“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (Jeremiah 31:25)

 

I am coming off three truly wonderful Psalm One Soul Care retreats. I am blown away by how the Lord shows up to encourage, challenge, and strengthen us.  People came eager to seek God as well as come alongside one another. Jesus met each of us exactly where we were, and gently replenished weary souls through the Word, prayer, friendship, beauty, rest, a few tears, and quite a bit of laughter.

 

Everyone is processing the fallout of the last several years. Grief and conflict. The whack-a-mole. The “should-have-beens”. We have all lost something or someone. We are not built to handle that much relentless bad news, disappointment, conflict, change, and heartache all at the same time.

 

HALT is an acronym that stands for pausing to assess the damaging stressors of becoming too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. And yowza, are people ever hungry, angry, lonely, and tired! Can you relate to any of these?

 

• Hungry: Unsatisfied, yearning for something, but nothing fills the void. Maybe you’ve tried to quiet the longing with less than healthy things. Or you’ve totally lost all hunger. You are running on empty and stuck out in a spiritual desert. Your “give a ____” is broken. You’ve lost your vision, passion, and interest in the things that once brought joy. You may be incredibly hungry to experience genuine connection with God, but you feel miles away.

 

Where do your mind and heart go when you don’t feel loved? Where do your feet go? How do you fill the emptiness?

 

• Angry: Resentful, irritable, bitter, prickly, depressed. We sometimes don’t notice or acknowledge the anger hidden right beneath the surface until it comes out at inappropriate moments often aimed at undeserving targets. I was shocked to experience how people were driving when I returned to the US last year. So much anger coming at us from every direction. Conflicting opinions and perspectives. Seething frustration with so many issues. Us vs. Them. And obviously, we are right and they are wrong.

 

• Lonely: Isolated, disconnected, unmoored. Broken relationships. Distance. Lack of intimacy. We may feel intimidated or that we don't measure up to others. We are desperate for genuine connection, but our trust level is quite low. You may miss the closeness you once felt in your church or circle of friends. Community isn't being with lots of bodies in the same space. It's having vital companionship and friendship with other human beings. It's experiencing authentic fellowship and love in the “one anothers” and “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6) of Scripture.

 

Satan’s main strategy to take us down is “Divide and Conquer”. There's a huge difference between life-giving solitude (which is savoring quiet, rest, and peace with God) and life-draining isolation (which is separating the vulnerable one from the herd).

 

• Tired: The #1 description I hear nowadays when people assess their life is exhausted. Weary, drained, worn out. Not sleepy tired, the good kind of tired--when you’ve worked or played hard and look forward to a good night’s rest, but the kind of weariness that sleep does not cure. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically depleted. “Ridden hard and put away wet”, as we say in Kentucky.

 

What do we need? What do people want?

• Time away

• Peace

• Space to breathe

• Being fed from the Word

• Deep, Rich friendships

• Laughter

• Deeper conversations

• Hugs

• Quiet

• Renewal

• Joy

• Healing

• Connection

• A place to serve

• Community

• Friendship

• Encouragement

• Authenticity

• Jesus

 

My question for the last year has been, “What is my voice?” What can I possibly bring to the table that will help to heal and replenish weary souls? There is a well-known meme (attributed to many people): “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” I do the ministry that I myself need, and that I have needed in the past. I pray that God would use my teaching, discipleship, writing, speaking, counseling, preaching, and consulting—but also that He might use the beauty, humor, travel, photography, adventures, and constant divine appointments with two-legged and four-legged friends (maybe even friends with fur, feathers, flippers, fins and fangs?)

 

God seems to be confirming that He can use any and all of these. One retreat response from last week:

“For me, being at the Refocus and Refuel Retreat was like stepping out of the jungle into an oasis! It was a place where I was nourished, refreshed, lovingly challenged, and encouraged by God as I quietly meditated on His Word, prayed and worshiped through nature walks with Him. God has uniquely gifted Linda Kline with the ability to greet pilgrims right where they are and provide an atmosphere that shepherds weary pilgrims towards increased faith in God, through well studied biblical teaching, powerful photography, and crazy laughter! “

 

Could God possibly use “crazy laughter” to heal, encourage, strengthen, and mold us? I certainly hope so.

 

O magnify the LORD with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

Ps 34:3

 

Much love,

Linda

 

Opportunities for Bible studies, retreats, soul care, encouragement, and community—some online, some in person. “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

 

• The Psalm One Tuesday Night Bible Study--for Men and Women. We just celebrated our 23rd Anniversary! We are currently learning from Jesus in Matthew and anyone is welcome to join us online at 7:30pm Eastern Time. To stay in the loop, sign up: https://www.psalmone.org/tuesday-night-bible-study 

 

The Bible study locals will be gathering occasionally in person for dinner, so let me know if you want to stay in that loop!

 

 

• Registration is open for the next Refocus and Refuel Retreat for Men and Women.  Join us as we pull away for a weekend to reboot, reprioritize, rest, reevaluate, receive, rejoice, release, remember, return, and recover. This semi-silent retreat in Cincinnati is open to anyone, but it’s an especially good place for men and women on the front lines of ministry to pull away and let the dust settle. To register: https://www.psalmone.org/refocus-and-refuel

• May 19-21, 2023

• September 22-24, 2023

• November 17-19, 2023

I may also be doing some Refocus and Refuel Retreats in other locations, so pay attention. One never knows where I might pop up.

 

• Thursday night “Sisterhood of the Fishbowl” just for Pastors’ Wives. This group has been a joyful lifeline for so many. An oasis in the week where we can gather with friends, share our roller coaster lives, laugh quite a bit, and receive a spiritual boost. Thursdays, 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time. To stay in the loop for these online gatherings, resources, and encouragement, sign up at the top of this page: https://www.psalmone.org/pastors-wives 

 

• If you would like to join the Psalm One Ministries Prayer Team, please reply with “Prayer Team”. I need a community of people who will pray for the ministry and for me--especially when I wander away from home to minister and explore. Did I mention that some of my adventures include friends with fangs?