Happy New Year!
It’s surprising how many people search the Internet for help meeting soul care needs. In 2016 SoulShepherding.org received close to 1,000,000 page views.
The #1 utilized resource was our “Spiritual Disciplines List” which was accessed 41,314 times.
Other top Internet searches we received include “the Father’s love,” “fear not,” “calming anxiety,” “hearing God,” “setting boundaries,” and “help for pastors’ wives.”
Most Listened to “Soul Talks”
In 2016 we launched our weekly podcast, “Soul Talks With Bill & Kristi Gaultiere.” Our 20-minute conversations on life, love, and leadership with Jesus received over 30,000 listens this year and was awarded as “New and Noteworthy” by iTunes. The top broadcasts to date are “Spiritual Hospitality,” “The Loneliness of Leadership,” “Trusting the Risen Christ in Trials,” and “The Blessing of Mentoring Relationships.”
The top Internet searches our Podcast received were for “help with pornography” and “sexual intimacy.”
Have you subscribed to “Soul Talks”? It’s easy and free! Just use the Podcast App on your phone and find “Soul Talks”. If you subscribe, give a Star rating, and leave a comment you’ll help more people to find us. Also it’s easy to share episodes with friends.
Most Popular Book
At the end of this summer we opened our online store with Soul Shepherding resources for personal devotions and small groups. The best-selling resource is Your Best Life In Jesus’ Easy Yoke. Each chapter features inspiring Bible studies on how Jesus dealt with stress, surveys to help you identify your struggles and needs, examples of people getting help with anxiety and other stress problems, and practical spiritual experiments to live in Jesus’ rhythms of grace.
Most Read Articles and Devotionals
We developed 48 new devotionals and articles in 2016 — all of them free. Here are the most widely read:
“A Sabbatical Guide For Pastors.” An increasing number of pastors have sought my help with planning and implementing a Sabbatical. This extensive guide provides the Biblical basis, examples from pastors who have worked with me, step-by-step instructions, and reflection questions.
“Praying For Physical or Emotional Healing.” This in-depth article features Bible teaching and practical guidance on how to pray for someone who is hurting. It’s largely based on what I’ve learned from Pastor Joe Johnson, one of our Soul Shepherding Associates.
“A Retreat With Brennan Manning.” Imagine you were going on a retreat led by the late Brennan Manning. What a blessing that would be! That’s the premise of this popular article.
“Inventory of Emotional Wounds From Your Mother or Father.” This is a short survey that we use in our 5-day TLC Retreats. (We have openings for upcoming retreats in Orange County, CA: January 16-20, 2017 is “Spiritual Formation” and January 30 – February 3 is “Spiritual Leadership.”)
“Megachurch Pastor Pete Wilson Burns Out.” This short devotional features the story of a stressed out pastor who admitted to his church of 7,500 and to the world: “I’m not OK. I’m tired. And I’m broken. And I just need some rest.”
“Women as Pastors, Elders, and Leaders in Bible-Based Churches.” Many of the pastors and leaders we help are women. Often they feel that they are not welcome in church leadership. This article features Biblical and 1st Century cultural insights from leading Evangelical Christian scholars that make a case for Bible churches bringing qualified women into leadership positions.
“Dallas Willard’s Stages of Eternal Living.” This is a short summary of Dallas Willard’s insights on spiritual development from his best-selling book The Divine Conspiracy. (We teach on this as part of our 5-day TLC Retreat on “Spiritual and Psychological Development.”) This year we also did a podcast on “Christly Leadership: Lessons From Dallas Willard.”
Sabbatical Rest
For help planning and getting the most out of your sabbatical, check out our Sabbatical Guide. It is our hope at Soul Shepherding that through our resources you would find encouragement and tools to help you receive fully, all that God has for you.
Join Us on a 5-Day TLC Retreat!
TLC is for “To Love Christ”! Contact us if you’re interested to attend one of our TLC Retreats in January or later in the year.
Year End Donations
There’s still time to make a tax-deductible donation to Soul Shepherding. Donations are needed and appreciated!
