S03.E03 When Gossip Arrives as a Prayer Request

This week’s episode: Gossip That Wears a Prayer Request “I’m only telling you this so you can pray.” Most of us have heard that sentence, and many of us have said it. Dr. Flood takes on the kind of gossip that has learned to sound holy, shows how to recognize it, and explains from Scripture why God takes it so seriously. In this episode: How gossip puts on ministry clothes, and the test that separates a real prayer request from news with a bow on it Why most people who pass these stories along aren’t malicious, and why the person at the center is hurt just the same What Proverbs says about a gossip who separates close friends The church-specific version: being “in the loop” as status, prayer meetings that turn into information exchanges, and pastors who share a family’s story without permission What to do when a “prayer request” lands in your lap, including the one question that slows a gossip chain and how to be the place it stops A word for anyone whose private pain was passed around The Mailbag: The first listener question comes from D.S. in Connecticut, whose marriage ended, children left, and dog died, all in one stretch. The Shepherd’s Toolbox (for pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders): A clinical look at Histrionic Personality Disorder, the third Cluster B disorder covered in When Sheep Bite. Dr. Flood describes the core pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, explains how it can fuel a gossip chain, why correcting the behavior alone rarely reaches the need underneath it, and why caution matters before anyone applies the label. Next time: Antisocial Personality Disorder, which closes out Cluster B. Coming next week: The Anxious Christian The Empty Chair: The holidays have a way of reopening every loss. Join Lance and Deanna Flood for a free eight-week online support group for anyone grieving a death, divorce, estrangement, or another loss that makes the season hard. We meet Thursday evenings from November 5 through December 24. Visit floodlegacy.org/emptychair to learn more and register. The Resilient Leader: Pastors and church leaders can learn to recognize manipulation, gaslighting, and destructive relational patterns in ministry, with practical, evidence-based strategies for healthy boundaries grounded in biblical principles. Visit floodlegacy.org/resilientleader to learn more and register for the next monthly webinar. Write to us: Have a question for the mailbag or a topic you’d like covered? Email ⁠[email protected]⁠. Dr. Flood reads every message. Get the book: When Sheep Bite is available at Amazon, Books-a-Million, Walmart, and other major retailers. Order a personalized, signed copy at no extra cost at amnestymediagroup.com. Pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders can buy bulk signed copies at 10% off with free shipping at whensheepbite.com. Follow @DrFloodOfficial on Facebook for daily content!