(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
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Welcome back, my friend. In a world where days blur into each other, reclaiming presence isn't just a luxury, it's a necessity for a life of joy and impact. Today we're talking about the power of intentional presence, how to show up fully in your life.
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If you've ever felt like your days run together, emails, messages, meetings, and meals you barely taste, you are not alone. So many of us are moving so fast that we miss the moments right in front of us. You know those days when you rush from one thing to another trying to check all the boxes and at the end of it you can't quite remember what actually mattered? You were there but not really there, physically present but mentally miles away.
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I think we've all been there. God gives us one wild and precious life. To quote Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, and we're meant to experience it fully.
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So if you find yourself from time to time or all the time wondering where the day went or rushing from one activity to the next, this episode is for you because today we're going to fix that. Welcome to Goals in Grace, the podcast for accomplished women who are ready to align their ambition with faith and step into their highest potential. I'm Rev. Juliet Spencer, a certified high-performance coach and former pastor, and I'm here to help you break free from imposter syndrome, embrace gratitude and lead with clarity, purpose and peace.
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Each week I'll share faith-filled encouragement, personal stories and proven strategies from books like High Performance Habit, as well as from my coaching program, The Purpose and Peace Pathway, to help you achieve success without apology. You'll walk away with tools to lead boldly, live intentionally and honor the calling on your life. Let's step into our calling together.
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Don't forget to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who's ready to grow. I am so excited to share with you today, my friend, because the power of presence is so important. It has the power to change how you experience your time, yourself, your relationships and how you live your relationship with Christ.
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I remember a time when I absolutely was overwhelmed and anything but present. Actually, a lot of days. But on this particular day, I had a full schedule, calls, coaching sessions and research for a Bible study I was teaching.
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I was checking off tasks one after another. But later that evening, my husband came in to tell me about something funny that had happened with one of his friends. And I realized that I hadn't looked up from my laptop in hours, hours.
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I was so embarrassed and couldn't help but wonder what else I'd missed. It didn't take long to figure out. The empty plate beside me spoke volumes.
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Had I even stopped to thank him, truly thank him for making me something to eat? Had I stood up to kiss him when he brought it to me? Did I ask him how his day had gone? I honestly didn't know. But I had the feeling I would not like any of my answers. In my bones, I knew that I didn't want to be that person who could miss something so ordinary and yet so really important.
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I was accomplishing things but missing my life. And I could feel it. The joy was somehow diminished and the peace was being replaced by noise.
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At night, I prayed to God for help, asking God to slow me down so that I didn't let another day go by without noticing the people around me or take time to appreciate more than just my to-do list. The next morning, as I sat quietly with my coffee and my prayer journal, I was determined to ground myself in the moment, to feel the warmth and comfort of my favorite chair, to smell the richness of my very dark coffee as I held it in my hands, and to relax the tension in my shoulders as I listened to the much-needed silence in the house before anybody else woke up. Before I even picked up my pen, I just sat there in the stillness, soaking it all in and feeling thankful.
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About halfway through my prayer, this verse came to mind. You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy.
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Psalm 16 verse 11. Now, that word presence, well, it stopped me because it's not just God's presence that brings joy. It's also our willingness to be present with God.
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When we're intentional about being fully here, fully awake, we open the door to the joy that's been waiting for us all along. Intentional presence isn't just about mindfulness. It's about faithfulness.
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It's choosing to honor the moment that God has given you instead of rushing towards the next one. But most of us don't take any time to cultivate that practice, do we? At least that's been my experience with too many of my clients, and it was absolutely true of me for way too long. Take time today, even if it's just five minutes, to take stock of the moments and the experiences you're missing.
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Ask yourself, where have you been so caught up in doing all the things that you've failed to notice the person right in front of you or to join into activities that would bring you genuine joy, that would let you feel truly alive and a part of things? Because that's the first step in creating the kind of presence that makes a real difference in the quality of your life. As the founder of the Purpose and Peace Pathway, I think about this through the lens of high performance. People who consistently excel, who see their goals and their dreams and build habits that make them possible, they don't just show up, they show up with intention.
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They decide who they want to be in each moment and then they bring that energy forward. For us as Christian leaders, it's not just about a performance strategy, it's a spiritual discipline. Because when you show up with presence, we're saying to God, I trust this moment, I trust that you're here, and I don't need to rush past it to find meaning.
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The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
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And then he says, the presence of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That passage is such a powerful picture of what presence looks like in action. When we bring our thoughts, our attention, and our gratitude to God in the moment, peace and joy begin to flow again.
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So today, I want to walk you through three faith-based strategies that can help you practice intentional presence in your leadership, your relationships, and in your daily life. Step 1, presence begins with awareness, but not just awareness of yourself, it's awareness of the sacred all around you. When you slow down enough to notice the details, the way the sunlight hits your desk, the sound of your child's laughter, the calm before a meeting, or the excitement before a meeting, you start to see God's fingerprints everywhere.
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One of my favorite questions to ask coaching clients is, where is God at work right now? It's such a grounding question because it shifts your focus from what's next to what's now. Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 tells us, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. That's holy awareness.
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It's choosing to set your mind on what's good and worthy and present in the moment. You can practice this by pausing at least once a day and just asking, God, where are you in this moment? You'll be amazed how that one question can change your pace, your posture, and your peace. This is also especially true when you're highly anxious.
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A number of years ago, I attended a spiritual retreat and something that the leader said was an absolute game changer for me. Now, God's name in Hebrew is YHWH, which is usually pronounced Yahweh. And it's usually translated, I am who I am, not I was who I was, but I am who I am.
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The speaker reminded us that God is here now. So, if you want to experience the peace and joy and comfort of God, you have to focus on the present, because that's where God is. So look around you, breathe deeply and feel your surroundings.
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If you can, find something of beauty and joy to remind you of the glory of God. It can be anything, from the tree you see outside your window to the quick hello you received from a co-worker to the smell of fresh air when you walk the dog. And if you're eating something like an apple, taste it, really taste it.
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If you're talking to your spouse, pay attention completely with your whole being and see the divine in them. What's important is that you take time to notice it, to experience whatever is in front of you at the moment. Reminding myself of the presence of God has helped me so much in those times when I'm really anxious, when I'm really nervous.
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And since I learned to be more present with God, I've shared this with so many people throughout the years. When I start to feel my stomach tighten and my shoulders tense up, I just repeat to myself, God is with me in this moment, so in this moment, I am fine. God is with me in this moment, so in this moment, I am fine.
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One of the things I teach my clients is attention management. Why? Because where your attention goes, your energy follows. As leaders, we're constantly pulled in a hundred directions, but when everything gets your attention, nothing gets your heart.
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And not only that, but for most of us, it causes us not to follow through in things on a way that actually makes sense and is the most efficient. I remember when my kids were young, it was the thing to talk about how important it was as a mom to be a leader and a great multitasker. Comedians used to joke about it by painting this exaggerated picture of the woman folding clothes, while bathing the kids, while typing on the computer for work, while juggling two telephone calls, while packing the lunches, feeding the cat.
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All while the exaggerated picture of the husband is just sitting there struggling to get his shoes on. And I bought into that hook, line, and sinker. But truthfully, multitasking isn't more efficient.
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Flitting from one thing to the next doesn't help us to accomplish more, and it robs us of the experience of what's right there in front of us. God invites us to steward our attention the same way we steward our gifts or our finances, with purpose and alignment. Philippians 4, verse 6 reminds us to present our requests to God.
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Now, that word present or present means to consciously turn toward. When you give something your attention as an offering to God, your work, your family, your next conversation, it transforms from being an obligation into worship in a way that has the power to bring real meaning and depth, even to the tasks you don't like or want to do. Here's a simple habit.
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Before you walk into a meeting or a conversation, take one deep breath and silently pray, God, help me be fully here with you. That's it. God, help me be fully here with you.
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You'll find your body settle, your spirit align, and your focus sharpen. I have clients who repeatedly do that before they step foot into their home after a long day's work. It just helps them to be mindful and present with whoever's on the other side of the door.
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What's one activity that you could do to be intentional in your presence with God today? Make a reminder to pray that simple prayer before it begins. God, help me be fully here with you. When you steward your attention with intention, you create space for your best self to show up, and that's where real leadership begins.
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Finally, intentional presence requires that you anchor your thoughts, not in worry or performance, but in joy. Joy isn't something you find when life slows down. It's something you choose, even in the middle of the noise.
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Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Not rejoice in the Lord when things are calm or rejoice in the Lord when you're caught up, but rejoice in the Lord always. When we anchor our thoughts in joy, we remind our minds that God's presence is the constant, not the chaos.
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It's what keeps us steady in uncertainty. Practically, you can do this by creating small joy anchors throughout your day. Maybe it's a scripture that you have on a card and place it on your desk, or it's a gratitude note in your planner, or even just making it a habit to pause and thank God for something specific before you switch tasks.
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Those moments re-center you, and they remind you that joy isn't something you have to chase. It's something that you return to. One of the most helpful of these joy anchors was given to me by my dear friend, Jim.
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I was going through a really difficult time a number of years ago, and Jim, a member of my church, popped into my office when I wasn't there and put a tiny sticky note on the small mirror that I kept hanging by my door. It read, relax, be yourself, because yourself is good enough for us. I kept that sticky note on that mirror at every church I served after that, and I still have that sticky note today, because it always put a smile in my heart, and it anchored my day in joy.
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Every time I walked by it, every time I looked in that mirror to check my lipstick or to make sure that my hair looked okay, I was reminded to relax, to be myself, and it gave me an opportunity to thank God for the people in my life who make me smile, and to ask God to enable me to bring joy to somebody else. What's one thing that you can do today that will be a joy anchor for you? For that matter, what's something that you can give to somebody else to help them anchor their day in joy? Friend, intentional presence isn't about perfection. It's about choosing to be where your feet are, body, mind, and spirit, because when you do, you'll discover what Psalm 1611 promises.
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In God's presence, there is fullness of joy. Not half-hearted joy. Not distracted joy.
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Fullness. So, if you've been feeling tired, scattered, or like joy has been slipping through the cracks of your schedule, this is your invitation to slow down, to step back, to breathe, to show up again, not just to your goals, but to the grace that's already around you. Presence and joy are so important that I'll be leading the Joy Reset Series beginning Tuesday, December 3rd.
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I'd love for you to join me on this special journey designed to help you rediscover joy, to reset your focus, and to live with peace and purpose again, especially throughout the craziness of the holidays. Each week, we'll explore how to reconnect your faith, habits, and mindset so that your joy isn't something you wait for. It's something you walk in.
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So, mark your calendar, tell a friend, and get ready to start December with a clear heart and a joyful spirit. Because we want to end the year strong and filled with joy, don't we? Will you join me for a quick prayer? Loving and merciful God, thank you for the reminder that your presence is our peace and that joy isn't found in perfection. It's found in you.
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It's not found in the task list of things we get done. It's found in your presence. Teach us to slow down, to listen, and to lead from a place of calm and confidence.
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Help us to steward our attention as well, to see you in our moments, and to anchor our thoughts in your goodness. As we move toward this season of joy, may our hearts be open and our pace be intentional. May our lives reflect your love.
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In Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, thank you for joining me for this episode of Goals in Grace.
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And if you're ready to take action and bring more calm and clarity into your life, be sure to download my free guide, Stop the Overwhelm, From Chaos to Clarity in Just 15 Minutes a Day. It's designed to help you create intentional presence and find peace amidst the busyness so you can truly live with joy and purpose. Remember, when you show up with intention, you make space for God's presence to fill your life with joy.
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Until next time, stay focused, stay faithful, and keep walking in grace. Be well, my friend, and God bless.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
