Soul Friend Books - Page 2 of 7 - A Ministry of Spiritual Formation in Community

No pain, No gain? The Joy and Terror of Injury

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Thu, Sep 3, 2015

Sep 032015

No pain, No gain? The Joy and Terror of Injury

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Have you ever had a bruised week? Or maybe a bruised month, or a bruised year? A time when you felt like you were being tossed around through the washer and dryer and you got stuck on spin-cycle? Last weekend, my friend met her sixteen year old daughter to get a manicure together. As she followed her home from the nail salon, she watched her daughter get into a car accident. Could you [ …read full story ]

10 secrets to harnessing Joy

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Fri, Aug 7, 2015

Aug 072015

Have you ever ridden a horse? One of the essential pieces of equine tack is the harness. To control the horse, you must put his harness around his head, and attach the reins. Unless you are a professional cowboy, the horse will get away from you if you try to hold on to him and direct him without a harness or reins! So often we set out on our spiritual journey thinking we have found joy and we know how to hold on to it. We don’t realize that it takes planning, effort, and encouragement, to harness joy. God has [ …read full story ]

5 reasons to serve without competing

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Tue, Jul 28, 2015

Jul 282015

1. God called each of us to shine for Him. He created us. He sustains us. He purposes to use us to reflect His glory. When we focus on Him and follow Him, He will shine through us to accomplish our unique calling. 2. We don’t need to worry about what other people are doing. We get distracted from what God wants us to do when we look to the right or to the left. No need. God wants us to set our gaze on HIM, and He will shine light on our path. He has a mission plan for [ …read full story ]

The Facebook Lie

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Sun, Jul 19, 2015

Jul 192015

You’ve seen it. You’ve probably even done it. A happy Facebook post with a happy photo attached. You know, the perfect family shot. Everyone is happy and smiling and completely adoring one another. Or, the perfect couple shot. Kissing. Looking in each other’s eyes. Smiling, totally happy, a match made in heaven. Or, the siblings, oh so sweet, playing together so nicely! Or the gloating mother over her new baby. The kindergarten graduation. The happy birthday boy. Talent show winner. Prom King. All-American this or that….. The new house, the new car, the new hat…….whatever. Facebook. You love her and [ …read full story ]

I hate The Bachelorette

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Thu, Jun 18, 2015

Jun 182015

I hate our modern Cinderella. Talk about a play in contrasts. Monday night I watched the Bachelorette. Last night I watched Cinderella. I’m afraid contemporary culture has got something very, very wrong about love. Although a fairy tale, Cinderella writers had something right. The love story is about a man and a woman. They meet, want to know each other more, want to be together. The striking difference is that our modern Cinderella, the Bachelorette, has too many princes. The love story is not pure. There can’t be love growing when it is divided. Love requires an undivided heart. The [ …read full story ]

Drink rain, bear fruit, be blessed…..

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Mon, Jun 15, 2015

Jun 152015

Hebrews 6:7 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.” Who doesn’t want to be blessed by God? I can’t imagine anything better. To be “blessed” by the Creator of the Universe, the Author of Life, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am. To be blessed by that One, we must bring Him pleasure. That begs the question, “What pleases God?” According to Hebrews chapter 6, pleasing God is twofold. First, it pleases God when we drink in the [ …read full story ]

How do we keep the main thing the main thing?

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Sat, Jun 13, 2015

Jun 132015

How do we keep the main thing the main thing?

Do you ever wonder what matters most? I remember a sermon I heard in high school that quoted Stephen Covey, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” The point of the quote is to keep the main thing at the center of your life; to not be distracted by all of the other things going on around you. Do you ever get jolted awake by a bad dream? I mean the kind of bad dream where you wake up sweating, freaked out, even crying, maybe? And it was all too real. You found out your [ …read full story ]

What does it mean to be Real, anyway?

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Thu, Jun 11, 2015

Jun 112015

Real. Is it a goal or another facade? To me, it seems that the world is confused about what Real is. What really is Real? In my world, Real is imperfect relationships, imperfect material things, imperfect job performance, imperfect me. Sometimes it looks like struggle, slavery, drudgery, self-hate. Other times it looks like perseverance, freedom, ambition, and embraced identity. Gazing through the lens of American culture, one would wonder if Real is desirable or undesirable. It is lifted as something to be esteemed, but seems to be what is avoided at all costs. There is an insatiable desire to embrace [ …read full story ]

He is With us. Always.

Posted by Jodi Meiter on Tue, May 26, 2015

May 262015

Sometimes we perceive God is with us. We feel his presence. We get those shivery goosebumps from the spiritual vibe in the room. We sense his glory. There is a tangible experience of Someone Other than us, with us. Sometimes we just know God is with us because of the promise in Matthew 28:20 when Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We believe He is with us, because He said He would be. Sometimes His presence brings comfort. We feel safe and secure because He is with us. We are more [ …read full story ]

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