Breaking Bread Podcast

There is a path through grief. Helping our grieving teens make progress along that path is so important. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Craig Stickling give us practical tips on doing just that. Things to remember as you walk with a grieving teen: Acknowledge the difficulty. Listen to their thoughts and feelings. Ask for permission. Remember anniversaries. Remember the intensity of grief will over time subside. Healing comes by moving though the grief cycle. https://www.accounseling.org/phases-of-grief/ Healing comes by processing the loss. Healing comes by connecting with Christ. Healing comes by acceptance. Healing comes by doing. Healing is possible.

Grief is always hard no matter the age. Yet, our teens experience a unique challenge when it comes to working through loss. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Craig Stickling walk us through the complexities of grief on the maturing heart and mind. Grief and loss can be troubling to teens... Their knowledge is outpacing their experience. Their notion of a safe world is challenged. While they are learning to take control of various aspects of their lives, they learn that they don’t have control. Grief can be unsettling during a time when they are forming their identity. While a teen’s grieving experience varies dramatically, it will likely include... Shock Denial Depression Anger Sometimes confusing competing emotions https://www.accounseling.org/grief-and-emotions/

The cigarette is falling out of favor with the general public. Stepping into its place and gaining favor is the modernized e-cigarette. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Dr. Aaron Plattner helps us understand the growing appeal of vaping.

Sometimes little things make big differences. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer relays three small things that exist in happy marriages. 3 Small Things Be Purposeful Highly happy couples generously focus on what their mate is giving to them. The spouse, in turn, deliberately tries to give back. Be Present Highly happy couples fully invest emotionally in their marriage by risking vulnerability; this leads to a dramatically increased security and happiness in the relationship. Be Positive Highly happy couples give their spouse most of the credit for their relationship success – and they live in regular, conscious gratitude as a result. Taken from “The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: The Little Things That Make a Big Difference” by Shaunti Feldhahn

Like a faulty check engine light that comes on prematurely, some consciences trigger signals of guilt when they shouldn’t be triggered. This is called false guilt. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr explains the difference and how to detect if that check engine light is real or not. True guilt is grounded in truth. False guilt is grounded in feelings. True guilt motivates us to deal with sin and move forward. False guilt causes us to stall and spin in confession. True guilt listens to scriptural objectivity. False guilt listens to anxiety and depression. How to deal with false guilt: A person dealing with false guilt typically hold themselves to standards they would not impose on others. They may benefit from getting perspective and counsel from other people. They should focus on moving forward and will need to elevate Christ’s promises to them and not allow their feelings to undermine the truth.

Both guilt and shame are similar feelings. Both can be triggered for similar reasons. But they each motivate us toward drastically different ends. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr. sorts out the distinctions between guilt and shame and how we should respond to each.

Birth is sacred and yet, so is death. For many people they will have the opportunity and responsibility to care for their folks as they age and pass. This responsibility is met with challenges, difficulties, opportunities, and blessings. Roger Gasser and Tim Funk let us in on some of these responsibilities and help prepare us to walk these important days with our aging parents. Realize the aging process of giving up control. Give parents control where you can, as control is taken away. Realize every situation is difficult. Be careful when comparing your situation to the next. They are not the same. Realize communication with the entire family is important. Be patient with family members as understanding comes at different rates and at different times. Realize grief management is needed. From physical to emotional, the losses are many. Walk with your loved one through the cycle of grief. Realize that guilt on many levels is likely. Use the following stems often: "I love you." "Please forgive me."

At some level, we all want to be successful. Yet success can have ill-effects. On this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter and Fred Witzig tackle this topic of success. Approaching the topic from a historical, clinical and biblical perspective helps provide insight into this “success” we all want. Show Notes: How healthy is my success? Success should promote humility. Success should not promote arrogance. Success should promote thanksgiving. Success should not promote entitlement. Success should promote a dependence on God. Success should not promote an independence from God. Success should promote a healthy mind. Success should not promote out of balance. Success should promote good relationships. Success should not promote negligence. Success should promote a healthy view of God. Success should not promote misconceptions of God. Success should promote a high view of people. Success should not promote a condescending view of people. Success should promote joy.

Conviction of truth. Compassion for people. Context for our society. And comfort in Christ. These are our goals. Join Ted Witzig Jr. as he speaks to the important topic of gender and sexual identity with grace and truth.

Conviction of truth. Compassion for people. Context for our society. And comfort in Christ. These are our goals. Join Ted Witzig Jr. as he speaks to the important topic of gender and sexual identity with grace and truth. Conviction of Truth Mark 10:6-9 Gender is a divine creation. Marriage between a man and a woman is a divine institution. Fidelity is the divine intention. Compassion for People See people as Christ sees them. Love them. We are created in God’s image. We are loved by God. We have undying souls. We are in need of salvation. Context for our Society Common Cultural Script I feel attracted to my same sex. Attraction is a central identifier to who I am as a person. Happiness is found in fulfillment of my identity. I must live out my same sex attraction to flourish as a person. People do not choose their sexual attraction. Attraction is complex. Changing sexual attraction is not simple. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it does not. Comfort in Christ Jesus attracted people who had brok

Empathy is a gift we give to others. It is a gift for many reasons, not the least of which, is the selflessness required. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Amber Miller flushes out empathy. She helps us walk the fine line of looking within ourselves and accessing the God given skill set to turn outward and connect with another person. Empathy is feeling with people. Empathy is not fixing people’s hurt. Empathy is recognizing, acknowledging, and connecting with another person’s emotion. Empathy is not talking. Empathy requires selflessness by not making the interaction about us. Empathy does not require a shared experience. Empathy requires vulnerability on the part of the giver and the receiver. Empathy does not require complete understanding of another person’s experience. Empathy is built by listening to another’s perspective. Empathy is eroded by minimizing another’s experience. Empathy is built by prayer. Empathy is eroded by ignorance. Empathy flourishes when the hurting person gives the helping person

Connection in marriage is possible. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer shares with us three keys in connecting with our spouse. Accessibility, responsiveness and engagement go a long way in moving us in the right direction - toward each other.

Marriage is far more than a living arrangement. It is a living relationship which meets a core need we each have for connection. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer exposes this core need and coaches us on how to achieve it. Connection in marriage models the connection God desires with us - one in which life flows between us. Christ is the vine and we are the branches. Every spouse desires connection. Connection answers “yes” to the questions, “Do I matter to you? Are you there for me?” Withdrawal is a poor but common response to loss of connection. It in fact drives further disconnection. Withdrawal is when a person pulls away from their spouse in silence and inattention. Aggression is a poor but common response to loss of connection. It, in fact, drives further disconnection. Aggression is when a person pursues their spouse with angst and negative accusation. Underneath our withdrawal and aggression is hurt. Hurt is the pain that comes from lack of connection. At the surface disagreement between

Conflict happens. Some conflict can be avoided. All conflict needs resolve. Sometimes little things make big differences.  In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer relays three small things that exist in happy marriages. 3 Small Things Be Purposeful Highly happy couples find that when they can’t resolve conflict before bedtime, they choose to sleep on it. If anger remains in the morning, they don’t let it go unresolved; they deal with it. Be Present Highly happy couples treat one another with intentional kindness; they joke and they challenge, but they try to never do it in ways their mate would perceive as disrespectful or hurtful. Be Positive When highly happy couples inevitably experience hurt feelings and conflict, they eventually reconnect by mutually sharing a private signal that says “We’re okay.” Taken from “The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: The Little Things That Make a Big Difference” by Shaunti Feldhahn

Uncertainty, unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness, chanciness, unsureness, changeability - 2020.  It’s one thing to have expectations gone unmet.  It’s another thing to be so uncertain that expectations can’t even be set. Those are the days we are in. And yet, there is an advantage these days afford. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Arlan Miller helps us see those advantages. We learn flexibility. A lot is out of our control. We learn childlikeness. God is our Father. We learn dependence. God is our supplier. We learn to be responsible in those things we know. We learn to shift our trust from those things uncertain to the one who is – God.

It is easy to overlook the losses our kids are enduring these days. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Craig Stickling highlights what many of our kids are experiencing as their lives have been put on hold during these days of COVID-19. Fortunately, parents are equipped with a few helpful tools to minister to their losses. Some tools for the toolset: Acknowledge their loss. Don’t down-play it. Kids have had limited experience. Bring perspective. Connect with their loss. Resist shifting the focus to yourself. They will be fearful. Help them express it. They will be frustrated. Help them channel it. They will be scattered. Help them focus. They will be absorbed in the present. Help them see the future.

What do we do with emotional pain when we can’t make it better? (Hint: David, Hannah, Jerimiah, Job, Habakkuk and Jesus all did it.)  In fact, the example is so abundant in the Scriptures you can’t miss it. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr. will answer this question and make it very accessible to all who endure pain.  Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust. Lament includes four steps: Turn to God Make a complaint Make your request Move forward in trust Lament connects the experience of our pain with the reality of God’s promises. Some people are afraid to lament because it often deals with raw emotions and difficult questions. However, lament is actually an act of faith as we turn toward God in our pain. God has given lament to the individual who is suffering. God has given lament to the community who is suffering with an individual.

Suffering nearly touches us all and is a common human experience. Suffering is bad.  Period. Yet, God steps into this badness. Somehow His knowledge of it and presence in it has some redemptive qualities. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter with Fred Witzig take the topic of suffering head-on and expose the hope that suffering affords. Suffering rises from different places. One type of suffering results from consequences from our actions. Another type of suffering results from calamity completely outside of our control. And yet, a third type of suffering comes about when we, by choice, pick up our cross and follow Christ. Throughout time, suffering has proven to be a catalyst for either rejecting God or growing faith in God. Throughout the Bible we have examples of men and women who, out of their suffering, turned to God and asked “why this suffering?” God is big enough to shoulder our complaints. There is a difference, however, in asking “why” from a standpoint of faith and a standpoint of no fa

God has made us to be healthy through the COVID-19 crisis. Sometimes that’s hard to believe. On this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter helps us untangle our thoughts and emotions so we can walk these days with a healthy mind. What we need to know about ourselves… We each have an emotional reservoir with only so much capacity. The stress resulting from the COVID-19 crisis can quickly overwhelm us. We need to make the effort to process the emotions we are feeling so as to manage our capacity to absorb stress. Fear, the awareness of danger, is understandable during these circumstances. Fear left unattended can quickly evolve into ruminating thoughts of “what ifs”. This anxiety can be troubling. Our “what ifs” will be answered in time. Our emotions play to our fears. Emotion will “color the story” and very often over-shadow logic. It is important we engage our thoughtful rational processes. We do not all have the same roles in this crisis. Medical workers, authority figures, mothers, fathers, community mem

Prayer is a conduit of God’s power, provision and purposes.  Through it God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.  What should we pray for?  And what do we do with unanswered prayer?  Joe Gerber addresses these questions and casts a vision for a culture of prayer.