Truth Trauma Theology

What is Toxic Shame? How does it affect those trying to live for Christ? What does the Bible say about shame? In this Patreon Spotlight Dr. Conny Nussbaum joins the discussion to share insight regarding what the Bible says about shame. Conny previously presented her research during a Patreon-exclusive meeting and I wanted to make sure it saw the light of day! Her research is clear, meaningful, and practical. About Connie: Studied PhD in Immunology (Psychoneuroimmunology) at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald and is now studies Clinical Counseling (MA) at Winebrenner Theological Seminary. She formerly worked as a Consultant Scientific & Clinical Editor/Writer. Since 2010 she has worked with grief working as a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. What is Patreon Spotlight? Patreon Spotlight is exclusive content from those who have expertise in the Patreon Community. Many of them present at our Mastermind Meetings and are then selected to share for a public interview depending on the topic. If you are interested in becoming a patreon member you will have the opportunity to join a Mastermind Group. Please visit: https://www.patreon.com/kylespears

What are my spiritual gifts and how do I unlock them? What does the Bible say about the various spiritual gifts? How do I partner with the Holy Spirit? How do I bless the church with my gifts? How does trauma interfere with my understanding or use of my gift? In this conversation we bring our series to a close as Tim Sherrill joins to discuss how to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many people do not know what their gifts are or how to use them. One thing is certain, we are made to function using God's Spirit. Tim has conducted Spiritual Gift classes for our local congregation as well as others. His approach to helping people find their spiritual gifts is based in scripture as well as experience. Tim and Wendy Sherrill were high school sweethearts and were married in 1979. Over the last 39 years, the Sherrills have led in varying capacities in churches in Detroit, MI; Phila, PA; Seattle, WA; Fort Wayne, IN; and Omaha, NE. They and their family have helped churches across the Midwest grow and be healthy. Today, Tim and Wendy lead the Omaha Church and live to seek and save the lost. When they are not doing that you will probably find them watching classic movies. They have three disciple kids, two in Texas and one in Minnesota and four grandkids, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law. Prior to being on staff in churches before 2008, Tim worked for Progressive Insurance for 23 years moving around to various locations and management opportunities, including working with industry associations and political affairs assignments. Wendy has worked professionally in real estate and many volunteer jobs at schools. Tim holds a B.S. degree in Health Administration from Eastern Michigan University (1983) and a Masters in Religious Education in MIssional Leadership from Rochester University in Rochester, Michigan (2019).

In this episode we explore how the Old Testament portrays the Holy Spirit's presence. It seems confusing to reconcile how the OT describes the Spirit's activity as opposed to what we see in the NT. Dr. Monje joins to discuss the fundamental questions Christians have when reading the Holy Spirit of the OT. Q.What was the Jewish understanding of the Spirit? Definition of ruach? Uses of ruach? Q. Is the “Spirit" in the OT also “holy”? Q.How is the Holy Spirit present in creation? Q.What does it mean when the Spirit came upon various characters throughout the OT? Senses of Ruach? Empowerment? Q. What happened with the elders of Israel? Q. What happened with Saul? Q. What about Saul’s evil spirit? Q. Is this the spirit of God or something else? Q. What does this say about Saul? Q. What are some OT prophecies regarding the Spirit that are fulfilled throughout the NT? Q. Do the Dead Sea Scrolls have something to say on the Spirit? Rolan Monje (BD, MMin, DMin) serves as an evangelist and teacher. He is Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Rocky Mountain School of Ministry and Theology in Colorado, and also directs the Asia-Pacific Leadership Academy in Manila. Dr. Monje travels extensively (over 100 cities across 6 continents) and has spoken in countries as varied as Germany, Turkey, Qatar, Greece, UAE (Dubai), Ecuador, Canada, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Australia. He and his wife, Weng, oversee a region of churches in the Philippines and have been on staff over 20 years. They have two daughters, Yana and Stefi. Dr. Monje's Bachelor of Divinity is in Biblical Languages from the University of London; his Master of Ministry is from the American Bible College in Florida, USA; his Doctor of Ministry is in Pastoral Theology. Personal website: rolanmonje.com Published books: www.ipibooks.com “Into the Psalms” (2010), “Exodus: Making Israel’s Journey Your Own” (2013), “After the Storm: Hope and Healing from Ezra-Nehemiah” (2014), “Finish Strong: The Message of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi” (2016) Podcasts: Ten podcasts on Interpreting the Psalms (download at douglasjacoby.com)

How do we know if we are hearing God's voice or our own? How do we know if we are in step with the Spirit? Is it possible to lose the Spirit? How does the Spirit direct our thoughts or emotions? In this conversation we explore the various ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us. How does the Holy Spirit speak to our conscience? How does the Holy Spirit sanctify us? How does the Holy Spirit convict us? How can we grieve the Spirit? How can we quench the Spirit? What does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit? How can we learn to distinguish the Spirit’s voice from our own? Dr. Bill Moulden has served in the full-time ministry for over 28 years throughout the Southwest, Midwest, and now the Heartland family of churches. He currently serves as an Evangelist and Teacher with the Gateway City Church in St. Louis, MO. Bill has Masters of Divinity and a Doctorate in Ministry from Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque, NM. Happily married to Kristin Moulden for 28 years and father to three amazing daughters.

In this episode we begin a 4-part series on the Holy Spirit. Dr. Andy Boakye joins the discussion to help clarify the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a New Covenant Christian. Andy masterfully explains the original greek context and gives us an understanding of why Paul taught a specific theology regarding the Holy Spirit. This is just the beginning of this conversation! The Holy Spirit as a seal? The Holy Spirit as a deposit, guarantee? How does the Holy Spirit intercede for us? How does the Holy Spirit create special intimacy with God (abba)? How are we temples for the Holy Spirit? How can Paul’s understanding of the Holy Spirit inspire us towards greater confidence? Dr Andrew Boakye Lecturer in Religions and Theology and Member of the Centre for Biblical Studies at the University of Manchester and co-chair of the Paul seminar of the British New Testament Society. He is author of Death and Life: Resurrection, Restoration and Rectification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Wipf & Stock, 2017) and co-author of Rethinking Galatians: Paul's Vision of Oneness in the Living Christ (T&T Clark, 2021 with Professor Peter Oakes). He is currently working on the Word Biblical Themes Commentary on Ephesians for Zondervan Press and his research interests include Pauline Christianity, resurrection theology, masculinity studies and intertextuality. He has been consulted on issues of racial harmony and reconciliation across the Protestant communion and is part of a colloquium combating domestic violence in religious spaces. Andy is married to Chi and has two children - Aaron (21) and Storm (19).

How do we know if a situation should be considered spiritual abuse? What are the various types of abuse that can occur? Are we using the most effective terms when we talk about trauma in a faith context?

In this episode we will be discussing the specifics of spiritual trauma starting with the basics. Dr. St. Jean is a professor of Social Work at King University who has served in churches for decades. He joins the conversation to share the latest from his book 'Spiritual Trauma: A Guide for Healing Your Heart from Church Hurts'.

If you are interested in contacting Sean please visit his website seanstjean.com

0:00 Intro

4:20 Why did you decide to write this book?

15:25 What personal challenges did you face in writing this book?

25:00 What do the ABC's of spiritual trauma stand for?

35:00 How has 'conformity culture wounded people specifically?

41:30 How do we reconcile both the good and the bad as we heal?

54:00 How do people lower their defenses and begin to trust after being hurt?

1:00:00 Why would those in leadership want to read this book?

1:10:00 How is it that people can appear one way to upper leadership and another to membership?

How do we support our children's decisions when we do not agree with them? How do we exude unconditional love for our children without compromising what we personally feel called to? How do hold a "both-and" with some of the more complex issues?

Karen Louis of Good Enough Parenting joins the conversation to discuss the concept of Autonomy Granting vs Autonomy Support. This concept helps parents navigate the choppy waters of healthy autonomy.

For more information on Good Enough Parenting please visit https://goodenoughparenting.com/

If you are interested in becoming a Patreon Member visit www.patreon.com/kylespears Sam Youngblood is one of my Patreon Community members who helps to research various topics on the Biblical Literacy Team. This is also part of a new interview series where I interview various members who are in the Patreon Community. Churches are faced with a constant need to understand the cultural demands around them. Sometimes churches can borrow from the culture in ways that create an unhealthy environment. Of course this is in effort to reach the world for Christ. Sam outlines three keys in conceptualizing church growth. There are 3 primary ways that churches can emphasize church growth: 1) …by an exaltation of “The Great Commission” -“The Great Commission” is used for rhetorical power -That title is a new invention -Matthew 28:18-20 points to a wider mission (“I have been given all authority…teaching them to obey”) 2)…by missing the big picture of God’s mission -Old Testament portraits of God’s aims are wider -Focus on “souls” rather than humans and creation -Eschatology as an influence on the “then” and the “now” -What kind of fruit do disciples bear? 3)…by misunderstanding church history -Paul’s failure to thrust evangelism as the central task of churches -How the early church following the apostles regarded Matt. 28:18-20 and their growth -Supposedly almost 2000 years of no movement of true disciples until now -Impulse of Christ, or Constantine?

Lisa Euthon was baptized while a college student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has spent the last 30 years serving in different ministries in Missouri, Texas, and Kansas. She, and her husband Tyler, are the proud parents of two boys. Lisa has worked within the medical and education settings walking alongside individuals of all ages and backgrounds as they have navigated diagnoses that have included dementia, traumatic brain injury, cancer, and learning disabled. Equipped with a dual certification in life and spiritual coaching and drawing from her own experiences, she is unafraid to dive into the deeper and more uncomfortable layers of the human experience for the purpose of providing hope and healing to others. For more information and to work with Lisa, email her at [email protected] or check out her website at www.euthoncoaching.com Quote from Diane Landberg’s presentation at the Restore 2022 Conference titled Understanding Abuse of Power in the Church. "When you sit with others you are in essence to be a living breathing model of the character of Jesus Christ." The late Bill O’Brien served as CEO of Hanover Insurance. When asked by Otto Scharmer to sum up his most important learning experience in leading profound change, Bill responded, “The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervenor”. From Theory U: Leading from the Emerging Future by Otto Scharmer Morgan Harper Nichols, poet and artist at https://morganharpernichols.com and @morganharpernichols. "You are worthy of the time it takes to work through this breath by breath."

Life happens! Many of us find ourselves at a point we never thought we'd be. Not only has life thrown us curve balls, we have to somehow keep going. However, if we are not careful we can stuff our feelings along the way and think we are being strong. Resilience is more than gritting our way through life, it is about our willing to be vulnerable about what's challenging. Patty joins the channel to discuss her journey to spiritual resilience.

Access Patty's Substack! https://pattyasaad.substack.com/

Todd and Patty Assad were full-time ministers for over 36 years, but in their 60s, they retired from the ministry and started over with new careers and a baby. Their adorable granddaughter, Charlotte, came to live with them about a year and a half ago when she was six months old. They became Charlotte's primary caregivers because of family mental health issues and addiction. Little Charlotte has already endured two open heart surgeries and other medical problems. Their lives have changed radically.

Todd is now a realtor, and Patty writes a spiritual but humorous newsletter called “What Just Happened?” at pattyasaad.substack.com.

Interview Outline:

1. Tell us about your background and why you decided to begin writing content?

2. Today I want to focus on the concept of resilience but I’d like to by talking about the expectations that we have about Christian life. People can become resentful rather than becoming resilient, what are some resentments that you have experienced or helped others in dealing with?

3. How do you define resilience? How do you approach building resilience in others?

4. What has ministry taught you about helping people become more resilient?

5. What are some things you have learned about God’s character when facing challenges?