Welcome to Soul Care: Introductions & Resources

Do you tend to choose a word for the year? 

This is unusual for me, but my word for 2019 actually three words! Go with me on this. It’s “Conquer with Joy.” I told you was unusual!

But as that relates to you and to Soul Care this year, it means something I am completely excited to share… with joy. OK, and with conquering too… But in all good ways.

I have been working with the themes of Soul Care for 21 years this year! I love seeing God breathe new life into people. That life isn’t just a nice thing. It’s central to everything! EVERYTHING. (John 10:10)

However, I have felt there was something key missing, and I have hinted at it before. But this year, we’re conquering with joy! God is taking Soul Care to a whole new level of impact by involving an incredible team of others.

All to say, “The Soul Care Collective” is finally here! I have an amazing team working with me and we want to share what it can mean for you in the coming months.

Primarily it means a better way to serve you. To serve those who are working to embed spiritual formation and soul care in their lives and ministries.

Our amazing, and growing, team of others can:

1. Bring expertise.

Some are spiritual directors. Some are coaches. Some are consultants. Some are retreat providers. Some are creatives. All have local church experience. And, all are working from a common set of values and a growing place of community.

2. Come alongside organizations holistically.

This may or may not be something you are interested in for your organization… but we are moving in this direction and are eager to learn more about what would serve you best.

3. Provide Soul Care Connect.

We will work to bring personal encouragement and some down-to-earth soul care inspiration to your inbox on a regular basis. We want to communicate in a way that regularly ignites your deeper life.

Sustain.

Our collective’s global vision is to establish and build sustainable spirituality among Christian leaders. What if that kind of life in a leader wasn’t the unusual, one-off, but the norm?

God is changing the all-too-common narrative of exhaustion, anger, isolation, and hopelessness in His people. Are you with us?

As for the regular encouragement in your inbox, it will be called “Soul Care Connect” and will come from myself or other members of the team.

Some of those teammates include:

Jeff Caliguire -- my first teammate!  Besides being my husband, Jeff pastored for nearly a decade in the Boston area and has a deep passion for the soul care of leaders. For the past past 18 years he has been coaching and mentoring those open to discovering and engaging their authentic purpose and potential in their work and leadership (www.ConvergencePoint.biz). He trains coaches through The Coaching Transformation Academy and is the author of numerous books that include The Habits of Hope and co-author of Write for Your Soul: The Why’s and How’s of Journaling. (with me!) Jeff holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Linda Rankin -- Linda and I have been journeying together on spiritual formation and soul care themes both personally and organizationally for seven or more years. She even brought me in to her church to teach 5 mother’s day messages one weekend! As an executive leader, she brings great leadership alongside her gifts of presence, stillness, contemplation, rest, and peace to a high-intensity leadership environment at EastLake Church near San Diego, where God is using her powerfully. Across multiple services, multiple locations, multiple languages, multiple countries…. she very intentionally speaks life and peace into staff and community. In addition to being a pastor she’s being trained as a spiritual director through Selah, and also pursuing training in Somatic Experiencing.

Cheri Hudspith -- We've been dreaming together about Soul Care for leaders since our first conversation in 2012. Through Grafted Life Ministries, she has helped leaders bring formation communities and practices into their local church. She served on the staff of her church in TX before relocating recently to the midwest! She also serves as a Spiritual Director to leaders in a variety of contexts. She is passionate about educating leaders on the value of Spiritual Direction and assisting them in finding a Director. Cheri received her Spiritual Direction training from Selah, and currently serves on their staff as a Supervisor to SDs in training. Cheri holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller in 2009.

Dave Johnson -- Cigars and honest conversations. Dave and I met around 15 or more years ago at a gathering of pastors and ministry leaders hosted by Elmbrook Church in Milwaukee, where the central question being discussed was spiritual formation in the Body of Christ. Seminaries, publishers, Christian counselors and pastors gathered for a roundtable discussion and agreed together that things needed to change--and soon!-- in many places. Since then, Dave and I have partnered at various events and look forward to doing more together in the future now that he has transitioned the senior leadership of the church where he served for 38 years (did you catch that??). Dave is all about helping pastors discover that the work of ministry does not need to kill the life of God in them.

Andy Tucker -- Andy is actually a superhero, but besides that is a former pastor holding a Masters degree in Christian Studies, a professional, licensed counselor with a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and has become a certified coach as part of The Coaching Transformation Academy.  He has experience in management in corporate America as well as having launched numerous businesses. He has a particular passion around building the heart and soul of leaders of ministries and organizations.

Scott & Joann Richardson -- We met Scott and Joann Richardson two years ago and found they have a similar passion for soul care and helping leaders discover healthy ways of living that lead to an integrated life and sustainable ministry.  This passion prompted them to move to Beirut, Lebanon in 2018 to offer spiritual formation guidance to national and international ministry leaders. Scott served in the corporate world in engineering, sales, marketing, and training for a global manufacturing company, is an ATD Certified Professional in Learning and Performance, as well as a Transformational Coach. Joann is an Occupational Therapist, a certified Spiritual Director and an Enneagram coach.  

Can you see why I am excited!? This has been in the works for some time now. This feels like the right time for many reasons. Others will be joining in as well.

To a 2019 of Conquering with Joy!