Conversational Counseling

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠We often hear “I’m only human” as an exasperated admission. But what if being human isn’t the problem but the whole point? Marty Solomon invites us to a theological framework that starts with our belovedness rather than skipping forward to our brokenness. As The BEMA Podcast host shares about his new book, The Gospel of Being Human (NavPress, April 2026), he posited that humanity being made in the image of God is the most real reality about our nature. That sin is real and has real consequences, but that it is not where the story starts. That if we can trust the story and trust the God of the story, we can put our faith into words that are meaningful and that hold the integrity of sound theology.One of the things our board member and pastor friend, Adam Coppock, calls us to do as we engage ideas and theology, like the concepts in Marty’s new book, is to make sure that we are not just listening to voices from our own specific tradition. So that we can approach discipleship and counseling from a place of curiosity, doing the liberating and hard work of growth and transformation so we can have a bigger view of who God is. There’s a playfulness that can emerge when we ask questions of God, which can only shine through when we are comfortable in His presence. When we know that where sin abounds, His grace abounds all the more. Resources:The Gospel of Being Human by Marty Solomon and Reed DentThe BEMA PodcastS3 Bonus: Marty Solomon ConversationJesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-JonesTo sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? If I forgive someone, does that mean I must restore the relationship and have no boundaries? How do boundaries work with “honor your father and mother”?In this episode, we dive into some of the most common questions we hear in the counseling room and in daily conversations!As you are setting boundaries in your own life, just remember. We have to be Spirit-led in every decision. Boundaries bring clarity to both healthy and unhealthy relationships by helping us take a step back to examine the relationship. No relationship will look the same, and neither will your boundaries. When they’re done wisely and done well, boundaries are not selfish. Instead, they establish a place for trust to be rebuilt and reconciliation to be pursued.Resources:Conversational Counseling Season 2: ForgivenessThe Place We Find Ourselves with Adam Young: Episodes 75 and 76Season 12 of Conversational Counseling is all about “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Boundaries can hurt. But that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong by setting them.God has placed in all of us dignity, purpose, agency, and limits, and they’re all worth protecting. Setting boundaries to protect each of these can feel selfish, as if our comfort or our opinions matter more than another person’s. So we often let other people run over us. We might recognize that boundaries make sense, but we don’t want to face the grief boundaries bring because of unmet expectations or the loss of a relationship.Yet boundaries don’t just serve or benefit us. They honor and reaffirm everyone involved in the conflict as an image bearer. They remind other people that God has something better for them than their destructive choices or behavior.When we set a boundary, we shouldn’t set it expecting a specific outcome. We should set them to preserve, protect, and honor who we are — and who they are — as image bearers. Resources:S12 E5 WorksheetSeason 12 of Conversational Counseling is all about “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Talk about having boundaries is everywhere… it’s all around us in our culture! But how do we actually walk out having boundaries with wisdom and love in real-life situations with real-life people? It’s easy to talk about hypothetical boundaries and frameworks for setting them…until a real person is standing in front of us, waiting for us to share our boundary.Once we realize we need to set a boundary, the next step is planning. Before going through the motions to set the boundary, determine a simple boundary and a simple way to set it. Start small and remember that the relationship won’t be fixed in one conversation or with one boundary. Then remember to give grace for the inevitable missteps and discomfort.Setting boundaries is a new skill, one that will feel uncomfortable when we start. Imagine a toddler who’s just learned to walk. She’ll stumble and fall and step on people’s toes. That’s how most of us will feel when we present a boundary.By creating a boundary, we’re not trying to change another person. We’re changing the dynamics of a relationship and what we will tolerate. We’re choosing love and wisdom in our own lives and providing an opportunity for a loved one to do the same in new ways.Resources:S12 E4 WorksheetSeason 12 of Conversational Counseling is all about “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Does love mean that we should allow our dignity and agency as image bearers to be trampled upon? We’ve been conditioned to love and consider others. After all, we’re supposed to love one another and love our neighbor as ourselves! What lines can be crossed before we should set a boundary?Every situation and relationship looks different!Still, one thing remains true and consistent: love involves setting healthy limits. Evil or foolish behavior from others can create confusion and pain, especially when the person who is threatening your well-being is claiming to be a follower of Jesus. But healthy boundaries can create safety and clarity. In that safe space, we can continue seeking the Lord in prayer for next steps and evaluate the person’s behavior to see if they are receptive to the boundary. Setting these boundaries is never easy, but when your safety, well-being, or conscience are being challenged, then it might be time to set that loving limit.Season 12 of Conversational Counseling is all about “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Have you ever heard someone argue that boundaries aren’t biblical? Have you ever struggled with feeling like having boundaries made you unloving?In God’s Word, we see just the opposite. In fact, He’s been instituting boundaries from the very beginning!Throughout Scripture, God institutes boundaries to protect His holiness and guard the dignity of His image bearers. In the Old and New Testaments, people who crossed His boundaries could be placed outside the covenant community — not in a spirit of hatred but one of love that encourages repentance. Scripture can be weaponized to argue against setting boundaries. We hear that loving people shouldn’t build walls between brothers and sisters. Yet when we look more closely at Scripture, we see that boundaries are necessary to live in peace with all people. We see that love doesn’t allow cruelty to continue or sin to abound. Instead, boundaries make love more sustainable, truthful, and God-honoring.Resources:S12 E2 Worksheet“Yes!–And No.” by Dr. Curt ThompsonSeason 12 of Conversational Counseling on “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠You’re not too sensitive. You can just say, “NO!” In fact, saying “no” might be the most loving thing you can do!But when we consider saying “no” and setting boundaries, we often think: Shouldn’t I show more grace? I thought I was supposed to turn the other cheek? I should be the bigger person and bear it, right? However, a boundary doesn’t imply a lack of love or grace; it instead invites others to remember that they are and we are image-bearers with God-given dignity, agency, purpose, and limitations.When we don’t set a boundary, we are allowing another person to be less than God created them to be. Just like with a lot of good things, placing limits isn’t always easy, yet these boundaries can bear good fruit. They prevent harm, foster accountability, and model behavior that Jesus Himself demonstrates throughout His ministry on earth.Resources:S12 E1 WorksheetSeason 12 of Conversational Counseling on “Boundaries.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠What do we do when God seems silent or even indifferent to our suffering? How should we pray when we feel God has told us to wait or even said “no”?It’s easy to let doubt, disappointment, or shame creep in when God doesn’t answer our prayers. Sometimes we pray for decades — good prayers for salvation, wholeness, or restoration — and God still hasn’t answered.But we’re reminded that God’s chosen people waited centuries for their Messiah, and we are even now in a season of waiting for the final restoration. When God says “wait” or “no,” His response comes from a place of love and a place of omniscience. He knows what is truly good for us. He knows that in the waiting, we can experience more growth and more hope.Our questions and our doubts shouldn’t be barriers that keep us from Father. They are instead invitations to continue surrendering control and trusting God’s plan.Resources:Conversational Counseling S2: It’s Bigger Than ForgivenessThe Practice of the Presence of God by Brother LawrenceSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠What can you do when you feel weak or anxious? When your mind is racing and you don’t know what to pray? Guided scripture prayer gives us the support we need to pour our hearts out to God when we don’t know where to start. God’s Word is living and active and personal to us. The authors of Scripture were not only speaking to their original audience but also to us, thousands of years later. While we’re praying a passage to God, we can insert our name or someone else’s name to personalize this truth as we pray over the circumstances in our lives.Guided scripture prayer encourages us to use passages of Scripture to speak to God so our souls can grow towards Him on the trellis of His Word. As we struggle to find the words to say to Him, this tool of imitation helps us to fill our minds with the truth of His character and His promises until these truths permeate our own voice.Resources:Guided Scripture Prayer InstructionsLectio365HallowAbideOne Minute PausePray As You GoSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠We live in a culture of busyness, of doing instead of being. We might fear slowing down and sitting still because the anxiety or emotions we’ve been pushing down often rise to the surface.But contemplative prayer encourages us to be still in the presence of the Lord. In this quiet stillness, we can find His beauty as we combat our inner restlessness. We’re not emptying our minds or turning inward but reflecting on the Word and sitting in silence with the Spirit before the Lord.This prayer invites us to simply “be” and not “do” as God welcomes us into His presence like a parent welcomes closeness with their child. It reminds us that God loves us for who we are, not for our performance.Resources:AI Counseling DiscussionS11 Ep. 4 / Lectio DivinaBreath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul by Jennifer TuckerSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠In His kindness, God invites us to grieve in His presence through prayer.When we lament, we’re not complaining to God or blaming Him for the suffering in our lives; instead, we’re grieving with Him. We’re acknowledging that the world is not the way it’s supposed to be in the now and the not yet.In our grief, we often shut God and others out. But prayers of lament and the tool of process journaling invite God into the messy and the hard so He can bring the comfort and change we so desperately need.God is not offended by our grief or our anger. He knows our words and our thoughts before we even express them in prayer. He understands our weaknesses, and as we honestly approach God through prayers of lament, we can find hope in His promises.Resources:Lament and Process Journal InstructionsConversational Counseling Season 5 on “Suffering”Free Known Ministries Lament ClassS5 Ep. 3 / Carol Collier on LamentSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠If you enjoy guided prayer through Scripture or enjoy repetition, the Lectio Divina is the tool for you!The Lectio Divina reminds us that Scripture is not just information but an invitation to encounter God as we interact repeatedly with a specific passage.Our lives are full of to-do lists and endless busyness. But each section of the Lectio Divina encourages us to take a step back from our hectic days to reflect, respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, and rest.Resources:Lectio 365Lectio Divina InstructionsSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠We serve a God who wants to commune with us. He is not distant; He hears, He sees, and He acts on behalf of His people.The Immanuel Journal helps us meditate on these truths and invite God into our experiences through speaking the words of God over our lives. When we engage with this journal, we’re not pretending to be God. Instead, we’re listening for how He might respond and drawing from Scripture, from His character, from His heart and from our honest experiences to remind our hearts that He is close to us, especially in our weakness.Immanuel means “God with us,” and this journaled prayer reminds us that with Him, we are never alone.Resources:Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel by Dr. E James Wilder III, Anna Kang, John Loppnow, and Sungshim LoppnowImmanuel Journal HandoutSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Do you want to build a habit of prayer but don’t know where to start? One of our favorite prayer tools is the Examen Prayer! This simple structure can help you establish a rhythm of prayer and help you daily refocus your attention on the Father.This prayer has five steps: replay, rejoice, review, repent, and reboot. As you become familiar with the structure, you can mold this tool to fit your preferences and the flow of your day as you reflect on the day that has passed and the day ahead.While you reflect on the joys, fears and sorrows of your daily life, this prayer encourages you to live in close communion with God in the real moments of your day.Resources:The Examen Prayer InstructionsSeason 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠This season, we’re diving into prayer and introducing simple tools to help all of us move into a deeper understanding of God’s presence! If we’re being honest, prayer can be a place of a lot of guilt.We struggle to find time to pray. Often our prayers feel like an overly-structured task to be checked off our to-do list instead of a relationship. Sometimes we even wonder if prayer is worth it because our situation is just growing worse. But prayer is so much more than this. God created prayer because He wants to have a relationship with us. Through prayer, we all can find a sense of awe in the access Jesus has given us to the throne of God.Wherever you are in your prayer life, we hope this season will expand your view of prayer and that the Holy Spirit will move in your life to increase your desire for prayer.Season 11 of Conversational Counseling on “Sacred Access.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! What is your posture when you join someone on their journey to comfort and change? If our first priority is to influence or teach, we risk pushing our framework of beliefs on others rather than prioritizing love. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul opens the chapter by reminding the church about the importance of sharing truth with love. As Christians and counselors, we should never compromise on the essentials of the gospel when we’re pursuing love. But at the same time, we must recognize that our framework about the nonessentials is colored by our own experiences, training and mentors. Scholars and biblical leaders have studied the Bible for centuries and still disagree on many nonessentials. When we push our framework of these nonessentials on others, they can feel unheard and pressured to conform to a belief that isn’t foundational to their Christian walk. As Paul exhorts in 1 Corinthians, we must emphasize love. Jesus, our better Counselor, welcomes people to Himself, not a certain denomination or school of thought. Just as He’s sanctified us, He can sanctify others and deepen their understanding of Him and His Word.Resources:Connect with other Christians and counselors: Gospel-Centered Biblical Counseling and Equipping Facebook Group with Bob KellemenSeason 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠We live in a very disembodied culture.Many biblical counselors have a tendency to underemphasize the body as they counsel, while medical professions can focus on the body and ignore the mind and the soul. But the Bible has a lot to say about the body! In fact, the first thing God gave Adam to steward in the garden was his body.As biblical counselors, we need to consider the body as we counsel. Physical ailments or factors do not excuse sin, but we often need to deal with physical issues first before moving on to mental and spiritual healing. Jesus healed the body and forgave sins. He fed the 5,000, and He preached the way to salvation. By caring for the whole person, we can better walk alongside them towards comfort and change like our good and better Counselor did on earth.Resources:560 Biblical Passages on Embodied-Souls by Bob KellemenSeason 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠In this episode, we’re diving into a hard — and very nuanced — topic. We encourage you to listen to the end and then share your thoughts, questions or concerns with your trusted community so we all can better understand a biblical view of caring and advocating for the oppressed in our church bodies.We love the Church, we love when God calls godly leaders into positions of authority to shepherd the Church, and we strive for the spiritual unity of the body. But at the same time, we recognize that some Christians and churches choose their churches’ reputations at the cost of victims and of God’s character. When faced with hard situations in our churches, how should we respond?We recognize our churches are filled with finite leaders serving an infinite God and continually working to understand how to biblically address abuse and trauma in the body of Christ. As counselors, we can be an integral part of that process. God has given so many of us the ability to perceive a wrong, and He equips us with the strength to address this injustice, advocate for the oppressed and abused, and bear one another’s burdens. In these difficult situations, the Holy Spirit helps us discern when to submit, to speak, and to step away.When we speak up, we might make mistakes. Our reputation might crumble. But God calls us to live with integrity. As we prayerfully discern next steps when advocating for victims, He will remain faithful to guide and to comfort.Resources:“Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused” Training CurriculumCounselors Specializing in Preventing and Confronting Abuse in the Church:Diane LangbergChris MolesDarby StricklandLeslie VernickSeason 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Sometimes we think we can clearly see the right choice another person needs to make. And maybe our instinct is right!But it’s not our job to fix someone else’s problem or fix them.We’re prone to impatience when another person struggles to grow and change at the rate we want. Too often we’re quick to give our opinion or solve one problem without realizing we’ve taken a person’s agency or ignored a root problem that’s actually causing the harmful behavior. When we minister to others, our job is to encourage growth in biblical knowledge, self-awareness, and confidence so they can effectively navigate their own challenges through consulting with God, with others, and, when appropriate, with us.Counseling isn’t about fixing people. It’s about encouraging people to grow in their relationship with Christ and to learn how to hear His voice.Resources:S9 Ep. 7 / Trauma: Helping Someone Tell Their Trauma StoryS7 Ep. 5 / You Have a StorySeason 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Are we called to be perfect before we counsel? Of course not!If all of us waited to reach perfection on this side of heaven, none of us would be able to counsel others. But God’s Word still calls us to serve one another and bear one another’s burdens.In our imperfection, we will fail as we counsel or lead or serve. We may need to step away from a role or part of ministry for a season as we grow and learn. But we shouldn’t be a people who stop growing or following God’s call to comfort and change. Our own stories of failure and growth can instead be an encouragement to others of God’s faithfulness.The perfect life has already been lived, and we should seek to model Christ’s life every day, recognizing that even in our failure, God’s plans and purposes will ultimately prevail.Season 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Do you feel burdened to always say “yes” even when you’re exhausted?In our care for others and desire to see them made whole, we can neglect ourselves. We strive to be available and to offer comfort and counsel at all hours, even if other responsibilities suffer.As finite creatures, God created us with a “tank” that can run out. If we try to serve others without slowing down to re-fill our tank, our ability to comfort well can suffer. When we recognize our limits, we can surrender ourselves to God and recognize He is the great comforter who never sleeps. He is the ultimate counselor and faithful Savior always interceding for us.He also gives us the body of Christ filled with members with diverse gifts. All we can do is remain faithful to our gifting as one part of that body and allow God and others to work in the lives of sufferers and sinners. When we create healthy boundaries and recognize our limits, we can maximize our ministry to the sufferers God brings into our lives.Season 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Have you discovered yet that you aren’t perfect as you minister to others?Over our years of ministry, we’ve definitely recognized our imperfections as we’ve made mistakes — big and small. When we look back and remember some of the things we’ve told people or we’ve done over the years, we cringe! This season, we’re walking through common mistakes so many of us make while ministering or counseling others. We hope as we address these mistakes you won’t feel discouraged but inspired! We all will fall short in ministry, but each misstep reminds us of our dependence to God. In this episode, we’re reminded that at one point or another, all of us need to hear, “It’s not all up to you!”Often, our desire to take charge of another person’s life comes from a place of love and concern for their future, but this desire can be twisted into a belief that change is up to us.Though God created us to exist in community with one another, we’re not all-powerful. We are not created to carry the weight of someone else’s choices or future, we can’t rescue someone from their sin or suffering, and we can’t fix their problems. What we can do is walk alongside them and encourage them to take small steps towards change through God’s help.Our own lives are proof that change isn’t up to us. If we want to help other people trust God, we have to trust that God will work through us and through others in His way and His timing.Resources:Sean of the South by Sean DietrichBeginnings: Seeking God's Kingdom in the Midst of Trials and Temptations: A Self-Counsel Journal for Women by Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne Season 10 of Conversational Counseling on “Do as I Say Not as I Do.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠As we comfort other sufferers, their pain and trauma can take a physical and emotional toll on us. In this season, we’ve shared tools you can use to support others, but in this episode, we want to focus on the comforters! When someone is sharing their trauma story with us, we are encountering a great evil in their life. The tension of sitting in the midst of unresolved suffering and questions about God’s goodness and sovereignty can be difficult and exhausting. Not only do sufferers need care and comfort on their journey to healing, but we also must steward our minds and bodies well to avoid feeling physically and emotionally depleted. Sufferers and comforters may find it easy to shrink our worlds to the size of suffering rather than recognizing the truths of God’s Word and His character. In this episode, we offer tools to remind ourselves of His goodness and of the beauty around us when evil tempts us to despair.We hope this season is only the beginning of your trauma awareness and further training, and we’ve included resources below to continue your education. We can all become effective comforters through commitment to learning, grace for ourselves when we fail, and the Holy Spirit’s continued guidance.Resources:Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi KolberStrong Like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move through Hard Things--and Experience True Flourishing by Aundi KolberThe Healer Within: The New Medicine of Mind and Body by Steven Locke, Douglas ColliganBeing Known Podcast with Dr. Curt Thompson50 Biblical Counseling Resources on Trauma and Trauma Care by Bob KellemanIn Our Lives First: Meditations for Counselors by Diane LangbergSeason 1 Ep. 2 / SuperpowersSeason 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠Jesus saw us in our pain and suffering, and He sees us as we share our trauma stories. He’s moved with compassion, and He responds in action to comfort us. In spite of the painful words spoken over us or actions done to us, Jesus names us as His children. To Him, we are not outcasts. As we process our stories, we’re able to find God in the midst of them and spiritually, emotionally, and physically begin a return to peace and safety in the present. The healing we find can help us as we minister to other sufferers.Ministering to another sufferer is no small task. It requires growth, recognition of our own limits, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit for strength and discernment. The injustice of someone else’s trauma can be overwhelming, and we may feel we don’t have the words to say or the advice to give. Another sufferer’s trauma can also trigger memories of our own pain and suffering. We must approach these conversations slowly and carefully, and we don’t approach them alone! God is working in these moments, and the Holy Spirit is guiding and prompting us. Together we can encourage one another on the path to comfort and change.Resources:Love Walked among Us: Learning to Love Like by Paul E. MillerS3 Bonus Episode / A Conversation with Dr. Curt ThompsonDr. Curt Thompson’s BooksSeason 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠How do you speak to yourself and about yourself? Do you believe you’re too much or not enough? Do you continually analyze how others view you to establish your worth and identity? Our heart is like a tree rooted in soil. If our soil is filled with lies about our worth, we can establish deeply rooted insecurities and feel shame because of words spoken over us and actions done to us. Trauma makes us feel despised, disliked, and disgraced. Yet God calls us to move away from contempt to kindness. He encourages us to view ourselves through His lens, a lens of kindness. God wants to uproot us from harmful soil and replace our belief system with the truths that we are chosen, desired, and loved. As a community of believers, we can be His hands and feet to uplift other sufferers. At the same time, we are people who have also suffered deeply and experienced hurt at the hands of others. We bring our own misconceptions and opinions to every conversation. When we seek to comfort, we may fail and hurt other people. But we serve a God who uses the broken to serve the broken. As we carefully and intentionally love others, we can support them on their path to comfort and change with kindness, curiosity, boundaries, safety and repair.Season 9 of Conversational Counseling is on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠In our suffering stories, we often struggle to understand God and His sovereignty. If He is everywhere, why didn’t He protect? If He is loving, why did He allow something so painful and devastating? We wrestle with the questions trauma brings to mind in this episode, but we also turn our attention to the character and promises of God. While we may never learn the answers to these questions in the now and not yet, we can explore His character and His truth.We serve a God who not only sent His only Son to take on our sin and sympathize with our temptations but One who also meets us in our pain. As Isaiah proclaims, He is a God who does not forsake His children and draws near to the broken-hearted. Many psalms of lament show that pain and suffering may last for a time, but these psalms also remind us that the Lord is still present and walking with us in this suffering. In this episode, we offer tools to help all of us process our pain and share the messiest parts of our thoughts and our wrestling with God. He is not afraid of our questions or our doubts, but He meets us in this place with grace and kindness. Even in the darkest parts of our stories, He will not forsake us.Resources:“How God Begins to Describe Himself in the Bible” by BibleProjectReal Life Discipleship Counseling Class: LamentS5 Ep. 3 / Carol Collier on Lament: How to Cry Out to God in SufferingS5 Ep. 4 / How to Write a LamentJoyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel by E. James Wilder, Anna Kang, and John LoppnowS4 Ep. 2 / Anxiety Part 1S4 Ep. 2 / Anxiety Part 2Dr. Lisa Miller / Spirituality Mind Body Institute“Where is God When There’s Abuse?” with Diane Langberg“What We Find ‘Beneath Old Grey Olive Trees’” by Eric G. EvansImmanuel Prayer ExperienceSeason 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠We’re excited to welcome our dear friend, Tiffany Higginbotham, to this episode! Tiffany is a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy and is the co-founder of BrainPump. She is passionate about helping her patients find healing not just for their bodies but also their minds and souls.In the counseling and medical communities, we’ve witnessed a disconnect. Sometimes in counseling, the mind, soul and heart are emphasized and the physical body can be overlooked, while in medical fields, the physical body is emphasized but the other three can all too often be ignored. As we explore a biblical framework for trauma, we must recognize the first thing God gives humans to steward is their bodies, and the effects of suffering can influence the body as well as the mind, soul, and heart. Trauma can fragment our identity and cause us to wrestle with complex emotions and with God. It also influences the brain and body’s reactions to future experiences, ability to process, communicate, and self-regulate. As we recognize how trauma affects our whole person, we can learn compassion for ourselves in our own wrestling and healing and for others as we walk alongside them. In this episode, we discuss the physical means God has created to help us return to our window of tolerance and offer exercises and practices we can use to regulate our body and focus on the Father’s promises. As we understand the physiological responses God designed in our bodies, we can better serve sufferers and encourage physical, mental, and spiritual healing.Resources:“560 Biblical Passages on Embodied-Souls” by Bob KellemanBreath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul by Jennifer TuckerDr. Mike EmletDr. Todd StrydProgressive Muscle Relaxation ScriptMid-Day Stress Relief | Guided Breathwork(Note: We do not endorse the beliefs of the company who produced this video, but the video itself does encourage useful breathwork practices)“50 Biblical Counseling Resources on Trauma and Trauma Care” by Bob KellemanSeason 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠You don’t need a degree to provide vital comfort and support for someone processing their suffering story. Yet many of us struggle to know how to help or we’ve misstepped in the past and fear another failure. In this episode, we offer advice on using the comfort God has given us in our own stories to comfort others. As we explore a biblical framework for trauma, we need to recognize the mistakes we’ve made and the Church has made when supporting others who have been traumatized. Too often we have re-wounded someone who has disclosed a traumatic experience or experiences to us. In order to effectively support others that come to us for comfort, we must be willing to see how we’ve failed in the past and where we need to grow.When we walk alongside others, we can shift the narrative that’s too often applied to trauma discussions. “What’s wrong with you?” can become “What happened to you?” As we recognize how trauma has distorted our creation desires, we can purposefully reinforce God’s original design for our desires by supporting agency and reminding the sufferer of their identity in the Father. Resources:S3 Ep. 7 / Miserable Counselors: Key Elements of Everyday MinistryS1 Ep. 6 / Show Up, Shut Up, Speak Up“When Your Counselor Makes Your Life Worse” by Bob Kelleman“Suffering and the Heart of God” by Diane LangbergSeason 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics.⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions forConversational Counselingsent straight to your email! <<⁠We invite you into our wrestling in this episode as we work towards a biblical framework of trauma. Shame, suffering, and sin cause us to wrestle with ourselves, our experiences, and even with the Father’s promises. Many of us are struggling with the aftermath of trauma, whether of one experience or a pattern. These experiences cause real emotional and physical responses in our bodies if we feel powerlessness and abandonment, and can lead to long term physical effects or spiritual struggles.As we learn more about our Father and His character, we have the opportunity to recognize the connection between our physical body, soul, and spirit and embrace comfort and change. When faced with a traumatic experience, our bodies might become stuck in our natural mechanisms of protection - such as fight, flight, or freeze - even after the danger itself has passed. We may be unable to logically process emotions or to sort through complex and contradictory feelings. Trauma brings shame and fragmentation that can cripple our ability to function normally.In this place, we might question God. We might lose sight of our identity in Christ and embrace inadequacy or self-hatred instead. We encourage you to not fear this wrestling or this tension. Trauma is a reality of the period before the final restoration. With care, time, and the Holy Spirit’s comfort, we can begin to find healing and restoration in the now and not yet.Perhaps you’re experiencing shame or fragmentation from a wounding in your life. Maybe you believe our culture’s emphasis on trauma is overused or dramatic or you think the church hasn’t focused enough on trauma. We hope this episode encourages you that our Father will meet you wherever you are in your story and that you will be inspired to seek comfort and change in your own life and walk with others as they do the same.Resources:"The Beautiful" by David WilcoxThe Wounded Heartby Dan AllenderBuilding a Resilient Life: How Adversity Awakens Strength, Hope, and Meaningby Rebekah LyonsSeason 9 ofConversational Counselingon “Trauma.”To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Disclaimer: This season is about trauma, and it might be difficult at times for some listeners. It’s not graphic, but each episode does cover sensitive topics. ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ How can we as imperfect and often wounded Christians deal with trauma in our churches, our communities, and our families? This season we’re diving into the topic of trauma and the resources God has given us to encourage healing. We’re defining trauma as our experience of a painful event that causes us to feel both powerlessness and abandonment that results in shame and fragmentation.  God did not intend this sin or pain or trauma in our world. He created us for beauty, rest, peace, and purpose. Because of sin, shame and trauma can alienate us from our identity as children of God and distort our purpose to beautify and multiply. Although our Savior has defeated sin once and for all, we are waiting for the final restoration in the now and the not yet. The wounding of trauma is still real for so many of us, presenting itself in a multitude of different ways. Just as He called the children of Israel to remember their captivity in Egypt, God calls us to remember the painful parts of our story. Yet He doesn’t call us to remain in that pain. As He reminded the children of Israel of His deliverance, He draws our attention to the healing and freedom we can find through Him. We can support others and share the truths we’ve taken to heart as they process their own trauma.  God has equipped us as a community of believers to encourage comfort and healing as we wait for the final restoration. Sin, suffering, and trauma will not have the last word. Resources: Creation to Restoration Story Visual Diane Langberg “Suffering and the Heart of God” by Diane Langberg The Place We Find Ourselves Episode 150: Trauma Heals By Connecting with Others Conversational Counseling Season 7: Counseling is Story Work Season 9 of Conversational Counseling on “Trauma” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ Throughout this season, we’ve examined how God views sin and the sinner. While God is not soft on sin, He is exceedingly gentle and compassionate to the sinner and knows our humanity and our frailty. We finish our discussion of the Gospel Waltz and the Sacred Struggle with the third step of the waltz: Love. We may also refer to this step as “obedience” or “action.”  When we seek to fight sin, we need to seek a change in our hearts – the root. We do this by targeting the three main actions of the heart. First, we target our cognition (beliefs) by weighing our beliefs with God’s Word. When we meditate on our beliefs, we can recognize where our beliefs about ourselves and our world do not align with our Father’s. For some of us, our relationships or our situations are influencing us to believe we aren’t loved or worthy, leading to destructive and sinful behavior to cope. Yet God understands this weakness, and He encourages the body of Christ to comfort and help the weak. As we understand more of His Word, we can reshape our thoughts and our feelings to align with the promises of God. Next, when we recognize our affections (desires) are pointed away from God, we can position ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. We do this by beholding God and recognizing how He offers our hearts a more true, right, and beautiful version of our desires. Though we cannot produce God-honoring desires on our own, we can meditate on our Father and set aside time to know Him better. The more we understand His heart, the more willing we are to come to Him with our sins and our weakness. Finally, we change our actions by making choices in our hearts that reflect God’s will. Even when our hearts don’t yearn to follow God, we can choose to act in a way that honors Him and honors others. To fight sin, we need to actively plan against it and set up safe guards and accountability within our community. Even when change is slow or we regress, our community reminds us to not grow weary in doing good.  Resources: S8 Ep. 3 / The Capture of the Heart Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ In the Gospel Waltz, believing is an important step we may overlook when moving from confession to action. When we confess, we must pause to believe and behold as God transforms our minds.  The devil intends that our sin will destroy us and those around us, but when we can view our failures as a way God draws us back to His heart, we begin to see more of His grace and love and to realize again and again that we can’t save ourselves by our own power. After we confess, we may choose to move to action, but we miss a beautiful step of repentance. Our confessed sin can become a catalyst for worship and for the continued transformation of our minds as we turn our eyes back to our loving and forgiving Father.  Through our confession and belief, we have the opportunity to fall even more in love with our Savior. He is a God who doesn’t require spiritual rituals for us to earn our salvation nor does He force us to hide in shame from our sin. Though there are often consequences for our sin, God welcomes us back after discipline. As we believe in Him, we can recognize who He is, what He’s done through the person and work of Jesus, and what He will do in our future and in the coming restoration. Resources: Character of God Series (Episode 1) - BibleProject Still Sinning after All These Years - A Biblical Theology of Sinful Failure with Barbara Duguid Extravagant Grace: God’s Glory Displayed in Our Weakness by Barbara Duguid Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure by John Piper Trusting God by Jerry Bridges S1 Ep. 5 / Character of God: Sovereignty, Wisdom, Love Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ What does repentance mean to you? When we think of repentance, we may fear the revealing of sin in our hearts. Maybe we’ve tried to conceal a sin from others because of the shame we’d feel if that sin were revealed. Perhaps we fear repentance because we fear discipline from God. But God intended repentance as good news for those who sin! The gospel reveals to us that we are flawed, and if we are honest with ourselves, we can recognize how the corrupted desires of our heart are leading us astray. Yet the hope of the gospel reminds us that we are loved more than we can imagine.  God has defeated sin once and for all, but the sin in our daily lives can affect our fellowship with Him. God desires a relationship with us, and when we repent, we can turn our hearts back to Him and back to a safe and loving relationship with Him.  In this episode, we break down repentance as a waltz - a three-step dance with the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts, we confess, we believe in God’s character and His promises, and we love as we walk in faith with God and others. God continually offers freedom from the burden of sin and invites us back into a right relationship with Him.  Resources: S1 Ep. 3 / The “Tions”: Justification, Sanctification, Glorification S1 Ep.4 / Gospel Waltz: Confess, Believe Love Gospel Waltz Worksheet: Shall We Dance? I Repent (Where I Belong) by As Isaac The Gospel Waltz: Experiencing the Transformational Power of Grace by Bob Flayhart and Holly Mackle Handout: 7 Traits of True Repentance by Jim Newheiser Harriet (2019) Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. 

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ Who or what do you worship? God has given us His Word and creation to lead us to worship Him, but often as we behold the creation, we’re tempted to worship the created things more than the Creator. Sometimes we believe we need to kill our desires to avoid misplacing our worship, but these desires come from God. He created us to desire good and to enjoy life. What, then, do we do when our desires are corrupted? In this episode, we discuss four desires that God gave us for our good: He made us for rest and beauty, He gave us a purpose to glorify and enjoy Him, He gave us agency to make choices, and He made us to belong in community. These beautiful things can richly bless our lives or they can be twisted into idolatry. Some of us use the comforts and enjoyment of life as an escape from the tough reality of our circumstances. Others may idolize achievement or the approval of others. With the ability to choose, we may devolve into control, often leading to fear or anxiety when our perfectly laid plans don’t come to fruition. The things we idolize are a product of one of these desires, a sin under a sin. Even though these desires can be corrupted, they do not have to be completely eradicated. God has blessed us with these desires for purpose and community, and He wants us to experience and deeply enjoy the richness of His creation. As we think the thoughts of God and do the things of God, our affection for Him grows and our hearts begin to reflect His heart. When our hearts are focused on God, we are protected from the corruption of our desires. Resources: The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience by Jeremy Pierre “Behold (Be Held)” by As Isaac “What is Worship?” with John Piper “How to Talk About Sin in a Postmodern Age” by Tim Keller Conversational Counseling Season 7 on Story Work S4 Ep. 8 / Fear of Man “I Want, I Want, I Want” by Paul David Tripp Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. 

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ Just as our physical hearts are vital for our lives, our biblical heart is the center for our spiritual life. Our heart is our inner self, the root of our tree. It affects our thinking, our feelings and desires, and our actions. Our heart, just like our world, is infected by sin, and sin often corrupts the good desires God gave us for pleasure and enjoyment.  If the heart is the root, the influences in our lives are the soil. Our broken earth, body, and relationships put pressure on our hearts. These influences don’t make us sin, but the pressure of these painful influences can wear us down. When we encounter sin in our life or in another’s life, we’re often quick to judge the sin and attempt to eradicate this sin from the heart. But focusing on the sin alone doesn’t lead to healing. The influences in our lives shape us and our responses. A painful or manipulative relationship in the past can affect how we respond to situations in the present, and the continuous physical pain from illness or injury can steal our sleep and our joy. As we inhabit the now and the not yet, the sin of others, the sin in our hearts, and the sin in our earth tempts us to continue a cycle of sin.  As we’re assailed on many sides and tempted to sin, how can we resist? God gives us the opportunity to behold Him as He transforms our hearts. When we behold Him, we are moving beyond head knowledge. We know God is good, kind, and faithful, but as we behold Him and as we see our Father display His character in our lives, our head knowledge becomes heart knowledge. And yet, beholding God isn’t a simple task. Busyness, burdens of sin and suffering, stressful relationships, legalism, and so much more can draw our hearts away from beholding God. When we strive to behold Him, we are daily choosing to turn our hearts to God, even as the brokenness of our story tempts us to look away.  Resources: The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience by Jeremy Pierre “Beholding the Love of God” by Timothy Keller “Don’t Get Too Familiar with the Bible” by Peter Krol “Behold (Be Held)” by As Isaac Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. 

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ How do you view the sin in your life? Sin is the catalyst for all the problems we face in our lives. In some circumstances, sin is our responsibility, but we also feel the pain of sin when another person sins against us. Sin can manifest itself through the decay of our fallen earth, not only in our lives but in our weather or the death of plants or animals. Whether we see an atrocity on the news, struggle through a season of suffering, or feel the weight of another’s sin against us, sin continually impacts our lives. From a young age, many of us have learned to focus on the consequences of sin and rely on our confession to free us from our sin. Though good things, overemphasizing sin can lead to fear and shame instead of recognizing God’s free gift of salvation and hope of transformation. In this season, we will discuss sin, our responsibility, and the journey to transformation. God did not leave us to fight the battle against sin alone. Though our fear or shame may drive others from us, God does not fear our sin and brokenness. Sin separates us from God, but it does not have the power to separate God from us. The Bible shows us in a multitude of ways how God is moving in the lives of those who sin to draw them into a closer relationship with Him. Where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more. Resources: ⁠Holier than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry⁠ Holy Holy Holy God - Jackie Hill Perry (Passion 2022) ⁠The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen⁠ ⁠S1 Ep. 4: Gospel Waltz: Confess, Believe, Love⁠ Season 8 of Conversational Counseling on “The Sacred Struggle: Sin, Responsibility and The Journey to Transformation.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. 

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ The suffering and brokenness we experience in the now and the not yet can overwhelm us and shape our view of ourselves. In our final episode of Season 7, we welcome our dear friend and talented artist Lauren Duncan to the podcast to share her story of infertility. As we look back on her journey through brokenness and suffering, we see elements of the Grand Narrative that point us to the Father. In her infertility journey, Lauren faced shame and inadequacy from many fronts while she and her husband went from doctor to doctor searching for answers. With each closed door, she felt overwhelmed, unable to make sense of her circumstances. Unable to conceive her own children, Lauren experienced an identity crisis since she could not do what she was “supposed” to as a woman. In this season, she took hold of the idea of “beautify and multiply.” Instead of multiplying her family, Lauren multiplied her paintings, illustrations of her suffering, her prayers, and the Lord’s promises in her life. Painting and writing became her outlet to seek the Lord and express her emotions, and she began to share her work and the truths she had learned with others. Through her own journey, she has been equipped to listen well and empathize with others as they navigate similar seasons of suffering. Now as Lauren looks back on her story, she can see how God brought her through this painful season and reminded her of her identity. He has now blessed her with three children through adoption. Yet even in her blessing, she still feels the lingering pain and shame of infertility. As we live with the reality of the Fall, we are not promised that God will take away all of our pain or suffering, though He promises to remain by our side through every season. We must wake every morning and reorient to God’s Story, reminding ourselves of our identity in Him and looking forward to His final restoration. Resources: Lauren Duncan Art Made to Create Painted Prayers J&M Bookstore S1 Ep.1/The Lens: Saint, Sufferer, Sinner Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “Telling One Woman’s Story with Lauren Duncan.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ In Part 1, we share the importance of orienting ourselves to God first before we look horizontally to listen and support others. But how do we orient ourselves toward God? In this episode, Brenda and Alex share parts of their testimonies to practice plotting out our stories on the Grand Narrative. Through these stories, they highlight the cultural and personal experiences that shaped their views of the world and influenced sin struggles and painful moments, but they also remind us how God has held them since the very beginning. God’s Grand Narrative reminds us that He is the hero of the story of the whole world. He sent His Son to redeem us and to give us worth, despite the false beliefs about ourselves we have internalized. As we look backwards, we can recognize God’s hand, even though we did not consciously feel it in the moment. This exercise teaches us more about God’s character and about His love for us and can open the door for the Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts. As He has been faithful in the past, He will be faithful to restore us and give us rest in the future. Knowing our stories not only allows us to build our faith but also equips us to listen and support others. Resources: S4 Ep 9: Perfectionism Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “You Have a Story.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ Every morning, we wake up and remember we live in “the now and the not yet.” The aches in our bodies and in our hearts remind us we inhabit a post-Fall world that causes pain, suffering, and brokenness. The pages of the Bible depict characters who experience loss and heartache, who willfully sin and harm those closest to them, and who walk through the literal and metaphorical deserts of this life. These stories remind us that we are not the only ones to travel through dark or lonely moments, even though the Enemy tempts us towards shame and isolation. We often wonder, “If I tell her about this struggle, will she judge me? If he learns about this season, will he reject me?” When we choose to be vulnerable, to expose ourselves to the risk of rejection, we may feel shame or lose relationships. We can feel trapped in a cycle of rejection that dissuades us from seeking out others. Yet in a God-filled community, each one of us can wrap our arms around each other and offer support through seasons of suffering and healing. As we orient ourselves vertically to God, we can then look horizontally and better listen and support others. Each of us has a story to tell, and many of us share similar suffering and sin struggles. In order to listen well and support others, we need to strive for healing in our own stories. This starts with remembering who we are as God’s children and where we fit in His Grand Narrative. If we acknowledge that the God of the universe loves us despite our shame or guilt, then we can begin to accept our worth in Him. He does not promise complete healing in this life, but He does promise comfort as we daily strive for final restoration. We cannot do the work of healing on our own, but we can demonstrate His love by listening well and standing shoulder to shoulder with those around us as we all lean in towards final restoration. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “You Have a Story.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ We’ve all asked these loaded questions, “Who am I? What is my purpose?” Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the Enemy has fought to undermine God’s story with counterfeits that promise answers to these questions. The competing stories begin early as our personal influences form our opinion of ourselves and the world. Our family of origin, place of birth, and socioeconomic background expose us to specific subcultures, opinions, and prejudices. The people closest to us form our opinions of self, of family, and of relationships, and these people may be the ones who injure us the most. As we age, our cultural context continues to shape our worldview, some good and other bad. Through social media and entertainment, we see different bodies and relationships and lifestyles and wonder what we can do to achieve their happiness. The 24/7 news cycle breeds fatalism and fear if we don’t take their prescribed path to presumed peace. We’re bombarded with these influences and more as the Enemy tempts us to place our trust outside of God. But our 21st century American pursuit of happiness is failing us. We work for more money, power, and accolades because we’re promised we’ll find happiness, worth, and fulfillment in them. When faced with inevitable suffering, our culture advocates for a multitude of avenues to avoid it. Some choose busyness, others addiction to drugs, alcohol, or sex. We attempt to distract ourselves from painful relationships and experiences and continue pursuing happiness in what we can accomplish. We hope one of these avenues will restore us and provide peace and wholeness and happiness, but we’re let down time and again.  God does not leave us in this place of despair. He has given us the answers to our questions, and His Grand Narrative trumps all competing stories. Where broken relationships and hurtful experiences have clouded our view of ourselves and our story, God reminds us of our place within His great story of redemption. When we learn more about the truth of God’s story, we can find lasting peace as we hope for His final restoration. Resources: Ancient Cosmology / BibleProject Podcast Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller  BEMA Podcast  The Journey with Alex Kocher  To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “Competing Stories."

>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! << What moments of your life stick out to you when you think of your past? Many of us may feel trapped or discouraged because of the brokenness in our past. We wonder if our brokenness and suffering will ever end. At the same time, we feel a longing in our hearts for something better. We know God’s story promises restoration, an even greater ending than our beginning in the Garden of Eden, but we feel tension as the sin in our world reminds us we have not fully realized the restoration. In this tension, we experience ambivalence, meaning we’re holding two or more emotions that feel contradictory. As we wrestle with this tension in the now and the not yet, we may feel shame and helplessness. We realize we can’t resolve the weight of our present suffering or the longing for something greater than this life. We taste some of the redemption and hope of Jesus’ sacrifice, and we also feel sin decaying our world. Jesus’ life on earth shows us our greatest joys and triumphs can and will be threaded with sorrow. The very Son of God felt this same tension as He grieved over the death of loved ones and for lost souls. Despite the grief, He also modeled a life of hope for restoration to demonstrate how to live well in ambivalence. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10, we are sorrowful yet rejoicing. Remembering the Grand Narrative can bring hope and joy when we feel stuck in a season of our story. When we focus on the brokenness, we can lose sight of God’s faithfulness. His promise of restoration can become blurred, and shame and despair can grab a foothold. And yet, God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us rings true no matter our season. By looking backwards, we can recognize that He has walked alongside us and carried us through every part of our story. As He has been faithful in the past, He will be faithful to bring us to final restoration. To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineers and producers ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zachary Tate Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on "Counseling is Story Work."

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠⁠ Every day, we’re faced with the painful effects of sin: abuse, trauma, suffering, betrayal, broken relationships. We feel a prodding for something we cannot grasp, a resolution to our pain that’s just out of reach, as if we’ve been straining forward but the light at the end of the tunnel is no closer. As we dive into God’s Grand Narrative again, we’re joined by our dear friend and gifted pastor, Adam Coppock. Adam is more than a guest – he’s family. In this episode, we explore the tension we feel in the present. We long for true peace and resolution, yet we wait. We’re tempted to only see the present, to view ourselves as the hero of our stories and to see our stories as isolated from others’. But God’s story began before He spoke creation into existence, and He is weaving the stories of our lives together into the tapestry of His Grand Narrative, giving us a design and purpose. As we face the weight of sin in our own stories, we may be tempted to lose faith in God’s foreshadowed restoration. We can look at the pitfalls and pain of ours and others’ lives and wonder if this life is the best we’ll have. The Grand Narrative reminds us to look beyond our present struggles to God’s greater plans. We can have hope, remembering the work God has already done and recognizing that God, our good and faithful Shepherd, is walking alongside us right now through our hills and valleys. To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineers and producers ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zachary Tate Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “Counseling is Story Work”.

⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ What makes a good story? If we think of our favorite stories, we’ll start to notice a pattern. Many of these books or movies present the journey of a hero with a redemptive arc because God has hardwired a love for this kind of tale into our hearts.  And yet, many of us also know all too well the ache of a longing unfulfilled, the story that doesn’t have a bow on the end. The struggles we face in our lives are pieces of our story. When we recognize God’s greater story, the Grand Narrative, we can place ours and others’ seasons of suffering within that larger narrative. As we learn to honestly share our own stories, we’re able to recognize the lies we’ve been told and learn to hope in His plan for our story. One day, our longing for resolution will be resolved in eternity, but for now, we can trust in Him as the hero of our story, no matter how messy it gets. In this season, Brenda, Alex, and their guests will share real counseling situations where they used story work to find healing in the midst of brokenness. To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineers and producers ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zachary Tate Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “Counseling is Story Work”

⁠⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) Our guest and dear friend on this episode, Ginger Jacks, lost her 17-year-old daughter in a car wreck back in 2010 when we all shared daily life together with our teenage kids. Our desire is that as she shares her story, that you would find hope and help if you have lost or child or know someone who has... or even are in your own season of grief for other reasons. Grief is so different for everybody and there's no formula. You have to go through the process and the stages and no one can tell you when those will be. The process really is the healing. God can handle your doubts. He can carry you through the day, one day at a time. Heaven by Randy Alcorn To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter.

Listener discretion advised: This episode is not graphic but it does cover a sensitive topic. ⁠⁠⁠⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠⁠⁠ (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) Drug use and abuse is a growing epidemic. And every struggler has a loved one. The grief of watching someone self-destruct can be agonizing. What are some of the things that can lead someone down a path of addiction? And what are some of the things that can truly help them? Our guest this time, Peggy Bruning, was a good girl raised in a religious home who lost her mom as a teenager and turned to drugs for relief. This pain she had no way to deal with, led her down her own destructive journey of drug addiction. She tells the story of how she met Jesus and how for the first time she received true comfort for the death of her mother and forgiveness for all the ways she had sought to find relief outside of Christ. How can we love an addict without enabling them? When someone is in chaos, how can you not enter it? How can we move towards real solutions of change? How can we respond without reacting? Our theme music is by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter. The information presented here is for the enjoyment of all. It is not intended as either medical advice or counseling, nor is it specific to any particular individual. It is not intended to replace counseling, medical care or professional advice. Please contact 911 if you are having an emergency.

Listener discretion advised: This episode is not graphic but it does cover a sensitive topic. ⁠⁠⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠⁠ (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) Our guest Andrew Dealy has a family history of five generations back of completed suicides, including losing his own father. When dark thoughts come, Andrew doesn’t take them lightly. With compassion and clarity, he helps us learn the difference between suicidal thoughts and intent, risk factors, and what to do if someone discloses they are thinking of ending their own life. Scripture defines every individual human being as indispensable in the body of Christ, uniquely made and handcrafted by God for this particular moment, this particular time. By God's grace, every individual we bump into has inherently more dignity and meaning than they could possibly comprehend. YOU have more dignity and meaning than you could possibly comprehend.  Instead of settling for entertainment and distraction, Andrew encourages us to lean into real relationships and Scripture, to share with someone about our struggles, and to find hope here and now, and to know that our problems are all time-stamped, and you don’t have to walk alone. Andrew Dealy’s counseling at Austin Stone Counseling To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter. The information presented here is for the enjoyment of all. It is not intended as either medical advice or counseling, nor is it specific to any particular individual. It is not intended to replace counseling, medical care or professional advice. Please contact 911 if you are having an emergency.

Note: This episode is not graphic but it does cover sensitive topics you might not be ready for little ears to hear. ⁠⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! <<⁠ (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) A lot of Christian parents haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about gender and sexuality issues. Many young people are looking for somewhere to belong, to be accepted, to be loved. Often parents are shocked by unexpected news from a child coming out to them and overcome with grief and don’t know how to move forward in love for their child and faithfulness to the Lord. Our special guest this episode, Chris Torchia, reminds us that we do have the freedom to lean into the nuance and the messiness of real life relationships. And that as we reframe our experiences, relationships and our own brokenness and need for Christ, we’re able to see that we’re all more alike than we might have first thought. Then we’re able to affirm the good desires of a child to belong and be accepted, to be curious about what they really mean and where they are in their journey, and to be faithful to a deeper relationship of trusting God and His good leading for the process He is leading us each through and the value of His Word. Chris break dancing... if you find more videos, send them in! :) Shattered Dreams, New Hope a free curriculum you can download that has companion videos Get help, including virtual groups, from Harvest USA To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter.

Note: This episode is not graphic but it does cover a sensitive topic you might not be ready for little ears that may be around to hear. ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! << (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) In this episode Marnie Ferree shares about the betrayal of a spouse, having herself been the betrayer and then decades into her marriage finding out that she had been betrayed. Marnie shares her story from her childhood up until just a couple of years ago with honesty and great hope, and in a way that is applicable to each of us since in some ways we’ve all experienced betrayal, feeling stuck or unsure about our worth. Marnie shares as a woman who is marvelously redeemed from unbelievable amounts of pain, who is grateful for the journey because of all that God has done and continues to do. And although not always pleasant, she encourages us that our journey with God can always be healing. Bethesda Workshops Marnie’s Books Forgiveness Season of Conversational Counseling To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter.

We are SO thrilled to share this bonus episode with you!! Our colleague and quickly becoming dear friend, Shauna Van Dyke, is the Executive Director at the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC). Shauna has an amazing heart to equip believers for the work of ministry as she sincerely believes we are all called to care. That every single one of us can live out the "one anothers" in our daily lives. And she is an amazing champion and cheerleader of what the Lord is doing in and through others! She offers a sincere and tender encouragement for any of us who feels isolated and alone in our calling... and if we're honest, that's each of us at some point! So we can not be discouraged if we are the only one who is leaning in... to consider it a great gift. If you're looking to be reminded that you are not entirely alone, to learn, be enriched, challenged and encouraged in your own walk with the Lord but also as you walk with others, there's still time to register for the ABC conference coming up April 25-27, 2024. They have in-person and virtual options available! We're going to be there and would love to meet up with any of you who will be as well! Called to Counsel, ABC's conference April 25-27, 2024 in Fort Worth ,TX Shauna's Truth Renewed Ministry website ABC's website: christiancounseling.com Equipped to Counsel by John Henderson Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp "Superpowers" (S1 E2) of Conversational Counseling Our Real Life Discipleship Counseling Class (which Shauna so graciously recommends) "Tim Challies: A Story of Immeasurable Suffering and Incomparable Hope" (S5 E8) of Conversational Counseling ABC's Resources (even more available in their member area!) CCEF's conference Oct 4-6, 2024 in Chattanooga, TN Follow on social media: - ABC on Facebook - ⁠Truth Renewed Ministries Facebook⁠ - ABC on Instagram - Truth Renewed on Instagram To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

Note: This episode is particularly one mother sharing her story, but this episode will not merely benefit moms. We think the principles we talk about apply to anyone whose world has been turned upside down and is facing depression. We hope you enjoy… ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! << (If you've already signed up for our email list, you'll receive them at each release.) Season six of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with specific knowledge and skills from special guests who have unique experience and expertise to help with harder issues you might encounter. Sharing about depression is vulnerable, especially when it involves being put in a mental institution not once, but twice… Christine Chappell so compassionately and bravely shares her story of facing depression hoping to remove the stigma. Hoping to help us all walk with compassion with others as long as it takes for us to know that darkness doesn’t have the last say… No matter how long it takes. Christine also shares some really helpful insight to help us understand what is a common struggle verses what is a serious struggle that is dangerous. We hope you feel relief as you realize that you do not have to bear the burden of trying to suffer in this broken world perfectly. And we hope that we all are encouraged to be a manifestation of Jesus in the flesh to those around us. Christine’s website Midnight Mercies: Walking with God through Depression in Motherhood by Christine Chappell Motherhood: Hope for Discouraged Moms by Brenda Payne Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression by Zack Eswine ⁠Our class on Lament⁠, that is a free gift to you. Christine Chappell’s, Hope + Help Podcast Follow Christine on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. This sixth season of Conversational Counseling is a series designed to give you help with harder issues you might encounter.