Soul & Self Stewardship ~ Page 2 of 5 ~ Jolene Underwood

Love Where You Are {A Story of Foster Care, Serving Trauma, and New Seasons}

Jun 29, 2017 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 4 comments

When we returned from “the ranch”, my world changed overnight. Again. It flipped upside down when we moved there in a whirlwind to stand in the front lines of foster care; it flipped another way when we came home feeling beat beyond belief. Fostering, giving, serving,...

When Things Get Hard and Freedom Follows

Sep 26, 2016 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 6 comments

I’ve really wanted to throw in the towel the last couple of weeks. More than once. I’ve wanted to hang it up. Call it quits. Just stop trying to write and pursue all these things I know God put in me to do. Because, man, it got really tough. Spiritually,...

To My White Friends in the Wake of Another Shooting

Sep 23, 2016 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 3 comments

I’m taking deep breaths today. It’s been one long crazy week on top of other long weeks and seasons. Part of me wants to disengage completely and part of me wants to roll on with spirit-led gusto. Anyway, after an insane number of tech issues and a...

Facing Death and Life While Finding the Goodness of God

Aug 31, 2016 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 5 comments

I’m sitting here working on a long list of to-dos and suddenly my heart breaks open. My camera snaps a photo of my to-do list journal and when I look at it, before posting it to Instagram, I’m stopped in my tracks. The irony is thick. The contrast enough to strike me...

God’s Goodness Declared in the Face of Tragedy

Jun 12, 2016 | Growth for Life, Soul & Self Stewardship | 4 comments

How is it possible to proclaim the goodness of God in the midst of tragedy? How is it possible to offer forgiveness so unapologetically to the one who caused said tragedy? I can scarcely believe it, but I’ve seen it happen. Last week, I heard of it again and I am...

When Joy Is Hard to Find

Apr 23, 2016 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 4 comments

For much of my life, the word ‘joy’ hung ever before me. Taunting me like a dangling carrot I could never grasp. Others seemed to have it already, but I didn’t know if I ever would. Joy seemed foreign. Exclusive. Most definitely, joy seemed elusive. As I’ve wrestled...

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When Trying Harder Isn't Helping & You're Tired of Hurting

No matter how hard you try to do the "right" and "good" things, especially as a Christian, sometimes the hard things never end.

It's frustrating and depleting.

You may wonder how to make it through. And why isn't God doing the things you thought he'd do?

Perhaps you're in a season of transition.

You realize you're not the person you thought you'd be. You're not experiencing the "abundant" life you thought you should have by now.

You may look back at your life and wonder, "How did it get this way?" "What happened?" "Why haven't I been able to do (or not do) the things I want to do? Or act the way I want to act with other people?"

You may be feeling exhausted, confused, hurt, and disappointed.

But dealing with all those messy thoughts & feelings seems like too much.

What can you do? Could it ever be different?

It can.

After years of over-serving, people-pleasing, and trying to be a "good" Christian, I bottomed out. In deep pain & utter exhaustion I cried out to God asking for healing, not just for the recent trauma & extreme stress I'd endured, but for the years of fears that held me back from being who I sensed I was designed to be.

It was a scary prayer, so I asked God for courage to face the steps of growth that would be difficult.

Since then, I've experienced a tremendous amount of healing & pursued a lifelong journey of growth.

Today, I feel more fully alive as the person God designed me to be. The journey that began with a prayer in 2013 continues today

If you're ready to dig into a journey of growth & healing too, I'd love to support you through the content I share &/or the groups I lead.

When you subscribe to email updates, you'll receive a couple of messages from me. I'd love it if you replied to say, "HI" and let me know you're ready to experience...

Growth for LIFE.