Soul Talks With Bill & Kristi Gaultiere

A woman asks, “How can I help my husband share his feelings?” We all have family members or friends who are reluctant to share emotions. Maybe you are too! Here’s how to invite people to be emotionally vulnerable and draw them into the grace of Christ. In a replay of a conversation from the past, Kristi uses empathy to draw out Bill when he was an emotionally reluctant husband.

A pastor is caught in a church “worship war”. Speakers are criticized. Kristi is judged for teaching men in church. Bill is caught in the crossfires of mediating a church leader conflict. Probably you feel pressure to please people too. Empathy, the Word of God, and affirmation of Christ’s call give us courage to please the Lord in all things.

A listener asks, “Kristi, how do you carry your tender heart into relationships that are not so safe?” Kristi and Bill share on the characteristics of an emotionally safe person, how to be vulnerable and yet “contained”, and how to receive empathy from God and his ambassadors.

Probably we all have hidden emotions. Some of us feel emotionally lost, locked up, even numb. A listener who was abused as a child and shut down her feelings asks for pointers on re-learning how to feel. We help her and you not to judge yourself but to seek grace from God, through prayer and supportive people.

Bill and Bobby Schuller (pastor of the Hour of Power) talk about how they find hope in challenging times. All of us at times don’t feel hope. We may be afraid to hope and be disappointed. When we put our hope in God and the eternal good he is bringing we have an anchor for our soul.

Kristi shares her “trauma trigger” and how the Lord ministered his shining face of love on her through empathy and words of blessing. We all have “implicit memories” of childhood distress that need divine compassion. Kristi shows us how a deep hurt offered to the Lord can become a “sacred wound” that heals others.

“How are you?” Whatever our work, or even if we’re retired, often we answer, “Busy!” But CS Lewis taught, “Only lazy people are busy!” How can this be? The most effective and fruitful leadership is born out of rest, prayer, and discernment — it’s not just working hard, it’s working SMART!

God is always present loving us and inviting us to join the wonderful things he’s doing. C.S. Lewis calls this “Narnia.” But if we’re “checked out” emotionally we miss out. To help you experience the in-breaking of Christ and his Kingdom of the Heavens Bill tells the story of an alcoholic pastor he helped into recovery.

You’ll enjoy Bill and Kristi’s spiritual friendship as they share their experience of visiting C. S. Lewis’ home, “The Kilns” in Oxford, England. They share fascinating stories from this great Christian thinker. You’ll be inspired to have your own soul talk with a friend and to shine the light of Christ in your world.

The most important thing about our life, relationships, work, and ministry is having our heart warm with God’s love. Without this we become tired, discouraged, and see little fruit. Drawing on inspiration from John Wesley is a great way to get a heart-warming soul talk started!

What do you do when you feel discouraged, inadequate, guilty, or ashamed? We may deny our emotions or escape into compulsive behavior. St Francis shows us that following the footprints of Christ is the path of great joy. Like Francis, we do this through prayer and soul friendship.

Bill shares about his relationship with his dad: blessings he appreciates, wounds he’s forgiven, and his journey of emotional healing. He and Kristi also talk about Saint Francis’ father wound and how he overcame this to become a wounded healer in the service of Christ.

When we read about a great saint’s experiences with God it’s tempting to compare ourselves negatively. Feeling bad about yourself or overwhelmed, you may avoid a book that could really bless you. Here’s the help you need to stay out of shame and glean all the good that can come from a classic of Christian devotion.

There is so much profit in meditating on a Bible passage! But it’s a challenge for us to slow down and really open our hearts to God. Ignatius’ ancient approach of visualizing ourselves in a Gospel story helps us to actually experience and feel God’s grace — and then to live it out in our work and ministry.

Bill and Kristi had an emotionally upsetting conversation. Each was tempted to “cut off” and avoid working through the mess, but they stayed with it. God helped them put into practice the Bible’s teaching to “be patient, bearing with one another in love.” It’s raw. It’s real. It’s grace. It works. This is the last of 6 in the series “Repairing Torn Hearts & Relationships”

When we hurt the people we love it’s important to seek repair. Saying, “I’m sorry” is just a start. In real time Bill and Kristi process a conflict and demonstrate the power of empathy for emotional healing, reconciliation, and learning to amend problem behavior. This is the 5 of 6 in the series “Repairing Torn Hearts & Relationships”

When your spouse or another loved one hurts you hurt. Pastor’s wife Susan Baugh shares her story of feeling alone, confused, and afraid when her lead pastor husband was opposed by church leaders and lost his pulpit. Here’s how to “carry each other’s burdens” to make it through a dark valley to see the sunrise. This is the last of the 4-week series, “Repairing Torn Hearts and Relationships.”

“We couldn’t have made it through the church conflict, pain, and fear without our friends who supported us.” That’s what Pastor Ken and Susan Baugh share with Bill and Kristi as we continue our series on “Repairing Torn Hearts and Relationships.” Here’s what it looks like to heal, forgive, bless, and love those who hurt us in our church or family. This is the third of the 4-week series.

“Excuse me, Lord, why should I go the elders and apologize? They wronged me!” That’s how Ken Baugh felt after being terminated as lead pastor. But having receiving empathy and emotional healing, now he took ownership of his part of the leadership conflict, humbled himself, and said, “I want to listen and understand how I hurt you.” This is the second of a 4-week series on “Repairing Torn Hearts and Relationships.”

“I was burned out and didn’t even know it,” Ken Baugh says to Bill, reflecting on being a lead pastor. He shares his story of stress overload, church conflict, fear, shame, anger, and how God used this to call him into a new and deeper ministry of being a wounded healer to disciple people to Jesus. This is the first of a 4-week series on “Repairing Torn Hearts and Relationships.” Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7