By Bill Gaultiere © 2012

We say, “I love God.” But do we say this with endearment? Delight? Affection?

Maybe we’re embarrassed to show affection for God, to let our heart hang out for him. Or maybe it’s that as we go about our day we forget him — we get distracted. If we’re not careful the presence of the Lord in our midst becomes like the wallpaper that we don’t notice anymore.

Today I’ve been praying Psalm 2. I’m using a little prayer I wrote to keep offering up expressions of my love for God because he deserves my best. The Lord deserves my whole heart!

My love falls so far short of what is fitting for our glorious God, but at least I can keep stoking the embers and rekindling a flame of love for him. My abiding prayer helps. (Hint: it helps to engage your heart if you pray this with a smile!)

Blessed Refuge

We adore you, O Abba!

We kiss you, O Christ!

We savor you, O Spirit!

We trust you, O Trinity!

Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.

(Inspired by Psalm 2:2b, 7, 12a)

More Soul Shepherding

“Kiss the Son of God” is one of my favorite prayers of devotion, also from Psalm 2. This is truly a heart-warming prayer. Let it melt your heart. Let affection for Jesus inflame you.

“Abiding in Prayer” introduces this way of prayer with teaching from the Bible.

“Soul Shepherding is for you and your ministry” ~ Contact Bill or Kristi Gaultiere

By Bill Gaultiere © 2012

My heart goes out to people who get overcome by worry. It’s a temptation we all face. It used to be a way of life for me till I was renewed spiritually and deepened by trust in God’s Word.

As a Psychologist I help people with worry in therapy. I also provide spiritual care and mentoring for groups of people in homes, churches, and retreat centers. For instance, last night I was blessed to lead a group of friends in a time of Lectio Divina (an ancient way of praying Scripture) on Jesus’ beautiful words Matthew 6:25-34: “Do not worry… Look at the birds… See how the lilies grow… Seek first the kingdom of God…” Everyone drew closer to Jesus. Each person shared their heart with the Lord and their friends and each heard Jesus’ words of peace applied to their personal life.

God Will Clothe You

I’d like to give you a taste of our “Intimacy with Jesus” group by sharing my experience. For the first reading of the Bible passage the phrase that God drew my attention to was, “He will clothe you.” After the second reading I prayed in silence and then with a cluster of friends concerning my temptation to worry about the sermon I’ll be giving this Sunday, my first at Voyagers’ Bible Church, our new home church.

Our third and final reading of the Bible passage was focused on listening for a personal invitation from the Lord. We listened in silence and then each of us shared in our cluster a prayer of thanks for what we sensed God was saying to us. Here’s how I heard the Lord speak to my heart:

Do not worry. As you preach concern yourself with one thing: me in the midst of the congregation. I am present. I am Fathering the people as you speak. Just as I care for the birds so I care for my people. Trust me as the one who is sowing and reaping, the one who stores away treasure in the heavens. Then for you and the congregation your sowing and reaping will be an easy yoke and you’ll enjoy a treasure store in my kingdom.

I am growing the flowers as you speak, clothing them in my sunshine. I am the one who clothes you. Be clothed in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Be clothed in the words of Jesus — embody them. I will speak through you, not just your words, but your spirit clothed in my Spirit. I will glorify Jesus through you and he will minister peace to the congregation.

Just as I sing over the birds and they sing back to me so it is with my people. Imagine yourself preaching in a field of wildflowers with the sun shining and birds singing. Imagine yourself standing with Jesus in the kingdom of the heavens and all eyes are on him. Make this your prayer then you and the congregation will be at peace as the sunshine and music of my glory spreads in them and through them to the people they touch in their daily lives.

Feed off the Fruit of My Meditation

What challenge are you facing in your life? What stress is troubling you? Re-read my invitation from Jesus, receiving it for you in your situation. The ancient masters of devotion to Jesus call this “Feeding off the fruit of another’s meditation”…

More Soul Shepherding

The best way to hear God speak into your own life is to take the time to do your own meditation on Scripture. I invite you to listen to God speak from Matthew 6:25-34. Here’s the Lectio Divina handout on “Do Not Worry: Matthew 6:25-34” that we used last night.

My article on Lectio Divina introduces the history, Biblical background, rhythms, and steps to practice of this ancient discipline.

If you live in Southern California I invite you to come to one of our upcoming Soul Shepherding events, including this Sunday when I preach on “Be God’s Wildflower — Be Worry Free!” Or perhaps we can do an event for you and your friends at your home or church.

“Soul Shepherding is for you and your ministry” ~ Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D.

By Bill Gaultiere © 2012

We all want 2012 to be better than 2011 — even if last year was a great year. How does that happen?

Not by having better circumstances. (They always go up and down.)

Not by keeping a typical New Years’ Resolution. (They don’t deal with personal character and besides they fizzle out by February.)

Not by making no resolutions. (It’s a good and necessary thing for all of us to resolve to be and do better, as long we’re inspired by God’s wisdom and relying on his strength.)

Not by following the typical Christian advice: “Three Steps to a Blessed Life” or “Five Biblical Principles to Help You Succeed.” (True life in Christ is so much larger than using God to make our life turn out more like we want it to.)

The Way to a Better Year

“I am devoted to you,” David proclaimed to the Lord (Psalm 86:2). That is the one and only way to enjoy a better year this year than last.

Imagine waking up each day and stepping into the kingdom of the heavens. (It’s not just a far off and way later — it’s wherever Christ is King.) That is the life of beauty, goodness, and adventure that God has for you and I!

I have found that beginning my day with a prayer of dedication to the Lord is the right start to remind me that I am not living from the visible world, but God’s kingdom, invisible and yet more real and glorious than anything I’ve ever seen with my eyes. Then continually, as often as I can remember, I offer up prayers inspired by a fragment from a Psalm or other Scripture.

A Prayer for a Better You

Try this morning prayer of dedication with me:

Good morning Father! Thank you for this day of life you’ve given me. Jesus, be my Lord and Teacher today in all things. You mean everything to me — what a blessing that I am the disciple you love!

O God, whatever happens today, however people treat me, whether or not I succeed in the things I do I will rejoice because I am with you being formed by the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus, more at peace and more loving to the people near me.

Father, Son, and Spirit I am in you and you are in me! Think with my thoughts. Stir in my heart. Look with my eyes. Speak with my mouth. Love with my hands.

All I want today is to glorify and serve you, my Lord. So I abandon to you the outcomes of this day, trusting that you are good and you are working good in my life — even when it doesn’t feel like it. In Jesus’ name I pray and live. Amen.

This is a prayer to offer from our hearts. It’s an attitude to live by. Why? To exalt the Lord Jesus Christ! To be devoted to God! When we abandon ourselves to God we find that we couldn’t be happier, we couldn’t have a better life  – not matter what our circumstances are at the moment.

More Soul Shepherding

“Devoted to You” is one of my favorite prayers of devotion. It’s inspired by Psalm 86, a special, but little known prayer by the man after God’s heart.

“The Apprentice Prayer” is a prayer of devotion that I wrote during my spiritual renewal that began in 2002.

Is your life devoted to Christ? I think it is or you wouldn’t be reading this! How can we help you to better follow the Good Shepherd in the New Year? Let us know. Soul Shepherding is for you and your ministry. 

Bill & Kristi Gaultiere ~ SoulShepherding.org

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Mary offered a little prayer of faith to receive the birth of Christ and the world has never been the same! How might the world around you change if you offer her prayer from your heart?

These days in the Christmas season can be hectic. Many people find their calendars too full with holiday actives and they are hurried and stressed. For some there are family conflicts or financial problems to deal with. Others are lonely. These things — whether happy or unhappy — may distract us from appreciating the Christ of Christmas.

All of us, whether we realize it or not, long to participate in a close friendship and dynamic partnership with Jesus, whose birth we celebrate.

Try Mary’s Prayer

Mary’s prayer that birthed the first Christmas can birth Christmas in your heart:

“Let it be to me… According to your Word” (Luke 1:38, NKJV).

You might find it helpful to meditate on these words of Scripture by breathing them in and out this way:

Breathe in to appreciate the life of Christ flowing into you: “Let it be to me…”

Breathe out to submit to God: “According to your Word.”

Soul Training

After you spend a little time meditating on the Breath Prayer from the Bible try focusing your prayer on a particular stress or opportunity in your life that needs to be submitted to God. To do this simply pray, “Lord as I __________, let it be to me… According to your Word.”

Then see if you can remember to repeat this prayer with a breath now and again as you do what you’re doing throughout the day. In the way you can devote  to the Lord each activity and each interaction with another person.

Try it this for a day or a few days. You’ll be amazed at how you begin to experience more of the flow of God’s love, joy, and peace into your life and through you to those around you.

Mary’s little prayer of the heart can facilitate the miracle of Christmas for you today!

More Soul Shepherding

“Advent Breath Prayers” features prayers of the heart inspired by the Bible characters in the nativity.

Soul Shepherding is for you and your ministry. We are dedicated to developing pastors and all kinds of leaders and caregivers through counseling, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation resources. Soul Shepherding is a 501c3 nonprofit ministry. Donations are tax deductible.

Bill Gaultiere, PhD & Kristi Gaultiere, PsyD ~ SoulShepherding.org

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

This Christmas season maybe you need to appreciate that God bestows his favor on you personally? Maybe you’ve been feeling discouraged or insignificant and need to lift up your head to Christ? I did. So God led me to meditate on the shepherd’s place in the Christmas story as it’s recorded in the Bible (Luke 2:8-20).

In Jesus’ day shepherds were poor and disregarded. In public they hung their heads or stood off to the side. Isolated from the rest of society, they lived out in the fields caring for sheep day and night, rain or shine, heat or cold. They had to be constantly on the lookout for predators and thieves. They took turns staying awake through the night.

Imagine being a shepherd on a cold winter night. It’s so cold your bones ache and your teeth are chattering. It’s dark and you’re struggling to stay awake and keep watch over the sheep. You never know when a lion might pounce out from the bushes to attack a sheep. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a blinding light shines in your face and something appears!

You scream in fright. Trembling and squinting in the bright light, you scurry to pick up your rod to protect yourself and the sheep. There’s panic in the camp as the other shepherds are awakened and the sheep are bleating loudly.

The Shepherds Lifted Up their Heads

“Do not be afraid,” a heavenly voice reassures. Its an angel! “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” the angel proclaims. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

Then the angel is joined by a whole company of angels. You lift up and your head as they praise God and proclaim his favor upon you! The angel says that you’ll find the Christ child wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Wow! It’s all so incredible. You try to take it in: The Messiah has come and he’s come for me! He’s the Savior of the world and he’s lying in an animal feeding trough?! If God would humble himself that much maybe he does love a lowly shepherd like me.

You hurry off to Bethlehem to see the newborn Savior. Sure enough, just as the angels said, there is the baby lying in a manger with his mother Mary and Joseph in a cave full of animals. Overjoyed, you spread the glorious news of what the angels told you about the Christ child, first to Mary and Joseph, then to the people of Bethlehem and whoever would listen.

Let’s Treasure Jesus!

Luke concludes this part of the Christmas story by saying: “All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:18-19).

Are you amazed by Jesus like the people of Bethlehem were? It’s easy to be amazed by Jesus — his birth, his holiness, the miracles he performed, all his words of wisdom, his resurrection — until something else catches our fancy and Jesus fades back into the background of our lives.

We need to be more than amazed by Jesus. Our real opportunity is to treasure him in our hearts as Mary did, to lift up our heads in God’s presence and hurry to behold Christ in our hearts as the shepherds did.

A Prayer

Precious Jesus, yes, we hold you in our hearts. We lift our heads with pride because you have come to us. We ponder your birth, your holy life, your sacrifice of love, your resurrection, and your presence with us now. We delight in knowing you. We rejoice to serve you in all that we do. Amen.

More Soul Shepherding

“Advent Breath Prayers” features prayers of the heart themed on different Bible characters from the first Christmas.

Donations to Soul Shepherding provide counseling and spiritual direction for pastors, missionaries, and their wives. They also support SoulShepherding.org which receives over 600 pages views per day. Thank you!

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

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Of all the virtues gratitude is queen. Giving thanks to God is the most lovely virtue and it’s the mother of all that is good. That’s because “Every good and perfect give is from above” (James 1:17) and appreciating this is the way we participate in God’s blessings for us and others.

Research shows that grateful people are healthier, happier, and have more friends. Most of us know this but are prone to allow our thankfulness to be overtaken by things like worry, boredom with the mundane, time pressure, negative people, or pain.

How to Grow in Gratitude

The great apostle urges us, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). How do we do this? By keeping our mind on the goodness and beauty of God. How do we do that? By cultivating a heart habit of thankfulness. How do we do that? By getting the word of God imbedded into our body.

One way I’ve done this is by praying a little gratitude prayer with my body over and over so many times that it became unconscious. I did this with the prayer, “Thank you Lord.”

I put my body into it by using a simple Breath Prayer rhythm of breathing in, “Thank you,” and breathing out,”Lord.” I taught myself to use my breathing in and out as a prayer: breathing in to receive from God and breathing out to submit to my Lord. Thankfulness to God and submission to his will are the first two prayers of the Lord’s Prayer.

Then I repeated this prayer countless times for intensive periods over many months. (We have to train ourselves to grow in godliness, 1 Timothy 4:7.) In particular I did this while jogging long distances when I was tired. Eventually, it happened that even when I had not consciously intended to do so I’d often find myself pausing to breathe, “Thank you… Lord.”

What a blessing this has been! It’s just three syllables. Just a breath. Just a smile to God. But it’s given a lift to my attitude! Try it and see for yourself.

Thank you Lord Jesus Christ. You are wonderful to us. You are faithful and your love endures forever. Your Spirit lifts us up like the eagle is lifted by the wind currents. Teach us Lord to be grateful all the time, not just on Thanksgiving day, not just when times are good, but even in difficult times. Amen.

More Soul Shepherding

“Turkey and Prayer” will inspire you with a simple way of elevating the conversation at your Thanksgiving meal (or any meal).

“Old Words, New Thanksgivings” offers some uncommon ancient wisdom on the virtue of gratitude.

Live in Orange County, CA? Come to Thirst!, a monthly gathering for people who long for more of Jesus.

Breath Prayers are one of the Soul Shepherding disciplines that we teach to pastors and others to help them renew their minds in God’s Word. We do this in spiritual direction, soul care groups, and retreats. Soul Shepherding is a nonprofit ministry. Donations are tax-deductible.

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

It’s ironic that the more we long for Jesus—to know him intimately and love him fully—the more we are deeply satisfied. Most things in life don’t work that way. If you cultivate a craving for chocolate you’re likely to keep eating it and gain weight or get sick to your stomach!

Craving becomes a big problem if you’re longing is for acceptance or self-worth and you keep striving to achieve it. You can never accomplish enough. Never be attractive enough. Never keep people happy with you. Many addictions and much unhappiness come out of craving for things other than Jesus.

Is the Lord your Portion?

Many times the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my portion.” For instance, he prays, “Whom have I in heaven but you, Lord, and earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26-26).

In other words, “Lord Jesus, I wouldn’t even want to be in heaven if you weren’t there and this earth has nothing that satisfies me except you. My own strength and abilities often fail, but with you living in my heart I have all the power I need and more joy than I can contain.”

What if this prayer were really true of you and I? What would it be like to be the kind of person who continually thirsted for Jesus and found delight in him? Imagine if the way you do your work, relate to people, spend your free time, and even the things you think about were an expression of your love for Jesus. I’m not talking about perfection, but growing towards it, by God’s grace, little-by-little.

You Can Find More Joy in Jesus!

To live by the words “The Lord is my portion” requires abandoning other pursuits and desires, including good ones. It also requires soul training. Longing for Jesus is the only way to participate in and naturally share with others “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19).

A wonderful way to cultivate this devotion to the Lord is to pray the Psalms. We can “take heart” from the Psalmist, praying his prayers to absorb his whole-hearted love for God.

More Soul Shepherding

If you live in Orange County, CA we invite you to join us at Thirst! We’ll help you to delight in Jesus as your portion.

Learn how you can “Pray the Psalms with Jesus.”

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

By Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. © 2011

“Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: ‘Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.’

“Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.” (Matthew 11:25-27, MSG)

Most of us try to have a prayer life and feel guilty that we don’t spend enough time praying, especially for the needs of others. This is not the right way to think about prayer. Don’t seek a prayer life—seek a praying life, a life permeated with prayer.

Jesus shows us what a praying life is like. Routinely he got alone to pray, often for hours at a time. But his intimate conversation with the Father didn’t stop when he had work to do. He said, “I only do what I see the Father doing” (John 5:19, par).

Jesus’ Example

In Matthew 11 we have an example of Jesus at work in a prayerful way. He was explaining to those following him why some people rejected him and his message. It was getting heated. Until… “Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer.” Then infused with Abba’s love, “Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.”

If you limit your prayerfulness to “quiet times” and church activities and don’t include your ordinary life with problems to solve, work to do, and people to see you’ll live largely separated from God’s grace.

“Abruptly break into prayer”—even if for just a moment—as often as you can remember and the Father’s tenderness toward others will flow through you naturally.

More Soul Shepherding

Worry, more than anything else, is what distracts us from appreciating God’s presence with us. Try turning your worries into prayers. Pick a simple, but deep Breath Prayer from “Bible Prayers to Live Worry Free.”

Do you ever become jealous? Or get competitive? Most people do.

These are problems of insecurity that come from trying to find our value in the things we have, the way we look, or what we do. This is the way of our culture which says, “Blessed are the rich, the good looking, and the successful because they have what the best that the world has to offer.”

Who is Really Well Off?

But Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor and the shy because the kingdom of the heavens is open to them.” But don’t stop there. He would also say, “Blessed are the rich, the good looking, and the successful because the kingdom of the heavens is open to them.” In other words, the great opportunity of anyone’s life is to be alive in God’s kingdom—whatever circumstance they might find themselves in. (See Matthew 5:3-10 and Luke 6:20-23).

If you’re rejoicing in the smile of Christ the King then you won’t be overcome by jealousy or selfish ambition when you see someone who looks to be fortunate. Instead you’ll want to share the blessings of Christ that you’re enjoying. You’ll naturally and routinely “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

Be a Friend of the Bridegroom

John the Baptist’s disciples became jealous and competitive when they saw that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing more people than them. John replied along these lines, “Jesus is the Bridegroom and the people are his bride so of course they want to go to him! I am the friend of the Bridegroom and it’s my great joy to stand at his side, give him praise, and encourage everyone to go to him. Jesus must increase and I must decrease!” (John 3:29-30, paraphrase).

Oh to be a friend of the Bridegroom! There is no greater joy than to draw people closer to Jesus! That’s why we need to eliminate selfish ambition and the insecurity that underlies it by discovering the treasure of God’s kingdom.

A Breath Prayer Exercise

Here’s a Breath Prayer to help us cultivate the faith, humility, and generosity of John the Baptist: “More of Jesus… Less of me” (based on John 3:30).

As you breathe in appreciate Jesus… As you breathe out let go of the sin, striving, stress, or whatever it is that distracts you from Jesus…

It helps to name whatever it is in your life that crowds out Jesus, even to imagine that struggle as you pray: “More of Jesus… Less of me…”

Breathing in, “More of Jesus…” Breathing out, “Less of my striving…” (or worrying or trying to please people or…)

More Soul Shepherding

Here are some of wonderful promises of the blessing for those who open their heart to God and find their true Identity in Christ.

Here are my favorite Breath Prayers from the Bible. So easy to memorize and carry with you as you go about your day. So delightful and transformational to pray from your heart.

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

Discipleship to Jesus changes how we live. We gain a new perspective and new resources—a new life takes over our life. We learn to do whatever we’re doing from within God’s kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17).

What does this look like? Dallas Willard says it’s like becoming an apprentice to Jesus. It’s not about being religious—it’s about being with Jesus to become like him, holding his hand and learning from him continually.

Learning from Jesus, the Master, changes everything about our lives because it changes us on the inside. What difference does discipleship to Jesus make in our daily lives? It’s huge!

A Plumber’s Story

I love the way Dallas Willard, my personal mentor, explains the practical life transformation that takes place when we apprentice ourselves to Jesus:

Let’s say I’m a plumber and I’m going to clean out someone’s sewer. How will I do this as Jesus would do it? If you encounter difficulties with the people you’re serving or with the pipe or the machinery, you never fight that battle alone. You invoke the presence of God. You expect to see something happen that is not the result of you.

If you train yourself to thank God when those ‘coincidences’ happen, you’ll see them as patterns in your life. The crucial thing is to be attentive to God’s hand, not to get locked into one-on-one thinking: It’s me and this pipe! Never do that. A person has to train himself to think, Now is the time to rely on God and to praise him for the solution that will come to me. That’s called ‘life in God.’ Training brings you to the point where you don’t have to say, “I have to pay attention!” You routinely think, This is an occasion when God is present. This is a time to pray, to praise. (Quoted in When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson, p. 145.)

It’s Not Just Me and this Pipe!

What has happened for this plumber? God has a solved his problem with the pipe. Yes, but what is far more important is that the plumber has become the kind of person who prays and praises God as he works on broken pipes. That is a miracle because plumbing problems can lead even an expert plumber to become grumpy and irritable! In all the circumstances of his life he knows that the living Christ is with him and so he remains at peace and he is more effective in whatever he is doing because he relies on God’s wisdom and power to help him.

Imagine you being a person like that plumber. Imagine doing your job as Jesus’ apprentice. Imagine doing whatever you’re doing in Jesus’ easy yoke: cooking, caring for your kids, going through your e-mail, driving in traffic, listening to someone who is angry with you, waiting in line at the bank. Doing it all with a smile because Jesus is with you and the two of you are in partnership.

You can learn to live for Jesus. You can be like the man who discovered hidden treasure in a field and joyfully sold everything he had to buy that field. The treasure is knowing Jesus intimately. The field is your life (Matthew 13:44).

More Soul Shepherding

What have a learned from Dallas Willard? A lot! Here are my “Reflections on Dallas Willard’s Ministry to Me.”

How important is it to you to learn to devote your whole life to Jesus? It’s the best life and the easiest life! I my book You Can Live in Jesus’ Easy Yoke I show you how living as Jesus’ apprentice can give you peace in any situation of stress.

Through counseling and spiritual mentoring, seminars and retreats we help pastors, ministry leaders, and other servants of the Lord to live in Jesus’ easy yoke.

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