Latest / In His Circle / The Transformative Power of Spiritual Community: Chantal Johnson | Ep 18

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The Transformative Power of Spiritual Community: Chantal Johnson | Ep 18 · In His Circle

• 0:00
  Announcer: Welcome to In His Circle, from women for women.
• 0:04
  Announcer: We're here to help you find peace in knowing you are in God's hands.
• 0:08
  Announcer: Our goal is sharing the Word of God in simple conversations.
• 0:12
  Announcer: We're here to help you thrive every day.
• 0:15
  Announcer: And now, here is your host.
• 0:19
  Tiffany Windsor: Good morning, welcome to In His Circle.
• 0:21
  Tiffany Windsor: I'm Tiffany Windsor.
• 0:23
  Tiffany Windsor: Today we're going to talk about building spiritual community.
• 0:26
  Tiffany Windsor: What is it and what does it look like?
• 0:29
  Tiffany Windsor: And joining me is author Chantal Johnson.
• 0:32
  Tiffany Windsor: Chantal, welcome back to In His Circle,
• 0:37
  Chantal Johnson: I love this opportunity to share more and to learn more and to be part of In His Circle.
• 0:43
  Tiffany Windsor: Well, we're delighted to have you here, and Chantal and I met recently through mutual friends and we've had some really wonderful chats and the opportunity to get to know each other much better.
• 0:54
  Tiffany Windsor: We both have a common love of building community.
• 0:59
  Tiffany Windsor: I wanted to talk today about building spiritual community and, of course, we're going to start off with what is it and what does it look like, and we'll go into some other aspects of it.
• 1:08
  Tiffany Windsor: Chantal, what is spiritual community?
• 1:13
  Chantal Johnson: So community is kind of a buzzword, right.
• 1:15
  Chantal Johnson: I think it's a wonderful word.
• 1:16
  Chantal Johnson: We talk about getting connected in community.
• 1:18
  Chantal Johnson: We want community.
• 1:19
  Chantal Johnson: Spiritual community is going to be being part of God's spiritual family.
• 1:23
  Chantal Johnson: The beauty when we have the Lord, we are already in a community.
• 1:28
  Chantal Johnson: We just don't always know that.
• 1:30
  Chantal Johnson: And so for me, a spiritual community is going to be people, not just women, but predominantly since we are talking about, you know, we've talked about friendship before, and so we're looking at a spiritual community that we can be a part of, either on our own or, you know, if we're married or things like that.
• 1:47
  Chantal Johnson: But for us as women to be part of a spiritual community, for me it's going to be a group of women, and the size can be whatever size you're comfortable with, but it's obviously a group, right, it needs to be at least like maybe three.
• 2:00
  Chantal Johnson: But it's going to be those that want to build that spiritual side of friendship and community and life together.
• 2:08
  Chantal Johnson: So it looks like for me, spiritual community are those that are walking with the Lord, and I get to walk with them.
• 2:15
  Tiffany Windsor: One of the things that's the foundation of In His Circle is building community, and it's so awesome these days how you don't have to have community with someone next door.
• 2:24
  Tiffany Windsor: I mean, this is worldwide.
• 2:26
  Tiffany Windsor: One of the things you and I share in common is we come from the creative craft industry, and so we've had a community there, but building a new spiritual community is something that's going to be new to me through Inner Circle, and so how do you suggest that we begin building a community?
• 2:50
  Chantal Johnson: So, again, if we're going to talk about a spiritual community online, that's going to be a little different than spiritual community in person.
• 2:53
  Chantal Johnson: I think both are very important, especially in the world that we live in today.
• 2:57
  Chantal Johnson: So I think community starts with you've got to have a connection.
• 3:00
  Chantal Johnson: You've got to find where that connection is with someone.
• 3:04
  Chantal Johnson: If we're talking about a spiritual community, it's going to be those that love the Lord.
• 3:08
  Chantal Johnson: I was recently on a, it was a craft retreat, but it was an online craft retreat and I was part of the teaching and I remember sharing the craft that I was doing and why I was doing it.
• 3:21
  Chantal Johnson: And it had to do with belts and we had taken Western belts or leather belts and created bracelets because we were going to put the belt of truth on.
• 3:29
  Chantal Johnson: It was a way for us to have a reminder of God's word.
• 3:33
  Chantal Johnson: And a comment came.
• 3:34
  Chantal Johnson: A live comment said I love to find those that love the Lord.
• 3:38
  Chantal Johnson: So I think very first and foremost is we let people know that we have the love of Jesus, not in a preachy way, not in a judgy way, because he wasn't, but that we just have that love and we want to share that and let that be the foundation of our community.
• 3:53
  Chantal Johnson: So online community is probably a little different than in-person community.
• 3:58
  Chantal Johnson: In person, we're going to find people through our church, through our work, through our hobbies or interests, and we're going to try to pull them and bring them not pull them, but bring them into the things that we love doing or how we love to serve.
• 4:12
  Chantal Johnson: Online I'm learning that and I think Facebook and Instagram are great ways to have that spiritual community, but it needs to make sure that it's a connection and not just like a Facebook like or a part on Instagram, that it goes a little deeper, because that's what community is it's a little deeper.
• 4:29
  Tiffany Windsor: What I love about this is that I have been seeking my community.
• 4:32
  Tiffany Windsor: I've been divorced for many, many years, I have no children, and so I missed all of the moms who have the children and growing up and staying in community through different events with the children and being married and all of that.
• 4:47
  Tiffany Windsor: So there's all different types of community and that's what I love about this.
• 4:52
  Chantal Johnson: There are, and in fact that's the beauty of community.
• 4:56
  Chantal Johnson: We don't necessarily want to find people who are like us.
• 4:59
  Chantal Johnson: We want to find people who are like-minded, and that's very different.
• 5:04
  Chantal Johnson: Like us is that you need to like what I like, do what I do, go where I go, shop where I shop.
• 5:10
  Chantal Johnson: That's being like me.
• 5:12
  Chantal Johnson: But being like-minded is having that mind of Christ that says I want to offer hospitality, I want to be generous, I want to serve, I want to cook for people, I want to visit people.
• 5:22
  Chantal Johnson: That is like-minded and we all can do that.
• 5:25
  Chantal Johnson: What I love to find in community is the commonality of Jesus.
• 5:29
  Chantal Johnson: But then we can all be different.
• 5:31
  Chantal Johnson: I host a Bible study every week in my home and there's about 15 to 20.
• 5:35
  Chantal Johnson: And there are very few of us at the same life stage and I love that because there is energy, there is wisdom, there is growth.
• 5:43
  Chantal Johnson: That happens.
• 5:44
  Chantal Johnson: And I find that if we're all the same, sometimes we need someone to either challenge us or we need someone to teach, and so I want our spiritual community to look different in the fact that, yes, we're like-minded but we have different gifts and talents and we're to use them all to share God's grace.
• 6:02
  Tiffany Windsor: What I love is the commonality that you and I have is how, when I was very active doing my creative work and was connected with a huge audience, at that time our tagline was changing lives through creativity, and to me, it's such a perfect way to bring people together.
• 6:20
  Tiffany Windsor: Now a lot of women may say, well, I'm not creative, I can't do any of that.
• 6:24
  Tiffany Windsor: But what I've loved learning about you, chantal, and learning about the creative projects that you do and how you tie it in, is that anyone can do this.
• 6:32
  Tiffany Windsor: You take away this factor of I can't or I'm intimidated, to include everyone.
• 6:39
  Chantal Johnson: Yeah, and that is really important and I think for me and thank you for saying that but it is so important to include everyone and to give the idea that we are all creative and a part of creating a community is getting creative on how we build that community.
• 6:54
  Chantal Johnson: And one thing I have found for the love of art my mom is from France.
• 6:58
  Chantal Johnson: I learned how to crochet when I was like six.
• 7:01
  Chantal Johnson: I learned how to embroider when I was probably six.
• 7:03
  Chantal Johnson: I've learned how to do all kinds of things and then over the years I've been on design teams and I've done all different kinds of things and the thing you hear is, oh, you can do that, but I could never do that.
• 7:12
  Chantal Johnson: And the thing you hear is, oh, you can do that, but I could never do that.
• 7:16
  Chantal Johnson: And I think we serve a creative God and therefore we are made in his image.
• 7:19
  Chantal Johnson: We are creative.
• 7:20
  Chantal Johnson: We just don't necessarily all have the same creativity, but it's all there.
• 7:23
  Chantal Johnson: And so in Bible study and this is great for community in general, for me, for Bible study I don't want us just to open a book, whether it's a, whether you know a Bible study or the Bible or things that I don't want to just open it and put it right back on the shelf and forget what we did.
• 7:36
  Chantal Johnson: So I try to create unique reminders and it's through the arts and crafts process, if you will of God's love for us and the things that we've learned.
• 7:44
  Chantal Johnson: And they range from simple stringing beads on elastic and making a bracelet with the charm to creating verse card holders, and what I do is I'll have some say, oh, I can't do that, and I'll say you can, you can't step by step, or they get to do as little or as much embellishments.
• 8:00
  Chantal Johnson: I have some that will embellish till midnight and I have some that will be done at 8.15 and we started at 8.10, you know.
• 8:07
  Chantal Johnson: But it builds community and I think we can find creative ways to do that.
• 8:12
  Chantal Johnson: So mine's through arts and crafts and I love to bake and I host and I love to do all that.
• 8:16
  Chantal Johnson: But somebody really may love thinking of the art world.
• 8:19
  Chantal Johnson: You know cookie decorating.
• 8:20
  Chantal Johnson: So you build a community.
• 8:22
  Chantal Johnson: You love to garden, you build a community around that and it can always be God centered.
• 8:27
  Chantal Johnson: And then we go out and we do those things.
• 8:30
  Chantal Johnson: And then, as a community, we go out and we serve and we love and we do those things that God has called us to do.
• 8:35
  Tiffany Windsor: I think you're kind of answering my next question, but one of the depths of resistance for a lot of people is I don't have time.
• 8:43
  Tiffany Windsor: You know, I have so many other commitments.
• 8:46
  Tiffany Windsor: How does one start a new community that feels is going to serve and be able to bring in the right people who will come at that time?
• 8:57
  Tiffany Windsor: Because building community is about staying in community, not coming and going in pieces.
• 9:04
  Chantal Johnson: And so first, I think we have to decide that community is really important, and a lot of times we say we don't have time for things, we don't have time for that, I don't have any more time.
• 9:14
  Chantal Johnson: Well, we need to maybe step back and say what do we have time for things?
• 9:15
  Chantal Johnson: We don't have time for that, I don't have any more time.
• 9:17
  Chantal Johnson: Well, we need to maybe step back and say what do we have time for?
• 9:21
  Chantal Johnson: Is there an area?
• 9:22
  Chantal Johnson: Am I going to the coffee shop and reading a book?
• 9:24
  Chantal Johnson: Okay, we can put community in there.
• 9:25
  Chantal Johnson: Am I watching a little bit of, you know, binge watching?
• 9:27
  Chantal Johnson: We could put community in there.
• 9:29
  Chantal Johnson: Not that any of those things are inherently bad or negative, but if we want to build community and God calls us to build community, but community can be right where we live, with who we already know.
• 9:40
  Chantal Johnson: And then, when you've made community important and you want to share that, you're going to have people that want community and you're going to have people that say they want community and there's a difference.
• 9:49
  Chantal Johnson: People that want community will be in their day in, day out, or however often.
• 9:54
  Chantal Johnson: So, for, like example, my Bible study is an extension of my community and I offer it to everyone and the door is again open, always room for one more.
• 10:03
  Chantal Johnson: I have some that come every time and I have some that come some of the time, and that's okay with me, because I want to be the one to offer the opportunity for community.
• 10:14
  Chantal Johnson: So it's always opportunity for community, so it's always there for people.
• 10:19
  Chantal Johnson: And so I think also, when you say I don't have time and then you create the time, then you see how much it's invested and worth your time and you'll want to keep that community going and you'll find creative ways and then you'll love the people that come for the short term or the long term.
• 10:31
  Tiffany Windsor: Yeah, Are you finding that you are gathering non-believers and believers into your community through the creative yes, yes, I am.
• 10:42
  Chantal Johnson: That's one area of the creative arts for us and, tiffany, we've known this that there is a beautiful process in that creative arts, no matter which one it is, I think, because everyone can come, everyone can learn, everyone can laugh at their mistakes.
• 10:55
  Chantal Johnson: We learn to embrace all of the things that go with that.
• 10:58
  Chantal Johnson: And so when you offer that because I have Bible study with, with creative arts, and then I just have some creative arts that I opened to everyone, knowing that some may or may not know the Lord, and that's just a beautiful way to say, hey, we just want to share that love and the joy that comes from this.
• 11:14
  Chantal Johnson: So for me, I have both, and I have also women that come from very different denominational backgrounds or no background, and what a beautiful thing it is to see how much we really do have in common when we focus on what God has to say about community and friendship and love and life and things like that.
• 11:33
  Tiffany Windsor: Well said, because we do have a lot in common and there are these false walls that are put up that don't need to be there.
• 11:40
  Tiffany Windsor: So that's awesome.
• 11:42
  Tiffany Windsor: As I mentioned, chantal is an author and this is her book.
• 11:46
  Tiffany Windsor: Can you tell us a bit about Beyond the Page?
• 11:49
  Chantal Johnson: It's Blessings Beyond the Page and it's a look at Psalm 119.
• 11:52
  Chantal Johnson: It's the longest Psalm and it's just rich.
• 11:55
  Chantal Johnson: It's rich with practical applications and the way.
• 11:58
  Chantal Johnson: I love the lens.
• 11:59
  Chantal Johnson: The Psalmist writes about how he views God's word, and so I took that and I looked at obviously not every verse, but a big portion of it and found 25 blessings that come from the pages of scripture that don't just stay there.
• 12:14
  Chantal Johnson: And so it's designed, can be done individually or as a group.
• 12:18
  Chantal Johnson: It has a part one which is a five day, which could be a retreat, it could be just a short study, and then part two is 20 days, and so it's kind of like a Monday through Friday type thing, and what I do is, when I teach these types of studies, we meet once a week and we talk about the week before.
• 12:35
  Chantal Johnson: The method that I love to use is to write out the scripture that we are focusing on it's called a precept and then to handwrite a scripture.
• 12:43
  Chantal Johnson: That is what we're to ponder or to meditate on, and then some practical.
• 12:48
  Chantal Johnson: You know, what are you gaining from the scriptures?
• 12:50
  Chantal Johnson: And then, what praise do we give In Nehemiah it talks about when Nehemiah read the word of the Lord, the people wept because they didn't know, and then, once they knew the word, they went and had a celebration, and so there's always a praise when you come after reading God's word.
• 13:06
  Chantal Johnson: And I love this because you can take this as deep as you want, you can get commentaries, you can look up Greek and Hebrew and all this, or you can just literally write out a scripture and write out your thoughts and all this, or you can just literally write out a scripture and write out your thoughts.
• 13:24
  Tiffany Windsor: I love how you have laid out this book, because you give a lot of information and then room for us to take notes.
• 13:26
  Tiffany Windsor: And I love that it's day after day after day, because that encourages us to stay on the path of completing, and it's a beautiful way to engage with the Lord every day, and it's just beautiful.
• 13:39
  Tiffany Windsor: Where can our listeners find your book?
• 13:43
  Chantal Johnson: They can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart online, pretty much where books are sold, all right.
• 13:48
  Tiffany Windsor: Thank you so much.
• 13:49
  Tiffany Windsor: I look forward to welcoming you back to In A Circle for a future podcast and may I ask you to pray us out today.
• 13:59
  Chantal Johnson: Absolutely, and I look forward to being back with all of y'all and I hope just everything we talk about just points you to a love of Jesus deeper and to love his people more.
• 14:07
  Chantal Johnson: Let's pray, god.
• 14:09
  Chantal Johnson: We thank you for this day, for the beauty, for the blessings.
• 14:12
  Chantal Johnson: We thank you for community, how you designed it for us, because you know how beneficial and how blessings just come from community.
• 14:20
  Chantal Johnson: I pray that we all seek community, that we find community, that we be a catalyst for our communities to know you more.
• 14:27
  Chantal Johnson: We pray this in Jesus' name Amen.
• 14:31
  Announcer: Thank you for joining us for today's podcast.
• 14:35
  Announcer: For more information, go to InHisCirclecom.
• 14:38
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• 14:41
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• 14:43
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• 14:49
  Announcer: Thank you and, dear friends, have a blessed day.