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

______

>> 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

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

______

>> 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

______

>> 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

______

>> 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

Journaling through God’s Word is a great way to read, study, and actually engage with what He is saying to you.

And since the New Year is just a few weeks away, it’s a natural time to recommit ourselves to being in the Bible.

Psalm 119:16 (NIV) says, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

Not only are we to not neglect God’s Word, we are to take delight in it! Do you delight in it? Or has it gotten dreary and dull?

Wherever you are in your Bible study journey, I want to support you. So today, I want to share with you some different ways to journal through God’s Word. And then I’ll offer you some specific guided journals that you might want to consider as a tool to use in your Bible study.

As you listen, I really invite you to pay attention to if God is inviting you to try one of these. My hope and prayer is that He would kindle a hunger for His Word within you.

Kari

RESOURCES MENTIONED (some are Amazon affiliate links)

The 5-Minute Bible Study Journal for Women, by Emily Biggers

Bible Study Journal, by Faith Maslo

Simple Bible Study Journal, by Eva Kubasiak

Scripture Writing Journal, by Emily Fontes

Love God Greatly Journal: A SOAP Method Journal for Bible Study, from Love God Greatly

Verse Mapping Journal, by Courtney Jenson

Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal, by Kristi Cambron

Christian Women’s Sermon Notes Journal, by Christian Faith Gifts

Daily Grace Co

Horatio Printing SOAP Bible Studies

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 47: 10 Ways to Encounter God Through His Word

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

· Episode 72: Tending Your Soul with Bible Teacher Mariel Davenport

· Episode 127: How to Choose a Bible You'll Actually Use

______

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> 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

I remember sitting on my bed, reading through a box of old journals I had tucked away in the closet. At first, it was fun, remembering some of the friendships I had and experiences I had gone through. Laughing at some of my immature moments. But instead of storing them back in the closet, I dumped them all in a trash can.

Have you ever done that? Back in episode 55, Elizabeth McCravy and I talked a bit about how there are times when you just need to throw your old journals away. And we’re going to explore that a little more today.

Because I’ve got to tell you, I don’t have any of my journals except the ones from the past few years. Everything else, I threw away.

Why? I’ll share with you my reasons why and also help you discern if you need to throw yours away, too.

Please note, throwing away your journals is not for everyone. It’s actually not for most of you. But how do you know if and when it’s time? I hope today’s episode will help you determine that for yourself.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 55: Reflection and Journaling as a Lifelong Practice with Business Strategist Elizabeth McCravy

· Episode 123: A Conversation with Marla Beech: Journaling as a Daily Practice

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

______

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> 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

In today’s podcast, we are going to dive into the story of Jesus meeting the disciples on the lake during the storm. And through that story, we’re going to ask God to show us where He is when it feels we are left alone.

Because I know there are times when I—and many of my clients—are wondering where in the world God is at when we are going through a difficult season. And I can’t wait to share with you what I’ve learned. Let’s dive in.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 91: When God is Silent: Experiencing His Presence in New Ways

· Episode 94: Entering the Silence and Stillness with God: A Conversation with Blogger and Writer Celia Miller

· Episode 131: Healing in Layers: What Art Taught Me About Grief

· Episode 135: Identifying Signs You're Not Doing Well (And What You Can Do About It)

______

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalingworkshop

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> 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