by Dr. Karen Lindwall-Bourg, NACWE President

I’m so grateful to the Lord for prompting me and the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs (NACWE @ http://nacwe.org) and Karen Bourg Companies (http://karenbourg.com) team members to focus on ENTREPRENEUR WELLNESS for the year 2020. As we made plans, merely human plans, we had no way of knowing about the crises that would surround us this year. We had no way of knowing that we would shelter in place for so many months under the threat of coronavirus or COVID-19. We had no way of knowing how drastically this threat would lead to losses of jobs, homes, relationships, even lives. We had no way of knowing that civil injustices and unrest would unsettle our country at the same time. We had no way of knowing, but God knew. So we focused on wellness using the B.E.L.I.E.F.S. acrostic we love so much!

The Environment of Your Heart – Body, Emotions, Livelihood, Intellect, Environment, Family/Friends, & Spiritual 

In January we focused on Entrepreneur Wellness in general.

In February on Spiritual Wellness – I learned our spiritual well-being is the umbrella over ALL our lives and our work and everything!

In March we focused on Physical Wellness. I learned to hydrate better!

In April we focused on Emotional Wellness. I learned to BE STILL!

In May we focused on Occupational Wellness/Livelihood. I learned to F.O.C.U.S. (Follow One Course Until Successful) one task at a time!

In June we focused on Intellectual Wellness. I learned a lot about how my brain works on Entrepreneurship!

This month we’re focusing on Environmental Wellness, and next month we will focus on Social Wellness.

I know you want to know more! So, for a sampling of all of these trainings, check out our free training page at http://nacwe.org/courses/freetraining!

For even more training; actually, for over 800 trainings in over 30 classrooms, join NACWE at http://nacwe.org/join .

The Environment of Your Heart – Let’s Start Here!  

As the team and I reached out for expert presenters to teach us about environmental wellness, we realized that environmental wellness encompasses so many different dimensions in our lives

• our hearts or spiritual well-being
• our souls-our mind, will, and emotions
• our physical environment-that of our body and that of our living and workspaces and world and
• our communities and the cultures established within every community in which we belong.

Fascinating!

The Environment of Your Heart Comes First  

I started thinking about the spiritual environment of our hearts.

As a trained Biblical Counselor, I’ve always been taught that God says we are body, soul, and spirit. And when we look at what scripture says about our spirit, we see that God often addresses our hearts.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

The Environment of Your Heart Belongs to the Lord  

I remember a biblical understanding that took my breath away. We’re all familiar with the 10 plagues God brought upon Egypt and her Pharaoh when Pharaoh refused to let God’s people, bound in slavery and hardship, go free. I read a scripture that said God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Wow! And I learned on a new and deeper level that God is the one who turns our heads and hearts toward Him. Our hearts belong to Him. On the one hand that frightens me because I’m a control freak and I don’t want to turn my heart over to God or to anyone! On the other hand, it frees me because I know He will do more with my heart, even for eternity, than any human being ever could, including myself!

And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Exodus 7:1-5

The Environment of Your Heart is Also your Responsibility  

I also understand that the environment of my heart before the Lord is my responsibility. I have opportunity after opportunity every moment of every day to respond rightly to God when he turns my head and heart toward Him, toward His people toward His work. I am responsible for my response before the Lord. May every response bring Him glory and honor and pleasure!

I want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Even, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  Matthew 25 and Luke 19

The Environment of Your Heart is a Mighty Catalyst!  

The environment of your heart is the springboard or catalyst for all you are and all you do!

As God changes my heart, the environment of my heart; and as I respond to Him, all that I am and all that I do is changed, again, in a way that brings Him glory and honor and pleasure. Can you imagine what it would feel like to hear God say, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

My Prayer for the Environment of Your Heart  

Lord, we want to live and work and serve in ways that please You and bring You glory and honor. To do so, the environment of our hearts must be molded by You. You are the potter. We are the clay. (Isaiah 29, 41, 64; Jeremiah 18; Daniel 2; Romans 9.) Change us Your way. Give us the hearts we need to respond rightly to You in every situation. Overflow in our hearts to the point that others see Jesus in us and turn to You. Bless our lives and our work and our service to overflowing. Enlarge/Expand (1 Chronicles 4:10) our borders so that we can continue to respond rightly to You and serve You even more.

In Jesus Christ’s Holy Name,

Amen

Enlarge the Environment of Your Heart as we WORK GOD’s Way at our September 17-20, @2020NACWEConference http://nacwe.org/2020nacweconference/  where our NACWE Team and Keynote Speaker, Shae Bynes of Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur will lead us to be WELL and Work God’s Way all weekend! Come for like-minded Community, Education, Networking and Missions, Fun, Food, AND Fellowship!

CONTACT US:

Community -When you need a Nurturing, Active, group of like-minded Christian Women Entrepreneurs whose goals are to provide Community, Networking, Education and Missions opportunities – join the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs (NACWE) on Facebook http://facebook.com/groups/NACWEFreedom / our Website http://nacwe.org Once you’ve gotten to know us, we hope you’ll consider joining our more Intimate and Elite Group as well. NACWE was established in 2010 and has served thousands of women across the United States AND the world!

Coaching & Writing -When you need small group Coaching/Masterminds and/or Individual Coaching with opportunities for trips, retreats, VIP Days and more to achieve extraordinary levels of success worth celebrating, join Me / Dr. Karen Website http://karenbourg.com/work-with-me  I’ve been coaching since about 2007 when I opened a Private Practice Marriage and Family Therapy/Biblical Counseling Practice and realized to grow took a whole lot more than “when you build it, they will come”! It took knowing how to run a business/ministry God’s Way!

Conference -Also, we hope you’ll consider joining us for our ANNUAL Conference “Working God’s Way” north of Dallas September 18-19, 2020. Our keynote Speaker will be Shae Bynes, Co-Founder of Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur and the Author of Grace Over Grind. http://nacwe.org/savethedate2020conference/

Blessings, 

Karen Lindwall-Bourg

“Achieve Levels of Success Worth Celebrating”

*Founder, Karen Bourg Companies

*Owner, President {Inter}National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs/International Christian Mompreneur Network

*Founder, RHEMA Publishing House

*Founder, RHEMA Lakeside Retreat Center

*Founder, RHEMA Counseling Associates 

About Karen Lindwall-Bourg

Karen Lindwall-Bourg is the President of the {Inter} National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs [est. May 2010] and the new President of the International Christian Mompreneur Network [est. July 2010], both at nacwe.org . She and the NACWE Operations and Leadership Teams work diligently to provide

• Community
• Networking
• Education
• Missions

opportunities to Christian Women Entrepreneurs, Mompreneurs and Nanapreneurs alike all over the world!

Our Core Values are

• Community – we value Connection, Collaboration and Contribution
• Networking – we value Nurture, New relationships and New and innovative offers
• Education – we value Encouragement, Excellence and Expressiveness, and
• Missions – we value Ministry and  Making a difference

Karen is wife to Fred, Mommy to 6 kids and 5 in-loves, Nana to “going-on” 12 grandchildren, and treat provider deluxe for a herd of Great Pyrenees who protect their north TX ranch! She is an entrepreneur coach, author, publisher, retreat hostess and more! Learn more about Mastermind groups and “Celebration” coaching with Karen at karenbourg.com.