Podcast appearances and mentions of faith communities

263. Domestic Violence and Abuse: Identifying and Healing from Abusive Relationships with Stacey Womack   Mark 10:27 NKJV "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”   **Transcription Below**   Questions and Topics We Discuss: Will you teach us about the various types of abuse? How do we respond appropriately and in a Christ-like manner when someone does report abuse? What are your views for having biblical reasons for divorce, specifically as it relates to each type of abuse?   Stacey Womack is an award-winning expert in domestic violence from a faith-based perspective. She founded Abuse Recovery Ministry & Services (ARMS) in 1997 and she is a published author and sought after national speaker. Stacey developed and wrote the curriculum used for ARMS programs, including Her Journey for survivors of abuse and Mankind and Virtue for men and women who have used abusive behaviors. She has assisted tens of thousands of people in recovering from both the receiving and giving of abuse. Her passion has grown ARMS, a small grassroots organization, to now having an international reach.   Abuse Recovery Ministry & Services Website Stacey's Books   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Grace Catering   Other Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: 146 Biblical Response to Emotionally Destructive Relationships with Leslie Vernick 148 Overcoming Evil with Good: Recognizing Spiritual Abuse with Dr. Diane Langberg   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   **Transcription**   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:10 - 1:50) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    Today's episode includes some thematic material. I want you to be aware before you listen in the presence of little ears.    For anyone who feels like they don't have time to cook, but they still desire to have meals that taste just like grandma's, I can't wait to share more about one of my favorite sponsors, Grace Catering Company. Check them out today at gracecateringcompany.com.   Stacey Womack is my guest today. She is the award-winning expert in domestic violence from a faith-based perspective. She is the founder of Abuse Recovery Ministry and Services, which she will refer to as ARMS, and she's also the author of this practical and helpful resource entitled On the Front Lines of Abuse, Strategies for the Faith Community.   Stacey fearlessly answers questions today about what defines abuse, what steps can we take today to discover if we're in an abusive relationship, what does the Bible have to say about abuse and divorce, and so much more. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Stacey.   Stacey Womack: Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here.    Laura Dugger: Would you mind just starting us off by giving us a current snapshot of your phase of life?   Stacey Womack: (1:52 - 2:48) Sure. You know, I've been doing this work for 27 years, but actually I grew up in a pastor's home and married young and had my children young. I have six children, and I have my 13th grandchild on the way, and my first great-grandchild is due in December. And in the midst of homeschooling my kids back in the day, God began to speak to me about ministry that he had for me.   And so, this was the door he opened, even though I'm not a survivor of abuse. And back then I never had planned on starting a nonprofit or, you know, having it be the way it is, never planned on having an income off of it. None of that was a part of the plan.   I was just being obedient to what God had called me to do. And so here we are today, 27 years later, providing services nationally and internationally to victims and survivors of abuse and also working with those who use abusive and controlling behaviors.   Laura Dugger: (2:50 - 3:12) Wow. And abuse is something that's so difficult to understand, and it's a topic that's easy for us to want to avoid. But I appreciate you bringing awareness to this topic that affects more people than we would ever suspect.   So, will you just teach us the various types of abuse?   Stacey Womack: (3:12 - 12:56) Sure. So, I'll try to go through them fairly briefly for you, but most of the time they only give you a few, but we have eight different areas of abuse that we talk about. So, you know, most people get physical abuse.   That's how most people define domestic violence and abuse is physical, which is all the things from hitting, pushing, slapping, grabbing, strangulation, which is something that's very dangerous. And a person's at risk of dying days and weeks after being strangled, even months after being strangled. So, it's a very serious crime.   Most states it's a felony. But every category has those things that aren't as obvious. So, in physical, it would be like posturing where someone stands up or takes a step towards you, it's right in your space.   The most common form of abuse is psychological, though. This is what is often called emotional abuse by most people. So psychological abuse, I kind of divided into three categories.   The largest one is the crazy making the mind games, the mental coercion, the gaslighting, all those things. And that's very, very hard to explain to people. And it doesn't look like abuse.   It looks like non-memorable conflict oftentimes and gets misdiagnosed that way, I guess you could say. And it's the form of abuse that women say is the hardest to heal from because bruises heal. But the emotional ones that psychological abuse causes can take years and years to heal from.   So also, another big category besides the mind games is the isolation. So, keeping them from friends and family could be outright telling them not to spend time with friends and family, or it could be, you know, allowing them to go spend time with friends and family, but then they pay for it later. So, there's some type of punishment for doing that.   Moving her from place to place, or church to church, to keep her from having any kind of support. So that's very common. And then another category in here, and I'm just keeping them very brief, is stalking behaviors, which stalking should be taken very seriously because 75% of those who commit homicides are stalkers.   So, this is everything from following, showing up uninvited, not leaving when asked, to the use of spyware, which is often free or cheap. So, you know, those air pods, they drop them in people's purses or put them in places in their car or whatever, just so they can follow them where they're going, those types of things. And among our younger generation, a common stalking behavior would be multiple calling and multiple texting.   So, the second closest that comes to emotional abuse would be verbal abuse. And most of us get the types of verbal abuse that are obvious, the yelling, the swearing, the name calling, the, you know, put downs. I mean, things that are really obvious.   And this is a huge category and not well understood because we have all used some verbal abuse in our lives. So, everything down to things that are more subtle, like the silent treatment as a way to control the conversation or sarcasm, which is actually means the tearing of flesh. So, it's not a healthy way to communicate.   There's a little bit of truth to it. That's what makes it funny. But it's always at someone's expense.   And we live in a pretty sarcastic world. And I, myself, can be pretty sarcastic at times after really watch that because it's really not a kind way to communicate. So, again, this is a huge category.   So, we have verbal, psychological, physical, financial, lots of financial control and abusive relationships. Most of our men who are abusive use financial control. So, he's making all the financial decisions.   He's controlling the finances, or he allows her to have some access to finances, but not all by  hiding assets and hidden accounts, things like that. Or maybe making her handle all the finances while he goes out and misspends. So, then it's her fault.   And now he has a reason to abuse her. And even once they separate, financial abuse continues by not paying a spousal or child support. So, I tell our women to not depend on that, do what they need to do legally, but not to depend on it because it's very hard to get that money back.   So, we have verbal, psychological, physical, financial, sexual, which people get that one too. Rape, unwanted touch, attacking body parts, making her dress a certain way or not dress a certain way. It could include extreme jealousy, which is, again, goes right back into those stalking behaviors.   So, it's these pornography affairs, sexual name calling or sexual putdowns or sexual jokes. Again, another really big category. So that a lot of times some more subtle things that people don't recognize as being abusive because a lot of people use it, like the sexual name calling or sexual using sexual cuss words.   So, I always have to go through those verbal, psychological, physical, financial, sexual property. We don't always think about property being abusive. But if an abuser can convince his victim that he's dangerous, he never has to be physical.   And so, he might punch the hole right next to your head. I had a woman tell me this. And then he saw the fear in her face, and he said, “What? I didn't even touch you.” But the message was, this is what could happen to you. So, property is not always it can include, but it is not always the breaking of things or throwing things.   It could be slamming doors, slamming hands on the table. But it could also be moving property to make her think she's going crazy. So, she has a place she keeps her keys. He moves them to make her think she's going crazy, that she can't remember where she's putting things anymore.   So, you always have an overlap in an abusive event. It's never just one form of abuse unless it's just psychological and very subtle. But property abuse also includes the use of weapons.   In the groups that we've been doing with men for the more than two decades that we've been working with them, usually they're not using the weapon there. It's the implied threat of use of weapons. So, we had one woman who went to her boyfriend's house, and he came out of his bedroom with a knife and laid it on the table and said, “I just don't know what I'd do if you left me.”   Or we had many guys in the program for tapping knives while they create and continue arguments with their partners. So, it could be any misuse of any property. It could even be gift giving to get her to comply back into the relationship.   So, it's not always what you think of when you think of like guns and knives. It doesn't have to be that way. It can be very subtle.   So then we have spiritual abuse, spiritual abuse. Since we're a faith-based organization, we talk about the misuse of scripture. So, he's using scripture to get her to comply, to get his way.   And God's word is a balance between judgment and love and mercy. And when you remove that love and they're just going with the judgment side of God's word, you are misusing God's word. It's not what God intended for his word.   He did not ever intend for the word to be weaponized against a person, especially in an intimate relationship. So, we talk about the difference between submission and oppression and how they are different from one another in our groups. It's also for our men who attend church regularly.   I always tell pastors, if you've got a man who's coming to you and he's working his way through the church leadership and he's being very humble and he's telling you that he knows he has his issue, but he's concerned for his wife that he's not really being abusive. That she just thinks he's being abusive to her because she's experienced abuse in the past or she has mental health issues or she's cheating on him, which is usually not true. They're doing this to discredit her while they're doing what we call public image management to make themselves look good to the public.   So, they're involved in all kinds of things. It may be on the church council. So, you know, when they tell their church leadership this, it's hard to believe.   It's hard for them to believe when she comes forward and says this is what's actually going on in my relationship because they've not experienced that from him. He's been a great guy around them. So, questioning her theology, her salvation, keeping her from going to church, making her go to church, moving her from church to church, things like that, too.   And then the last one is animal abuse. And of course, we think about harming animals. And of course, when you harm an animal, that is animal abuse.   But in terms of the work we do, it's about using the animal to control the person in some way. And that might include the threat to get rid of it, the threat to harm or the threat to kill or the doing of those things or neglecting, not like not feeding or watering the pet. But it could also be things like getting a pet she's allergic to or afraid of or withholding affection from her while he's being overly affectionate to the pet.   We have lots of women who tell us about that. So, again, it's not about necessarily harming the pet as much as it is about using the pet to gain control. You have to remember that abuse is about power and control and abuse means the misuse of.   So, anything can be misused, not just physical hitting and punching and misuse of our strength, but anything can be misused. And when it's used to gain power and control in an intimate relationship. It's a pattern; that's when you're looking at someone who has an abusive personality.   Laura Dugger: (12:57 - 13:27) Wow. Thank you for laying that foundation and expanding our definition. It sounds like so many sins, domestic violence can be insidious, and it can usually begin with a very charming spouse who eventually becomes more and more abusive.   So, have you found that people more easily recognize when they're in an abusive relationship or is it surprising and confusing to them?   Stacey Womack: (13:28 - 16:58) It's mostly confusing and surprising, maybe in that order. You know, since I work with these men, too, there are really great things about them. There's really good qualities I see in them.   And that's what these women fall in love with, these really great qualities. And these men can be extremely charming. And even if you haven't been raised in abuse and you find yourself in an abusive relationship, sometimes it's because you were in a really vulnerable place when you got involved.   And it just felt really good to have somebody come in and be so big and strong and great in your life. Or there's other times guys are just so good at this that they're just believe completely. There's no reason not to believe, right?   I mean, you trust somebody because you expect them to be telling you the truth. So, it usually starts off very subtle and it gradually increases. So, he might start questioning.   So, is that what you're going to wear? Or, you know, well, that's a lot of makeup. Or maybe, you know, telling her that he doesn't agree with something that she agrees with and that maybe her friends and family aren't good for her and maybe she needs to distance herself from them.   We've had women tell us that that happens to them. So, we have a checklist on our website under am I in an abusive relationship, basically. And underneath that, there's actually a PDF that they can print out and check off.   And it usually starts off with things like, are you surprised by his anger? Does his anger scare you? You know, and then we work down to more obvious forms of abuse.   But when a woman goes through that list and it's actually degenerate. So, a male or a female could go through the list. And they could go through it and they could determine, am I experiencing a pattern of these behaviors in my life?   Marriage should be the safest place for you. And when it's not, there's something wrong there. And we do work with women who are abusive.   So, I do want to acknowledge that there are male victims out there. And when they call us, since we don't have a group for them, because perpetrators believe they are the victims. So, if I opened a men's victim group, I would get a room full of perpetrators.   Male victims tend to say very similar things to our female victims and behave in very similar ways that our women behave as well. And so, we refer them out to counselors that we trust. And, you know, and women can be what we call primary aggressors in the relationship.   And they act and talk and say the same kinds of things as our male primary aggressors. And most primary aggressors are male because it just works better for them. They're bigger, they're stronger, they're given privilege that women are not given.   So, it just works better for them. But there are women out there who do that. And then there's those relationships where both parties are using abused.   But one is a primary and one is a secondary. It doesn't make the abuse okay. It doesn't even make it okay when you or I say something or act in a way that disregards or disrespects another person.   That's sin. So, I think that we need to be really honest with the fact that this is a human issue. And that it's okay to come out and say, you know what, I have a problem with this.   And I need help. And that's what we're trying to offer for both the men and the women that we serve.   Laura Dugger: (16:59 - 17:21) And I'm just simplifying it. But in my mind, when you talk about primary and secondary, it makes me think for that secondary person, just simply hurt people, hurt people. So, is that what you're talking about?   Where they are not the initiators of the abusive behavior, but when they are abused over time, they respond with abusive patterns as well?   Stacey Womack: (17:21 - 19:17) Yeah, abuse is a learned behavior. So, if they grew up in a home where abuse was present, you know, as much as you don't like some of those negative things that we all get from growing up, we get good things and bad things. We often end up repeating them until we learn something different. And so, some of our women in our secondary aggressors program, you know, have had to fight their entire life to survive.   And sometimes it's just safer to be the aggressor than it is to be the victim. And so, a lot of times when women are using abusive behaviors, it's more about trying to be heard or it's payback. So, they don't really gain power and control from their abuse, not really.   It's usually when they're abusive, the women are just getting payback for what their abuser did. So, one woman, her and her husband had an argument and he's this big guy. And so, to get back at him, we would call this properly anal and psychological.   She took the pillow and rubbed it all over the cat because he's allergic to cats and put the pillow back on the bed so he'd wake up with puffy eyes. It's a very passive form of abuse, but it is a way to get back at him. And then we have those women who just fight back verbally and they can.   I had this little gal, not probably hardly even 100 pounds. She could bring a 200 pound, six foot tall husband to his knees with just her words. And this is a woman who had to fight her entire life.   So, you know, you can see there's times where relationships where there's more. I don't really like the word mutual, but there's they're both using abusive behaviors, but it's the only way they know how to live life. And so, the women come out of this program saying, now I understand that his abuse to me does not excuse my abuse to him.   And I have power to make choices that will bring change to my life. And that's a powerful place to be much more powerful than being a victim.   Laura Dugger: (19:18 - 19:45) Absolutely. And I think the hope that I'm hearing is when you say abuse is a learned behavior. Does that mean we can learn our way out of it as well?   So, anyone who is in an abusive relationship or is finding if they're listening to this, maybe they find out that they are the abuser, you can learn your way out of it then?   Stacey Womack: (19:45 - 21:27) You can. It takes a tremendous amount of work. But both the victim and the perpetrator or the survivor, they have to learn new tools, both of them, because we have women who get out of abusive relationships who find themselves right back into another abusive relationship.   The tools that women use in abusive relationships are amazing. The ways that they do things to survive the abuse is absolutely amazing. But those same tools do not serve them well once they're out of abuse.   Some of them get into healthy relationships, but they're still using those old tools that they picked up during the abusive relationship. And so, they come to group a recovery group so that they can heal from that and learn a new way and let go of that pain and hurt and learn behavior so that they can also be healthy in that relationship with that new partner. So, and he also and for the abuser, someone who's like this is they've been the primary aggressor in the relationship and they have a lifetime of picking up belief systems that have given them permission to behave that way.   And that doesn't change in 12 weeks. Programs for those guys and those gals should be long; thirty-six weeks the absolute minimum. I think a year or even two years is better because you need practice to sustain change. We have lots of guys who change, but getting that sustained change takes lots of accountability and lots of hard work.   And it's difficult to do. But we have those stories of couples that make it. There's a lot more that don't make it.   All the men make some changes, but often not enough to save the relationship. So, it varies.   Laura Dugger: (21:27 - 23:38) And now a brief message from our sponsor, Grace Catering Company in North Peoria offers a rotating menu of scrumptious meals for you to take home and pop in your own oven with family friendly options like lasagna, bacon wrapped meatloaves, chicken Alfredo pasta, breakfast burritos and creamy garlic chicken breasts. Your homemade dinner will be on the table in no time. They also offer healthier and lighter options as well as some gluten-free and keto-friendly choices.   The meals are packaged in a variety of sizes, which makes it perfect for individuals or couples, or they have portions large enough to feed the entire family. Their menu is on a six-week rotation. You can stop by for a grab and go lunch with their signature sandwiches, salads, soups or quinoa bowls depending on the season.   I also recommend you top off your meal with one of their sweet treats, such as their popular scotcheroos, iced sugar or chocolate chip cookies, or their cookie of the month. The founder and owner Renee Endres has also created my all-time favorite cookbook. My grandparents actually gave this to me as a gift when I was a newlywed and it has been put to great use for the past decade and a half.   The recipes are easy and approachable and the feedback from our family and from guests we've hosted in our home has always been positive when the meal came from Renee. When I've gifted this cookbook to friends, they will commonly remark how these are also the most delicious desserts they've ever tasted. Our extended family also loves to use the take and bake options on Sunday afternoons, which allows us to enjoy a delectable meal while still getting to enjoy a true Sabbath.   Grace Catering Company is located just off Alta Lane in North Florida. Check them out today at gracecateringcompany.com.    Well, and with your programs, what are some of the things that you do offer for someone who finds themselves in an abusive relationship?   Stacey Womack: (23:40 - 28:08) Yeah, so our largest program is called Her Journey and it's a victim survivor recovery program. So, it doesn't matter what form of abuse you experienced or are experiencing. It could be years ago even.   And we have this, it's a 15 week program, but we lead it year-round so you can just start immediately. It's one of the things that we found out as we've been doing this national campaign is that we're the only ones that we've found that are free. It's a free program.   We have Zoom. So, we have every day of the week covered. If we don't have something right in your own state, in your county.   But we're in-person groups in 21 states right now and looking to lead more or teach more leaders how to lead the program in their community, or in their centers, or in their missions. They're often held in churches. It's all confidential.   The women just call in. They don't have to give us their real name. They don't have to give us any information.   They don't want to. We just ask whatever name they use. They keep using the same name so we don't care if they say their name is Minnie Mouse.   That's fine with us. Just so that we can keep track of it for grant purposes. But in that group, it's not a process group.   It's really about hearing God's heart around this issue. And they do get training around domestic violence. But we also go through other topics like dealing with anger, depression and loneliness and just all the different things that happen throughout this process.   Learning how to appropriately boundary set and what to do and what's going to work with an abuser. What's not going to work with an abuser. Those types of things. And so, we found that we just keep it open so the women can join immediately. Because if we don't help them right when they're asking for the help, we'll lose them because the abuser will very quickly work to move them back into the relationship, which is part of the cycle of abuse. And because we want the relationship to work and we want to believe him, we do.   And so, women, you know, leave on average seven times before they leave for good because we don't get into a relationship to see it in. And so, when I talk and train pastors and I had a pastor say, “Well, she's just looking for a way out.” I'm like, “No, that's not true.”   These women do everything, including couples counseling, which is something that does not work when abuse is the issue and power control is the issue. And most pastors that I haven't heard of any seminary that actually does a whole course on domestic violence, they get a little bit of couples counseling and that's it. And even counselors don't get trained in domestic violence.   So, this is only a very small portion of counselors. So, I would tell these women, if you're listening to this now, that they shouldn't do couples counseling, but they should look for a counselor who has 40 hours of victim advocacy training from an advocacy agency and that he needs to go work on his own issues with an agency that deals with domestic abuse intervention. And a lot of times the things that she thinks, or they both think, they need couples counseling for go completely away once he does the work he needs to do.   So, the communication problems, the anger issues, all those things that they think are the cause are no longer an issue. Most of our couples don't even need couples counseling after this because he has learned to love like Jesus loves. That's what we teach is like, what does that mean to be Christlike?   What does that mean to lay your life down? So, but during our time that we work with women or men, secondary or primary aggressors, female or male, we in our groups talk about focusing on that themselves and their relationship with God and not focusing outward because God will take care of that. Sure, pray about it, but release it.   That's God's responsibility. You only have control of this relationship is between yourself and God. And that's where you're going to seek Him about what He's calling you to do in this situation.   And every person's a little bit different. It's not my place to tell someone whether to leave or stay. And we're not here to promote divorce.   And we know the women want their relationships to work. We know they want men to make it to the other side. We do, too, but we cannot make that happen.   So, all we can do is present the information and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work. And the person has to be willing to receive the help.   Laura Dugger: (28:09 - 28:35) Absolutely. Well, and I even think about how this conversation came about. We had multiple women of different ages, all of them believers, who were reaching out and sharing a little bit of their experience in marriage and sharing some potential abuse.   And I actually reached out to some publicists that I work with and said, “Who would be able to speak to this?” And so that's how we got connected.   Stacey Womack: (28:36 - 28:36) Yeah.   Laura Dugger: (28:36 - 28:54) Very much appreciated your book. And as I was reading it, there was one story that was particularly haunting. And it was about a pastor who ended up begging you for training.   So, can you recall what happened?   Stacey Womack: (28:54 - 34:09) Yeah. You know, a lot of pastors just it's not that they don't care. It's just that they're very uneducated around this.   So even myself, when I first started, I would give people really unhelpful advice before I even began this work because I didn't understand it well. And so, he had encouraged this woman to forgive and go back, which is a typical response. You know, submit more, pray harder.   Those are the kinds of things that a lot of women get from churches. And so, she did. She went home and then he murdered her that night.   And so, this pastor was absolutely heartbroken, as you can imagine, and was calling in and asking, please, please, please train us because we don't want this to ever happen again. You know, and honestly, there are some pastors out there that believe that women should stay in the relationship, even if they are being abused and that God will bless them through their suffering, even if it means death. I don't agree with that.   See, I think that God would never sacrifice a person for the sake of the relationship. But we do as the church sometimes because we're so concerned about the relationship. The relationship is important and God has got a reconciliation and we want reconciliation, too.   But God also tells us the prudent man or woman hides from danger and he cares about us as individuals. And He has called us to live life abundantly, not to just bear it, you know. And so, I think that we need to really look at that.   And being raised as a pastor's daughter that, you know, I was taught that way. So, it was a really it's been really hard, you know, working in the faith communities really struggles with this. And, you know, this idea that, well, a separation might lead to divorce.   But separation is really functional in these relationships because she needs safety so that she can talk, speak the truth from this other person. And she needs time to see whether or not he's willing to actually get the help that he's been promising he'll get. And they need time to see if he can actually work through that.   Or is he just using a program as another controlling behavior to get her to come back into a relationship? If she waits long enough and we usually say six months and he's mad that she's not letting him back home. He goes right back to all the bad behaviors he was doing before.   And he pulls all the money out of the bank and does all these crazy things. And she has her answer, which is heartbreaking. The women are heartbroken over this because they want their relationships to work.   We cannot emphasize that enough to the faith community. These women want their relationships to work and that they did not sign up for this. They did not sign up for these.   They did not say, “Oh, yes, I am agreeing to get married and be abused.” That's how they agreed to. And he made a promise to love and cherish.   And the Bible commands men to love their wives like Christ loves the church and to lay his life down. That means he gives up his way to bless her, that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. So, his role is one of being the lead servant in the relationship.   He should be the first to be serving her. And how do we respond as women? We feel loved and cherished and cared for when that happens.   My husband's so good at this. I have to be careful if I say I'm thirsty, he's up getting me a glass of water. He's so quick to serve.   But this is the kind of behavior that blesses us. And men are surprised that the very thing they want, the respect, honor, all those kinds of things. They get it by doing the very opposite of what they're doing, by giving up their way, by embracing humility.   And humility is hard because it means it's not about being 50-50 or being fair. It's about going 100 percent or more. So, my husband would share because he leads manuscripts with me.   And he says, you know, guys, you know, if Stacy's at 20 percent, then I need to go 180. I need to go in and fill in that gap for her. And there's times I do that for him, too, because unhealthy relationships like that's what we do for women.   But an abusive relationship, that's never what happens. And an abuser has and this is very popular, a narcissistic view of his world. He may not realize that it doesn't mean he has narcissistic personality disorder.   Those guys are very different and they stick out sore thumbs, but they all behave narcissistic, narcissistically, meaning their world revolves around them. So, they want you to manage their emotions. They blame you for when they're unhappy.   And even if you weren't even present, when whatever happened, that he's unhappy that he still blames you for it, which doesn't make sense. It's that crazy making. It's like, “Wow, how am I the cause of this when this happened at work? I don't understand.” You know, so there's all that craziness that goes on.   But, you know, I'm so honored to get to walk alongside men and women in their process of change and their aha moments and their realization that God loves them and that God values them and that they're important and they're regarded. And that because of that, abuse is never OK. It's never OK.   Laura Dugger: (34:10 - 35:21) The few follow ups with that, then to go back to an earlier point, you're making a connection for me where I'm thinking back to a few episodes. It was one was with Leslie Vernick and one was with Dr. Diane Langberg. So, I can't remember who said this.   I can link to both in the show notes, but it's what you're speaking to that as we study the scriptures and we see Christ likeness and how to become more Christ like and what God really says about these topics. They were pointing out he cares about the individual more than the institution. Yeah.   And so, I think there's a lot of re-education for us in the faith community, unfortunately. But then also two follow up questions. One, as you're talking about narcissism or a narcissistic outlook, is there ever from your experience?   I'm familiar with some of my friends who are in relationships like that or acquaintances that I know. Is there ever hope for the husband who has narcissistic tendencies or personality disorder to repent? Have you ever seen that?   Stacey Womack: (35:21 - 37:16) Absolutely. We have men who've done a really great job of working away from being self-focused and selfish. That's really what it is.   They read these journals and we make comments on them and they have to come up with the beliefs that gave them permission to behave this way. So, we had one guy and you could just see a selfishness that I always wrote. The belief is I'm most important.   I've read it every on every single journal. And he finally came to group after a few months because I really realize I'm really selfish. And so, as we help them to see this, it begins to change things and they begin to make different choices and try new things.   As someone who has a narcissistic personality disorder, like any personality disorder, those are not medicated. They can't be medicated and it takes a longer time. So, I've had some training on narcissistic personality disorder and I recognize those guys.   Any of those guys generally with personality disorders because they don't see themselves. So, the group laughs at things I say, but they don't understand why they're laughing. And those guys need like seven years of counseling with someone who specializes in narcissistic personality disorder.   If they're willing to do the work that that they can actually make changes. And there's a gentleman who who's travels the country speaking on this. He says that's his favorite group of population he works with.   I can't say the word narcissistic personality disorder men. And he says, you would like this man today. But he had like multiple failed businesses.   He'd been very successful, but they're failing businesses, failing marriage. And he worked with them and you don't work with them the same as just typical counseling. It's not the same because they don't see themselves.   So, we need more people who specialize in that.   Laura Dugger: (37:16 - 38:12) I agree with you there. And it's just helpful to have that reminder of hope. Even this morning in my quiet time, I was reading in the Gospels and it was Jesus saying and everything he says is true.   That with man, it seems impossible, or it is impossible. But with God, we know that all things are possible. So, appreciate the way you answered that.   And then also a follow up would be we heard that awful story of what happened with the physical safety when you're looking at physical abuse. But then, Stacey, would you recommend wives have the same boundaries? Are they taking time away to physically protect themselves if there's any type of abuse?   If there is financial abuse, let's say, are they given the same recommendations as somebody who is in an emotionally abusive relationship?   Stacey Womack: (38:13 - 40:49) Well, the emotional abuse is always there. You don't have any other forms of abuse without emotional abuse. So, our women, we talk about boundary setting and different boundaries they can begin trying.   But oftentimes the only boundary that actually works to be able to say for us to be able to make it, you need to go get help. And while you're getting help, we need to be separated so they're not focusing on one another. So not all of our women separate.   Some of the women try to work through it while he's still in the home. My experience is that it slows the process down, extremely slows the process down because they're still focusing on one another. And he's coming home and he's sharing with us how great the program is.   But then he's going home and he's angry and he's taking it out on her. So, it creates some unsafety for her. And I just want to say this because I think a lot of people don't understand that there's physical safety and then there's emotional safety.   And we downplay the emotional safety. But emotional safety is as important as physical safety. So, I have some pastors who think that if we share things like this, that we're going to be making victims.   That's not true. I don't relate to the books that are out there. You know, oh, yeah, I've experienced that.   It's not going to make victims. You either relate to it or you don't. But this emotional safety might mean needing to separate from that person.   Not because you fear their physical abuse when you haven't been physical. But a lot of our women say he's never been physical, but I'm fearful of him. And so in order for her to get some healing and some help while she waits to see whether or not he gets help and she's really hoping he will.   She needs that space. And so, yes, I think that in a lot of scenarios, separation is a key. And then we have some couples where the where the husband does is not willing to do the work he needs to do, but he's not controlling the finances.   So, they remain married but separated for the rest of their lives. Not very many couples can do that because most abusers are going to control finances. So, but that's why I was saying it's not our place to tell a woman to leave or to stay.   That's not our job. It's our job to walk alongside them when they seek God for what they should be doing and what boundaries they should be setting. And they can try a lot of different things before it gets to that point.   And it just there's no easy answer for this.   Laura Dugger: (40:50 - 41:05) It's very complex. Yes, it's very complex. But even when you say there's a lot of things they could try.   Could you give a few examples or is there a place on your website where they can go to get some ideas and some help for those earlier stages?   Stacey Womack: (41:06 - 43:43) Well, we talk about this in our journey class again, which is free. You can join at any time in our class on boundaries. And so, it depends on the severity of abuse that's going on.   But most women, when there has been physical abuse, will start off with things like and we talk about a boundary has to have a consequence. Otherwise, it's not really you can't. It doesn't work.   But these men are boundary breakers. So, a boundary would be like saying, if you continue to yell at me and call me names, I'm going to leave and go to my friend's house. So, there's the boundary and there's a consequence for breaking.   But then we also realize when we're talking to them that he may decide at some point he's not going to let you leave. So now he's blocking the door. So, then it might be, you know, if you're going to treat me this way, I'm no longer going to cook meals or do your wash.   And it usually works its way down to I'm no longer going to have sex with you. I'm not going to sleep in the same room with you. And once you get to that point, the only other thing you can do is do a physical separation with the heart to actually reunite.   That's what these women want. And some of our couples have been separated for three years. But the husband is like, let her head home.   And he's doing his work and they're interacting again. But he doesn't move back home for three years because he's committed to giving her whatever space and time she needs to heal. Because he recognizes that he's the one that's caused unsafety.   And so, what is three years if you can have a healthy relationship for the rest of your life? And so that's what we were looking for our men to do. It's like even if you're disappointed, if she's saying, I'm not ready for you to move back.   And you can say, I feel disappointed, but you know what? I get it. And whatever you need, I'm willing to do that.   That's accountability. That's humility. And really, they need to have other men who are mentoring them to hold them accountable.   And again, not a lot of people are taught this. And so having the right mentor even for this is really important. Even a right counselor for them to work with their childhood issues.   But those are some ideas for some boundaries. Boundaries always have to have consequences. But even if a woman gets a protection order or restraining order, most of those are violated.   So, we tell the women be prepared to call the police when he violates it by texting you or by sending you a card with money in it or putting flowers on your car. Or coming to the church service that you put in the restraining order that he wasn't supposed to come to. So, you need to be ready to hold him accountable because the abuser doesn't believe you're going to actually follow through.   Laura Dugger: (43:43 - 44:32) Do you love The Savvy Sauce? Do you gain anything when you listen? Did you know that the two ways we earn money to keep this podcast live is through generous contributions from listeners and from our paying sponsors?   That means we can promote your business and you're still supporting The Savvy Sauce. It's a win-win. Please email us today at info@thesavvysauce.com to inquire about pricing for sponsoring each episode. Thank you for your consideration.    Well, and what if somebody is listening right now and they're automatically assuming, well, this isn't happening to anyone I know and it's certainly not happening in our church. What would you like to directly say to them?   Stacey Womack: (44:33 - 45:40) I'd like to let them know that statistically one in three women experience domestic violence, stalking, or rape by an intimate partner. And the statistics in the church are no less than they are outside of the church. So, every church has families in their church who look like the perfect couple.   When I started leading a group in my own church, I was so shocked. I kept telling myself, stop being shocked when I have another woman privately come up to me and tell me that they were in an abusive relationship because they just, they were involved, and they were just leading Sunday school. And they were, just look like this beautiful family and you would never have known.   There was no way to know that this was actually going on. So, you know, the reality is that it's happening. We're just not aware of it.   It wasn't on my radar before God called me into this work. I didn't think it was affecting my life. I didn't think of much thought.   But the reality is I feel like it's worse now than ever and not necessarily more physical abuse, but just abuse in general, the misuse of things to gain control.   Laura Dugger: (45:42 - 46:18) Well, and I appreciate the way you helped give a paradigm shift. You offered this on page 36 in your book and you quote saying, “At ARMS, we do not believe God considers domestic violence and abuse an adult issue. Instead, we believe he sees it as child abuse. We are his children.”   So, Stacey, with that in mind, how does this clarify how we can respond appropriately, and in a Christlike manner, when someone does report abuse?   Stacey Womack: (46:20 - 47:51) Well, I think a lot of times when women actually have the courage to tell you what's going on, it's a very courageous thing to do. She's risking a lot by telling you.   So, we really need to listen carefully and believe her. And I'm thinking about how, you know, that I'm trying to think now. How did you word your question so I can answer it correctly?   If you think about that example you gave, if your child was being beaten, harassed and abused in school and came home crying, you wouldn't just sit in your chair and say, go back and pray harder and win them over by your quiet and gentle spirit. We would go down and we would ask the school, what are you doing about this? Who's doing this and what are you doing about it?   And if they didn't do anything, we wouldn't think twice to remove our child from that environment. But in these situations where you're working with two adults, she may not be ready to leave. She's just sharing with you that this is going on.   She actually is hoping you'll go talk to him so that you'll fix him. But that is not a safe thing for you to do. And she may not realize that.   I tell pastors that all the time. You don't, but you're not going to go to him to check out her story or go talk to him like she's asked you to. Instead, you're going to go, what can we do for you right now?   Let's get you some help. And there'll be a time where we can address things with him. But right now is not that safe time.   So, let's get you connected with an organization that can help you give you the resources that you need to begin your journey of healing and discovering what God wants you to do.   Laura Dugger: (47:52 - 48:07) That's good. And also, this is a tricky question, but what are your views for having biblical reasons for divorce, specifically as it relates to those types of abuse that you shared with us?   Stacey Womack: (48:08 - 50:27) Sure. You know, I think God understood that divorce would happen. That's why it got written into the law.   And it says, “Because it was the hardness of hearts.” So, it wasn't God's design. It wasn't the way God wanted it to be, but that there was made allowances for this.   And when people and women are often quoted, God hates divorce. They're not really giving the whole scripture and Malachi in the amplified version. It says, “God hates divorce and marital separation and him who covers his wife, his garment with violence. Therefore, keep a watch on your spirit, that it may be controlled by my spirit, that you deal not treacherously and faithfully with your marriage mate.”   So, we actually got some really good articles that go in depth on the original Hebrew, that Malachi verse was written in there. But, you know, I do believe that someone is breaking the marriage covenant to love, cherish, lay his life down for when they bring abuse to the relationship.   Again, God would wish and hope that we would humble our hearts, not be stiff necked and submit to Him and what he's trying to teach us and grow us in. But He does not force us. And so that leaves women in these situations very little choices if their husband is unwilling to get the help that he needs.   So, I am all for divorce. And I know that that marriage is hard. And my husband and I have been married for 44 years and we've gone through our struggles.   And there are times that I thought this isn't going to work. But you know what? We hung in there because we knew that for us, because it wasn't an abusive situation, that we need to stay in there and work on it.   And we did. And we're so glad we did. So, believe me, I'm not promoting divorce.   I just know that there has to be a place and known for it because of sin in the world. And again, it's heartbreaking and it destroys not just individuals, families, but our society is being destroyed by the breakdown of the family. And abuse is one of the most insidious things.   It starts in the home and it's cyclical. So, it's passed on from one generation to the next.   Laura Dugger: (50:29 - 50:38) Well, so, Stacey, how can we become more aware of abuse that is happening all around us? And what can we do that's genuinely helpful?   Stacey Womack: (50:40 - 52:13) Well, I think getting the education, you know, in my book that on the front lines of abuse strategies for the faith community, just a little book. But has a ton of information in it is a good place to start. And I have some do's and don'ts in there.   But, you know, I think that when you might recognize someone's being in an abusive relationship by the way her husband or whatever is speaking to her. But she doesn't see it because most victims would never call themselves a victim of abuse because they don't relate to that at all. That's not how they would define it.   So, I think sometimes just privately sharing with them. No, that behavior was really abusive. And she may not like that.   She might even get upset. But I think just being honest with the fact that this is going on. And I encourage pastors to preach about abuse and really abuse oppression.   And the Bible has a whole lot to say about oppression. There's already sermons out there that they can pull from. I suggest pastors preach on it twice a year.   So, October's domestic violence awareness month. And then maybe run Mother's Day again, not on Mother's Day, but around Mother's Day. Talk about it again, not as a caveat to relationships where it's just mentioned in a sermon, but an actual entire sermon on this issue.   And I can promise you that the church gets the education they need. They don't have to be experts, but they need to know what resources are out there for them and they make it safe. Both men and women will come forward and ask for help.   So, we need just to be a listening ear and care and ask how we can help.   Laura Dugger: (52:14 - 52:29) I think that's a good practical encouragement that you've shared. And I want to add all of these links in our show notes. So, is there anywhere else that we can go to after this conversation to continue learning from you?   Sure.   Stacey Womack: (52:30 - 53:32) We have our website that has a ton of information on it, abuserecovery.org. So, there's just so much on there. We have blogs and we have all kinds of information that the faith community can download for free.   Whether you're just in the community or you're a church leader, there's all kinds of things you can download. We have a pastor's packet. There's just we'll give you other books to read that you can do more education around this again.   I know as my father being a pastor, that pastors are busy enough. We're not asking pastors to do more than what they're doing. We're just asking them to be educated and know where they can send their people that's safe, where they're going to get sound and supportive help.   And to just be open to looking at things from a little bit different perspective. But our website just has so much on it that they can get for free. And again, our women's intervention groups, our recovery groups are free.   Laura Dugger: (53:33 - 53:49) Thank you for sharing that. And you may already be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so, Stacey is my final question for you today.   What is your savvy sauce?   Stacey Womack: (53:50 - 54:39) What is my savvy sauce? You know, when I think about how God called me into this ministry in the end, no matter what we do, I think it's about obedience to God. And so, this was not on my radar.   I would never have chosen it. And so, for me, it's about being obedient to what God has called me to do, even when it's hard and even when it's unpopular. And walking in that so that when I stand before God, I can say I did what you asked me to, to the best of my ability, even with all my flaws.   So that's really, I think, my heart is to be that way. Be a leader like Moses, who God says he was the most humble man who ever lived. I'd love to be like that with the heart of David and the boldness of Paul and on and on and on.   Laura Dugger: (54:39 - 59:13) So, yeah, I love that. Well, I told you before we pressed record that I have experienced so much fruit of the spirit from you already with your gentleness. And this is not the first time we tried recording.   We prayed together that God would do immeasurably more than all we could ever ask or imagine through this conversation, because we had so many technical difficulties and even had to reschedule the date for this. But Stacey, I'm so grateful you persevered because you are well-spoken and you tackle this extremely difficult topic with wisdom and grace. And so, I'm very grateful I got to learn from you today.   And I believe God's going to continue working through you, even for the saving of many lives. So, thank you for your work and thank you for being my guest. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.    One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Message from Dave Mbako on May 11, 2025

Pastor Travis Hearn brings a powerful and cinematic message to Impact Church titled “Living a Life of Sacrifice.” With raw honesty and heartfelt storytelling, he invites us into the legacy of his mother—Toni—a woman who gives up her own dreams, works four jobs, and sacrifices everything just to be present for her son. But this isn't just her story—it becomes a mirror for all of us. In this message, Pastor Travis calls you to something deeper: not just believing in Jesus, but fully belonging to Him. As he unpacks Romans 12:1, you'll be challenged to offer your life—not in part, but in full—as a living sacrifice. Worship, he says, isn't just what happens on a Sunday stage, it's what happens when your life hits the altar on Monday morning. If you've ever felt unseen, broken, or out of place, this message reminds you—you're not overlooked, you're set apart. Through the promise of Psalm 91 and the boldness of Daniel, you'll be inspired to stop conforming and start transforming. Because when you see God's mercy clearly, giving Him everything won't feel like loss—it'll feel like the only thing that makes sense.

Gina Schmidt returns to Morning Light with our Faith Community Nursing segment. May is “Arthritis Awareness Month.”  What is arthritis and what causes it?  Are there Signs & Symptoms we should watch for?  Is there a Patron Saint of arthritis?!  

SEND US A MESSAGE! We'd Love to Chat With you and Hear your thoughts! We'll read them on the next episode. PLEASE FILL OUT THIS SURVEY TO HELP THE PODCAST: CLICK HERE-------What does the future of the Church look like? Will it be shaped by courageous men who stand strong in their faith, or will it be led astray by those who compromise? In this thought-provoking video, I address some of the lasting impact of the last generation of soft men on this current generation. I also address the looming catastrophe headed for an unprepared church.  We'll look at some relatively recent events that serve as evidence of weak leadership in the church of recent past. Join me as I dive into the importance of bold, faith-filled leadership and what it means for the Church's future. ------LEARN ABOUT THE BALTIMORE CHURCH PLANT: CLICK HERESupport the showPlease Rate & Comment!Hosts: Brandon and Daren SmithWebsite: www.blackandblurred.comPatreon: www.patreon.com/blackandblurredPaypal: https://paypal.me/blackandblurredYouTube: Black and Blurred PodcastIG: @BlackandBlurredPodcastX: @Blurred_Podcast

What if discipleship isn't something we outsource, but something we embody, right where we are? In this episode, I sit down with David Sunde for a grounded and hopeful conversation about raising homegrown disciples. We talk about parenting, presence, and the slow, incarnational work of forming our families in the way of Jesus. David invites us to move beyond programs and into apprenticeship, learning not by content alone, but by imitation, by presence, by love. We explore how ordinary moments, mealtimes, bedtimes, commutes, can become sacred spaces. And how the Spirit forms us not through performance, but through vulnerability, reconciliation, and belonging. The Spirit of God is already moving in our homes and formation begins not with perfection, but with presence.David Sunde has been involved in professional non-profit and pastoral leadership for 25 years. As a native of San Francisco, California, he grew up amid a melting pot of culture, class, religion, and thoughts that shaped an unassuming if not disarming approach to people and conversation. Leveraging that experience alongside doctoral training in semiotics and culture, David is a catalyst for church renewal and developmental relationships. He's the author of Small-Batch Disciplemaking and the new release, Homegrown Disciples: Parenting Rhythms for Drawing Your Kids into Life With God. David and his wife, Laurel, have two kids, Bjorn and Annika, and live in Austin, TX.David's Book:Homegrown DisciplesDavid's Recommendations:Decoding the DivineAdventSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below The Cross pt. 2Welcome to Ask Me Anything, the podcast where we give you biblical answers to...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

On May 2, Braver Angels’ own Red Co-Chair of Braver Faith, Lenny Greenberg, and Reverend Chad Butz joined The Spark to explore how faith communities can heal our fractured political landscape. Lenny, a retired high-tech executive, explained that “we must learn to talk to each other about our disagreements in a civil way again,” while Pastor Chad reflected on the shared mission of church and Braver Angels: “Relationship is at the heart of what it means to be Christian… and Braver Angels teaches us to compromise for the benefit of the relationship.” Both guests underscored the importance of releasing our need to be right so that love and care for our fellow humans can guide us toward a more united future.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This sermon marks the beginning of our spring series, "The Whole Body: Towards Deeper Inclusion for All of Us" on disability and accessibility in the church. For this first Sunday, we were pleased to have Steve Grove as our guest speaker. Steve works as the manager of Camp Easter Seal, and he reflects on his work at the camp and as a pastor, drawing our attention to the story in John 9 and reminding us of our inherent worth with Ephesians 2:10 - "For you are God's masterpiece..."

Parish renewal is the buzzword of the moment—and with it comes an overwhelming array of resources and ministries. So how do you cut through the noise to find what will truly help your parish move forward? In today's episode, I talk with Susan Windley-Daoust, author of The Four Ways Forward: Becoming an Apostolic Parish in a Post-Christian World (https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/the-four-ways-forward-becoming-an-apostolic-parish-in-a-post-christian-world.html). Susan encourages us to focus on renewal models that prioritize: * Radical hospitality * Small group discipleship * Mission refocus * Signs and wonders Look for resources that align with these key principles and have a proven track record. Engage your parish leadership team in discernment, and don't be afraid to start small—what matters most is finding what genuinely supports your parish's growth in missionary identity. Want more practical insights? Tune in now! [04:10] The Call to Evangelization [19:11] Challenges in Modern Parishes [28:30] The Four Ways Forward [33:50] Respecting Individuality in Evangelization [34:18] The Power of First Proclamation [37:16] Embracing Small Groups for Spiritual Growth [43:36] Mission Refocus and Organizational Health [50:49] Elevating Signs and Wonders [58:32] Encouragement for Evangelization [01:03:15] The Mark 5:19 Project Don't forget to check out Susan's book (https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/the-four-ways-forward-becoming-an-apostolic-parish-in-a-post-christian-world.html) and the Mark 5:19 Project (https://mark519project.org/)! For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL) is an organization that aims to empower people of faith to engage in issues such as environmental injustices, pollution, climate change and more. Marqus Cole, who serves as the organizing director for GIPL, talks more about the organization’s work and impact. He also shares his thoughts about how faith intersects with climate activism. Plus, Wanona Satcher is on a mission to address the housing crisis. She is the CEO and founder of Mākhers Studio. The East Point-based construction and management firm specializes in transforming shipping containers into housing and retail solutions. As we spotlight “Closer Look’s” most memorable conversations, we revisit Rose’s conversation with Satcher. She talks about her vision to use micro-housing as a sustainable and viable option to solve the home affordability problem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Pamela Pyle, author of "Anticipating Heaven," helps us bring look at the promise of resurrection thanks to Jesus's resurrection.  She also offers practice help for listener questions.  Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, author of "Heaven Help Us," talks about the importance of the way people of faith and faith communities impact others around them in both physical and spiritual ways.    Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here  

Gina Schmidt joins Morning Light once again for our Faith Community Nursing segment. Today, she talks about chronic pain.

How do organizations with deep roots and old traditions handle the challenges of today's communities? Especially in a city like Detroit, which has such a unique and sometimes difficult story. The Solanus Casey Center on Detroit's East Side is a solid example. It honors the memory of a respected figure, Father Solanus Casey, but it's also very involved in the neighborhood today, offering real help like food and counseling. So, how does a place like this keep going? How does it balance its spiritual goals with practical help for people? And what can its long history, and how it has changed, teach us about building strong communities? My guest on Episode 1,656 of the show is Brother Steven Crop, the Director of the Solanus Casey Center. He talks about connecting the Center's past to the real needs people have now, the quiet power of simply being present, and how faith can lead to direct action in surprising ways. This conversation explores what it really means to support a community  With the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, head of the Catholic Church, I figured this was a good time to talk about the work happening on the ground. Daily Detroit shares what to know and where to go in Detroit every day. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-detroit/id1220563942  Or sign up for our newsletter: https://www.dailydetroit.com/newsletter/  

Today, we're sitting down with John Kasich, former Governor of Ohio and a passionate advocate for community-driven change. In his new book 'Heaven Help Us', Kasich explores how faith institutions can be powerful catalysts for solving local problems. We'll dive into stories of everyday people who are making real differences in their communities, from fighting human trafficking to supporting refugees. This conversation is about hope, grassroots action, and how ordinary people can create extraordinary change when they work together. John shares personal stories and insights about bottom-up problem solving, the role of faith communities, and why believing in our collective potential matters more than ever. So join us as we join together with faith communities to make a real difference in our society. John Kasich is a national leader who has spent a lifetime bringing people together to solve big problems and leave the world around them just a little bit better than they found it. Kasich served as the 69th governor of Ohio and ran for President during the 2016 GOP primary. His message focused on unifying Americans rather than dividing them, championing the great potential of our citizens to make positive impacts in their own communities, a strong national defense, and the importance of our international alliances. Today, he runs the Kasich Company and serves as a political analyst for NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: Courage Is Contagious; Stand for Something; Every Other Monday; Two Paths, and It's Up to Us. His most recent book, Heaven Help Us is available April 8. He is married to Karen Kasich and is the proud father of adult twin daughters.John's Book:Heaven Help UsJohn's Recommendations:Our Heavenly FatherA Tree Grows in BrooklynSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Ashley T Lee PodcastAshley T. Lee Podcast will cover many life issues such as overcoming stress, anxiety...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Support the show

In this episode, we trace the journey of repair from the biblical story of Eden to the present-day church. We begin by looking at the rupture in Eden, the first human failure, which sets the stage for the entire narrative of repair in the Bible. The church, we argue, serves as the modern-day extension of God's original plan for renewal, where heaven and earth collide, and where God's work of restoration continues. Yet, this place of healing is also where significant ruptures can occur, often leaving members hurt and disillusioned.   The conversation highlights the delicate balance between idealism and realism when it comes to the church's role in repairing relational fractures. The church, like any human system, is not immune to dysfunction, but it is also the place where God's mission of restoration is most powerfully present. We discuss how leaders in the church must navigate the complexities of repair, creating spaces of safety and vulnerability while also confronting their own wounds. This episode offers listeners a deeper understanding of how spiritual growth and relational healing are inextricably linked, both for individuals and the community as a whole.     * * * Episode Links and References When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat When the Church Harms People - Diane Langberg Redeeming Power: Understanding Power and Abuse in the Church - Diane Langberg Matthew 18:15-17 John 16:33   Artistic Offerings to Reflect On The Incredulity of Saint Thomas - painting by Caravaggio St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) by Johann Sebastian Bach  . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Gina Schmidt returns to Morning Light for our Faith Community Nursing Segment. Today, she discusses seasonal allergies (before they get too bad!) What are seasonal allergies? What are the causes and symptoms then how do those differ from a Cold or COVID? How can we manage Seasonal Allergies?  Is there a Patron Saint? Resources:   https://weather.com/promos/video/allergy-insights-with-watson Allergy-proofing your home: Allergy-proof your home  

In this episode, Kristian and the crew discuss what it's like to be single in the Black Church regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. We'll uncover in this conversation that those factors make a difference. We're joined by two of our community members, BJ Jackson and Paul Best. Subscribe to Patreon Here: https://patreon.com/tfcvirtual Purchase full-length, uncensored episodes of the podcast here: https://patreon.com/tfcvirtual Watch the Patrons-only recording of the first Deconstructing Singles Ministry episode: https://www.youtube.com/live/_sVoY3Qeqzg?si=14q9KM-AgXOA8hIT Get Merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store Order Breaking All The Rules here: https://www.kristianasmith.com/breaking-all-the-rules Video Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Highlights 08:04 - Did not our hearts burn within us? - Part 1 Recap 12:30 - The One Rule 19:09 - Describe your experience as a single person in the Black Church 43:07 - Decentering Heterosexual Relationships 46:32 - Leave me out of your misery - Reaching for the Stars 1:02:10 - Jackie Hill Perry Levels of Repression 1:09:11 - The Masturbation Stigma 1:13:49 - How has Purity Culture impacted your relationships? 1:15:22 - Some single church mothers are closeted lesbians?   The Faith Community is a groundbreaking, inclusive faith community where the traditional meets the transformational. It exists to challenge harmful religious norms while creating a safe, affirming space for spiritual seekers of all kinds. Through virtual connection, theological interrogation, and an emphasis on love and self-acceptance, TFC helps its audience find abundant life and community without compromising their identity.

Welcome to The Christian Entrepreneurs Podcast! I'm your host, Annemarie Cross, and today, we're welcoming back a truly inspiring guest—Caroline Mendez. If you heard her first episode, you already know the depth of wisdom she brings. If this is your first time hearing from her, you're in for something special! Caroline is a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ, a loving wife and mother, a successful businesswoman, and a fierce advocate for Christian women in leadership. She understands firsthand the challenges and triumphs of walking boldly in faith while building a thriving business, and today, she's here to share powerful insights that will encourage and equip you for your own journey. In this episode, we're talking about what it really means to be a trailblazer—how God equips those who step out in faith, the strength found in community, and why collaboration is far more powerful than competition. Caroline also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her latest book, Trailblazers 2025, which captures the inspiring stories of Christian women leaders making a kingdom impact. If you've ever wondered how to grow in self-awareness, navigate challenges with grace, and fully step into the calling God has placed on your life, this conversation is for you. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get ready to be inspired. Let's jump in! Here are three key takeaways: Power of Community: Caroline emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with a supportive community. Engage with those who are at or above your level to foster growth and shared success. God-Given Success: Trailblazers carry unique callings which God equips them for. Even when the journey is challenging, staying obedient can lead to remarkable growth and impact. Attributes of Trailblazers: Self-awareness is a crucial trait for leaders. Understanding how you come across and being open to growth can significantly enhance your leadership journey. CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION:   Continue the conversation about this podcast episode over on our Community! Enjoy This Podcast?If you enjoyed today's episode of Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast, then hit subscribe now!  Post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends, so they can find out more about how to generate returns from a Google Ads account.  For more updates and episodes, visit the Ambitious Entrepreneur Show website. You can also subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Email, RSS, and more!  You can also follow us through Facebook.  Additional Resources: 5 Pillars to Build Visibility, Generate Leads and Enrol Clients with Ease Quiz  Are You Ready to Launch Your Coaching Business Podcast? Take the Quiz  Want to launch your own Thought Leader Podcast? Access my ‘Are You Ready to Launch Your Podcast' Quiz here, and/or book a time to chat. Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:  Linkedin  Instagram  Facebook  To staying ambitious,  Annemarie  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to build a thriving, faith-filled parish? In this episode, I sit down with Father Jamie Zarse, pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Shawnee, Kansas, to unpack his vision for renewing his parish—starting with a team of prayer warriors and leaders—and the spiritual habits that are transforming his community. From deeper devotion to the Eucharist and the Rosary to more frequent confession and scripture-based prayer, these simple yet powerful practices are sparking real change. Mass attendance is up by 18%, generosity is growing with an additional $408,000 in tithing, and parishioners are coming alive in their faith. Father Jamie also reveals why measuring spiritual progress and forming strong leadership teams are key to sustaining this momentum. He shares how his leadership team, a mix of staff and dedicated volunteers, meets weekly to ensure they are always working on the most important things. They even use innovative tools like QR code surveys during Mass to track engagement in key spiritual habits. Whether you're a parish leader or just passionate about seeing your faith community flourish, this episode is packed with wisdom you won't want to miss. Discover how Father Jamie's approach has led to a significant increase in OCIA participants and the success of marriage enrichment programs that have saved marriages and strengthened families. Give it a listen and let us know—what's one habit or leadership insight that stood out to you? [05:12] Building a Team of Prayer Warriors [10:14] Leadership and Vision Development [18:37] Measuring Parish Engagement [23:30] Accountability and Evangelization [28:42] Building a Healthy Leadership Team [37:32] Leveraging Business Practices in Parish Management [44:20] Personal and Professional Rule of Life Check out Fr. Jamie's parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church (https://www.shoj.org/). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Sermon from Sunday, March 16, 2025by Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, Senior Pastor,The Faith Community of St. Sabina

Virginia's faith communities are feeling the impact of the Trump administration's first six weeks in office. Some are praising his efforts while others are reeling. Brad Kutner has more. 

Gina Schmidt joins Morning Light for our Parish Community Nursing segment with basic tips for caregiving for individuals living with dementia. This type of caregiving comes with particular needs and challenges - tune in and learn more.

Aaron Ninaber kicked off our Joy Full series with an introduction to the book of Philippians, a letter overflowing with gratitude, unity, and unshakable joy. Writing from prison, Paul reminds the church that they are not just recipients of the gospel but partakers in it—partners in faith, generosity, and mission. His prayer for them is that their love would abound in knowledge and discernment, leading them to live with sincerity and fruitfulness. As we step into this series, the question is—will we embrace the joy of true partnership in the gospel?

Gina Schmidt returns to Morning Light with our Faith Community Nursing segment. This edition is a Caregiving 101 episode as we ask WHO is a family caregiver? Gina works through some top tips for caregivers and reveals the Patron Saint for caregivers. Gina will return on March 13 to wrap up this topic so in the meantime, if you have questions about caregiving, please email them to us at MorningLight@saltandlightradio.com and she will answer them during her next segment.  

Gina Schmidt returns to Morning Light with our Faith Community Nursing segment. February is American Heart Month so the focus for this segment will be on Womens Heart Health, including statistics, risk factors, key differences in Heart Disease for women, diagnosis/treatment and even a Patron Saint to share!  

Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman from Temple of Israel joined Vineeta on The WCCO Morning News. Photo Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The topic of sibling grief is near and dear to my heart. Not only did I grow up in a home affected by the death of my sister, I've also watched my own children bravely grieve the loss of their big brother. It feels like we don't hear much about this unique kind of grief so I'm grateful for my guest today, Jena Sietz, and her willingness to share about her fight for joy after losing her little brother Brett in 2018 at the age of 26. So much of our childhood can't be separated from our siblings. Our lives are intertwined. Siblings bear witness to our experiences. They knew all the versions of you growing up. They share the memories and inside jokes. As someone once said, “Siblings help hold your childhood.” So when a sibling dies, there is a lot to grieve. Part of you dies with them. And there's so much to be processed as life moves forward because you just always assume that your sibling will be there…standing up for you at your wedding, playing the role of aunt or uncle for your kids, and helping you with your parents as they age. There's a need to have more conversations about this devastating kind of grief. Listen in as Jena shares about her brother Brett - his life and his death and the impact that grief has had on her fight for joy. I hope this episode sheds more light on sibling loss and encourages conversation around this topic. If you've lost a sibling, my hope is that you feel seen and that you are encouraged to keep going with your own fight for joy. If you know someone who has lost a sibling, I hope this episode prompts you to acknowledge their unique grief (even if it was decades ago) and better understand what it feels like to experience the death of a sibling. *Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Christian counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy. ** If this episode was encouraging to you, I'd like to ask you to please consider rating the Fighting for Joy podcast, and even leaving a review. Once you find my show, scroll down to where it says “tap to rate” or “write a review”. Tapping to rate literally takes a second or two, and writing a review can be quick as well. Just sharing that you enjoy listening, or that it's an encouragement to you is enough. The longer I do this the more I understand how helpful those ratings and reviews really are, so thanks for considering this. It means a lot!

In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the recent actions taken by Joni Lamb and Doug Weiss, as explained by Kim Chadwell. Christopher shares his mixed feelings about the situation, addressing issues such as authority, accountability, and the church's response to alleged misconduct. He meticulously examines the accusations against Joni and Doug, discussing the implications for the body of Christ and the need for transparency and righteousness. Join us for a deep dive into these pressing matters affecting the faith community. original video by Kim Chadwell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_e-eNMeKYo

Gina Schmidt returns to Morning Light with our Faith Community Nursing segment, continuing her teaching on the thyroid.

Segment 1: President Trump Must Pardon the 21 Pro-Life Americans Biden Put in Prison In a bold appeal, pro-life advocates urge President Trump to pardon 21 pro-life Americans imprisoned under the Biden administration. This segment examines the alleged targeting of pro-life activists, their sacrifices, and the call for justice. Segment 2: Trump Forced to Listen to Lesbian Preacher at National Cathedral During a controversial moment at the National Cathedral, President Trump was compelled to hear a sermon by a lesbian preacher. We analyze the cultural and spiritual implications of this event and its impact on the faith community. Segment 3: Only 2 Dozen Leftists Protested at Trump's Inauguration Despite widespread media coverage of anti-Trump protests, only two dozen leftists showed up at his inauguration. This segment explores the disconnect between media narratives and the actual turnout, highlighting the broader cultural divide. Get free alerts at http://PrayInJesusName.org © 2025, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD. Airs on NRB TV, Direct TV Ch.378, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, GoogleTV, Smart TV, iTunes and www.PrayInJesusName.org

Sermon from Sunday, January 26, 2025by Rev. Michael L. Pfleger, Senior Pastor,The Faith Community of Saint Sabina

This episode features a rich discussion with Anders and Davin Lindwall about their film "Green and Gold," which tells a heartfelt story of resilience in farming and the bond between a grandfather and his granddaughter. The Lindwalls examine the importance of community, faith, and hope as they share insights into the film's creation and the unique partnerships that have shaped its path to the screen.• Exploration of the film's themes around perseverance and community • Insight into the filmmakers' personal backgrounds and inspirations • Discussion on the partnerships with Culver's and the Green Bay Packers • Importance of original music in enhancing the film's narrative • Behind-the-scenes challenges during the filmmaking process • Future plans for upcoming projects and continued storytellingIn this exclusive interview, Mike Stone sits down with filmmakers Anders and Davin Lindwall to uncover the incredible journey behind their upcoming feature film, Green & Gold, hitting theaters on January 31st!

Eunice Wong, Ph.D., (RAND, Santa Monica, Calif.) joins Dr. Dixon and Dr. Berezin to discuss a review taking a look at the interactions of faith communities and the mental health sector in the provision of mental health care. Transcript 00:56     How did you arrive at this field of study? 02:58     What is RAND and what do they do? 04:11     How are works for a think tank evaluated? 05:21     The interaction of faith communities and mental health service provision 07:38     Types of collaboration – PSFPTP Hankerson episode 09:57     Why look at the literature now? 11:12     What kinds of questions are you asking? 12:57     The complexity of different faiths, and different organizations 15:56     Topline findings 18:12     Does the research paradigm work in situations like this? 22:03     Discussing a patient and provider's religiosity 23:20     Assumptions and characterizations of faith-based organizations 24:55     Destigmatizing conversations about mental health and behavioral health in faith-based communities 27:39     The multilayered nature of faith-based community participation 28:53     Future research Subscribe to the podcast here. Check out Editor's Choice, a set of curated collections from the rich resource of articles published in the journal. Sign up to receive notification of new Editor's Choice collections. Browse other articles on our website. Be sure to let your colleagues know about the podcast, and please rate and review it wherever you listen to it. Listen to other podcasts produced by the American Psychiatric Association. Follow the journal on Twitter. E-mail us at psjournal@psych.org

Pastor Travis of Impact Church delivered an unforgettable sermon titled Under the Influence of Faith, Hope, and Love, blending real-life stories, bold truth, and timeless scripture to ignite hope and challenge hearts. He shared his own journey from being arrested at 17 to finding freedom in Christ that same night, showing how God can turn any situation around. This powerful message explored what influences us—fear, sin, or faith—and revealed how living under God's influence brings freedom, purpose, and lasting impact. With practical wisdom from Galatians 5 and a fresh look at 1 Corinthians 13, Pastor Travis invited everyone to step into a life of bold faith, unshakable hope, and transformational love. Whether you're searching for change or just curious, this message will leave you inspired and ready to live differently.

Gina Schmidt joins Morning Light for our Faith Community Nursing segment. Today, part 1 of our discussion on the thyroid - such an important gland but it can go wacky in a variety of ways. What is the thyroid? Where is it located? What does it do? How do we care for our thyroid? And, is there a patron saint for thyroid issues?   

Kristian and the crew are joined by Ciarra Jones to discuss the struggle of losing certainty as you deconstruct your faith. Subscribe to Patreon Here: https://www.patreon.com/tfcvirtual Get merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store Order Breaking All The Rules here: https://www.holysmokesmovement.com/batr-book-order Order The Sin of Certainty by Pete Enns here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25816844-the-sin-of-certainty   Video Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Highlights  04:08 - Welcome 07:35 - The One Rule 09:22 - Name a belief you once held as certain, but you no longer do. 21:41 - John Gray's Election Reflection (Reaching for the Stars) 42:08 - How has your relationship with certainty changed as you have grown? 54:53 - Talk to your kids about spirituality 1:01:44 - How did you grieve the loss of certainty? 1:15:44 - Replace certainty with possibility. 1:21:15 - Ciarra's Closing Thoughts   The Faith Community is a groundbreaking, inclusive faith community where the traditional meets the transformational. It exists to challenge harmful religious norms while creating a safe, affirming space for spiritual seekers of all kinds. Through virtual connection, theological interrogation, and an emphasis on love and self-acceptance, TFC helps its audience find abundant life and community without compromising their identity.

Pope John Paul II tells us that “evangelization is the cornerstone of all pastoral action, the demands of which are primary, preeminent and preferential.” Yet, let's be real—how often do we actually see this lived out in our parishes? Evangelization tends to take a back seat, overshadowed by other priorities, rarely making it into budgets or staffing plans. But here's the truth: holiness and orthodoxy aren't enough on their own to renew a parish. This week, I sit down with Fr. James Mallon, the author of Divine Renovation, to talk about how we can create parishes that inspire a commitment to Christ and cultivate a dynamic, engaged faith community. We dive into what it takes to make evangelization the heart of parish life, break through cultural barriers, and build leadership teams that lead with purpose. [03:08] Father James Mallon's Journey: From Ordination to Evangelization [08:13] The Role of Evangelization in Parish Transformation [11:38] Practical Steps to Prioritize Evangelization [21:08] Defining Evangelization: What It Is and What It Isn't [31:54] The Role of the Baptized in Evangelization [33:52] Transforming Parishes into Missionary Outposts [36:05] Challenges and Success Stories [40:37] Building Effective Leadership Teams [52:31] Insights from Diocesan Leadership [58:17] Keys to Continued Growth in Parish Renewal [01:02:57] The Power of the Holy Spirit Also, check out Fr. Mallon's current parish OLG Dartmouth (https://www.ourladyofguadalupe.ca/), Divine Renovation Ministry (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjXZBNQbWBzH7EScMDwaMA) YouTube channel, and the Divine Renovation website (https://divinerenovation.org/). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Pastor Travis of Impact Church delivers an inspiring and powerful message in his sermon Under the Influence, sharing his personal story of transformation—from being arrested for a DUI to giving his life to Jesus that very night. He challenges us to reflect on what's shaping our decisions, mindset, and direction in life, urging us to move away from worldly influences and embrace the life-changing power of God's Word, the Holy Spirit, and a strong, faith-filled community. Through real-life examples, scripture, and encouragement, Pastor Travis reminds us that God's influence leads to freedom, strength, and purpose. This uplifting message inspires us to stay rooted in God's truth, walk in the power of the Spirit, and surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us. It's a call to live boldly, intentionally, and fully under the influence of Christ.

  Kristian and the crew run down the list of the top moments of 2024 with a collection of Reaching For the Stars segments. The segment featuring Christian Influencer, Tim Ross, is where we discuss the notion that Black People are Racist...   Subscribe to Patreon Here: https://www.patreon.com/tfcvirtual    Get merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store    Order Breaking All The Rules here: https://www.holysmokesmovement.com/batr-book-order  Video Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Highlights 05:46 - Welcome 08:28 - What was the most impactful cultural moment of the year? 21:44 - Bad Faith: The Rise of Christian Nationalism review 27:50 - Black People are Racist - Tim Ross (Reaching for the Stars) 47:02 - Deconstructing the Rapture review 49:20 - Jesus Wasn't a Revolutionary - Jordan Ifueko (Reaching for the Stars) 1:03:49 - Black Women & African Spirituality 7 review 1:07:47 - Astrology is Demonic - Brandon Jacobs (Reaching for the Stars) 1:18:59 - Closing Remarks of 2024 The Faith Community is a disruptive ministry built upon five keys: Greatest Commandment Theology, Anti-Racism, Women's Equity, LGBTQ+ Affirmation, and Bible Criticism. We are for the unchurched, the over-churched, and the under-churched; the weary and the wounded; the seeking and the cynical.  

In this sermon, Pastor Scott takes the approach of "stump the pastor." Following the reading of the 3 scripture lessons for the day, the congregation votes on which he'll use for the sermon, and he has 1 hymn to come up with the sermon. The lessons include 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Colossians 3:12-17; and Luke 2:41-52. While hints of all 3 are present, the main focal point is Colossians. These are the assigned texts for Sunday December 29th, the 1st Sunday of Christmas.

***PREVIOUSLY RECORDED 11/27***Can you imagine finding your true purpose in unexpected roles and experiences? Join PJ and Blair as they take the helm of the Highly Melanated Podcast while Red is exploring the vibrant culture of Ghana. We embark on a contemplative journey, reflecting on the enduring impacts of COVID-19 and the personal trials of feeling unseen. Blair's perspective on finding silver linings offers a beacon of hope, even in the toughest times. Together, we share gratitude and excitement for Red's return and the stories that will undoubtedly enrich our conversations.Have you ever wondered how personal faith shapes your identity and decisions? Our discussion uncovers the profound influence of spirituality in our lives, from early introductions to faith to meaningful connections within a church community. As we navigate personal faith stories, we ponder the balance between faith and worry and how unexpected paths can align with our divine purpose. We encourage listeners to reflect on their spiritual journeys and how these experiences guide their daily choices and understanding of self.Join us as we explore the whispers of inspiration that reveal our life's purpose. A chance encounter with a stranger recognizing divine qualities in us sparks a conversation on being vessels for positive change. We invite you to consider if your actions align with your will or a higher calling, and the comfort found in community prayer rituals that unite diverse backgrounds. With heartfelt discussions and introspection, we emphasize the importance of integrating faith into our lives and the fulfillment that comes from aligning our decisions with divine guidance.Follow US IG: https://www.instagram.com/highlymelanatedpodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/H_MelanatedPod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb2VbyoW6KaMxQo5onYluXAIF YOU WANT TO BE A GUEST OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE A GREAT CHOICE, HIT US UP!!!FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US @highlymelanatedpodcast@gmail.com

Can young adults find their place in a faith community after college? Young adults often face the loss of their college community and the challenge of building new connections. They tend to feel isolated and unsure of how to integrate into a parish. Overcoming this involves actively seeking out parish activities, being open to making friends across different age groups, and finding ways to serve. In this episode, we explore the unique struggles and opportunities for young adults striving to remain connected to their faith after graduation. Today's guest, Matt Keller, shares his inspiring journey of founding Arch O Young Adults, an apostolate dedicated to helping young adults navigate these transitions. Matt offers practical advice on creating meaningful relationships, staying rooted in prayer, and trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Whether you're a young adult or someone looking to support this age group, this conversation is full of insights and encouragement. [02:50] The Role of Community in Faith Development [06:10] Challenges and Transitions for Young Adults [17:57] Building a Young Adult Ministry [26:19] Creating a Vision for Young Adult Engagement [31:58] Leadership Transitions and Identifying New Leaders [39:10] Engaging Young Adults in Prayer and Community [44:45] Connecting Young Adults to Their Parishes [50:59] Balancing Family Life and Ministry [54:37] Encouragement for Aspiring Leaders For more, check out archoyoungadults.org (https://www.archoyoungadults.org/) or email Matt at archoyoungadults@gmail.com (mailto:archoyoungadults@gmail.com). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

In today's conversation, we talk with Susan Pizor Yoder, a researcher and faith leader who wants to understand how and why recent generations are less likely to identify with traditional religious communities. As the lead author of the recent book, Hear Us Out, Dr. Pizor Yoder talks about the process of interviewing over 200 18-40 year olds about how they find meaning, whether that be in a community or not.Show notes:Hear Us Out (https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506489193/Hear-Us-Out)

My grief journey has connected me to thousands of hurting people. Almost every week I have the privilege, although its a weighty and costly privilege, of spending big chunks of time listening to, giving witness to, and holding space for people's pain. I ALSO get to see pretty beautiful and tender glimpses into people's healing, progress, and returning joy. This past week, as I was interacting with people in both places, I thought to myself, how can I connect these two groups of people? How can I encourage those who feel pretty hopeless with testimony from those feeling hope-FULL? I wanted to connect people lacking joy with people who are experiencing joy again, especially during this time of year, the holiday season, a time of year that can traditionally feel extra sad and heavy for the hurting. My idea was to do something similar to what I did back in 2020 when we were all thrust into quarantine and isolation during Covid (Check out Episodes #25, #26, & #27). During that time, there was a lot of confusion, fear, and loss. Often when we are in situations and seasons like that, we need each other to bring encouragement. Sometimes we need to borrow strength and hope from others. Soooo, I put a little request out on social media a few days ago asking people to send me an audio message sharing some ways that they are fighting for joy right now - practical things that help them get through the holidays. I was so emotional listening to these messages as they came in. These friends of mine are joy fighters! They have hard stories, and in many cases they are still walking through VERY difficult things. But they took on this little assignment in hopes of helping those of you listening…to bring encouragement to someone who needs it. Maybe that's you? If so, I'm glad you found this episode and hope that it helps you.Today you'll get to hear Part 1, about half of the people who will share.Then, in a couple of days I will release Part 2 and you'll get to hear from the rest of these amazing people! And to each person who submitted a voice memo and participated in this "joy project", THANK YOU! You are all so special and your stories matter. I know you can testify to the brokenness of this world and/also you keep pressing forward with hope! I'm so proud of you for fighting for joy! Thank you for helping others in the fight as well. *Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling services from BetterHelp, my podcast sponsor. Check out my link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Christian counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a major tool in the fight for joy. ** If this episode was encouraging to you, I'd like to ask you to please consider rating the Fighting for Joy podcast, and even leaving a review. Once you find my show, scroll down to where it says “tap to rate” or “write a review”. Tapping to rate literally takes a second or two, and writing a review can be quick as well. Just sharing that you enjoy listening, or that it's an encouragement to you is enough. The longer I do this the more I understand how helpful those ratings and reviews really are, so thanks for considering this. It means a lot!

Exploring the concept of soul ties, this episode critically examines their theological origins, cultural implications, and real-life impact. Subscribe to Patreon Here: https://www.patreon.com/tfcvirtual  Get merch here: https://thefaithcommunity.org/merch-store  Order Breaking All The Rules here: https://www.holysmokesmovement.com/batr-book-order  Watch the Video Podcast here: https://youtu.be/7JD_8BHguxo    00:00 Podcast Introduction  06:44 Holy Smokes One Rule  10:01 The Couch w/ Pamela the Therapist  15:26 Smoking, Drinking, and What is your relationship to the concept of soul ties?  35:10 Reaching for the Stars  48:34 He Keeps Coming Back  51:40 Purity Culture is a Setup  56:25 We have an obsession with end states  01:01:23 What value do you find in the concept of soul ties?  01:06:32 Anxious attachment style 01:14:21 You start to lose yourself  1:25:14 Final Words    ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Faith Community is a disruptive ministry built upon five keys: Greatest Commandment Theology, Anti-Racism, Women's Equity, LGBTQ+ Affirmation, and Bible Criticism. We are for the unchurched, the over-churched, and the under-churched; the weary and the wounded; the seeking and the cynical.   

With your co-hostesses: Pam Blizzard from RecoveredPeace.com Lyschel Burket from HopeRedefined.org Bonny Burns from StrongWives.com Support HFW through a donation Today, we are approaching another type of betrayal we hear far too often from women navigating their healing journey, being missed when going to their community of faith after betrayal. We thought we would approach this conversation a little differently and encourage faith communities.  Many of us don't know what we don't know. When we learn and know better we can do better.  Dr. Barb Steffens is joining us today and helping us understand how a faith community can be a safe and responsive community for betrayed partners.  We Will be Discussing: What are some common experiences for women being “missed” by their faith community.  What should a care pastor/faith leader/community do when meeting with a betrayed wife or the couple after discovery? What to do when they want you to fix it?  What resources can they offer? What do you do when a woman doesn't understand her impact, yet? What if a woman reaches a brick wall with getting support from her faith community, should she stay where is, or to seek a new faith community? Other options? What hope can we leave for our listeners today?  Resources mentioned in this show: Your Sexually Addicted Spouse: How Partners Can Cope and Heal by Dr. Barb Steffens   Scripture references: Deuteronomy 31:8 Philippians 1:6

In this episode of Mutuality Matters, Dr. Mimi Haddad and Dr. Hélène Dallaire engage in a rich discussion on women's roles in biblical scholarship, the challenges faced in male-dominated fields, the impact of flawed Bible translations on women, and the crucial need for translating Scripture accurately to empower women. They explore stories of women overcoming barriers, the significance of mentoring in leadership, and the broader cultural implications of hierarchical teachings.    00:00 Introduction to Mutuality Matters  00:02 Breaking Gender Norms in Academia  01:28 Impact of Bible Translations on Women  05:06 The Role of Faith Communities in Addressing Abuse  05:52 Reinterpreting “Helper” in Genesis  11:08 Challenges and Progress for Women in Ministry  18:23 Mentorship and Leadership Development  25:23 Future of Bible Translation and Women's Roles  29:51 Concluding Thoughts and Encouragement  33:01 Closing Remarks and Farewell    Dr. Hélène Dallaire earned a PhD in Hebraic and Cognate Studies at Hebrew Union College. At Denver Seminary, Hélène is the Earl S. Kalland Professor OT and Semitic Languages and chairs the OT Department. She has served as Associate Pastor at Word Faith Christian Center in Vancouver and Oakville Canada. Hélène has published widely, with titles such as:   The Baker Illustrated Study Bible  Apollos OT Commentary Series by IVP     Dr. Dallaire has published articles and chapters in:  “Gender Issues and the Role of Women in Joshua,” In Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature. Leiden, Brill  “Women: Let's Use Our Voices – Psalm 68:12;” “Daughter of Zion/Jerusalem – Zephaniah 3:14-17;” and “A Woman in a Basket – Zechariah 5,” in Every Woman's Bible, Tyndale; A review of  Carol Meyer's, Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context (Oxford) in the Journal of the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament  “Women in the OT: A Legacy to Build On” for Denver Seminary's Engage Magazine.    Hélène teaches courses on Women in the Old Testament, the Ancient Near East, and Women's Leadership for the Association of Theological Schools, and with a CBE chapter locally. She serves on the board of the CBE Denver Chapter. Hélène received a 2024 CBE Lifetime Achievement Award.  Related Resources  An Update on CBE's Translation Project  Words Matter: How a Corrected Translation Transformed a Community  Correcting Caricatures: Women and Bible Translation    The opinions expressed in CBE's Mutuality Matters' podcast are those of its hosts or guests and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members or chapters worldwide. The designations employed in this podcast and the presentation of content therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of CBE concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers.   

Are you in a mess? Maybe it is time to reach out for help. Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller. At the beginning of Chapter 28, we got a snapshot of what was going on with Achish (the Philistine King) and David, who were planning to go to war with Israel. But for much of the rest of the chapter, we are going to jump to King Saul, and we are going to see a spiritual downward spiral that is demonic. This has been the trajectory of his life and legacy, so let's see what happens first in verses 3-5: Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. — 1 Samuel 28:3-5 The Weight of Opposition Saul realizes that powerful and longstanding opposition is coming after him—the Philistines and David. David had been merciful many times, but Achish would not be. Considering both were acting in tandem, it was emotionally overwhelming for Saul. In addition, the Judge and Prophet who once provided Saul direction in these moments, Samuel, is gone, and he had ordered the slaughter of all the other priests. Therefore, Saul is about to be attacked, emotionally distraught, and lacking a voice of wisdom, and now he is looking for something, anything, to grab hold of in the mess he has made. If you have been in this situation, you know nothing is more lonely. Like Saul, we all face challenges that seem insurmountable, whether they're personal struggles, leadership crises, or spiritual battles. The Missing Components But those of you who have been reading Saul's story with me know that Saul made this mess. His spiritual rejection, disobedience, resistance, and denial of community support led him to this outcome. My advice is not to do what Saul did. Instead, GRAB onto these principles and avoid the mess altogether: Guidance: Keep your connection with God strong. Repent: Acknowledge and correct your mistakes. Adhere: Follow God's guidance faithfully. Brotherhood: Foster a supportive faith community. Time To Grab Hold? Maybe today, as you hear this, you feel overwhelmed by life's challenges. You've been trying to face the battles of life alone, and it's left you anxious, uncertain, and maybe even hopeless. Or perhaps you've drifted from God as Saul did, and you sense it's time to return to Him. Jesus came to meet you in the middle of your mess. He offers guidance when you are lost, grace when you've failed, and peace when you're afraid. If you've never given your life to Him, today is the day to grab hold of His truth and surrender to His leadership. Or, if you've been distant, this is your moment to return to the One who never left you. Here's How: Confess your mess, stop trying to be your own king and lord, and surrender to following the Only King and Lord, Jesus, from this day forward. If you're ready to make that decision—whether for the first time or to come back to Him—let me know by writing “Jesus Is My Lord” in the comments below. I want to celebrate and pray for you as you take this life-changing step. When you reach out for the Lord, He grabs hold of you—and He never lets go. Don't wait; reach out to him today. #ReachOutForHelp, #TrustInGod, #FaithOverFear Ask This: What challenges in your life feel overwhelming, and how can you invite God into those moments for guidance and peace? Have you been trying to face life's battles alone, and what step can you take today to reconnect with God? Do This: Grab a hold of Jesus. Pray This: Lord, I confess the mess I've made trying to do life on my own. Help me surrender to Your guidance and trust in Your unfailing love. Amen. Play This: Never Let Go.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued our discussion about abiding, specifically the process of being "pruned" as followers of Jesus. We highlighted an illuminating verse in John 15 that is often overlooked. We also referenced John 13:3-10, and we gave out a link to a resource that will help you determine whether or not you are abiding in Christ. Our guest was Stacey Womack, the founder and executive director of Abuse Recovery Ministry and Services (ARMS). She and the crew talked about domestic violence from a faith-based perspective. Check out her latest book, On the Frontlines of Abuse: Strategies for the Faith Community. Listen to all the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.