This week we’re joined by Dr. Mary Cail, author of Dementia and the Church: Memory, Care, and Inclusion and Alzheimer's: A Crash Course for Friends and Relatives. She explains why the church’s role can be so important in caring for those impacted by dementia, some basic steps to start in memory ministry, and why ‘informed compassion’ is so important.
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Today we’re joined by Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis, the author of Unspeakable: Preaching and Trauma-Informed Theology. She talks about what trauma-informed theology means, how that can shape preaching, and why preaching matters in the context of trauma. Dr. Travis teaches preaching at the University of Toronto and is also the author of Decolonizing Preaching: Decolonizing Preaching The Pulpit as Postcolonial Space and Metamorphosis: Preaching after Christendom.
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On this week’s episode we’re joined by Dr. Amy Marschall to talk about being a trauma-informed community. What does ‘trauma-informed’ even mean? What changes when we use that lens? How does it shape caring for others (and ourselves)? We talk about all this and more!
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Today we’re joined by Emmy Kegler to talk about her new book, All Who Are Weary: Easing the Burden on the Walk with Mental Illness. In the intro, we talk about Spring Break and how Holly might’ve taken the ‘break’ part of that a little too practically.
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This week we talk with Kevin Nye, author of the upcoming book Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness. Kevin tells us about how COVID has impacted homelessness, why the housing first model is so important, and how homelessness is related to faith and mental health.
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This week we’re joined by Dr. Beth Allison Barr, historian and author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. She tells us about the role of women throughout Christian history, why understand that matters today, and why understanding context is important.
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Daniel Bowman Jr. stops by the show to talk with us about neurodiversity, seeing our differences as a gift, and some of his own personal story. Daniel is the author of On The Spectrum: Autism, Faith & the Gifts of Neurodiversity. In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about things they’ve learned about themselves as adults.
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This week we share a talk from Robert called Talking About Mental Health: Having Conversations that Facilitate Healing & Promote Resilience (his talk from the Church Mental Health Summit on Oct. 10th). The talk shares practical tips, as well as talking about how we show up to each other in moments of vulnerability.
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This week, we get to hear Holly's talk from the Church Mental Health Summit that happened on Oct. 10th. She talks about why it's important to take care of ourselves as well as talking through a variety of areas & ways we can learn to do so. In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about things they've found helpful recently.
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What do we do when faced with suffering (either our own or someone else’s)? Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren and Sara Showalter Van Tongeren (authors of the new book The Courage to Suffer) join us to talk about existential questions, facing the darkness, and coming out on the other side. They walk us through the steps of Sunset, Dusk, Midnight, Dawn, and Daylight, explaining the importance of meaning-making and how we can help each other.
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How do we communicate well? Do the same principles apply to settings like one-on-one, preaching, writing, or posting online? We talk with communication expert Dr. Heather Thompson Day about all of that and more! (Communication is really about listening! Why should we tell stories? What about ‘platform building’?)
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Today, we’re joined by Stephanie Lobdell to talk about ordinary losses and what resurrection has to tell us about those things. We talk about being a woman in ministry, Stephanie’s mental health diagnoses, facing the death of your expected future, how her loved ones have learned to be supportive and more.
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What is Spiritual Bypassing? We talk with Dr. Jesse Fox about his work in this area, what it looks like to use spirituality as a resource (or as a method of avoidance), offering unhelpful platitudes vs. helpful responses, and more. In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about a recent Wall Street Journal article that discussed pastors and their mental health.
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Joe Padilla (co-founder of Mental Health Grace Alliance) joins us to talk about the practicalities of ministering to people’s mental health within a faith community. We get asked a ton about resources for small groups, trainings, etc. to help equip people to do this kind of work, and Joe breaks down what Grace Alliance offers and their thinking behind it. We also hear some of Joe’s story and why the work is so personal to him. In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about holiday traditions.
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The first week of May is Children’s Mental Health Week, and to celebrate we’ve got the second part of our conversation with Dr. Stephen Grcevich! We cover a lot of ground including things to look for in children, the medicating of kids (are we overdoing it?), the rising rates of anxiety & ADHD in children, and helping our kids be resilient. In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about Burger King’s recent campaign “for” Mental Health Awareness Month.
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In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Stephen Grcevich (founder of Key Ministry and author of Mental Health and the Church) to talk about how we can make our churches & ministries more inclusive to those encountering mental health struggles and their families. Dr. Grcevich talks about the 7 barriers identified in his book and what we can do about them. (Next week, he comes back to talk about children’s mental health, so make sure you come back too!) In the intro, Holly and Robert discuss several birthdays and how to balance focusing on too many things at once.
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Do you lead others in some capacity? (Hint: the answer is yes). This week, Holly and Robert talk about mentoring both formal and informal, the way we can lead others through our actions, and why empowering those coming behind us is important. We also touch on some important ideas like being aware of the social conditioning we’re experiencing and how to change those narratives.
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This week, we’re airing an interview Holly recorded back when Robert was on podternity leave (flashback!). She talks with Storey Cook, director of Reclaim Recovery Ministry at Harris Creek in Waco. They talk about recovery ministries, how 12 step programs fit into a faith context, and the importance that doing your own work plays in helping others.
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Robert and Holly give 13 practical self-care tips & discuss ways to help maintain your mental & emotional health while working in ministry (or any helping profession).
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