In this episode:

Being shut in doesn't have to mean being shut out. In this episode, author Kathy Carlton Willis and I chat about how she's made the most of needing to stay isolated during COVID-19 and how she's made it into a ministry to others. Get practical ideas for how you can serve someone who's shut in at home.

(Article contains affiliate links. This means that when you click a link and make a purchase, I might receive a small commission from that purchase.) Inspired Life In this episode, I chatted with author Kathy Carlton Willis about how COVID-19 affected her personally, and we talked about what it is like living with chronic health challenges when the risk is high. Kathy shared how the last nine months of mostly isolation have been for her and how she has experienced a pause on her normal speaking, conferences, local ministry, and personal connection to friends. Kathy has learned new ways to reach out and have a personal ministry to others via technology. She’s used creativity in how she’s turned a time of being shut in into an opportunity to help others. After having her own small group have to take a break because of not being able to meet in person, and not being able to attend worship services, Kathy didn’t spend time feeling sorry for herself. Instead, she sprang into action.

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Life, Repurposed We talked about two factors: how she has repurposed her time and attention and still found meaningful ways to minister to others while being more limited and confined, and also about how others might think outside of the box to reach out to people who are more confined. First, Kathy shared some ideas for what she’s been doing to reach out to others. One thing she has done is to record short voice messages and then send them to people who God places on her heart. Using texts and social media messages, she has recorded prayers and words of encouragement for many people. Often someone will say it was just what they needed and she had no idea. She’s also found ways to connect with friends and fellow writers. The conferences she hosts for writers have turned into at-home retreats with Zoom meetings. She’s also started doing a Grin and Grow break devotional on her Facebook page several times each week (link below). Followers can listen in for a short message. Kathy also used the time with fewer commitments to work on several books, one of which is coming out in November. During this time, Kathy has had thoughtful people offer to pick up something at the store and deliver it to her porch with no contact and distancing. That led us to brainstorm a bit about ways that we could be more aware of people who are shut in, whether it’s right now or because of a treatment they are undergoing. COVID-19 has made us more aware,