Ministry
Speaking
Jenn Soehnlin is passionate about coming alongside women, moms, writers, and special needs parents to help them embrace God’s Word and His presence and purpose in their current season of life. She loves to write (and speak!) about faith, praying Scripture, navigating special needs parenting, and writing. She has spoken on podcasts, at women’s ministry events, disability ministry conferences, and Christian writing conferences. She would be honored to come alongside your audience and offer them words of hope, encouragement, and guidance in their own stories. Each topic listed below can be adjusted to fit your event and your audience. Fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page and Jenn will get back to you soon. The Bible is a treasure trove of prayer possibilities, providing you with the words that can align your heart, your prayers, and your will with God.
Helping Individuals with Disabilities Experience the Gift of Prayer
I'm a mother of two teenage sons who both have special needs. And I serve in the disability ministry at my church, loving on individuals aged 16 and above (who I will call my friends throughout this article) who have disabilities. I love teaching about prayer, especially praying Scripture, and I've been on the lookout for resources to help my children and my friends grow in their own prayer life and their relationship with God. I'll share three strategies I use to help my kids and my friends pray. And then I'll share several resources you may find helpful for working with your own children, students, or individuals you serve in ministry (who I'll refer to as your friend or friends in this article). Disclosure: some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item on Amazon, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my ministry with your purchases! Pray with them, not just for them.
Special needs4 Strategies for Getting Book Reviews of Your Christian Book
As Christian writers, we’ve spent months—maybe years—working on and praying over a manuscript, and we excitedly hit publish and watch the sales and reviews ever so slowly trickle in. Without some strategy for getting reviews, many won't come in naturally. Most authors say on average they get one book review for every 100 sales organically. If it takes you six months to sell 100 books, that means you'll be getting two new reviews a year without doing any work for more reviews. But more reviews help with increased sales. More reviews provide more credibility with potential readers, who rely on reviews before making a purchase. And consistent reviews coming in help the Amazon algorithm show your books to more people. So how do we get those important new reviews coming in consistently, without constantly pestering our friends, family, and followers? The most effective way to launch your book with a strong start is by assembling a dedicated group of supporters to read and review your book.
WritingThe Four Things Christian Special Needs Parents Don't Want To Hear
I'm a mama of two boys with over a dozen diagnoses between them. My life can easily be consumed by their needs, their therapy appointments, their diets, etc. My faith has struggled along this journey. It is a hard and lonely path, I am not going to lie. I know people mean well and are trying to be encouraging when they tell me a few commonly heard phrases. But those phrases, though meant well, are simply not true and can in fact be very discouraging. I'll admit, there have been times when I haven't known what to say to people who are hurting. Especially if I haven't been in their shoes. To help you know what to say to a Christian special needs parent who is struggling in life and in their faith, here are four things to not say, and what you could say and do to truly encourage them: If someone says this phrase to you, it makes you feel guilty, like you should be able to handle all the challenges life throws your way on your own.
Special needsWhen God Calls You To Write A Book
I have dreamed of writing a book for a long time. I thought perhaps I would write a young adult book: as a former middle school English teacher, I devour plenty of those, wanting to be able to share my love of reading with my students who are always looking for a good book. I wrote two young adult novels and even sought out publication for them. I even had a few agents interested in one of my books but they wanted me to make some changes that I didn't have time for, because I was suddenly thrown into a world of special needs parenting. Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Note: This article was originally published in September of 2018 and updated in June of 2025.
WritingHow to be Faithful and Obedient Like Nehemiah and Esther
Esther is one of my favorite heroines in the Bible. And several weeks ago, I was rereading the book of Nehemiah. This time, I couldn't help but see all the similarities between Nehemiah and Esther. How they were in the exact place God needed them to be to do something mighty for Him. How they were able to overcome their fear and face the King. How they faced opposition. And how they were able to do something mighty for God by fasting, praying and being obedient to what they believed God was calling them to do. Both Nehemiah and Esther were Jews living in the Persian empire. Both found themselves in the palace of the king, one as the king's wife, and the other as the king's cupbearer. Both were favored, but they had to show utmost respect to the king, to wait until they were summoned to approach the king, and were aware that there could be dire consequences for disobeying or disrespecting the king. It is in this place, that both are presented with information that greatly impact their Jewish people.
Faith20 Scriptures To Pray For Your Purpose
We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We all want to know what our purpose is while we are on earth, hence the reason The Purpose-Driven Life quickly became a bestselling book with over 6,000 raving reviews on Amazon. What is purpose? Purpose is defined as n. the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. According to scripture we know we are uniquely created for God and that He has a purpose for us. He has specific things that we were created to accomplish in our lifetime—that is our purpose. Below are twenty of my favorite verses (there are MANY more!) that you can read, ponder, journal, and pray as you seek and walk in the purpose that God has uniquely crafted for you. Feel free to print this list out. Consider praying or journaling one a day and listen to what God is directing you to do and believe about yourself regarding your purpose. Pray that you would surrender to the purpose that God has for you.
Prayer10 Prayers for Life-Changing Transformation
This is an article written by the praying community at quickprayers.com . Life is a journey of continuous growth and change, and one of the most profound ways to influence this journey is through the practice of prayer. Whether seeking to deepen your faith, renew your spirit, or change your life circumstances, prayer serves as a powerful tool to facilitate these transformations. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore essential prayer points that can aid in achieving a life-changing transformation, fostering a deeper connection with the divine and empowering you to live a life aligned with your spiritual values. Transformation involves a fundamental change in one’s character or outlook. In the context of spiritual life, this change is not just about altering external circumstances but about deepening one's inner life and relationship with God. Prayer is the key to this deepening, providing a direct line to divine guidance and wisdom.
PrayerCreating an Engaged Christian Facebook Group
Facebook groups are incredible ways of connecting with people around a similar interest or need, and they are incredible tools for ministry and for growing your own business or ministry. As a mother of two children with special needs, I knew how lonely the special needs parenting journey could be. I knew the challenges in life and in your own faith. So when COVID hit, and mothers of special needs children felt even more isolation and lost the tiny village they so desperately needed, I felt led to create a Facebook group for them . I thought it'd be temporary, getting us through the times of social distancing, but God had other plans. Today, almost five years later, our group has slowly and steadily grown to over 1700 members who support each other and pray for each other. We share resources, prayer requests, praises, and so much more. My Facebook group is one of my absolute favorite places to hang out online, and so many of my group members have said the same thing.
WritingEmbracing Invitation
For the past several years I’ve had one New Year’s Resolution: Make a Meaningful Connection with 100 People in a Year. I’ve learned a lot over the past several years of widening my circle, like to pay attention to the people who are celebrating and join them. I’ve learned to also pay attention to those grieving and meet them there. I’ve learned that I have to hack the art of following up a bit, and help myself remember important things with scheduled texts and reminders. I also learned that I was wrong when I thought people generally fell into two camps: the Invited and the Uninvited. There’s a third camp, actually, and I’m guessing this is where you fall too. I’m willing to bet that you are an Inviter. Don’t believe me? What if I remind you that you bear the image of an Inviter? You were carefully crafted in the image of the One who left Heaven to come to Earth in order that you might enter in relationship with Him.
FaithInterceding in Prayer for Others
Recorded in all four Gospels we read the story of several men who carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Jesus was teaching in a house surrounded by people listening to His teachings. Desperate for their friend to get to Jesus, these faithful friends carried him up onto the roof, and then lowered him through the roof on his mat. These friends were willing to do some heavy lifting and some house reconstruction to get their friend before Jesus. In the same way, when we pray for others, or intercede for them, we are lifting them and their needs up to the throne of God and laying them before the feet of Jesus. When we intercede for others, we are taking our focus off our own needs and focusing on those of others. Disclosure: some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item on Amazon, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
PrayerHow To Move Forward In Ministry Like Jesus
It's a new year and a new opportunity to dedicate our plans and our ministries to God. No matter what time of year it is you read this, or whether you are about to launch a new ministry, or already involved in one (or several!) there are many things we can learn from how Jesus began His own ministry to incorporate into our own. We're going to take a journey through Mark 1—when Jesus began His ministry—to set the tone for our own. Whether our ministry is in prisons or churches or organizations, or in our homes, our own businesses, or our blogs, we are all called to minister to others wherever we go. We all have a ministry, or several. And there's nothing quite like learning how to move forward in our ministries than to learn from the best minister ever, Jesus. He knew what it meant to be about His Father's business, and His ministry left such an impact on the world it still affects millions of people all over the world centuries later.
FaithHow to Know and Use Your Spiritual Gifts
We give gifts because we want to bless someone. We're excited to see how they will respond to and use a gift we think they will enjoy. Sometimes we can be just as excited about giving someone a gift (and how they will react to it) as we are about receiving gifts of our own. And that got me thinking about our spiritual gifts. God chose to bless each of us with spiritual gifts based on how we were uniquely made and crafted. I imagine God gets excited about blessing us with our spiritual gifts and seeing us use them, and He gets disappointed when He sees we're not using them. Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! First of all, we know that every single one of us is made unique. "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.
FaithSupporting Families with Children with Special Needs at Church
Dear Fellow Church Members, I am the mother of not one, but two children with special needs. We have moved three times in the last five years, requiring us to find a new church family, and while it can be challenging to find a new church community that our family can thrive in, it becomes even harder when you're not sure if every member of your own family will be fully accepted and loved for who they are. It's estimated that around 90% of special needs families do not attend church . While I don't know if this heartbreakingly high number is because not all of these families are Christian, I do know that there are lots of Christian special needs families who do not attend church because it is too hard to get there on Sundays. Because the church is not accommodating their children and church is more of a burden than a family. Because they've been hurt by comments their fellow church members or ministry workers have said to them.
Special needsSeasoning Your Life with Grace and Truth
In John 8 we meet a woman. We don’t know her name or much about her at all, except for her sin. She was caught in adultery, and religious leaders (and probably a crowd interested in seeing a woman stoned) gathered around her, shouting truth at her. “You were caught in adultery. The law of Moses says you should be stoned.” They had rocks in their hands. Anger and smugness on their faces. And then Jesus came along. The Pharisees demanded Jesus decide if Moses’ law should be carried out. Jesus stooped down to write something in the ground. Her life was now in the hands of this man. The Pharisees expected Jesus to back them up, and if He did, her life would end. “All right,” He finally said, standing again. Her heart plummeted at those words. “But, let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.” She held her breath waiting for rocks to fall to the ground, or for the pain of one to be flung at her body. But one by one the stones were dropped and the crowd dispersed.
FaithEmbracing Your Unique Way Of Worshipping God
Worship is the feeling or expression of adoring God. We use the word worship to talk about the music portion of a church service, but it really is so much more than that. It is any way of expressing your love and desire to connect with God using a way that is unique to you. As I looked through Instagram one day, I stumbled upon a feed full of gorgeous Bible art. Bible scenes and verses were painted beautifully on the margins of the Bible and I’ll admit it—I was jealous. The only thing I do in my Bible is underline things that speak to me, but I don’t write a single word, let alone paint or draw or put on stickers. That weekend at church, I watched as a woman used sign language to beautifully sing along with the worship. I found myself mesmerized, watching her sign to the Lord. I know about 200 signs, but right then and there, I was jealous and ready to sign up for a sign language course and become fluent so I could worship that way too. Now, like any good Christian, I didn’t want to be jealous.
Faith