Sooooo…..did you read that and find it resonating with you in some way?

Yes, we all have stress.

Some stress is good—like welcoming a new baby to the family or the unexpected joys that come along at times—and even though it may leave us spent it also leaves us filled with joy or gratitude…

But some stress is, well, not good at all—we run from distraction to distraction, we “don’t have time” for important things, we are over scheduled—and we end up exhausted and cranky and feel like we are on our last nerve.

Here’s the interesting thing about times when we are stressed: we keep trying to push through and get to the end of the endless list of ‘to do’s, all the while we are saying we don’t have time for the things that would, in fact, help us to cope better with the stress.

Confession is good for the soul, so here’s your chance.

Have you ever decided you didn’t have time to pray today because you’re just too busy? Have you ever gotten to the end of the week and realized you didn’t complete any of your daily devotions? Have you ever thought to yourself that you can’t possibly spend any quiet time with God because there’s just too much noise in your life? Have you ever opted to sleep in and skip worship because it’s just been one of those weeks? Yeah….well, you’re not alone.

I know that recently ‘balance’ has been in my heart and on my mind…each day I seek to not fill up the ‘to do’ list section of my planner. The days I shorten my list and leave bigger margins in my day, are the days that I read scripture and pray and have quiet time and play my harp and guess what….I have more peace, more patience with others, more compassion, and I am able to more intentionally stay tuned in to the me that Jesus calls me to be. Those bigger margins allow me to see God at work in the world and in me, as I reflect on the day’s sequence of events and the choices I made along the way. And I know in my heart that’s the me that would also function better in those stressful situations when they arise.

So your challenge this month is to create bigger margins by making your own Stop-Doing List. What do you need to stop doing so that you can be the you that Jesus has called you to be? Do you need to shorten your ‘to do’ list? Schedule fewer appointments? Say ‘yes’ to fewer requests? After all, we have infinite choices and limited time. So we Stop Doing some things in order to experience our relationship with Jesus, we need to prioritize the space in our life to spend more time keeping the Great Commandment to Love God and Love Neighbor…so you can experience more peace, increase your capacity for forgiveness and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.

Yes, please.

It is possible, by the grace of God, to put Jesus first, and then your self and your family, in a Spiritually Healthy way. Spiritual Wellness is all about that…about finding and committing to the spiritual practices and ways of living your faith that feed your heart, mind, soul and strength…and then you can go about your business and better handle the stress that will inevitably come.

But you have to get it in the right order…the spiritual practices and relationship with Jesus must come first rather than leftovers. Putting Jesus first means letting go of control and trying to save your self, and letting him be the Savior…which indeed he is.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Check out my YouTube Channel: HACKS for Spiritual Wellness…please like and share! Here’s the link:

https://youtube.com/@angelstringsministry?si=mb95SE9P7cSMRv0h

Holy Yoga: There’s a new Holy Yoga video in the ON DEMAND section on the website. It is a short sequence to do as you pray The Lord’s Prayer. Enjoy!

Ladies, still on the fence about the Spiritual Wellness Community Membership?Some members don’t participate in the weekly sessions live. Instead, they view whatever recordings they choose to use each month, or some just have the membership to access the Holy Yoga videos. The $15/month membership fee is about equal to taking 1 yoga class at a studio….so that makes everything else bonus!

Truthfully, there is a different offering each week so you can pick and choose what works for you (maybe your jam is only the monthly harp meditation) OR you can do it all and really enjoy the community aspect. Even if you only do 1 session a month, it is worth more than the $15/month fee!

$15 per month and you get all this:

A monthly topical teaching ($40 value), group spiritual direction ($50 an hour if you book a session with me), a therapeutic harp meditation session ($60 an hour is you book a session with me), a group topic and book discussion to learn from each other and integrate the learning from the month ($40 value), and access to all Holy Yoga On Demand recordings (one studio yoga class would cost at least $15)….and then there’s the community aspect of being with amazing faith-filled women—-PRICELESS!

You can still sign up or invite a friend to sign up and get that first month FREE.

Spiritual Wellness Community Members:

October topic: Spiritual Reading (of scripture and other content)

Prayer focus: Praying scripture

Scripture verse: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17

We have a 5th Tuesday this month on Halloween, Oct. 31!! Invite a friend (Yes, they can sign up and get a FREE month) and we will have a fun time gathering at noon that day (as usual)…wear a Halloween fun hat, Halloween socks, and bring your favorite Halloween candy/treat/beverage and we will swap our Halloween stories…I will tell the story about how Halloween was originated in the Church!! True story!!

ALSO: members mark your calendar as I am moving our Tues Nov 14 Group Spiritual Direction session to Mon Nov 13 at noon because I will be on a plan on Nov 14.

REMEMBER: if you want to focus on your own personal faith journey or healing, you always have the option to consider Private Spiritual Direction or Harp Therapy. Individual sessions can be scheduled on the website. Such sessions are usually most effective if scheduled monthly for a period of time. I, personally, have a longtime Spiritual Director and find it most helpful to have someone walking with me on the journey who can sometimes see God at work in ways I haven’t even noticed in my life!

May you be blessed, not stressed!

Grace and peace,

Julie Parsell

Spiritual Wellness Guide