Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] ~ Jolene Underwood

Cultivate Remembrance When It’s Hard to Be Thankful

Nov 26, 2019 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 0 comments

November brings awareness to thankfulness more than any other time of year, at least for Americans. (Except maybe Christmas depending on how we position the holiday in our hearts.) I see thankfulness in meme’s, in blog content, in online spaces, and community...

Four Powerful Tips to Break the Trap of Shame

May 14, 2019 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 0 comments

Breaking the trap of shame involves more than positive statements and trying to get ourselves to believe positive things. Yet, we’re prone to grasp every mantra that sounds good and rings true, hoping we can somehow start living that way. We need positive...

Motivations That Build or Destroy Our Ability to Live Well

Nov 13, 2018 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 0 comments

If someone gives you a gift, you might feel good. Whether or not you’re prone to want gifts, gifts motivated by love are nice. Right? But, if you sense that they’re doing it out of obligation, or what they gave is something that offends, or it is...

Can a Christian Be Humble and Also Courageous?

Jun 2, 2018 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 4 comments

Humility is a topic that both scares and entices me. It’s a weird pull and an internal struggle because I want it and I don’t. Maybe I’m not the only one who’s wondered, how can you be humble and also courageous? Aren’t the two concepts...

The Prayers We Neglect

Dec 13, 2016 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 2 comments

A few months ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of women at family camp. Actually, I did little speaking, leaving a whole lot of room for engagement and interaction with the women. What I saw unfold brought tears to my eyes and indicated the Holy...

How to Not Let Prayer Become Your Last Resort {Guest: Jen Ferguson}

Dec 6, 2016 | Soul-Stewardship [Developing Who You Are] | 0 comments

Please welcome my friend and a special guest to this blog, Jen Ferguson. I’m thrilled to host her words here and I pray you are encouraged with them. Jen is a woman who lives what she says. Her love for God and her wisdom in helping others has been a huge...

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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.