284: Kari Bartkus and the Friendship of Jesus

Kari Bartkus is a podcaster and spiritual director who walks with women during times of grief or heartache. Today, Kari shares her ability to see the hurting people, how she discovered spiritual formation, and why she walks with those going through grief. She also shares practices that you can use to serve the grieving and aren’t we all right now so that you give what’s needed when. Kari’s story reminds us that Jesus is close to the brokenhearted.

Listen to Kari’s story now!

Stories Kari shared:

• Growing up in a Christian family in Indiana
• Sensing Jesus as a friend
• Going forward at an alter call in tears
• Craving God’s word as a high schooler
• Learning communication and Bible in college
• Writing and editing at a church in the area
• Growing into spiritual formation as a children’s ministry director
• The holy moments of spiritual direction
• Her observation about how spiritual care is distributed in the body of Christ
• Caring for those who are grieving
• What people need most going through grief
• Why seeing people is important to Kari
• The moment when someone ministered to her by seeing her
• Starting her podcast, Let’s Encourage One Another
• The value of asking permission
• Spiritual practices for walking through grief

Great quotes from Kari:

Some relationships are about being in proximity to one another.

We’re all made in God’s image and because of that, we’re all worthy of respect.

It’s easy for us to overlook people, especially those that we’re not similar to.

Resources we mentioned:

• Kari’s website
• Kari’s Grief Journal

Related episodes:

• Becky Antkowiak and Faithfulness Through Grief
• James Prescott and Processing Grief Well
• Janell Wood and the Shaping of Identity

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