Slow down.
Take the pressure off.
Show up faithfully.
These are the things that are making a shift in my life.
Not trying harder, doing more, or going full speed then crashing.
Discipling mothers to disciple generations
Kingdom Mothers Rise Up is here for you. There is encouragement and practical steps to improve your relationship with yourself, God, and your child.
I'd love to connect with you. You can find me at:
Slow down.
Take the pressure off.
Show up faithfully.
These are the things that are making a shift in my life.
Not trying harder, doing more, or going full speed then crashing.
Discipling mothers to disciple generations
Kingdom Mothers Rise Up is here for you. There is encouragement and practical steps to improve your relationship with yourself, God, and your child.
I'd love to connect with you. You can find me at:
Coming into a new year, I'm, I guess, very idealistic and so I love to plan and like what does this new year hold? And looking at all of these different things. So normally between Christmas and New Year's, like I love that that's a week and that's kind of my favorite week of the year to just slow down and reflect and look ahead. And I didn't do that this year. Part of me is okay with that that I didn't do that this year. It's okay to do things different, it's okay to adjust and things like that. There's also part of me there's just resisting dealing with reality and that's not good. Like okay, I'm not, even I'm not being a good example because I'm not taking the time to be like what's this about? Why am I avoiding life? Why am I avoiding figuring out what life looks like when we are done with the holidays and go back to routines and schedules and that kind of stuff? And so I just wanted to like be honest that, in case you had me on a pedestal of somebody who has it together, I don't belong there. I struggle and do well and don't do well, just like everybody else, and the good thing about that is that I take those struggles and when I realize that I'm acting stuck, then I can go back and see what was I doing. And that often develops new tools and skills and ways of teaching that I can give to you. And it's not an excuse for me to stay in it, but it is the process that I partner with the Lord to bring the things that I bring. They come from my life because they were helpful to me and I needed them, and a lot of them I still need. So not only have not been doing like the planning and the reflecting. I normal had had a word for the year since I don't know, 2006 or eight or something has been a long time that I've done a word of the year and it's always been. Really I know it's just something I enjoy. It gives me something to dig into and something to focus on and kind of anchor back to. And this year I kind of feel like he gave me the word access, but then I keep hearing slow down and like well, so is slow down part of access or is that something different? And like it doesn't really matter? And that's kind of where I'm sitting with it of like it doesn't matter. What he's saying right now is slow down and like maybe that will shift to something different, maybe it's just a year of slow down.
Speaker 1:I've always disliked making phone calls and I especially dislike making phone calls when I don't feel like I can very succinctly explain why I'm calling. I don't wanna confuse anybody, I don't wanna waste anybody's time. I don't want anybody to think I don't know what I'm talking about, even when I don't. I had to make a phone call like that and I recognized that like I had been avoiding this call because I was going through the like how am I gonna say this? And I didn't feel like I had figured it out yet. But I called and I explained in a somewhat clearer way. Like it was fine, the receptionist that I had explained to had put me on hold to transfer me to somebody else. And as I was sitting on hold, I was like why, why do I do that? Like, why do I need to hurry through and use as few words as possible? Why not just slow down and say I'm not sure how to explain this? Or just slow down and explain it, instead of feeling like it has to be super short and clear and you know, like I'm not writing a paper, I'm just talking.
Speaker 1:Then that same day as I realized like, oh no, like I can slow down, I'm not wasting somebody's time, I'm actually serving better to slow down and clearly explain it instead of trying to do it really fast and possibly being confusing. So as I was thinking on that through the day, the Lord was like and you do that with your writing and you're doing that with your business. You have things to say, but you're not exactly sure how to say them. And then I put it off. And I put it off until like no, I really need to get something out there. And then I just write it in a hurry and try and keep it super short. And it's like you serve better when you slow down.
Speaker 1:And when I wrote Mest of Majesty, I worked with an editor. I sent her the manuscript and in the introduction or whatever, I said I was gonna share some stories. And so she's like you didn't share any stories, you gave me information, you didn't tell any stories. She's like slow down and tell the story. And so that came back to me that day of like, right, slow down, slow down.
Speaker 1:He also helped me see that I've been working on trying to get my house in order. That was kind of my goal for Christmas break this year was like get the house in order so that it functions without so much excuse me, without so much mental energy, so that I can then work on business stuff and writing and my ideas. For that, in trying to get my house in order, I watch decluttering videos or I mostly listen to decluttering videos but the one that has been my go-to of like a lifeblood for whatever reason, like I need this, has been Dana K White of Aslam Comes Clean and, as I've listened, like the Lord was showing me, like she has a five-step process and she talks about those five steps in every video. Sometimes it's an overview of all five steps applied to a particular situation. Sometimes she's answering people's questions and so it'll focus more on one part, or to be an overview of the whole part, depending on their question. Sometimes it's a deep dive into a particular step, or even a deep dive into a particular part of a particular step, but it's the same five steps all the time, over and over and over again. And yet I'm like I need to listen again, I need to listen more. And the Lord's like that's because that's how I made your brain.
Speaker 1:You learn by repetition, your brain gets rewired by thinking a new way over and over and over again. So showing me the power of slowing down. You know, when we're teaching a child something and I struggle with this because sometimes I'm like I told you you should have it because that's how I was raised, but in reality need to be told again and again and again, not because they're not paying attention, but because this is new for their brain. It has to get wired in and I think it's. Especially if what we're saying doesn't match their interpretation of what they're seeing. Then there's an even you know like. Then there's that disconnect which makes it the need for even more repetition and clarifying either what they're thinking or where what we're saying and what we're doing don't match up. Being in that place of like okay, lord, so how do I do that for these women that are looking for how to disciple their children, how to deal with emotions in a godly way, how to deepen their relationship with you? I'm still pressing into that, but that perspective has is helping me to see that slowing down to explain things and give examples and like slowing down to actually prepare and make it better. Hopefully you guys are gracious and put up with my not preparing very well a lot of times. What are the key things? And not necessarily that it's gonna be five things, but like what? What is the key things that it's okay to talk about again and again and again, because your brain needs to be rewired. My brain needed to be rewired, still does in areas. So we need that over and over and over again to help rewire our brain so that it becomes a new way of thinking, instead of the constant battle between still thinking the old way so we're still acting the old way and we don't want to be and that whole thing.
Speaker 1:And a couple other examples that he brought on the like slowing down. I guess just one. My son and daughter-in-law were talking about being over at her families and she's got younger siblings, so they were playing a card game with the younger siblings, and one in particular. Like he was still playing, but he was getting farther and farther behind. So my son decided to like re-explain the purpose of the game, because he was playing the game right but he wasn't getting points. And so my son re-explained that like, okay, you're doing this part right and this is where the cards go, but you get points for the cards that you play out here in the middle, not for the cards you play here. So, like your goal is to get as many cards out in the middle as you can.
Speaker 1:Since he slowed down and explained it again, or explained it in a different way, it clicked and this kid was then making huge progress, got himself out of the hole, like was gaining ground, because he slowed down and explained that, like this is what you're trying to do here, this is the goal, because you know there's also the goal of trying to get through your pile of cards and whatever. But like, if you want points, like yes, you're doing those things, but the way to get points is to get your cards out here in the middle. And I think that's just such a great example of slowing down and like with our kids be like what do you think the goal of this is here? Like, what are you trying to accomplish? Or what do you think I want you to accomplish? Because maybe it just needs to be communicated again or in a different way. Maybe they just didn't quite understand that.
Speaker 1:Oh, I get points by putting the cards out there. I thought I just needed to go out or whatever, slowing down. So that leads me into the looking ahead and I guess part of the confession like I expected to have put together and have launched a program already To combine my GoDeper small group program and heart doodling, and I've planned it a few times and then not followed through with launching. And I'm being okay with that because every time I come back to it I think I have more clarity and I think it gets better. So I'm not beating myself up for not like, oh, it's a new program, it's a launch in January and then it didn't launch in January so I need to launch in February and maybe I'll get it together to launch in February and maybe I won't.
Speaker 1:I'm going with the slowdown, like I want it to be valuable and good and to serve well and my vision for it is a place of community and a place of discipleship and a healthy culture, where you can practice the new emotional skills that you're learning, where you can be encouraged, where you can come and be like, okay, all I can see is the mess right now, and have somebody to be like that's okay, or I'll have times like that and I can hear you and I can validate that all you can see is the mess. And then, once you feel validated, then also to say, okay, now what? Where are you going from here? Because we're not staying here in. All I can see is the mess. I did an in-person women's ministry, my goodness like eight years ago now I guess, and the culture that we created in person is the community, the culture that I want to create online, and I don't know how to do that, so it'll just be an experiment. I want to bring that here, but I also want there to be a space where we can for the program.
Speaker 1:I want to do the live heart doodling workshop once a month when I walk you through heart doodling on a specific emotion or topic. I don't plan them, I let a Holy Spirit lead. Like I have an idea of where we're going, but I'm doing it live with you. I'm not showing you what I've done before, I'm doing it live with you. So sometimes the Holy Spirit highlights something that was like oh, I didn't know that was there, I wasn't expecting that. But we'll start with just the idea and what kind of thoughts and feelings come up, and then we're gonna see what the Lord highlights to you from that and do typically two more doodles. Sometimes the second one is like digging into a lie or a hurt place or whatever. And then the third one is really focusing on what the Lord is saying, the encouragement and the intention that he wants you to move forward in so that you're ending on a positive, that you can sign up at $17 a month right now and I currently like it's that once a month then there's the recording you can go back and watch over and over again and there's over a year's worth of previous workshops in there that you can watch. So if you're dealing with disappointment, there's one on that. If you're exploring boundaries, there's one on that and lots of others to go back to.
Speaker 1:But in looking at trying to do the community aspect, I'm going to be adding where we're going to meet on Zoom once a week. So one week will be the Heart Doodling Workshop and then the other weeks will be I'm calling them Codegocional Times, where we will show up and I'll probably have a short teaching or focus. In case you are like, okay, I'm coming to spend time with God but I don't know what I'm doing, I'll have something you can use if you come like this is what God and I are doing in this time. That's wonderful. We'll have a brief, like check in, and here's something you can focus on. We'll spend time together for together with God, together alone with God. So we'll be on the Zoom for the accountability, but like mute and I'm going to spend time with God and you're going to spend time with God and like if you're trying to doodle or you're just trying to hear whatever and you run into something, have a question you can ask me, come together, share insights or whatever and pray together. At the end I want your questions and your feedback so that I'm putting together something that is actually valuable to you. And part of why I'm adding the weekly is like I clearly need the accountability.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I do great on my own and I have time every day and it's fabulous, and then I have seasons, like the last couple months, where I'm not like it's very hit and miss, it's not what I need, it's not feeding me. I have a bookkeeping membership, I guess, where I can ask questions, but the most powerful thing is that at Thursdays at 9 am, she's on Zoom and so I show up to Zoom and say hi, and then I mute and I do my bookkeeping for the first time ever, like I'm caught up on my bookkeeping for our household and two businesses. So, just taking that of like, okay, I've been doing this bookkeeping call once a week for a year now and it's working. So and I do that for devotion.
Speaker 1:I don't know if it's just me, if it's women in general or just a lot of women. I know, maybe as part of the childhood emotional neglect thing, it's easier to show up for somebody else than show up for myself. So it's easier to show up for the bookkeeping because there's going to be a smiling face. I can ask a question if I run into issues, and lots of weeks I don't Lots of weeks, it's just putting the time in to get the bookkeeping done. But knowing that there's somebody there that will notice if I'm not there, that will smile at me, that will answer my questions, it just makes a huge difference. It'll be discipling, mentoring and I don't know what to call it yet. So that new program will be coming out. I think it will be $27 a month. Your kids are welcome. I would love to hear how your 2024 is starting out, if it's like you were expecting or if it's not so much, and what the Lord is speaking to you for 2024. What equipping you feel you need for what the Lord is saying.