Speak The Truth

Episode Notes:When feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or self-condemnation set in, some people seek painful release in their own flesh and blood.  While cutting can bring temporary relief, it falls far short of the genuine change that is essential to true healing of the heart.Through the direct and honest example of one young woman's story, Jeremy Lelek points those in such pain to the sufferings of Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross as their means of hope, security, and healing.  He helps them to turn from trusting their own body and blood to trusting in the body and blood of Jesus, which alone has the power to bring true freedom.View PontsAdopting a biblical view of the body.Acknowledge attempts to replace the gospel with systems of redemption.Accept what Jesus has given in his own blood and body.Embrace the righteousness received in Christ JesusEpisode Resources: Cutting BookletEmail us at topics@speakthetruth.org 

Episode Summary:In this episode, hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy are joined by author and biblical counselor, Margaret Ashmore to discuss depression. The periods of depression that we all share can range from having a bad day to grieving the loss of a loved one. Our fallen world harbors a broad spectrum of suffering that, while never the same for each individual, has always been part of the human condition. Yet Margaret Ashmore reminds us that however difficult our circumstances, they cannot determine whether our lives are ruled by joy or by depression . . . the choices we make in light of those circumstances do. She lays before us a set of godly choices we can make in our own “dark night of the soul” to seek God’s freedom from our dominating depression.Episode Notes: Margaret attends Benchmark Bible Church in Denton, Texas, where she serves as director of the counseling ministry in addition to leading Bible studies for women. She is a frequent speaker for women’s retreats and conferences across the country as an outreach of her church. Margaret has always been single, considering this a gift in allowing her to freely serve the Lord in “feeding His sheep.”What inspired you to write this book on Depression?You started the book by describing the normality of depression, which might sound new to some people. Will you share with us what that means?After your discussion on the normality of depression, you talk about the power to choose. Tell us more about that.What passages of scripture do you most often use in counseling to someone struggling with depression?On page 33, share with us how you used an image of Elizabeth Elliot as an illustration?Outside of this book, is there anything else that would helpful for us to know/learn about providing biblical counseling to someone struggling with depression?How would a pastor or biblical counselor use this book as a resource in counseling?Episode Resources:Depression: The Sun Always Rises (booklet highlighted in the episode)Depression: A Stubborn Darkness - Ed WelchSpiritual Depression - Martin Lloyd JonesA Path Through SufferingElizabeth Elliott 

Episode Summary: In this episode, hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy are joined by our special guest - Brad Hambrick. To discuss his booklet, God's Attributes. They discuss how a proper understanding of God is vital.  However, many times what we observe from our own experiences (especially when they are difficult and painful) can affect the shape of that understanding.  How do we know whether we have a true, balanced view of God?This study looks at sixteen attributes of God, grouped under the headings of his love, essence, wisdom, and power, to help challenge your understanding.  It goes on to challenge how well you rest in each attribute (have faith and comfort in it) and emulate it in the struggles and experiences of your own life.  So learn, through your struggles, about the One who gives those struggles meaning. Gospel for Real Life Series: God's Attributes - Rest For Life's Struggles: 1. Learning God’s attributes is a foundational truth that all of us should teaching in counseling, so we obviously love this booklet and can be a favorite resource for every counseling session.What stirred your heart to write it?2. You start off the book with this idea of ‘From life to God’, will share more about that with us.3. You’ve created a chart ‘as a circle’ to help explain how to have a balanced view of God, withfour quadrants; Love, Essence, Wisdom & Power. Can you explain more about that?4. How could the pastor or counselor use this chart as a tool in a session?5. You’ve provided in the book a weekly devotional with daily scripture readings within thattopic, why was this important to include in the book?6. How would a pastor or biblical counselor use this as a resource in counseling?Episode Resources:Bradhambrick.com God's Attributes - Rest For Life's Struggles - Resource booklet 

In this episode, the hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy discuss with special guest, Pastor of Counseling, Brad Hambrick of The Summit Church in Durham, NC how to identify passive or aggressive self-centered spouses, what types of passive and aggressive, their stages, and strategies for interaction.  Episode Notes:1. You write using Case Studies, Passive and Aggressive self-centered spouse, tell us why you approached the book that way? 2. Within each assessing the problem, you break it down into 3 stages. Do you want to give us a quick recap of those? 3. So you then go to mention types within the passive & aggressive self-centered spouses…share with us a bit more about that. 4. What are some strategies of interaction within these types of self-centered spouses? 5. After writing this book, is there anything else that would helpful for us to know/learn about providing biblical counseling to a self-centered spouse? 6. How would a pastor or biblical counselor use this as a resource in counseling? Episode Resources: Self-Centered Souse bookletBecoming a church that cares for the abused Bradhambrick.com 

In this episode, hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy discuss with special guest, Pastor of Counseling, Brad Hambrick of The Summit Church in Durham, NC the reality of "Burnout"  - resting in God's fairness. Brad argues burnout is actually a consequence of our life management, and he shows us how to create a time budget to avoid living beyond our means with the time God has provided. What is Burnout?What Causes Burnout?You mention motives in burnout…can you speak to that? -pride, fear & approval of manYou suggest doing a time budget…can you share more about that?What are your suggestions to help prevent burnout?How would a pastor or biblical counselor use this as a resource in counseling?Episode References:Burnout: Resting In God's Fairnesswww.bradhambrick.com/events - webinar call for pastors and counselors.

In this episode, the hosts, Mike, Shauna, and Jeremy are back in the studio to discuss the "Gospel For Real Life" series that will be launching over the next 6 weeks that will be super helpful and practical in the counseling room. This series includes burnout, self-centered spouses, God's attributes, depression, PTSD, and cutting - they then discuss the 2021 ABC National Conference.Gospel Care Collective W/Jason KovacsR3stored Ministries W/Carl & Laura ChicaShauna@christiancounseling.com with any questions regarding training centersEmail us at topics@speakthetruth.org with anything you'd like us to discuss.

The need in the deaf communityStatistics:90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents85% of mothers learn to sign and about 2% of fathers learn to signso most don't learn to communicate in their heart language(sign language).The deaf is considered an unreached people group, so less than 2% of the deaf community are believers in America.70 Million deaf and hard of hearing people in the world.Fall of 2020 a bible was translated into the heart language(sign language)Sunshine InterpretersDeaf Millennial ProjectDeaf Bible Society Deaf Missions Door International 

Booklet Summary Anxiety: Anatomy and Cure presents God’s prescription for victory in anxiety. Worry, doubt, and fear get the best of us all sometimes. Anxiety, like any other negative emotion, is a twisted version of something positive from God. Since we live in a fallen world, we may never have full victory over anxiety on this side of heaven. However, Bob Kellemen counsels that we can have victory in our anxieties—we can learn to use anxiety when it strikes and avoid the temptation to sin. In this biblical applicational study, Bob lays out a proper Christian view of anxiety from Creation to Fall to Redemption to Consummation. Along the way, he helps us apply the gospel to our daily lives and reclaim anxiety for what it should be—a vigilance to motivate us to do God’s work.Purchase Anxiety: Anatomy and Cure To learn more about the books, including free resources and sample chapters, people can visit Bob’s RPM Ministries website: www.rpmministries.org.Also, RPM Ministries has it's own secure, user-friendly RPM Ministries Book Store (https://rpmministries.org/store/) where people can order either book individually for 35% off, or they can purchase the two books together for 40% off.About Bob Kellemen:Bob Kellemen, Th.M., Ph.D.: Dr. Kellemen is Academic Dean, Dean of Students, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Bob is also the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries through which he speaks, writes, and consults on biblical counseling and Christian living. Dr. Kellemen served as the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. For seventeen years, Bob was the founding Chairman of and Professor in the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, MD. Bob has pastored four churches and equipped biblical counselors in each church. Bob and his wife, Shirley, have been married for thirty-nine years; they have two adult children, Josh and Marie, and three granddaughters. Dr. Kellemen is the author of twenty books including Gospel-Centered Marriage Counseling and Gospel-Centered Family Counseling.

Two-Book Series InformationOn September 15, 2020, Baker Books released Dr. Bob Kellemen’s 19th and 20th books—a two-book series on marriage and family counseling:  Gospel-Centered Marriage Counseling: An Equipping Guide for Pastors and CounselorsGospel-Centered Family Counseling: An Equipping Guide for Pastors and Counselors To learn more about the books, including free resources and sample chapters, people can visit Bob’s RPM Ministries website: www.rpmministries.org. Also, RPM Ministries has it's own secure, user-friendly RPM Ministries Book Store (https://rpmministries.org/store/) where people can order either book individually for 35% off, or they can purchase the two books together for 40% off. About Bob Kellemen: Bob Kellemen, Th.M., Ph.D.: Dr. Kellemen is Academic Dean, Dean of Students, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Bob is also the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries through which he speaks, writes, and consults on biblical counseling and Christian living. Dr. Kellemen served as the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. For seventeen years, Bob was the founding Chairman of and Professor in the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, MD. Bob has pastored four churches and equipped biblical counselors in each church. Bob and his wife, Shirley, have been married for thirty-nine years; they have two adult children, Josh and Marie, and three granddaughters. Dr. Kellemen is the author of twenty books including Gospel-Centered Marriage Counseling and Gospel-Centered Family Counseling. 

Biblical Concepualization of OCD 300.3Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both:Obsessions are conceptualized by the following:Fallen World—There is empirical evidence that obsessions are strongly influenced by factors associated with living in a fallen world (i.e., brain structure, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at a young age).   Fear—Obsessions within this diagnosis are typically associated with perceived and potentially dreadful outcomes.  For example, becoming contaminated by germs or unbiblical ideas about being condemned by God.Deception—Obsessions are products of a deceptive heart (Jeremiah 17:9), and are not rooted in actual, objective reality.  Self-Focus—Since obsessions create significant distress and anxiety, they will often contribute to an excessive and extreme form of self-focus wherein the vast amount of a person’s cognitive activity and life is centered on his/her subjective reality.Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both:Compulsions are conceptualized by the following:Control—Unlike obsessions (which are involuntary), compulsions are learned behaviors that are an attempt to control one’s sense of anxiety or distress as well as perceived threats or dreadful outcomes.Deception—Compulsions “feel” uncontrollable, but this is simply another agonizing deception of the heart that is associated with this particular diagnosis.  Additionally, compulsions ultimately do not effectively treat the haunting obsessions that create distress in people.Folly—Defined as a lack of normal prudence and foresight (especially in reference to God). When an individual follows his/her own folly it turns his/her world upside down(Proverbs 19:3).  Counsel may increase fear/anger/distress:When being counseled or treated, counselees are confronted with new ways of seeing and experiencing, and this may manifest increased fear and anger.