Lisa J. Allen Coaching - Your Confidence Coach

Pray your prayers with a holy anticipation today!

🛡️No matter what you face, God has you covered today. I love the use of the word shield when referring to God, don’t you?

The lavish act of pouring out of perfume in Mark 14:8 shows this woman trusting that she will be cared for by Jesus as she pours out what she has through her valuable perfume. Rather than hording it, saving it or preserving it, she poured it out. Knowing and trusting that God will multiply her sacrifice.

What is it for you today? Where is God asking sacrificial pouring out for your…

🌳Family? Children?
🌳Aging parents?
🌳Your friends?
🌳Going the extra mile at work this week?

Mark 14:8 …. “She did what she could.”

🇮🇪 Today I conclude my pilgrimage takeaways by focusing on pilgrimage community. I traveled with 15 other pilgrims. One I knew (Wendy Schulz/Life On Pilgrimage Founder and Leader). During our 4 months of zoom calls and spiritual preparation, we were assured that we would develop friendships. I kind of tuned that out knowing that this was a trip God called me to and finding community wasn’t a main goal….so I thought.

🇮🇪 However, once in country, we found ourselves randomly connecting through dinners and small group times. Yet, profoundly trusting extended “bus seat mate time” was huge for me. It was in these quiet times where I found myself sharing my joys, fears and disappointments and listening to others share theirs. There were also times of prayer together, belly laughing out loud and journeying together that created a sweet bond that remains now that we are on our US soil.

🇮🇪 I am an assertive person, so inserting myself into shopping trips with mothers/daughters or friends traveling together was easy for me, and I was more than welcomed. Yet, I had underestimated, how my soul craved these friendships that I didn’t even realize I needed.

🇮🇪 TAKEAWAY: My instincts tell me that, while Ireland was a sweet way to find these friends, you do not need to board a plane to have the courage and vulnerability to open up to a like-minded stranger.

You can recreate this experience by
🇮🇪 Joining the Bible Study, or sharing more vulnerably in your group?
🇮🇪 Signing up for the book club
🇮🇪 Asking someone at church to coffee
🇮🇪 Attend your Women’s Retreat or even plan one and find friendship on the committee as you plan

Two are better than one….Ecc. 4.

We all have roles, responsibilities and assignments. Jesus’ words here remind us that finishing our assignments and carrying out our responsibilities (even when they are heavy and hard) become spiritual nourishment to our souls.

He sees:
🍃The hard project you are working on.
🍃The difficult conversation you are needing to have.
🍃The heavy load of caring for children, aging parents or partners.
🍃The boss that is impossible to please.
🍃The tense marriage season you are walking through.

Keep walking in your assignment. Finish His work.

Pilgrimage is a disruption….Let me explain. It interrupts routine, places you within a different culture and stretches you in various ways. Disruption is good.

We get out of the churn of life, jobs, ministry, responsibilities, etc.

Pilgrimage is a wonderful reset to stop for a moment, absorb beautiful surroundings, learn about ancient spiritual leaders in the early church and enjoy fellowship with new sisters in Christ.

Takeaway: How can you create disruption at home?

🇮🇪 Interrupt your routine
🇮🇪 Select a new coffee shop to work in
🇮🇪Worship at a church highlighting ethnicities different than yours
🇮🇪 Drive to a lake and enjoy waterfront view
🇮🇪 Reach out to a new friend or old friend you haven’t connected to in a while
🇮🇪 Download a book on spiritual practices and learn from early church leaders
🇮🇪Go to a museum or find a virtual art tour with early religious paintings

You can create your own pilgrimage reset without leaving home.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom & Kelsey. You’re both great Moms and Love you so much ❤️

Love you Mom!❤️

Before I left for Ireland Pilgrimage, the Lord challenged me with two questions. He asked, what do I want to leave in Ireland that is no longer serving me and what do I want to pick up to bring home that will serve His plans for my future.

🇮🇪 We learned about St. Patrick who was actually born in Wales, kidnapped and trafficked as a slave in Ireland. He escaped via the voice of the Lord sending him to a ship which he boarded safely. He studied as a priest for 26 years, forgave his captors and returned to the land of his captivity in order to evangelize them. St. Patrick left his potential bitterness and took the mantle of forgiveness which cleared the way for him to minister to those in Ireland who are captive spiritually to receive the freedom of Christ.

🇮🇪 Take away: What does God want you to lay down today? To leave in the past. Unforgiveness? Release of a stronghold? A habit to numb through social media or Netflix?

🇮🇪 What does God want you to pick up to carry into your future? A spiritual discipline like prayer solitude or silence? Forgiveness that will reconcile a hard relationship and set you free?

Our group of 16 pilgrims prepared for 4 months prior to the trip using Lectio Divina, Solitude, Silence and Prayer walking. Day two began with Life on Pilgrimage Leader, Wendy Schulz teaching us on Ireland’s patron saint Brigid . We traveled to KilKenny where Sister Phil at the Solas Bhride Center continued teaching us about Brigid. We traveled to a holy well known for healing waters, had reflection time and walked a prayer labyrinth.

Wendy also challenged us to answer 3 questions throughout the trip:

🇮🇪 What do you want?
🇮🇪How shall you live?
🇮🇪How are you called?

Today, I challenge you with the same 3 questions. What do you want - Be specific and share your desires with God. How shall you live:? - Let God show you practices that need inserted into your life, habits that need to change or behaviors that no longer serve you. And how are you called? What purpose is God bringing into your life that will bring meaning to our ordinary.