Our Guest: Mindy Caliguire

Mindy is the co-founder and president of SoulCare, an organization dedicated to helping leaders both personally flourish and achieve missional impact.

She speaks and advises into organizations like Compassion International, the National Christian Foundation, and many churches and ministries around the world. And she’s written several books, including Discovering Soul Care, Spiritual Friendship, and STIR. Her latest book, Ignite Your Soul: When Exhaustion, Isolation, and Burnout Light a Path to Flourishing, is a powerful guide for recovering the health of the soul. Mindy lives in Colorado with her loving husband. They have three married adult children, one grandchild, and five dogs.

Key Thoughts and Scriptures:

John 15:1-5 NKJV “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Abiding in Him is the life that Christ calls us to.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines it as “to stand fast, remain, go on being, to await, stay, reside.” The American Heritage Bible, a dictionary says, “to wait patiently for.”

“We live in a fast-paced society. We’re used to quick results…Abide is not part of our modern vocabulary. Few people abide anywhere with anyone. In today’s culture, who has time to abide.” – Abiding in Christ, Paul Chappell

Mindy learned at a young age that if we pray, God will do things.
“God, if you wanna find me in this space, if this stuff does matter, my life matters, I need help.”
What is God inviting me into and how am I following Him?
Mindy felt God’s heart for why we leave the 99 to go after the one.
Our interior life really matters for all the things that we care about and matters to God.
Many people spend so much time on learning the scripture that it is difficult to integrate it all into our lives as humans.

Mindy learned that our physical health is tied to our emotional, spiritual, mental wellbeing.

God’s tenderness is so kind.
“You know, Mindy, what part of ‘nothing’ didn’t you understand?”

Psalm 139:7 NKJV Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

Romans 8:38-39 NKJV For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

God led Mindy to realize she had not been taking care of her soul.
Abiding in Him is an ongoing invitation from Jesus, where we receive life continually—moment by moment, day by day—rather than through a single decision.
We need to accept who God made us to be.
She had to learn how to be with others more authentically, more vulnerably. And then she had to learn a different way of being with God.
We end up being human doings rather than human beings.
When you’re living out of the overflow of a healthy soul, not a perfect soul, there’s vibrancy.
The root word in the Greek for salvation is the same as the word for healing.
We are being healed over time and being shaped and formed into the image of Christ.

The Lord has shown Mindy that discipleship is not optional.

Where’s the Lord and His presence and how am I creating paths to practically connect with that?
Importance of a page, person, and a plan:
The page is an invitation to journal and reflect on your journey.
Who are we becoming? What is God doing and how am I responding?
A journal is a big place to start being real about what’s true and that’s a key part.
The next one: a person refers to the connections we make.
Who is that person that’s helping you on your journey of becoming?
Our plan should be one of intentionally seeking and connecting with God.
There are times we go about our devotions very task-oriented.
Learn how to focus on the relationship side.
Get real with your struggles and put them before God and let your soul rest in God’s care.

Matthew 11:29-30 MSG “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Once you know how to receive your life from God, wherever God takes you, whatever circumstances befall you, you are able to be well.

Mindy’s Tools for Anchoring Your Soul

Anchoring your soul takes time.
There are things that God wants us to contend for in our world, but out of overflow, not out of grinding.

Romans 12:1 NIV Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Philippians 4:11-13 NIV I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…

We’re held and receive our life from God moment by moment.

“Grace is God acting in our lives to bring about what we do not deserve and cannot accomplish on our own.” – Dallas Willard

1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV …“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—

Soul Care vs. Taking Up Your Cross

Matthew 16:24 NIV Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Taking up our cross is not optional.

Galatians 2:20 NIV I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This living by faith is something we need to learn.
“I Died to Myself and Myself Almost Died.”
There are ways that we’re to die to self.
We die to our self will, our agendas, and to our control.
Getting sufficient rest, honoring a Sabbath, going for years without a vacation? Those are not what Jesus was asking us to give up.
It is not selfish to take care of oneself.

Matthew 22:37-39 NIV Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

But don’t assume that because you’re doing self care, your soul is finding a way of life of being open to the living God.
“I’d said yes to everything without asking God if I was supposed to say yes to that. And I was burned out.”
It comes from a profound lack of awareness or regard for the value of their own soul.

We have got to recover a way of navigating those things from a place of biblical and personal integrity in order to have the ability to say no.

Just take care of the one in front of you.

Mark 1:35-38 NIV Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Because of His time in solitude, he heard from God afresh what His calling was.
Every single leader needs to know the answer to that.

The Story of Jesus’ Mother, Mary

Luke 1:26-56 NIV

She didn’t sign up for the easy trip.
But she did sign up for life and God was able to entrust something to her because of her ability to say, may it be done according to your holy will, whatever it is, God, my answer is yes.

“Our abiding in Jesus is even more than a relationship, a fellowship of love. It’s a fellowship of life.” – Abide in Christ, Andrew Murray

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

John 15:9-12 NIV “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Books:

Ignite Your Soul: When Exhaustion, Isolation, and Burnout Light a Path to Flourishing by Mindy Caliguire
Abiding in Christ by Paul Chappell
Changes That Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Mindy’s Amazon Author page
Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray

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Soul Care, Mindy Caliguire’s Story (Episode 120)