Advent gives us time to remember that THIS is not the end of the story. This is not the end of your story or your child’s story, your marriage’s story, the church’s story, or our country’s story. Christ, our Beloved and our Victor, WILL return. Truthfully, it’s my favorite time of the church year. After all the hard news and the heaviness of the brokenness of our world, we get to turn our eyes upon Jesus, to gaze there, to Behold our God, Join me for this 16-day audio Advent Journey to Behold our God and focus on the divinity of Christ through the scriptures and music of Handel's Messiah: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/messiahadvent

A Gentle Invitation to Advent

Bette Dickinson tells the story of how saying "yes" to enfleshing God's message of the Magnificat became one painting, then twenty-five, and then an entire Advent devotional. She also gives us an inside view on how her inner achiever was set free from striving so the Spirit could truly flow through her.  Follow @bette_dickinson on instagram This is an Advent devotional you will return to again and again:  https://www.amazon.com/Making-Room-Advent-Devotions-Season/dp/1514004836/ref=asc_df_1514004836/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564690296844&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3158106950605108191&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010784&hvtargid=pla-1643843137891&psc=1

Bette Dickinson, Advent, and an Artist's Vocation

We have a complicated relationship with desire and longing. Yes, our every cry is welcomed, but do we even want it to come up for daylight? Sometimes desire can feel vulnerable. Other times sharing can be a delight. What happens when we begin to recognize God has a new calling for us? In this episode I invited Beth Booram to teach us to listen to the first seeds of a God-given dream.

Spiritual Direction for your God-Given Dream with Beth Booram

You've heard the phrase, "name it to tame it?" When we name our emotions, the heaviness around our feelings suddenly lifts. In this episode, Alison L. Bradley and I talk through page 5 of the workbook I created for you outlining a four-step process to emotional resiliency. In it I give multiple tools to name, ground, metabolize and then come to a place of rest in the Presence of God. These steps are validated by contemporary neurobiology and the Biblical invitation to lament. Get your free 21-page, "I'm Feeling...Choose your Own Adventure Workbook" here: https://mailchi.mp/9669bd96e860/feeling-choose-adventure  Follow Alison L. Bradley on instagram @alisonlbradley and at her enneagram themed instagram site: @9ish_andiknowit

Creative Ideas for Naming Emotions with Alison L. Bradley

Some of these thoughts on resilience from Melody Ries have been breakthroughs for me. Here you can learn from my mom's spiritual director and her profound story. Neuroscience and Redemption. This conversation is full of gold.

Building Resilience with Therapist Melody Ries

God never tells someone they are too needy. He never rebukes or shushes them. God moves towards us in our need. You can do this SIMPLE prayer practice as often as desired.

A SIMPLE Ignatian Contemplation Prayer Practice: Blind Bartimaeus

What if you knew that every cry was welcomed? What if you knew you didn't have to weigh your need or manage expectations, just come? This is the focus of today's Presence Project Podcast episode. Want to dive deeper with us? bio.site/summerjoygross

Your Every Cry is Welcome

In this podcast episode, Summer invites us to think about our inner critic in another way. Maybe our inner critic is a part of us who needs the love and compassion of God. Also included is a prayer exercise to invite our inner critic out of the darkness of shame and into the Light of God's healing.

Healing the Inner Critic

How do we become aware and discerning with the toxic thoughts which have become the fbackground noise of our life? They are stealing our joy. They are robbing us of courageous creativity. They are demanding perfection. It's time to take back stolen ground by befriending our inner critic. Surprised by this invitation? Listen in. bio.site/summerjoygross

Befriending our Inner Critic with Gem Fadling

Sarah Herring, Spiritual director, therapist and former Dean of Students at Simpson, teaches us a beautiful, grace-filled way to reflect on your day and pray the Examen. This is so rich, friends. Find a beautiful video by Sarah and free 9 pg Examen workbook for a gentle reflection on your day on bio.site/summerjoygross.

Creative Right Brain Prayer Tools with The Examen

We reflect to gather the manna from the day. We reflect to abide with our Abba, the Gardener. Want to know more? Listen to A Beginner's Guide to the Examen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-beginners-guide-to-the-examen/id1462343703?i=1000578677170

A Nightly Examen: 7 1/2 minute Recording

St. Ignatius invited his followers to reflect over their day and ask God where He was at work.  A beginner's guide as well as an examen recording so you can just "push play" and I'll lead you through. Interested in learning more about the Presence Project? Start here: https://bio.site/summerjoygross  

A Beginner's Guide to The Examen

We want to blame, shame, control, or escape the hard, but maybe if we linger and get curious, it can be the gateway to transformation. In this episode, a surprising twist on the flowing River of Life from one of our members became the invitation we needed to be compassionate with slow growth. **Want more joy in your life? We're learning to deepen our joy with these three practices from the free Joy and Resilience workbook here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/joy

How Curiosity Can Lead to Transformation

Part 2 in a conversation with Nicole Zasowski, author of What if it's Wonderful?  She shares her story of infertility and then we talk about how we can experience joy when there's an underlying story of suffering. She teaches us how the simple genius practice of savoring can rewire our brain. Then, finally, she leads us in a practice where we ask the question, "Where is God in the midst of our sorrow and where is He in the midst of our celebration?"

Part 2 W/ Nicole Zasowski: Where is God in our Suffering + our Joy?

Why is staying joy-full so dang hard? The answer WILL surprise you and of course, it's revealed in brain science. This is the first of two podcast episodes with Nicole Zasowski, author of What if It's Wonderful?: Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, & Find the Courage to Celebrate.

Nicole Zasowski: Why our Brains Struggle to Stay in Joy

August’s theme over here on The Presence Project is Joy and Resilience. Why is it that we so easily forget the tables God has set in the wilderness? Instead of staying in a place of celebration after the abundance of connection or the kindness of answered prayer, we shift right back into lack. Our brains slide to scarcity like a car out of alignment. Deepen your understanding of your brain's capacity for joy here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/joy

Building Joy and Resilience

How do we live the unforced rhythms of grace? We say "yes" to the spaciousness of God's good limits and "no" to a life of hustle and hurry. Don't miss this conversation with Ashley Hales or an invitation to walk through Lent with her:  Walking at a Human Pace. aahales.com/shop/walking

Spacious Living: A Conversation with Ashley Hales

Encounter the Good Shepherd with this Ignatian Contemplation.   Are you wanting more? Join the Presence Project and get a mini-retreat based on contemplative spiritual practices here: https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/mini-retreat

Ignatian Contemplation: Found by the Good Shepherd

Before we burst into this new year armed with color-coded goal charts and shouldering the weight of a personal-reno project, let’s be gentle with ourselves.  Let’s sit down on the seam of the year and remember who and Whose we are.  Want to read along? Find the transcript at SummerJoyGross.com

Trust in the Slow Work of God: A Gentle Beginning to the New Year

The way a shepherd tends the bummer lambs who have been abandoned by their mothers deepen our view of our Shepherd. This is your invitation In the Presence Project, we're focusing on the character of God through the scriptures and music of Handel's Messiah this Advent. In the end of a hard year, I'm regaining my equilibrium through worship. Join me? https://mailchi.mp/athirstforgod.com/messiahadvent Music from the MIT concert choir found here:  http://hebb.mit.edu/FreeMusic/MIT_Music/Handel/

The Presence Project Podcast

The Presence Project Podcast

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