Bill & Kristi Gaultiere

“You brought me out into a spacious place” the Psalmist marveled with thanks to the Lord (Psalm 18:19, 31:8). We want to help you step into the spaciousness that the Good Shepherd has for you and your ministry. We do that by facilitating your intimacy with Jesus.

Soul Shepherding from the Lord Jesus Christ is what enables you to enjoy lasting spiritual renewal and fruitful ministry to others.

But there are obstacles that get in the way. Hurts and worries may burden you. Conflicts can cripple. Ministry stress may overwhelm. More church attendance, Bible study, and hard work are not enough for you to experience the healing and growth you need to be joyful and effective in God’s kingdom. So we are trained to provide psychotherapy and spiritual direction, along with showing you how to use the particular spiritual disciplines you need to be free to be who God has designed you to be.

Contact us if we can help you or someone you’re concerned about.

Bill & Kristi

It's hard to be kind if you're in a hurry

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Most days we find ourselves up close to someone we’d rather not deal with. (And often it’s a family member or friend!) Perhaps the person is critical of you or angry. Or he or she is in a bad mood and keeps complaining. Or maybe it’s someone who is emotionally needy and seems to suck the life out of you.

Are you normally able to offer a blessing to someone like this? To bless the one who has “cursed you” as Jesus taught? (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28).

Many sincere Christians are not able to be kind to difficult people. Interacting with someone unpleasant disturbs their peace and causes them to react in ways that are not loving.

Probably we all struggle with being kind to difficult people more or less from time to time. What’s our problem?

What’s in your Body?

Unless kindness is living in your body it won’t come out of when under stress. Instead you’ll be anxious and irritated, if not angry and rude. Under the pressure of the moment you can’t force kindness and have it come across genuinely, maybe occasionally you’ll seem to be able to do so, but not consistently. It’s like a withering apple tree trying to grow apples.

You’ve got to get into the position in which you’re awash in a world filled with kindness towards you that you don’t deserve and you’re singing in your soul to be so blessed! Of course, this comes as we trust in Jesus Christ and learn to live moment-by-moment appreciating our grace-opportunity to be a part of the kingdom of the heavens.

Haste Makes Waste

A probable reason why we may not be consistently enjoying and sharing the loving-kindness of Christ is if we are in too much of a hurry. Rarely does anything good come from hurry. “Haste makes waste” and in this case the waste is aloofness or harshness toward other people who need a blessing. (Difficult people especially need God’s kindness.)

Hurry is usually accompanied by pride (“I have so much to do that is so important.”), anger (“Don’t hinder me from accomplishing what I want to do now.”), and worry or fear (“If I take the time to care for you it will hurt me and I won’t have enough time or energy for what I need.”) Hurry cuts us off from experiencing God’s grace because we’re relying on our own speed or abilities and not on God.

Learn to be Unhurried

Learning to live at a slower, more relaxed pace enables you to be more patient and gracious with other people. To do this you need to practice the Sabbath. You need regular periods of time in which you do no work and your only objective is to enjoy God and the blessings he provides you with.

To be unhurried in your approach to life you need to train your body to rest from “productive” activity and the other stimulations in your environment like your phone, Facebook, or the television. You need to learn that real rest of soul is not found in entertainments and diversions but in the embrace of Jesus.

Sabbath and Solitude

The best way to learn that it’s really true that “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10) and “he restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3) is by regularly setting aside extended hours of silence and solitude, perhaps enjoying nature, taking a walk with Jesus, or meditating on a passage of Scripture. (Another contrasting way, is through participating grace-giving relationships with a friend or a counselor.)

Most Christians I talk to, including many pastors, are just too busy and too hurried to stop on a regular basis and take a day or even half of a day for solitude. Truth be told they’re afraid to stop all their activity and feel all the unrest in their soul. And they’re afraid to have their pride collapse when they discover that the world gets along fine without them.

So they try hard to be kind because they know it’s right, but they often don’t find that they just don’t have the power to be gracious like they want. They don’t have the power because they’re not tapping into the Power source — they haven’t taken the time to dig deep roots in the compassion and kindness of Christ.

The Psalm 1 man is like a tree that over time roots itself by streams of living water. He doesn’t need to try to force out fruit! It grows naturally from him, even in a drought because he has learned to make significant space to find his nourishment in the words of God.

More Soul Shepherding

“Slow Down for a Sabbath Rest” will inspire you with fresh ideas for setting aside Sabbath time with Jesus.

As part of the ministry of Soul Shepherding we help ministry leaders and other Christ-followers to make profitable use of solitude. Contact us if we can help you or your group with a “Soul Therapy Day.”

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

If you live in So Cal I hope you can join me for our Soul Shepherding retreat this Saturday morning June 4th, 9 am to 12:30 pm: “Walk with Jesus.”

We’ll be meeting at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA in the Art Gallery which is just south of the 13-story Tower of Hope.

Set aside a few hours to grow in your intimacy with Jesus as you walk to inspiring Bible statues, meditate on Scripture, and share your heart. Scripture meditation, solitude, and soul talk are three inspiring spiritual disciplines that I’ll be facilitating.

Precious moments with your Lord and Savior await you! He will minister to your soul. You can learn to hear his voice. I will help you and you will connect with spiritual friends.

This morning retreat is free. A “Love Offering” for the ministry of Soul Shepherding will be received.

Solitude with Jesus

Extended hours of solitude with Jesus is an essential practice for our souls that is taught and modeled in the Bible. It’s especially meaningful to pray in solitude as part of a gathering of apprentices to Jesus. Here are some key Biblical passages that help us to practice Solitude with Jesus.

Soul Therapy Day

Can’t come? Talk with Kristi and/or I about us customizing a “Soul Therapy Day” for you, your marriage, or your group that fits your schedule and your budget. Over the years we’ve led many retreats for hundreds of people – pastors and Christ-followers of all kinds.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

What are you missing out on?

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

I was restless and discouraged so I turned to some words by Ray Ortlund, my spiritual father. O how they blessed my soul! I believe they’ll give you a lift too. But first, let me explain.

Every day has much of the mundane it. If we’re not careful the chores and maintenance of life can suck us into a void of meaninglessness.

Every day also brings forth desires for things that would make us feel good and worries about what might make us feel bad. If we’re not careful our emotions lead us into unhealthy and unholy behaviors.

And every day presents more to do than time to do it. If we’re not careful our to do list makes us hurried and harried.

If we’re not careful we lose focus on what we say matters most to us: serving Christ.

Secret Cynics

If we’re not careful. Read this as: If we’re not care-full. If we’re not full of God’s care then we lose heart and become cynical — perhaps secretly so — about the Christian life.

We talk with many spiritual cynics who have lost heart. It’s a common condition for pastors, ministry leaders, and other committed Christ-followers. We “know” more about God and life with him then we’re living. We can explain for others the Christian life, even some of its mysteries, but we’re not experiencing intimacy with Jesus or becoming more like him.

Christian cynics give up on the possibility that there life could actually look like what’s found in the pages of the New Testament. They reduce Christianity to a set of doctrines or to ministering to other people. Or they just give up and go through the motions. In any case they don’t believe that God has a life of intimacy, adventure, and joy for them.

Take Heart!

Sometimes we all lose heart. All our biblical heroes and the masters of devotion to Christ who followed them experienced this. Ray Ortlund went through periods of spiritual dryness and being cold hearted to God and he told me about it and how he dealt with it.

To re-kindle a fire in his heart for loving and serving God Ray would get close to someone else’s heart that was hot for God. David in the Psalms. Paul in the New Testament. Augustine from the early church. Thomas Kelly, Frank Laubach, or another spiritual writer from the past. Or he’d get together with a fellow disciple of Christ for conversation and prayer. He even took heart from me!

More often I took heart from Ray. He passed into glory in 2007, but I still take heart from him. Like this morning I spent a couple of hours recalling his example and words and thanking God for him. This became a prayer, that is really his prayer through me. It’s a prayer to return to again and again.

Take heart from Ray with me!

Lord, Make My Life a Miracle Today!

Lord Jesus Christ, make my life a miracle today! Make my life supernatural! You’re the original miracle and I live and move and have my being in you. In my own strength I can’t do what needs to be done or love those who need to be loved so I look to you acting with me in grace and I seek to do all that I do today as your apprentice in your kingdom.

Lord, you are the completely balanced Person: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, whole and sufficient in yourself. Holy and happy. Glorious and gracious. Abba, I adore you. Jesus, I embrace you. Holy Spirit, I rely on you.

Thank you Lord God that you are a rewarder of those who seek you. You are my reward — knowing you and serving you is the blessing of my life. No matter what troubles may come upon me I have fullness of life in you and your kingdom. Truly, you are my joy and my delight. I love you! I want to live in your presence always.

Jesus, take me safely to the Silence which is the source of sound. In the battles, temptations, and trials of this day you are my refuge and my fortress. Heal my hurts. Calm down my worry and slow down my hurry. Lift up my head to your heavens all around me. Impress your thoughts on my mind and heart and guide my steps in your easy yoke. It’s your Word that gives me life so I’m listening now and throughout this day for your still, small voice…

Today as I do all that I do, Jesus be the Center of my soul. Deliver me from dark powers so that I am free to be who you made me to be. Integrate all my fragmented parts so that my identity is in being the disciple you love. Focus all my distracted intentions on you in my midst so that I appreciate my opportunity to be with you and to rely on you in all that I do. I want my life with you to be the center of my life.

O Spirit of God, you raised Christ from the dead and you live in me, you breathe in me, you cry out from within me: “Abba Father! Jesus is Lord!” Empower me now. Shine your light and your love in and through me so that in all I do today for me and those I meet the name of Jesus is sweet and the Father is honored. Yes, I want to serve you with enthusiasm, to be a blessing to you and the people around me.

Jesus, I want to be all and only for you today and for eternity!

(Inspired by Ray Ortlund’s ministry to me. See his book, Lord, Make My Life a Miracle!)

More Soul Shepherding

Over the years I enjoyed many lunches and prayer times with Ray. “Be Devoted to Christ like Ray Ortlund” will help you to pull up a chair and join the conversation.

“You Can Live in Jesus’ Easy Yoke” is my new book that will help you to overcome daily stress and live in God’s grace. All revenue from sales of this book supports pastors and ministry leaders receiving therapy or spiritual mentoring.

Soul Shepherding helps secret cynics learn to enjoy intimacy with Jesus and share his love with genuine enthusiasm. You can support a pastor receiving Soul Shepherding with your tax-deductible donation.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

With Jesus Beside Still Waters

A Soul Shepherding Moment

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

We’ve been providing care, counsel, and prayer to pastors and other servants of Christ for a number of years. One of the most important things we do is help them to rest in God.

Every pastor and ministry leader I know — starting with the one that looks back at me in the mirror! — needs more of the rest of soul that Jesus offers us in his embrace (Matthew 11:28-30). Probably this is true for you as well.

How easy it is to be so busy with God’s work and caring for people that you neglect your own intimacy with Christ and miss out on the soul rest that you need! And when you are not resting in Christ you will not be able to share his love effectively with others.

I want to share with you a meditation that will give you perspective and inspire you to learn to live in Jesus’ easy yoke so you can share it with others. It’s called “Rest” and its written by William C. Martin for the pastor, but it applies to all ministry leaders and Christ followers:

Rest

If you fill your calendar with important appointments

you will have no time for God.

If you fill your spare time with essential reading

you will starve your soul.

If you fill your mind with worry

about budgets and offerings,

the pains in your chest and the ache in your shoulders

will betray you.

If you try to conform to the expectations

of those around you

you will forever be their slave.

Work a modest day

then step back and rest.

This will keep you close to God.

What Does Your Calendar Look Like?

Before God’s rest gets in our soul it’ll be in our daily schedules. So Martin concludes his thought on rest with this observation:

One of the first things I look at when I begin spiritual direction with a pastor is his or her daily planner. It reveals volumes about that pastor’s spiritual condition, values, fears, and ambitions. It tells me who their bosses are, who their lover is, and how much value they place on their soul. If you’re working more than 50 hours a week, you’re not doing it for God no matter how eloquent your rationalizations.

Take a long, prayerful, meditative look at your calendar. Who are you trying to impress? God? Give me a break. The congregation? Possibly. Yourself? Bingo!

Now cut some big chunks out of each week for family, rest, meditation, prayer, and flower sniffing. When you’ve done that we’ll talk more about the path to God.

(William C. Martin, The Art of Pastoring: Contemplative Reflections, © 1994, p. 9. Martin’s writing is inspired by the Tao Te Ching, a 6th Century pre-Christian classic by Chinese sage, Lao Tzu. It’s written in the style Jesus spoke in, using images, parables, and paradoxes.)

More Soul Shepherding

Do you practice Sabbath time? My article on “Sabbath-Keeping” will inspire you and give you some ideas.

Check out my book, “You Can Live in Jesus’ Easy Yoke: His Rhythms of Grace for Your Daily Stress.”

Soul Shepherding is for you and your ministry. We offer psychotherapy and also spiritual direction/mentoring for pastors, pastor’s wives, missionaries, leaders, and other Christ-followers. It’s our joy to invite others to join us in the Sabbath rest of God. May God help you to enjoy his abundant and eternal life and to grow in your capacity to minister his life to others.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ SoulShepherding.org

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Why don’t we use silence to help us worship God, listen to him, and open our hearts to him? When was the last time that you were in a church service or other Christian community gathering that provided even one minute for quiet reflection and prayer (perhaps with soft instrumental music in the background)? It’s a rare experience.

Many times I’ve listened to a wonderful message and the speaker concludes by asking us a question to reflect on or pray about. But then immediately he or she does all the praying or someone sings a song — there is no quiet space! No time to listen to God. No time for personal reflection and prayer. No time to even have your own thoughts unless you can tune out the speaker or singer!

Obviously, we who are pastors and teachers don’t trust that people in our groups can keep their attention on God unless we do it for them. And we don’t know how to teach them to attend to God in silence. In the quiet we know that they’ll get restless and their thoughts will go away from God to things like:

• What are we going to have for lunch?

• What time does the game come on?

• I have to go to the bathroom

• This afternoon I need to do _________.

Truth be told many of us who are Christian leaders have the same problem! We don’t know how to deal with the inevitable distracting thoughts that come in quiet prayer either.

Probably you have had many “quiet times.” I wonder what you do with those times. If you’re like most people I talk to then probably you read the Bible. How about pausing on a verse in the middle of your Bible reading — just stop reading and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:15).

Be still and slow down your thoughts. Savor a word or phrase or analogy from Scripture.

Reflect and ruminate on God’s words to you. Linger and listen to the Lord.

Simply rest in the loving arms of Christ and be blessed!

“Be Still as the Lake at Dawn” will help you settle into a quiet intimacy with Jesus.

“Silence and Solitude” will give you ideas about why and how you might practice these two disciplines of self-denial together.

In the ministry of Soul Shepherding we help pastors and other Christ followers to use Scripture to help them respond to the Lord’s invitation: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). We facilitate their intimacy with Jesus and we show them how to help others in this way.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

As part of our Soul Shepherding ministry I regularly lead spiritual formation and soul care groups for pastors and Kristi leads groups for pastors’ wives. Let me tell you about my experience with leading a group last year…

Today I was blessed to lead Lectio Divina for two groups of pastors. We shared in the Bible story of Mary receiving the angel’s message from God that she would give birth to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior (Luke 1:26-38).

We shared in the sweetness of God’s Word. What peace and wisdom came to us from God as we used our prayerful reading of Scripture to help us listen to God and open our hearts to him and to one another.

I led us through the time of reading and re-reading Scripture, each reading supported by a focus question, silent reflection, and verbalizing a prayer in our group. God’s Word moved deeper and deeper into our hearts, culminating in each of us listening for a personal message from God spoken into a particular life struggle or challenge.

I Shared my Fears

I talked to God and my community about my fears of launching full time in our ministry of Soul Shepherding for pastors and leaders and not having enough money to support my family. I prayed about the uncertainties that lay ahead not only in ministry, but also as I prepare to support my daughter going away to college. I told God that I was tired from a busy week of ministry and counseling.

And in all these things I received the word of God as Mary did: “The power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).

God Spoke to My Heart

As I listened to God I sensed him speak to my heart:

Bill, I did the biggest miracle through a little girl’s simple trust in me and my words. Trust me. Let my Word live in you and the Holy Spirit – the presence and power of God – will overshadow you, renewing you and anointing you. This is how I comfort you, guide you, and empower you in all things. This is how I do miracles through you!

I am the Most High. Be quiet and still before me. Let my power overshadow you. This is the secret of your renewal and my anointing upon you.

Come to me as the little chick of Psalm 91 who comes under the shadow of her mother’s wings. This is what Mary did and so I birthed the greatest of all dreams through her. This is what I am doing through you in your life and ministry as you yield to me.

More Soul Shepherding

Listening to God through Lectio Divina has been a great blessing to Kristi and I, along with the pastors, pastor’s wives, and other Christ-followers that we minister to. We recommend the practice to you!

I’d like to share with you a favorite devotional, based on Mary’s story: “The Advent of your God-Dream.”

Perhaps you’d like to learn more about Lectio Divina? Or try it yourself by using my handout for this Advent Lectio Divina?

Do you know that a pastor needs a pastor too? They need someone to turn to for care and counsel. They are blessed to have someone who can minister to their souls and cultivate their intimacy with Christ. Who cares for the pastor who cares for you? Soul Shepherding is meeting this need. Perhaps you’d like to partner with us in prayer or by donating?

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ SoulShepherding.org

It's time to step out of the boat!

By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

Effective December 31st, 2010 I have decided to leave my part time staff position at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA so that I can be full time in the ministry of Soul Shepherding that God has given to Kristi and I.

This is a big step of faith for us. We feel like Peter sitting in his fishing boat when Jesus, standing on the stormy waters, called him to come. In faith he had to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus!  He discovered that as long as he kept looking at Jesus he was indeed able to walk on water!

I have served at the Crystal Cathedral for twenty years, most recently as the Pastor of Spiritual Formation Ministries. It has been an honor for me to work with pastors and leaders at the Crystal Cathedral. The ministry has had major challenges in recent years, but in the midst of that I have been blessed to be part of a spiritual renewal that God is bringing.

In the context of our Soul Shepherding ministry Kristi and I hope to be able to continue to support what God is doing at the Crystal Cathedral by working with pastors and leaders, teaching classes, and leading retreats – the same things that we do for other churches and organizations.

Soul Shepherding is about leverage for the Kingdom of God. Kristi and I seek to be catalytic for God-sized changes in communities of Christ-followers and in the culture of organizations. We do this through counseling, spiritual mentoring, and consulting with leaders, staff teams, and groups.

We are finding that Jesus still multiplies a few fishes and loaves to feed thousands! For instance:

• We’re mentoring a pastor and his wife and we see God working transformation not only in them, but also in their entire church and in over 20 pastors of other churches that they have influence over.

• I provide spiritual mentoring for a pastor who mentors 50 lay leaders in his church who minister to many hundreds throughout the church.

• We’re working with a leadership team at a missions organization to help them become more Christ-centered as a community, organization, and in their person-to-person presentations of the Gospel to over 1/4 million people.

• We create Soul Shepherding resources and offer them for free at SoulShepherding.org and every week hundreds of people like you use them for personal prayer and meditation on Scripture and pass them on to others through sermons, classes, or conversation.

Soul Shepherding is a 501c3 nonprofit ministry governed by an independent Board of Directors that sets the budget and guides the ministry. To help us all be submitted to the Lordship of Christ we have set up a unique balance of power: Kristi and I do not have a vote on Board decisions, but we lead the Board in monthly spiritual formation meetings, helping us to be centered in Christ as a community and to discern God’s leading for Soul Shepherding. (This is the same philosophy that we bring to leadership teams at churches and organizations.)

The Soul Shepherding Board has set a budget for 2011 which provides for all ministry expenses, including for Bill to be full time and Kristi part time. Our revenue comes from donations, fees for counseling or mentoring of pastors and ministry leaders, honorariums from churches, and the sale of special ministry resources. To date our monthly revenue is 45% of the 2011 budget.

Would you pray about the possibility that God might want you to invest in the ministry of Soul Shepherding? Might God want you to help us step out of the boat and walk on water to Jesus? To date we have 52 partners and are trusting God for many more so that the ministry of Soul Shepherding can expand God’s kingdom for years to come.

You can learn more about how you can pray for us or make tax-deductible donations to Soul Shepherding.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

From time to time we all go through trials in which we lose heart and feel overwhelmed with discouragement, worry, or exhaustion. The painful times are “Dark Nights of the Soul” when our prayers seem to go unanswered and God’s comfort cannot be found.

All Christ-followers go through Dark Nights when God seems distant and prayer and other spiritual activities do not yield the experience of God’s blessings as they have in times past. But few people today have been trained in how to deal with these spiritual trials.

Inspired by Psalm 77, I wrote a prayer for the Dark Night of the Soul that I want to share with you.

Watch and Pray

The best time to offer this prayer and to meditate on God’s wisdom from the Psalmist is before you get to your next Dark Night experience. Prepare your heart now. “Watch and pray” with Jesus (Matthew 26:41). Get a hold of your self and pray to become the kind of person who when God seems distant, unkind, unfair, or just unhelpful you will still demonstrate your love and adoration for him simply because he is good.

Will you worship God when no blessings are coming your way? Will you trust that the Lord is with you and delight in him even when you are in the valley of the shadow of death and you do not feel his presence or help? The Psalmist shows us the way…

In the Night I Remember You

Help me!  O God.  Hear my prayer.

At night I keep stretching out my hands to you –

But my soul finds no comfort.

~

I remember you and I groan with longing for you… Selah.

~

I have lost heart.

I cannot sleep.

I am too upset to speak.

~

I remember my night songs and I sing to you… Selah.

~

Will you never show me your favor again?

Has your promise failed me forever?

Have you forgotten to be merciful?

~

I remember your deeds of love and I meditate on you… Selah.

~

Your ways, O God, are holy.

You are great and glorious.

With your mighty arm you have saved us.

~

I remember your miracles and I give thanks to you… Selah.

~

You path, O Lord, leads through the sea;

We follow your unseen footprints;

We walk by faith, not by sight.

~

I remember you, Lord Jesus Christ… Selah.

I remember your cross of love… Selah.

I remember your resurrection… Selah.

I remember you sent your Holy Spirit… Selah.

More Soul Shepherding

The Other Side of Deep Darkness is another Psalm prayer for a Dark Night of the Soul.

The Lamb Became the Shepherd: On the Cross Jesus got through the darkest night by praying Psalm 23 — he is with you in your Dark Night of the Soul.

In Spiritual Direction ministry Kristi and I talk with ministry leaders and others going through a Dark Night of the Soul. We listen. And we help them to pray “Dark Night” prayers. This is one of the ways in our Soul Shepherding ministry that we help pastors, pastors’ wives, missionaries, and other Christian leaders not to burn out or blow out.

Soul Shepherding is a 501c3 nonprofit ministry funded by tax-deductible donations from individuals, fees for services to individuals, and honorariums from churches and other organizations.

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

You know the verse: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” And probably you know the verse that comes later in the same Psalm: “Children are a reward from him.” But you may not know the verse that connects these two: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves” (Psalm 127:1-3).

In God’s wisdom the Psalmist’s prayer is showing us that the way to build a home and a family, or anything, begins with resting in the Lord’s care. That’s why the Hebrew day begins with a quiet evening and a week begins with the Sabbath rest. And it’s why Jesus said: “Abide in me, as a branch in a grapevine, and you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5, paraphrase).

Abiding in Prayer. It can be as simple as: “Lord Jesus, you are the Builder – I am assisting you.”

What a blessing it is to remember to take even just a momentary pause to breathe a prayer to God before a meeting, as you listen to a friend, while you wait in line, right now… “Lord Jesus, you are the Builder – I am assisting you.”

This weekend Kristi and I are helping 70 short-term missionaries to abide in Christ as we build houses and share the gospel of Christ for the poor in Mexico. We’ll be leading meditations in Scripture, prayer, and soul talk for the missionaries and Mexican pastors and leaders. It’s our first Soul Shepherding mission trip.

Your prayers and support help us to assist Christ as he builds into the lives of these families and their neighborhood.

Blessings,

Bill & Kristi

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org