A Soul Shepherding Moment

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 [...]

Continue reading Be Clothed in God’s Sunshine

Soul Shepherding Moments

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Don’t just read the Bible to get through it—let the Word of God read you and get through you.

Learning to pray the Scriptures from your heart so that you long for more of God in your life and confess your sin, hurt, stress, and needs to him is a fundamental spiritual discipline for being with Jesus to become like him. But many of us don’t know how to read the Bible this way or we let ourselves get busy and distracted.

Jeanne Guyon wrote: “Take the portion of Scripture that has touched your heart and turn it [...]

Continue reading A Sweet Aroma

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

I just returned from four days of backpacking in Yosemite with my son David. What beauty to be surrounded by mountains, walking along streams and wildflowers, listening to birds sing, and enjoying graceful deer prancing nearby.

But perhaps the best gift God gave me came with swarms of mosquitoes!

Mosquitoes? How did God use buzzing, biting mosquitoes to bless me?

Swarmed by Mosquitoes

Let me set the scene. As we hiked 36-miles up and down mountains in the thin air at 9,000 to 11,000 feet, each of us carrying 40 pounds on our backs, we walked through some meadows filled with streams, ponds, and lakes. [...]

Continue reading Content in a Swarm of Mosquitoes

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

One of the most touching parts of Jesus’ passion is the scene in which Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross. Do you and I love Jesus enough to help him carry his cross?

I’m continuing the series of Scripture reflections and prayers that go back to the ancient Stations of the Cross. This meditation will help you understand how in your life today you can help Jesus to carry his cross and be drawn into a surprising and sweet intimacy with your Lord and Savior.

What grace there is in the cross of Christ! Reflecting deeply on [...]

Continue reading Surprising, Sweet Intimacy with Jesus

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

Today is Ash Wednesday which begins the period of Lent — 40 days to prepare our hearts for Easter resurrection. This holy season is helpful for all Christians to appreciate the cross of Christ and their opportunity to take up their cross and follow Christ for the joy set before them.

To help you open your heart to Christ and the abundant life that comes through his cross and resurrection I have prepared for you a series of meditations based on the ancient Stations of the Cross. Here is the first one:

No Condemnation: Jesus is Condemned by Pilate [...]

Continue reading No Condemnation

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

We say, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). But do we really mean it? Are we really prepared to say, “If all I have is Jesus then I have all I need to be happy”?

Praying Psalm 23 from my heart helps me to become the kind of person who lives with the satisfaction that Jesus is enough for me. I’d like to help you do that with me. I want to share with you some inspiring Psalm 23 pictures and prayers that will help you trust Jesus as your Good Shepherd in any situation.

But first let’s return [...]

Continue reading If Jesus is your Portion

By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

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 [...]

Continue reading Be Overshadowed by God

By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

“You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance” (Psalm 68:9).

I love the rain. During rainstorms when I was a boy my dad and I would sit in chairs with the garage door open to watch and listen to the rain fall. Storms show us God’s power. Rain reminds us of his love – we can’t live without it’s nourishment.

Rain washes away all the dirt so that when the sun comes out again everything is bright and clean. Probably you stand under a shower of rain everyday to get clean – doesn’t that feel good! Maybe sometimes you take a [...]

Continue reading O Lord, Pour Down your Rain

By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

Life is precious and brief. How can we “redeem the time” before our days on earth slip away? (Ephesians 5:16).

The ancient devotional masters were helped to live each day for Christ by meditating on their dead body being put into a tomb. Probably you haven’t done that before! Most of us today try not to think about our death!

But actually this is a Biblical practice. Long before the monks and spiritual writers of the past the Psalmist was praying about the brevity of life in order to live each day for God. This has been very helpful for me to [...]

Continue reading Like a Flower in the Father’s Field

By Bill Gaultiere © 2007, 2010

I awoke early one morning. It was quiet after a night’s rain. I recited Psalm 23 again and again and talked to Jesus, the Good Shepherd – my Soul Shepherd. What joy to appreciate Psalm 23 anew!

For three thousand years David’s prayer has been offered by people of various faiths and cultures. Jesus himself prayed Psalm 23 – more than that he fulfilled it. And he helped me to paraphrase it into words that restored my soul.

I’m sure that you also need for the Lord to restore your soul each day – there’s no better way than by [...]

Continue reading The Lord Jesus is my Soul Shepherd