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Welcome to our weekly Friday Check-in for August 29th, 2025 ✅
If you are new to Soul Care, WELCOME!! We are so glad you are here.
As August draws to a close, have you noticed any subtle shifts in nature around you, any small signs indicating a change of season? What might you need to notice and become aware of, as you pause and pray today?
Let's begin with,
Page: An Invitation to Reflection
Read Mark 13:28-37 (NIV) three times::
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ’Watch!’” (NIV)
Spend a few minutes journaling in response to this passage:
- What stands out to you most? Is there a particular word or phrase?
- As you read through it a second time… ask God, “to what area of my life does that particular word or phrase connect?”
- And as you read a third time, be asking God, “Is there an invitation for me?” Is there a response of some kind that God is inviting you into?
In addition to today’s reading, let’s continue to reflect on Matthew 13:31-33 and the theme of “smallness.
”Just as tiny buds on a fig tree quietly signal the coming of summer, so small and ordinary events can carry the weight of God’s larger purposes. The kingdom’s unfolding may not come with spectacle but through hidden, almost fragile beginnings.
Jesus repeatedly urges: “Keep watch.”
Staying alert might seem like a small thing compared to great works of power, but faithful attentiveness is itself kingdom work. Watching requires humility to notice the small clues God gives rather than demanding dramatic proof.
Waiting and watchfulness can feel passive or insignificant (not to mention, it is HARD!), but Jesus communicates... they’re vital.
The “smallness” of staying faithful in the in-between (in liminal spaces) is what prepares us for the greatness of God’s decisive action.
Next up is,
Person: An Invitation to Connection
We invite you to connect with someone else and discuss today’s readings and the reflection questions below with a trusted friend, mentor, family member, or feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below:
- Where in my life do I overlook small signs of God’s presence or promises because I expect something bigger?
- How can I practice the seemingly small discipline of “keeping watch” in prayer, scripture, or attentiveness to others?
- Do I believe that my small, daily surrendering matters in the unfolding of God’s kingdom?
Finally we have,
Plan: An Invitation to Intention
Take this moment of silence to listen for what God might invite you to notice today. Focus on your breath and feel free to use the breath prayer below or create your own.
Breath Prayer:
(inhale) Lord, help me keep alert…
(exhale) …to Your quiet signs of Life.
And to close your time of reflection, our team is praying this with and for you:
Lord, keep us awake to the small signs of Your kingdom breaking in around us. Teach us to trust that even our smallest acts of faith matter in Your great story. Amen.
Thanks for checking in today - Blessings!