“But how!?”

⇧⇧ That! ⇧⇧

I want to trust God even through the worst times. I want to pray “better." I want to experience God’s love as active and present. I want to grow “spiritually.” But how!? I know I should be growing, praying, trusting, and loving well. But how!?

I’ve been repeatedly frustrated when asking my "how?" questions. Here’s the answer I always wanted: [insert new insight or process that magically fixes everything instantly]. Here’s the actual answer: "accept life's pain and complexity and gently practice receiving grace, love, and support." Let me illustrate.

How do I trust God through hardship and suffering?
Wrong answer: “Don’t cry! Here’s the abstract explanation for why you are suffering and God is still good..., and here are the steps you need to take to fix the situation or feel better.” 

Right answer: “Breathe, beloved, breathe. Going through that sucks! Want to tell me what it feels like? I’ll listen without judgment or giving advice…., Wow! That makes so much sense! Thank you for saying all that. You are not alone.” (Can you receive my validation of you and your feelings? Yes? Awesome! Want to keep walking through this together tomorrow? No? That’s okay, I get that too, it’s freaking hard sometimes to accept love and support, wanna talk about that? I won't analyze or condemn.)

Let’s try another one: How do I pray better? 
Wrong answer: “Here are the theological reasons why you don’t pray well to begin with... Read these books or use this copyrighted prayer method _________. 

Right answer: “Pray as you can, not as you can’t. Start talking to God however, whenever, and wherever you can. Do it right now. Try not to resist or fight the doubts, negative self judgments, bad memories, etc. Rather accept their presence and talk to God anyway. Go ahead, I’ll wait as long or as short as you want… Done? Good. What was that experience like? Wanna do it again tomorrow? Yes? Great! No? Cool, want to talk about why not? Can I join you on your spiritual journey and support you?" 

There are no magic answers.
Insight, knowledge, and systems are good and necessary but they aren't shortcuts. More effort is only a partial cure—and sometimes it's the disease. 

Life is hard and complicated, surviving and thriving is complicated too. Accepting that fact is the place to start. Then gentle practice in receiving grace, love, and support is a good next step.

⇩⇩This!⇩⇩

Signpost Inn doesn't have THE answer. But we help you explore your “how!?” questions. We go with you on your difficult life journey. We help you connect with Jesus with more than just your head. We bridge the gap between hard-headed theology and your everyday experience of God's love and care. You don't have to go it alone. 

And, just like the people we serve, Signpost Inn is at a critical crossroad. Our services and staff have expanded, we're able to serve more people then ever before.... but we need your help to close a critical financial gap! 

We need to raise an additional $36,000 this year to cover our staff's salaries and keep our ministry going! 

Why is our ministry so vital?

• Pastors are exhausted - we already serve several pastors through spiritual direction and retreats. We support them, encourage them, and provide a safe and confidential place for them to be real with themselves and God.

• Young people are exhausted -  the economy is a wreck, their faith is constantly under attack, church sometimes feels unsafe, their identity is in question. Everyday we come alongside many young men and women and offer a real alternative to the canned and coercive responses the world provides.

• Everyone is exhausted - Would you like someone to take time to truly listen to you? To really understand where you're coming from? To take the time to walk through the pain and questions without judging? To offer prayer, support, and connection?  We are for you!

Please help us close this critical financial gap and donate today!

Your gifts are completely income tax deductible.

Bonus! Now through the end of June, a gift of any amount gets you access to our Simply Pray self-paced online course COMPLETELY FREE! Once you give we'll send you an invite to the class in a few days.

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