and my schedule right now, though, in the future, I would love to attend a gym or class. I primarily strength train, so I keep a yoga mat, weights, towels, and resistance bands in my room.

7 am - if I’m lucky, my kids are still sleeping, so I can get dressed and ready for the day. However, they often get up, sit in bed with me, or read and play while I work out.

7:15 am - If I’m on breakfast duty for the day, I’ll pull together something easy, like oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter or yogurt and granola.

7:30 am - we eat breakfast together at the table. I drink my vitamins, and the girls take theirs as well. I love AG1 - it’s packed with probiotics and all the vitamins I need in a delicious drink. The girls have been using Hiya - both their multivitamin and their probiotics, as well as elderberry gummies (the preschool sickness is real and we want to be feeling our best! Also, I have all of these things on autoship so they come right to me every month!)

7:45 am - we catch up on any last minute getting ready items like brushing teeth, getting shoes on, brushing hair, etc, and pack our bags and lunch boxes (prepped the night before) to get ready to head out for the day.

8/8:15 am - we’re in the car and ready for school drop-off and work!

How to Make Your Morning Routine Work For You

Everyone’s morning routine will look different. What works for me may or may not work for you in your current life stage or for your personality and preferences. I hope my schedule inspires you to try different things out, find what works for you, and maybe wake up a bit earlier to start your day on the right foot.

This requires intentionality, trying and failing, and trying again. Maybe even some accountability! If starting your day with scripture and prayer, or in an unhurried and stress-free way is of value to you, then take the time to test out and create the morning routine that fills you up.

Ideas to Create Your Morning Routine

I recently talked to my therapist about morning routines, and here are a few things she suggested. This list is not a requirement to do all the things but simply a gentle encouragement to find what works for you.

• Avoid looking at your phone or even checking the time on your phone. Simply looking at it can easily trigger the need to check notifications. Blue light and notifications from social media, news, and politics can cause stress and irritability.

• Make the first thing you do something fun. Looking forward to this event can make you happy and increase your motivation to wake up.

• Make your bed. This can contribute to success and is positively correlated with better sleep, mood, and confidence.

• Drink water first. This increases cognitive function and compats fatigue. Chronic dehydration can cause chronic anxiety and depression.

• Drink coffee after you’ve eaten some food. Cortisol (the stress hormone) increases when you drink coffee on an empty stomach.

• Take a walk, or at least get ten minutes of exposure to morning light. This helps regulate our ciradian rhythm.

• Wake up an hour before you’re needed. I LOVED this advice! As a mom or a caretaker, this is especially important to pour into yourself before you pour in to others.

• Write in a journal. Use this as an opportunity to check in with yourself — how you’re feeling, processing events and emotions, writing down prayers.

• Spend fifteen minutes in meditation.

• Read the Bible.

• Practice gratitude (This can also be done at night).

• Make a plan or write a to-do list, but don’t write something you can’t accomplish — it’s better to underestimate yourself than overfill your plate.

Perfecting Your Morning Routine

My morning routine is something that I’m continually working on and adjusting. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever arrive at that “perfect” routine because schedules change, sickness derails things, and life happens. But honestly, the effort is worth it. If I get to all of my morning items at least two to three times a week, I feel more at peace and less anxious. I feel grounded and ready for my day.

If that’s something you’re struggling with, I hope this serves as an encouragement to just take one small step in the direction of creating your morning routine. Feeling more at peace is worth it. Filling your cup is worth it. Sacrificing less important things for the sake of maintaining your joy is worth it.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2023

Mother’s Day is right around the corner! We’ve rounded up our favorite most used items, some gifts we’re hoping for, and some fun things we want to gift to the moms and mom friends in our lives. Use this as your own wishlist, or shop for friends and family.

1. Alabaster Co. Bible Books — We love using these beautifully made Bible books as study companions and as gorgeous coffee table books! I’ve linked their entire Mother’s Day gift idea page — there are so many great ideas here including various Bible book sets, a floral tote, and a bookmark.

2. The cutest goods from Chalk Full of Love — we LOVE all things CFL! We could honestly link half the site for you & highly recommend browsing around (especially the mugs and candles!). But I will leave you with the link for this adorable Mama hat that I wish I owned.

3. Essential oil roller bottles — we love these floral scents, they would make a great gift for anyone who appreciates these lovely scents found in nature!

4. Hu chocolate — satisfy mom’s sweet tooth with our favorite naturally sweetened, vegan & paleo friendly chocolate bars! This links to an 8-pack (wouldn’t that be fun to try??) or swing by your local Sprouts or Whole Foods & find them in the candy aisle.

5. Jewelry we use and wear every day — I’ve had my Made By Mary jewelry ever since my girls were born, and I’ve loved the quality and style of these pieces. I’ve gifted these before and I’m currently eyeing some new rings to add to my collection. I’ve linked the birth flower necklace — this piece is a great way to celebrate your kids!

6. Skin care pampering set — I’m always looking to up my skin care regimen and recently found this set! I’m loving the mineral boost, it’s silky and super nourishing. Any mama would love to make every night a spa night with these!

7. Cozy jammies are always the answer — I’m always on the look out for a good pajama set and I’m in love with this cozy but perfect for spring/summer set! Comes in lots of different colors!

8. Mom’s favorite drink — we love matcha, but gifting your mom’s favorite coffee or tea (or cocktail & wine, let’s be real) would make her day!

What is Spiritual Formation and Why Does It Matter?

Christian spiritual formation is defined as the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus for God’s glory and for the sake of others (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). The Holy Spirit is our teacher and helper who guides us to be formed into a person who reflects God to the world in word and deed. As children of God grow in His likeness and character, others can receive the graces of God and have the opportunity to know God, in part, by the actions, words, and life of His children.

As we grow in spiritual maturity, we grow into persons of love who are becoming more like Jesus. Some character identifiers would be compassion, love of God and others, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and being quick to listen and slow to anger. It is important to note that the goal is not just outward behavior but rather, inner change that results in an outward change. As a Christian, becoming like Christ always includes abiding and submission. It is God who works in us as we place ourselves under His loving care and direction.

There are many pastors and Christian leaders who would agree that Christ-likeness has been on a decline in the western Church in the past several decades. The number of comfortable, consumeristic, and unchanged professed Christians seems to be on the rise. You may even find yourself relating to those who go to church but whose lives are little different than non-Christians around you. There can be a host of reasons that a Christian is not showing signs of growth and change. Here I will briefly list a few roadblocks and then focus on solutions. 

Road Blocks to Spiritual Growth

Roadblocks to spiritual growth can be varied but here are a few that have been common to my experience for me and others I know personally.

1. Lack of desire or apathy

2. A lack of intentionality in spiritual matters

3. Need for healing of past hurts- in and/or outside of the Church

4. A distracted or noisy life

5. Individualism

6. A focus on outward behavior without inward change

7. Pride

Solutions

At Intentionally Ordinary, we are big on committing to small steps in the right direction which over time can make a big impact.  Here are some solutions to the above roadblocks. The solutions are more in quantity than the roadblocks! So many options to help. Again, these are tips that have helped me or others I know personally.

1. Pray for desire! Look up verses about desiring God and transformation (John 4:13-14, Isaiah 26:9, Psalm 73:25, 42:2, 143:8 are a few).

2. Find friends or a community that is excited about being disciples of Christ.

3. Read books about spiritual formation or books about the lives of those who are or have lived a Jesus-filled life.

4. Make intentional time in your life for things that are important to your growth.  This could mean establishing a routine of prayer, Bible reading/study, or worship. This might mean committing to joining a discipleship group, prayer meeting, or regular church attendance. This could mean incorporating spiritual disciplines into your regular routine.

5. Seek out healing from a pastor, soul friend, or Spiritual Director. Pray for God to bring healing in your life.

6. Choose to remove or decrease unhealthy distractions in your life: social media, online games, shopping, and news feeds. Replace distractions with time to spend with Jesus through prayers, reading/study, worship, service to others, time in Christian community, or other disciplines.

7. Admit and confess those areas of your life controlled by individualism.  How much of your life is informed by the word of God vs culture and your own thoughts/opinions? Choose to listen to the teachings of Jesus with the intent of doing them. Cultivate a heart and mind of submission to the way of Jesus.

8. Identify and confess areas of your life that are inconsistent. Do you act one way with one group of people and differently with another group? Do you try hard to be like Jesus on the outside while feeling less than Jesus on the inside?  Seek to live by the strength of the Holy Spirit instead of your own strength.

9. Seek out a healthy community of Believers and engage with them. One of the best pieces of advice that have been life-changing for me is to intentionally be in relationships with those older and wiser AND with those who are younger in age and faith. We should always be being poured into while we are pouring out to others.

10. Do regular pride checks. Learn to identify areas of pride in yourself. Seek to be humble in heart, mind, and soul. Choose to operate in the areas that God has gifted you in.

11. When you learn ways to grow in your relationship with God and ways to grow in spiritual formation — do them! Let what you learn go from your head to your heart.

12. Seek God and seek God some more! He IS the solution!

Books on Spiritual Formation

If you’d really like to dive in, below is a list of books that can help you understand more about spiritual formation and your part in it.

1. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, Dallas Willard

2. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, Dallas Willard

3. Hearing God, Dallas Willard

4. Surrender to Love, David Benner

5. Celebration of Discipline, Richard J. Foster

6. Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

7. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer

Further Resources

We’ve created a few guides to help you along in your spiritual formation journey! Check out our Retreat Guide if you’d like to take that step and set aside intentional time with God or our Habit Formation Guide if you want to start developing regular rhythms of connecting with God in your everyday life.

My hope is that you will start to take steps in the direction of spiritual formation. Remember it is God and the Holy Spirit that does the work as we submit and seek to be formed by Him, into His likeness in character, for our sake and the sake of the world!

Enjoying the journey together!

Valerie

Changing the World One Ear at a Time

Most if not all of us have experienced the disappointing experience of not being heard, understood or validated. Maybe yours was a difficult conversation with a spouse, a leader in your workplace or a close friend. Maybe you were at a doctor. visit and really needed the physician to patiently listen to why you were there in their office, but instead you left feeling like a number. As humans, one of our most basic needs is to be heard and understood.  

Our current western world and cultural climate is riddled with anxiety, depression, loneliness, anger, fear and disunity. Sometimes we can feel helpless as to how to make a difference. Today, I would like to suggest a simple way to make a positive impact on those around you no matter what your situation is or where you are: become a better listener.

Here at Intentionally Ordinary, we are all about making small, intentional steps to bring more goodness and peace to our homes and those around us. So today, I’d like to offer some simple ways that you can become a better listener for the greater good of those around us.

“Listening is one of the best gifts we can give or receive. Listening changes things”

— Ruth Haley Barton

The list below is not in any particular order. Please know that this list includes areas that I am working on myself — we are in this together! The purpose of the list is to help us identify one or more areas where we can make a small change that over time will have a big impact on loving others well.

• simply be purposeful about giving your attention to anyone who talks to you

• ignore dings from your smart devices unless absolutely necessary — utilizing Do Not Disturb is helpful

• control any body language that “says” I am in a hurry when someone is talking to you

• refrain from texting while someone is talking to you

• avoid interrupting 

• practice listening to others with different opinions than your own without judgment

• redirect your attention if you find you are not being present to whomever is speaking

• listen with the intent to understand

The above list focuses primarily on our listening. The list below offers some ideas on responding in ways that indicate we are or have listened well.

• offer appropriate positive body language: eye contact, leaning in, facial expressions

• offer empathy to those who are hurting

• repeat important points

• end on a positive note with something like, “thanks for sharing”

I am sure you can add to this list and I hope that you do! As you pay attention to how you listen you will be surprised at how you can intentionally show others love and respect simply by improving your listening skills.  

It’s more about treating others the way we like to be treated. Esteeming others as important. Being kind to our fellow humans. Making the world a better place one ear at a time.

Enjoying the journey together! — Valerie

The Best Easter Books for Kids and Adults

* this post contains affiliate links for products we use and love

Books are always an amazing way to immerse yourself and your kids into the season. It can align our hearts to listen to God in the rhythms of the church calendar or just attune our minds to the beauty of the season around us.

Whether you’re shopping for Easter basket fillers, or seeking to draw near to God in this season, I hope you’ll find this list helpful as we approach Easter!

Our favorite Easter books for kids

For babies and toddlers:

1. We love this peek through book. There’s a lot more books in this series, but finding bunny is a fun adventure for young kids.

2. This bunny finger puppet book is a blast for young children!

3. My kids are still obsessed with sound books (they’re 4 and 2 right now), and I just found out about this new Easter sounds book! Press the super-easy-to-press buttons to hear church bells ringing, ducks quacking, and more.

For 3+:

1. We love these craft books! They’re packed full of fun activities to do together. Younger kids can have help from adults, or older kids can craft all on their own.

2. This wipe-clean Easter activity book comes with a pen. Perfect for travel and use at a restaurant!

3. Sticker books are also perfect to use whenever you need them to focus on a task while waiting. This littler stickers one is perfect for little hands.

4. Magic painting books are a HUGE hit in our house! Sometimes my kids will just plop down and paint to whole book. This first painting is aimed at younger kids, while older kids can tackle the designs of the more complex magic painting books better.

Find the complete list of Easter titles from my brand partner, Paper Pie here! There’s also basket bundles available as well!

Our favorite Easter, Lent, and Passover books for adults

1. Christ in the Passover by Ciel and Moishe Rosen — written by Jewish believers in Christ, this book is a good source for connecting the symbolism of the Passover (Old Testament) to Jesus (New Testament).

2. Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright— Bible scholar N.T. Wright does a thorough job of showing how the implications of Christ’s resurrection impacts our lives today and why Christians should be agents of transformation.

3. Every Moment Holy, Volume 1 by Douglas Kaine McKelvey — this is simply a book of prayers for every day ordinary moments. Open it up every day or every once in a while, either way it’s an amazing resource to guide prayer in the ordinariness of life.

4. Prayer: Forty Days of Practice by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson — I recently started reading this book and have been so encourage by the encouragement to pray. Perfect for the season of Lent, or anytime really!

We hope you love and use these books as a way to connect with the season. Happy Easter friends!

Transforming the Soul Through Meditation

I’d like to share with you what I believe to be one of the easiest and most accessible avenues to transformation by God’s word: Scriptural meditation. Meditation is a simple yet impactful practice. The C.S. Lewis Institute defines Biblical meditation as 

“the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God…”

Simply put, to meditate on Scripture is to reflect on or ponder a small portion of God’s Word for an extended amount of time.

Christian meditation is unlike eastern meditation which aims for the emptying of the mind and instead aims for us to fill our mind with God, his truth and his promises.

For instance, recently I have been reading slowly through the book of Philippians.  A few days ago I started reading chapter two which in the New Living Translation  starts with this question:

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? 

I continued to read the chapter but before I closed my Bible, I went back to verse one above.

I thought about that question- a lot. Although I have read that verse many times over the years, I have never stopped and asked myself to answer that question. As I closed my Bible, I continued to ask myself that question. I thought about what it means to belong to Christ. I thought about encouragement. I continued to ask myself throughout the day, all the ways I could think of that I have personally received encouragement from belonging to Christ.  

As you might imagine, by simply meditating on the passage and the answers, my mind was filled with encouragement throughout the day! God’s promises and encouragement filled my heart, mind and soul. And because my thoughts were occupied with good things, I had no room for stressful, unhelpful, or otherwise negative, unwanted and unneeded thoughts. No wonder Psalm 1 says that the person who meditates and delights in God’s word is blessed!

As you can see, this kind of meditation is not complicated but it is beneficial in many ways. 

Here are just a few ways you may benefit from being intentional about meditating on Scripture:

1. Your mind is filled with the thoughts of God and his promises 

2. Your mind is set on things above (Col. 3:2) and renewed (Romans 12:2)

3. Your heart is turned to prayer and praise

4. You are more likely to memorize the Scripture that you meditate on

5. You entering into the promises of God (Psalm 1)

If you haven’t engaged in Scripture in this way, I hope you will give it a try.  

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1. If you are already in a reading or devotional plan, pick a verse or portion from your reading to intentionally stop and think about. Take that verse with you throughout your day. Recall it or keep it in the front of your mind as much as you can. Ponder and reflect on the words, thoughts and ideas.

2. If you are not already following a reading or devotional plan, simply pick out a verse or portion of the Bible that catches your attention. If you want, you can even search the internet by looking up “popular Bible verses” or something similar.

3. Stick with your verses for one day, a week or longer.  As long as it is impacting you, stay with it.

4. Use sticky notes to help you remember your verse.

5. Engage with others. Do you have a soul friend or discipleship group that you could share with? If you do, this will help deepen your engagement and bless others as well!

Let us be intentional in taking small steps that open our souls to the transforming power of God’s word as it enters deeply into our hearts and minds. 

Enjoy the journey!

The Best Apps for Intentional Living

Phone use is a part of every day life in this culture. Technology is not inherently bad or good, it is simply a tool for us to use. It’s something we need to steward, use well, and notice how it affects us and those around us.

In an effort to reduce phone time, I’ve been using some apps that help keep me off my phone and keep me from mindlessly scrolling. I have a few apps and shortcuts I like to use that I’d like to share with you today. I’m also going to share some apps that work as effective tools for intentional living — these apps support my goals and streamline every day activities. Keep scrolling to see my favorite digital minimalism apps and favorite intentional living apps!

My Favorite Apps for Digital Minimalism

One Sec App - I just recently downloaded this app and it has been phenomenal! It’s reduced my endless scrolling and social media app usage. Once you download this app, it walks you through setting up a shortcut on your phone. The shortcut automatically opens the one sec app when you open up an app of your choosing (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Mail or whatever app you’d like to stop opening up absentmindedly). The one sec app asks you to take a deep breath and decide whether you want to open your chosen app. You can choose to continue opening it or not. If you choose to continue opening the app, you can select an intention for opening the app. For me, I do some blog work on Instagram, so I’ve added that as an intention, but sometimes I’m just bored or tired and I choose that intention if that’s where I’m really at at the moment. I often avoid the apps I’ve set the shortcut on unless I really truly want to open them now!

Screen Time - this isn’t so much an app as it is a feature on the iPhone. I’ve set up Downtime and App limits as another layer to keep me off my phone at certain times of the day. For Downtime, I start by adding a schedule - I’ve set up a schedule for everyday from 8:30pm - 8am. When my downtime schedule turns on, all but a few apps essentially “turn off” and I’m unable to view them. The only drawback is I can ignore downtime limits. Sometimes this is good when I need to use an app within that schedule, but other times, it’s easy to just ignore it. This schedule allows you to ignore the limit for one minute, fifteen minutes, or ignore for the day. So sometimes I can open the app for the short period of time that I need it and then return to the app being off limits.

I also use screen time to set app limits for certain apps like Instagram and TikTok. I’ve set a limit of 30 minutes per day for these apps. Once I reach the 30 minute time limit, the app “shuts off” as with downtime, but allows me to ignore it for the one minute, fifteen minutes, and for the day as well.

Focus - this works similarly to screen time, it’s a function on my phone as well. I love using focus for work and for Sabbath/the weekend. I can choose to allow certain people to text or call and allow certain apps to push notifications to me, otherwise everything else will not ping me when the notification comes through. Whenever I open my phone I can see the notification, but otherwise I can go hours without being disturbed. I can set up a schedule for these like “when I arrive at work” or Saturdays and Sundays from 8am-8pm.

I might also add that turning off notifications for all of your apps makes a huge difference if you want to start with one small step. Social media and marketing notifications need not bother you in your journey to living a more intentional and more present life!

My Favorite Apps for Intentional Living

These apps help keep me on track for my goals and growth in intentional living. They create an ease in choosing better things in my life!

Read Scripture - this app acts as a Bible reading plan. It’s easy to follow along in the readings and catch up as needed if you fall behind. If you’re wanting to read through the Bible in a year, this app is a great place to start!

the Bible Project - this app houses all of the Bible Project’s videos and blog posts. If you’re reading along on the Read Scripture app, this is a fantastic companion to watch all of the videos that correspond to your daily reading.

Lectio 365 - this app is also a great place to start for daily scripture reading and prayer. Either turn on the audio in the car or read through the prompts each morning and evening.

Youversion Bible - this app started simply as a Bible in digital form, but it has since grown to include hundreds of devotionals as well as short teachings and prayers for their verse of the day. I love to have the Bible app widget on my home screen to look at the verse of the day each time I open my phone.

Libby - the Libby app connects directly to the local library to check out e-books and audiobooks! I’ve recently started listening to more nonfiction audiobooks and this has been a fun way to access them for free. I can place multiple holds on audiobooks or e-books at one time & have two weeks to read them. I’ve asked for extensions and they’ve been granted to me, so if you’re a slower reader, no worries!

Libro.fm -this app works similarly to Audible, but the monthly membership fee goes directly to the local bookstore of your choosing. I love that I can support local in this way! Every month, my fee goes towards one book credit. Credits roll over month to month and don’t expire, plus the audiobooks you do purchase are yours to keep and listen to in your own time.

Headspace - mindfulness has been a huge help in my struggle with anxiety, and taking a few minutes to take a deep breath in the morning has been a peaceful way to start off my day. This app has an annual fee but has an immense amount of resources (like SOS meditations and sleep sounds) and daily videos to keep you grounded.

YNAB -if budgeting is an intentional living goal for you, then give YNAB (You Need A Budget) a try! It’s a great way to keep an eye on your expenses and works as a digital “envelope system”. Designate your money into different categories, save up for big purchases and learn about your spending trends. Keeping this app on my phone helps me keep an eye on things as needed! Find out more on YNAB’s website.

I hope you try out some of these apps to help reduce your screen time or are inspired to do your own research to discover the apps that support your intentional living journey!

Oxygen for Your Soul: Breath Prayers

Do you experience worry, anxiety, overwhelm, or trouble staying present in the moment? Do you desire to feel more connected to God on a daily basis? If you answered yes to any of the above, then Breath Prayers may be for you.

I was first introduced to Breath Prayers in my spiritual direction training last year. Since then, I have slowly made them a part of my rhythm of life. I have found them calming, grounding, helpful, and encouraging. As a Spiritual Director, I have shared them with my directees, family, and friends, and now I’d like to share them with you! 

In Breath Prayer Guides by Bill Gaultiere, Breath Prayers are described as “a simple yet powerful practice to turn our rhythm of breathing in and out into a continual conversation with God.” Simply put, Breath Prayers are a way of taking deep, slow, intentional breaths as you inhale God’s word in and slowly out.

One of my favorite Breath Prayers is from the 23rd Psalm. This psalm is a favorite when I feel stressed from traffic (I live in Los Angeles!), overwhelmed with tasks, or feel the need to be in control in some area of my life. When I get any of those types of feelings creeping into my mind or showing up in my body, I first breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I can find immediate help with a simple Breath Prayer. Here is how it works:

1. I take a slow, intentional, deep breath as I say to myself, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

2. I slowly exhale, releasing tension as I say to myself, “I have no need.”

3. I repeat until I feel the undesired feelings lessen or disappear. 

My usual experience is to feel relief from the unwanted feelings. I have also found that it reorients my mind to the truths of God’s word and His presence with me. It’s a win, win!

There are many choices for Breath Prayers; here are a few of my favorites:

(Breathe in) Peace…(Breathe out) Be still…

(Breathe in) More of Jesus…(Breathe out) Less of me…

(Breathe in) Fear not… (Breathe out) God is my (Confidence, Helper, Shepherd)

When I have a little more time, I love to use this one at home where I find a quiet and comfortable place and close my eyes.

Breathe in God’s word, breathe out stress.

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know I AM

Be still and know

Be still

Be

I always feel more relaxed and peaceful after that one!

If you would like more information on Breath Prayers, please feel free to contact me at care@intentionallyordinary.com, or you can get more information from the Breath Prayer Guides by Bill Galtiere at Soul Shepherding’s website.

I hope you will try them and intentionally bring more peace, calm, and time with God into your life.

Enjoying the journey together!

Valerie

For more breath prayers

We include breath prayers in almost everything we do because we’ve experienced their incredible power and simplicity. Our Habit Formation Workbook includes a breath prayer for each habit of the body, and our Half-Day Spiritual Retreat Guide integrates a section where you can create your own breath prayer. We hope you get to experience the power of breath prayers with these incredible spiritual formation resources. Check them out!