Restoring My Path

How is your discernment doing? Mine was broken for a bit and I'd like to tell you about it.

Can those harder days turn into good days? I want to tell you a story about a hard Chris day that had some good in it. I hope it helps.

So when the darkness of winter starts to lift, another dangerous problem rears its head. One that I have found myself in over the last few months in my grief journey. The fog. Maybe more dangerous than the darknesses that were in the beginning of grief.

His birthday is approaching. Christmas is gonna be hard. How do you handle the expected hard days? The unexpected waves of grief are hard, but what if you know one is coming? Let's talk about a couple of things.

I cried when my favorite superhero died. What is wrong with me? Sometimes we are broken in places we don't realize, deeper than we could've imagined.

This episode we start really focusing on grief. If we aren't careful we will get so focused on grief and the one that we lost and forget or shut out the ones that we still have. Let's talk about that for a bit.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel...is it hope, goodness or a train coming the other direction? What if I were to just hide in here and not move forward? I don't know what the tunnel's end will hold. Been there? Let's talk about that.

We've rebranded, kinda. Have you ever had to pivot in life? This episode, we launch into the new direction of our effort to truly help people. Welcome to Restoring My Path. Sometimes you just need to adjust, pivot, and refocus. As my GPS tells me all the time, please make first legal U-turn and go the way I want you to go. Hope this is a help.

One of the hardest things about hard times is remembering to be thankful for anything good. No matter hard it is, we have got to remember to say thanks...to God, people, memories. Let's talk about it.

Having seen and been asked about a local tragedy, Mika and I revive a discussion that we had a year ago about what actually helps during those initial days after tragedy.

This is our first episode back as we start dealing with the real part of life of darkness and lights in our lives. Mika and I chat for a bit about what darknesses are, what they mean in our lives, and what they really aren't.

Just a quick update on where we have been and what to expect for the next few weeks.

After last week's episode of Mika sharing the importance of spiritual needs, this episode we start dealing with some physical needs. Let's see what we can do.

This is the first part of a series that Mika and I are going to be going through about things that have helped us as we navigated the hardships of life.

I know what you're going through...or...whatever could be said that actually doesn't help. Every had someone give you helpful tidbits of stuff that were meant to help you when you were struggling, but in the end, really didn't. Mika and I have a short chat about how to actually help someone.

If you haven't noticed, we have been offline for a couple of weeks. Boy do we have a story and an encouragement for you.

How important are the events in our lives? If we aren't careful, we will miss important things happening that at the surface are little things, and yet are the things that make life grand. Let's have a chat...Baby girl J joins Mika and me.

Have you ever feared failing so badly that you don't do it, give up and run, quit something good. Mika and I chat for a bit about it. Let's talk.

Mika and I sat down and chatted about forgiveness. What it means, the difficulties of giving it and asking for it. Even tackle forgiving God...that is an interesting twist. This is a great and needful thing for our lives. Hope it is a help. Reach out to us if you need us. [email protected]

Sat down with our soon to be daughter in law and wanted to have her tell her story about her faith journey to Jesus with some background about her and her becoming part of our family. I hope you enjoy.

After last week of talking about father wounds, we thought it would be good to have a good discussion about thankfulness. Being thankful for people. Mika and I do something new and chat about folks who have been good for us and how thankful we are for them in our lives.

Parental wounds can be devastating. Familial wounds can last for generations and be carried down for a long time. Today I had the privilege of sitting down with my copastor Michael as we discuss father wound and what that really looks like, what it means, and how to move on and let God bring about goodness from it. I hope you enjoy. We made mention of his and our friend Mark's podcasts. Here is the link to those if you are interested. They are good and much better than what I can bring to you. So please, check them out. Mark's: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qf7PjLtTbsxSGaRpTvZql?si=16ce2d9f7f93467d Michael's: https://open.spotify.com/show/3gAu6pGB43zS6JtxxpsAym?si=33e68a5e55b24c57

Got together with the family to chat about goals, resolutions, accountability, failures, success. That sort of thing. I hope it is a help to you.

Chatted with my friend Mark about some of the do's and don't's of getting off of the beaten path of traditions and set ways. If you find yourself desiring to make a move, then this may be a help to you. For more contact with Mark and his ministry, he is an active life coach. You can find him at markfostercoaching.com.

Had a great chat with wifey about her experiences with living in chronic pain for many years.

Just a chat with my boy about growing up in a pastor's home. Hope it helps ya.

This is the first episode of our fourth season. We have changed things up a bit and are making this more of a conversation between friends that you get to listen to. This is the first episode where my wife joins the podcast and we give a brief who we are and transition into my favorite topic: Journaling. Let's see where this takes us.

Look at that selfie...of course a touch up here, background change there, filter inserted. How's that working for you? It's time we stop trying to cover up and allow God into actually heal some stuff.

How weak are your weaknesses? How can you protect those areas of your life?

I have a great idea. Let's do something uncomfortable. How's that for helpful and comforting? Let's talk about it for a few.

Crossing the Red Sea, not going to happen. Turning off the path toward a bush that is on fire...I can probably do that.

According to the law of Moses she should be stoned...and yet He said, "Neither do I condemn you, go thou and sin no more." What does that mean? How do I view folks in my heart?

Living life forwards. What a concept, and yet hard to accomplish. Let's talk about it for a little bit.

Why do we automatically label hard things as unattainable? Why do we go through life afraid to pursue that which we are called to do? Let's talk about that for a bit.

Don't you love it when someone asks a hard question? Something that really digs deep and makes you a bit uncomfortable? Let's talk about that for a bit.

Just a little different episode. Just an encouragement on getting unstuck and trying to do better to do better.

Have you ever been to your breaking point? Let's start with this one statement: you are not alone. Let's talk about that.

So you can't sleep. A big decision is at your doorstep. What do you do? I think I might be able to give you some help.

Most folks don't want to be faced with trouble, struggle, or adversity, but that isn't real life. We need folks to learn to face it, grow, be strong.

The Powerbroker, the Trophy Hunter, the Hugger, and the Edifier. Four kinds of leaders. What kind of leader are you?

Truth. Belief. Faith. Hope. Sight. That's how it works. Let's talk about some hope we have as we just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus this week.

Have you ever met someone so loyal that truth about what they were loyal to didn't matter? Let's talk about that for a few minutes.

I would like to tell you about all the mistakes I have made when dealing with hardships and then a few of the victories that I have had that have actually helped.

One of the biggest hardships of life that I had to learn is that I cannot control the results and outcomes of life.  I can only control what I put into life.  Let's talk about that for a few minutes. 

Is there something in your heart that God is working for you to drive for?  Is there a desire in your heart that you need to be chasing after but fear, blindness, wounds or confusion are keeping you from chasing?  Let's talk about that. 

Have you ever thought about why we quit, give up, don't follow through, lose hope? Let's chat about it. 

You cannot do this on your own.  If you truly want to learn some mastery, you are going to need help.  I'm going to help you find the help that you need.

How do we handle being not great and still striving for a mastery in our lives?  Let's talk about it.

Have you ever thought about what mastering something actually looks like?  Today I'm going to give you a few pointers about what it really looks like to master something in our lives. 

What does it mean to really strive to be a master of or at something.  This is a new series about how we as Christians, humans, people can get the mindset to strive for a level of mastery in one's life.