Women in Ministry United Podcast

Are you having trouble figuring out what healthy rhythms and boundaries would work for you? Most pastors and leaders I talk with know that they need to put boundaries in place but they are just not sure what will work. And not knowing is what’s keeping them stuck in the unhealthy patterns of leadership.

How do you gain clarity so that you can make progress?

1. Ask God. God, what do you want for me? What’s your vision, God? What do I need to focus on? What do I need to make time for?
2. Write down what is most important to you in this season. What relationships are most important in the months ahead? What events are important? What roles, responsibilities do you need to make time for? What parts of yourself need time/attention/nurturing?
3. Start small. Pick one thing but start. We tend to try and do much too quickly. Do one thing, but do it! We tend to think about things over and over again. We'll talk with colleagues and friends, we'll meditate on what we...

One of the concerns and objections that I hear from women who want to create a healthy rhythm or boundary is that they are afraid that people won't understand. In this episode, Jen defines the purpose of healthy communication and gives you two sentences to use in order to help people understand what you're doing and why.

One of the greatest motivators in any journey is to remember where you used to be. In today's episode, Jen takes you back to the beginning of the Giving Up Normal podcast. It is still a rallying cry for us all to give up the normal ways of leadership that are hurting our souls so that we can lead as the people God has created us to be!

Your soul is the "you" that you bring into every role, every job, every relationship, and every activity. When we live as our true selves, we bend our roles, jobs, relationships, and activities to fit the design of our souls, the true essence of who we are and were meant to be. Sadly, however, most of us end us changing who we are in order to fit the role that we play. This is dangerous territory.

In today's episode, Jen discusses the importance of living and leading as your true self, out of a healthy soul. She shares three keys to nourishing your soul and enabling you to be you.

Sometimes it's all we can do to survive a hard season but you have been made to thrive no matter the circumstance! In this episode, Jen shares 7 Tips for Thriving During Coronavirus.

The question was never did you have the time, but rather, what will you do with the time you have?

There is a great gift that awaits you in this season...to give up the normal things that were hurting your soul so that you can fully live and lead as the person God created you to be!

“Self-care is never a selfish act-it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.” ~Parker Palmer

Taking care of yourself often seems like a guilty pleasure. In our fast-paced world, we fill every moment, and expend all of our energy, while wishing there were more hours in the day. We scrape the bottom of the barrel, trying to muster up more stamina and strength to get through, only to rise and grind all over again. 

As we push ourselves beyond the limits that God created for us, we wound our body, soul, and mind. Even worse, we carry that woundedness into our relationships, activities, and ministry. This is the way of the leader, we say. Always giving, never ceasing, going above and beyond. So off we go, in our self-inflicted woundedness, carrying it as a badge of honor. 

Why do we do this? 

We have convinced ourselves that we are not allowed to care for ourselves. We believe the lie that...