The Clarity Podcast

John Ashcroft and Dick Foth joins us again today for a special encouragement for Fathers. Dick takes the lead in leading a valuable conversation on the impact of the fathers in our lives.

Sue , author, global worker, and speaker, joins us on the podcast today to have a vitally important conversation about Expectations and Burnout Women Surviving the Great Commission, Self-Expectations that are Too High, How We Respond When Our Expectations Do Not Match God’s, and Signs of Burnout. https://www.amazon.com/Expectations-Burnout-Women-Surviving-Commission/dp/0878085238

Pastor Stephen Blandino returns to the podcast to discuss his teaching on the value of a culture of evaluation. He provides wisdom and insight for anyone looking to evaluate and be a wise steward.

Seth Broadhurst, church planter, pastor, and leader joins us on the podcast today to have a vitally important conversation about Freedom In Christ, Steps in Freedom to Christ, The Battle for Our Minds, Renewing our Minds, Freed to Lead, and Hope for Leaders. Stronghold BusterStep #1 – Work out the lie you have been believing. Step #2 – Say what effect believing the lie has had in your life. Imagine how things in your life could be different if you no longer believed the lie, and instead believed the truth. Step #3 – Spend some time reviewing the truth with the help of a good concordance. Write 3-5 verses that speak to the truth about the lie. Step #4 – Write a declaration using a formula: “I renounce or say ‘No’ to the lie that…, I announce the truth that or say ‘Yes’ to the truth that…” I have found it most effective to write this in the form of a prayer. Step #5 – Pray this personal prayer daily for a period of time. Over the course of 30 – 40 – 50 days you will find that your mind is being renewed by God’s truth rather than being ravished by the lie. We have found that people who participate in this spiritual practice see their mental and spiritual strongholds come tumbling down.International website: freedominChrist.org

Dr. Chip Dodd returns to the podcast to discuss Needs of the Heart. We discuss reasons that Belonging and Doing work that Matters are vital. Please send questions for Back Channel with Foth to aaron.santmyire@agmd.org.

Chuck DeGroat, author, pastor, and therapist, joins us on the podcast today to have a vitally important conversation about When Narcissism Comes to Church, Why Narcistic Tendencies are High in Church Planters and Missionaries, The Impact of a Narcistic Leader on those They are Leading, Why Narcissism is Hurtful and Maddening, Tendencies of a Narcistic Leader, and Hope for Healing.

Pastor Rob Ketterling joins us on the podcast to discuss his book Speed of Unity. This is a vital conversation for leaders looking to be wise stewards and effective in leadership and ministry. Please send questions for Back Channel with Foth to aaron.santmyire@agmd.org.

Dr. Lois Dodds , author, doctor, missionary, and speaker, joins us on the podcast today to have a vitally important conversation about  Being a Mother on the Mission Field, Celebrating Your Mom when You are Far Away, Joys and Challenges of Different Seasons of Motherhood, and Hope and Encouragement for Mom’s during This Stressful Time. 

Sam Farina returns to the podcast to have an insightful conversation on a model used to bring resolution to conflict at home, at work, and with God. You will not want to miss it. Please send questions for Back Channel with Foth to aaron.santmyire@agmd.orgLink to Conflict Wheel peaking Clearly using the Awareness WheelPsychologists have studied what effective communication looks like for married couples for decades. After uncovering what factors contribute to effective communication, some clever people have combined these ideas into a simple model that we share here. This model is known as the Awareness Wheel and Listening Cycle. Communication skills can improve all kinds of relationships. We hope you find this short tutorial useful and even purchase the book if you would like to learn more.Before we explain Awareness Wheel and Listening Cycle communication, here are some simple ground rules for communication in general:Rules for the both of you:The speaker has the floor. Don't cut off the speaker or finish his or her sentences.Share the floor (take turns)No problem solvingSpeaker:Say "I" statement, Speak for selfShare your feelings without putting down your friendBe specific and brief about your perceptions and feelings (2 - 3 sentences)Stop and allow your listener to paraphrase (if the paraphrase is not accurate, politely restate what was not heard the way you intended it.)Listener:Choose a "Caring Connection" emotional brain state. You won't be able to listen effectively if you are in a protective emotional state like "Anger", "Fear" or "Panic". See the Feeling Words ListSay "You" statements providing a summary of what you heard the speaker say. (The speaker gets the focus)Don't rebut (refute by evidence or argument) but instead paraphrase what the speaker said. Focus on the speaker's message (Don't offer your thoughts yet. Wait until you have the floor.)Invite the speaker to correct saying "Is that right?" or add more saying "Tell me more."Below is the Awareness Wheel Diagram as presented by:Miller, Sherod, Phyllis Miller, Elam W. Nunnally, and Daniel B. Wackman. Talking and Listening Together: Couple Communication I. Littleton, Colo.: Interpersonal Communication Programs, 1991. Print.Awareness Wheel:The Speaker (from above) will be most complete in his description of an issue if he explains his full awareness. Starting from Sensory Data, the speaker can move clockwise around the circle to avoid confusion about how he stands on any issue.When speaking, talk through your Awareness wheel using the first person, "I" statements.Sensory dataInformation gathered using your senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touchExternal data: The data you gather from other people.Verbal, but mostly nonverbal, behaviors: facial expressions, gestures, movement, posture, scent, tones, wordsIntuitive sensations: memories, associations, insights, hunches, dreams, intuitionsBodily sensations: goose bumps, a chill, fatigue, stomach tightness, headacheThoughtsThe meanings you make out of the sensory data you receive - eg. beliefs, interpretations, expectationsWords that signal thinking processes: assumptions, benefits, conclusions, evaluations, guesses, reasons, ideas, impressions, judgments, metaphors, needs, objections, opinions, predictions, principles, values. NB: Influence of Family of Origin, cultural, societal & gender 'norms'FeelingsYour responses to your interpretation of thoughts, sensory data & wants in a situation. You can use the brain state feeling word list to describe what you're feelingWantsYour desires for yourself and for others, short or long term, general or specificIncludes: aspirations, dreams, drives, goals, hopes, intentions, longings, objectivesActionsWhat you say and do in response to sensory data, thoughts, feelings and wants - relates to past, present, and future.Actions result from how you process sensory data, thoughts, feelings, and wantsActivities, agreements, commands, commitments, contracts, promises, words

Josh Richardson whose family started Otterbox and LifeProof, and co founder of AngelArmor joins us on the podcast today to discuss PlusNothing and the impact of the Gospel on his life. To order copies free of charge go to: Plusnothing.com