As women, as moms, we carry a lot of responsibilities, and sometimes a lot of expectations—from ourselves and from others. Yet one thing is clear: God has called us to keep our families as a top priority.

The question is, how do we do that?

In this episode, I talk with life and business coach Danielle Roberts and we explore what this might look like, often sharing personal examples from our own lives.

Danielle and I are both work from home, homeschooling moms, but we recognize that women fill all kinds of roles and callings. So there’s no judgment here. Just an open conversation between friends about how to care for our precious families that God has entrusted us with.

We talk about:

· Not comparing your family/priorities with others

· God's funny timing

· How many priorities you can actually have

· Balancing discipline and discipleship

· Letting your husband know you care

· And deciding what’s best for you and your family

This whole thing is something that needs to be regularly evaluated, and changes made when needed. And I wonder what God might reveal to you as you listen. Is He reaffirming a choice you have already made? Inviting you to make a change? I encourage you to listen for His voice in the midst of this conversation with Danielle—see what He might be saying to you.

Kari

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE:

· Website

· Instagram

· 5 Creative Ways to Rest

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 48: The Power of Pre-Deciding in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 148: Don't Vacuum While the Dog's Sleeping: A Story About Juggling Responsibilities

· Episode 160: When Life Changes, Re-evaluate

______

>> 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

Have you ever prayed for God to open doors for you so it’s clear which way you should go, which decision you should make?

But, my friend, take a minute and think about the sayings we Christians have:

· If God shuts the door, He always opens the window.

· God doesn’t close one door without getting ready to open another with bigger and greater things.

· He will open the doors of opportunity as He sees fit and close doors that He doesn’t want us going through.

Are these true? Are they the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Is there anything we’re missing?

I believe that circumstances, like what we call open doors and closed doors, can definitely be a way for God to lead us through major decisions.

But I think we need to be really, really discerning about how we go about this. Because the truth is, some open doors aren’t from God, and some closed doors aren’t from Him, either.

So how should circumstances play a role in our decision-making process? Today, I want to explore what the Bible says about open and closed doors and how we can use them to discern which path to take.

Kari

RELATED EPISODES:

· Episode 77: Three Prayers for Discernment: Making Difficult Choices in Difficult Seasons

· Episode 108: Just Because Something's Hard Doesn't Mean It's Wrong

· 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

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

http://lovedoesthat.org/journalgently

>> Speaking

http://lovedoesthat.org/speaking

Music by DappyTKeys

It’s probably no surprise to you that I am an avid reader, averaging about one or two books a week. Not only do I read for fun, but I also get to read for work, editing and proofreading book manuscripts right before they get published.

I’m guessing that if you’re listening to this episode, you like to read, too. And I’ve learned that books can often prompt some powerful journaling sessions with God.

But how do you know which books to journal about and what to write?

Today, I’ve got 8 ideas to get you started, plus 10 book recommendations you might want to check out for yourself.

Kari

See list of book recommendations here.

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 61: Perceiving God's Presence and Love with Spiritual Director and Author Sharon Garlough Brown

· Episode 172: Trusting God Through Obedience: A Conversation with Neil Broere

______

>> 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

>> Editing

http://karibartkus.com

Music by DappyTKeys