Speak The Truth

In this episode, the hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy discuss how this ABC EquipU Resource can be used as homework in helping our counselee's see their story's hardships, sufferings, and subsequent trauma through the larger Redemptive Narrative of God. The application from the exercise with the counselee would be; Individual lives are like a sentence in a much bigger story. If people interpret reality based on their own subjective story, then they will miss the glorious story of God and His gracious, continual, and progressive work in the lives of His children. If people want to understand their suffering, their struggles, their sin, the process of change, the means to change, and the purpose for change, they must embed, and then interpret their individual stories within the context of God’s divine and redemptive narrative. Only then, does any of it have meaning, significance, and purpose.  Previous EquipU Episodes: - Ep. 64 - Heart of the Matter Part2 "Put On"- Ep. 56 - Heart of the Matter Part1 "Put Off"Please email us at topics@speakthetruth.org with any questions or topics you'd like us to discuss. 

Episode Summary:In this episode, the hosts, Mike & Shauna, are joined in studio with special guest, Ronnie Mills Church planter of Kingdom Chapel in North Fort Worth to discuss church planting and biblical counseling; creating biblical counseling in the DNA of a new church plant. Episode Notes: As a podcast devoted to biblical truth for counseling & discipleship for the counselor and local church, we wanted to invite our friend, Ronnie Mills, Pastor of Kingdom Chapel North Fort WorthBaptist Missionary Association of Texas help Ronnie launch out in their church plant Kingdom Chapel is located Alliance Christian Academy Biblical counseling training has greatly improved his discipleship efforts and his preaching. Biblical counseling has already begun to be rooted in the DNA of the church, so we can raise up leaders through discipleship and biblical counseling to strengthen the body, and keep it healthy. Email Speak The Truth about getting a biblical counseling ministry started in your church; topics@speakthetruth.org 5 Resolves for soul careGod has called meGod has gone before mePastor now - shepherd nowStay relative to “us”. .....Raise leaders - we can’t do this on our own. The hardest thing about church planting is putting yourself out there. Fear of man becomes a huge struggle for putting yourself out there as leaders.  Episode Resources:  Kingdom Chapel - North Fort Worth Missionary Baptist Association of Texas Truth Renewed Biblical CounselingAssociation of Biblical Counselors Alliance Christian Academy Exemplary Husband - Stewart Scott  

This episode was from last year(EP.29); hosts, Michael & Shauna, have a special guest Pastor, Andy Swart discussing; launching a biblical counseling ministry within his established church. Intentionally raising up lay leaders who love people and know God's Word to do the work of the ministry within their own body - cultivating Saints for Soul Care - the purpose of "one-anothering" in the local church. Episode Notes Moving from Planting (Metro Church) to an already established church (The Mount). Creating an environment that allows people to struggle, starting from the platform. Truth Renewed isn’t a replacement for the church regarding counseling, but an overflow of care. Truth Renewed is a training center to help equip church leaders to become biblical counselors and launch biblical counseling in the local church. Trident of ministry; robust theology, organization strategy, counsel and care. In the same way, we raise up leaders to make Sunday happen, we need to raise up care leaders for the rest of the week - where ministry lives. Don’t stop plowing, it takes time to bring life change and equipping the saints. Trust the process of sanctification. Find those in your congregation who are gifted in caring for others, they’re serious about God’s Word and the process of transformation, and scholarship them. Find a line item in your budget to cultivate the saints in soul care. The posture of a pastor should be a leader of learning. Sunday morning is to edify the saints. Email us on any topics; topics@speakthetruth.org Reach out to Shauna if you’d like to start a biblical counseling ministry @ christiancounseling.com Episode Resources: The Mount Church Metro Church Rage Ministries Instruments in the Redeemer's Hand's Christiancounseling.com Information about training your lay leaders as biblical counselors or becoming a training center, email Shauna, Shauna@christiancounseling.com

Episode Notes:Trey gives his perspective on the statement, #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter was the first organization to speak up about how they felt about the mistreatment of people of color - the church didn't step up and say something needs to be done.The evangelical church didn't step up and speak out against these injusticesI am for the statement, but I don't support the mission or values of the organization.Episode Resources:Books recommended by TreyFrederick Douglass: A Prophet of Freedom The New Jim Crow White Metropolis Oneness Embrace Free At Last The Next Evangelicalism Divided By Faith

Episode Notes:Over 80% of churches are homogenous churches; White churches, Black churches, Hispanic churches, Asian churches, etc.Protesting without deconstructing doesn't tare down the walls of systemic racismWe need to research what is system racism or institutional racism and find ways to deconstruct it in our spheres of influence. Be intentional in cultivating relationships with those who don't look like us, etc.Episode Resources:The Well Church: https://www.thewellchurchkeller.org/whoareweSpecs Movement: http://www.thespecsmovement.com/

A Few Points:There isn’t really anything available that speaks directly to laypeople, church leaders who could use it as a resource., user friendly, helpful as soon as you pick it up.Using this book for leadership development would be extremely useful.Fieldstone grew outside of the church.Pastors move from scripture to life and counselors are trying to move from life to scripture. -For pastors who are preaching week to week; if you’re trying to move from Scripture to life, all counseling is, is moving from life to scripture.Don’t counsel alone, bring others in with you. Reduplicate yourselves.An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Promote preventative ministries.Resources From Episode"Park Side churchFieldstone CounselingBiblical Counseling CoalitionCounsel for Couples

Greg Wilson discusses the nature and scope of “Domestic Violence”, defined and explained.The church hasn’t done well in this category of ministry.Desecrating the image of God in another person. Where man has perverted the dominion that God gave man to rule and subdue the earth, but in man’s sinful state, he corruptly exerts power through violence. Definition: the desecration of the image of God through patterns of intentionally misusing power overtly or covertly in words or actions to gratify self.We need to engender a little more fear in the church to reveal the reality and frequency of it.Indicators of possible abuse Broadly, dominates control of emotional liberty, limiting relationships, finances, elements of control.Gaslighting - convincing the other spouse that they’re crazy, and thus gaining control over the other person. Colloquially, crazy-making.Triangulating tactics towards the counselor in counseling done through the perpetrator in counseling, so domestic abuse is happening in real-time in the counseling session. Covert abuse.In domestic abuse cases, the counselor, if not careful, can sound like the abuser by telling the victim what they need to do.Safety planning; Short term plansLong term plansIn counseling, we need to help to rescue the oppressed, God did!In the church, we need to be rescuing the oppressed, not encouraging them to stay in that situation.Church; care before you correct these domestic abuse cases.Episode References:Soul Care AssociatesBrad HamBrickChris MolesDarby StricklandAssociation of Biblical CounselorsThe Village Church

Show Notes:“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8The Heart of the Matter (Put On) Series is intended for use upon thoroughly working through the Put Off portion of this series. It is designed to help you facilitate a process with your counselees wherein they are given the opportunity to prayerfully examine Scripture as it pertains to divine truth concerning their beliefs, desires, and behaviors. Below is a brief explanation of each part of this series, and each handout’s purpose within the counseling process: Biblical Thoughts About My Situation and Others: Continuing to use the heart log counselees will be instructed to identify statements on these handouts that are relevant to their current situation. These thoughts are reasoned from biblical truth, and counselees should be encouraged to dispose of deceptive thoughts (identified in the “Put Off” portion of this series), and embrace thoughts more aligned with statements on this handout. Again, dissonance may occur, and it is important to notify counselees that this is a normal part of the process. The heart’s tendency to deceive does not evaporate simply because someone begins to wage war against lies. A helpful exercise along with the Heart Log might be to have them journal why dissonance remains or why they continue to lean towards believing deception over truth. Biblical Thoughts About Self: Unfortunately many Christians deeply embrace condemning thoughts about themselves. Such thoughts minimize the beauty of the Gospel while blinding people to their deepest identities as brought forth in the Bible. This handout provides just a few statements that are most true about your counselee (assuming he/she has placed faith in the finished work of Jesus). Work through each of these statements with your counselee. Allow them to wrestle with each statement, and have them examine why they will not (or feel they cannot) embrace these gifts from our Lord. Make sure that as they assimilate these thoughts (by God’s grace) that you make these thoughts about the kindness and love of God so that pride and self-centeredness do not sabotage the intent of this exercise. Maybe have them write prayers of gratitude to God for his amazing grace. Biblical Thoughts to Believe (in Faith) About My Situations and Others:While my situation is challenging, God is faithful to effectively help and strengthen me (Ps. 46:1-3). There is no situation too difficult for the Lord to resolve, and I will seek to glorify him in seeking resolution. Ultimately, I will seek to trust God’s purposes in Him either resolving or not resolving this issue (1 Corinthians 10:31; Proverbs 16:9). My situation feels like it has destroyed my life, but as long as I live I have the freedom to respond to my situation in a way that shapes and matures me so that I become more and more complete as God’s instrument of grace (James 1:1-4). My pain influences me to feel God is absent, but that cannot true. He is actually my refuge always present to help me in difficulty. Jesus actually lives to constantly intercede for me! (Psalm 46:1; Hebrews 6:23-25)Rejection can be extremely painful, but I have experienced it before and was able to persevere. I survived! If I feel it’s intolerable, maybe I am putting too much trust in people while not earnestly trusting God. Jesus does not condemn or reject me in this struggle, but deeply relates to and sympathizes with me in the pain of rejection (Jeremiah 17:5-9; John 19:15; Hebrews 4:15). Disapproval can be difficult, but fearing people is a trap that destroys. Believing that I need approval from someone in order to thrive is not true. Exercising faith in God as my sufficient helper is the antidote to my fear (Proverbs 25:29; Hebrews 13:6). People don’t necessarily cause my feelings and responses (though they do influence), but often people reveal things in my heart that I need to examine. It is nice to be noticed, but demanding it as a “must” could be revealing idolatry and deceptive desires in my heart (Colossians 3:5).Episode Resource:Christian Counseling - Heart of the Matter Counseling Resource

Episode Summary: Curtis takes time to Demystify PTSD by removing the D out of it. It’s not an abnormal reaction to normal life, but it’s really a normal response to really extreme and difficult circumstances. PTSD is severely misunderstood, and in this episode, Curtis offers a robust understanding of the nature and scope of PTSD. Episode Notes: How do we demystify PTSD?With the Counselee, helping them understand what’s going on physiologically and spiritually as far as what they're facing because the body naturally responds to trauma, and the physiological implications of fight or flight that is associated with fear.This isn’t just a military issue.First responders experience a lot of trauma, as well as familial experiences and events.People respond to trauma differently, and there are a lot of factors that play into manifestations of trauma.Pre traumatic factors involve a lot around how one grew up, experiences, core beliefs, worldview, etc. All of these factors play into the way someone responds to suffering, hardship, and trauma.Peri Traumatic - how are you responding to suffering, what was actually going on in the event itself, what happened to me, was it something I did, who was involved, etc.Where to start with a PTSD case, first develop trust. Going into time with humility, and ask good questions.Ways for churches to best minister to those struggling with PTSDDisassociation, removing yourself from reality, and entering back into a traumatic scenario.Show Resource Mentions:Biblical Counseling Coalition15:14 PodcastMighty Oaks Warrior ProgramDemystifying PTSDGarrett Higbee

Episode NotesAnswers to Shauna's questions of who'd we like to sit down with over a cup of coffeeMike - Jeff DurbinShauna - John Piper / Ben ShapiroJeremy - James K. A. Smith / Jordan PetersonTopics & Questions AnsweredGrief? grieving the loss of a child or a child losing a parentBooks on grief & loss Bob Kellemen - God's healing for life's losses: to find hope when you're hurtingPaul Tautges - A small book for the hearting heart: meditations on loss, grief, and healingPaul Tautges - Comfort those who grieveRejection?Can a woman lead out in a church ministry with a vision for launching and cultivating a biblical counseling ministry in the local church?Respond to some feedback we received regarding EMDR