Advent is a season of longing and hope for Christmas - a time when anticipation fills the air. But what does this waiting reveal about the kind of people Christ is shaping us to be? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Joe Leman and Matt Kaufmann explore how the Lord's prayer stirs a deep desire for Christ's kingdom and transforms our hearts to long for him in and outside of the Christmas season.

Show notes:

What is Advent? Advent is the season when the Christian church prepares for the celebration of Christ's coming – Christmas.

What advantage does advent offer the believer? Every year, the Christian is given an opportunity to wait for, long for and celebrate Christ's coming. This practice can shape in the believer a desire for Christ's coming kingdom.

What is the Lord's prayer? Christ gave his disciples the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11) when they asked how they should pray. This prayer has a deep and rich history in the Church both past and present.

What advantage does the Lord's prayer offer the believer? The Lord's prayer offers the believer a template for praying and thinking. It can be divided into two sections each having three subparts.

Our Father which art in heaven...

• Hallowed be thy name.

• Thy kingdom come.

• Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Our Father which art in heaven...

• Give us this day our daily bread.

• Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

• Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

How does the Lord's prayer enliven advent? The Lord's prayer prepares in us a heart that wants God's kingdom to come and will to be done.

How does advent enliven our faith? Advent teaches us that waiting, longing and celebrating Christ's present and coming kingdom is tangible, practical and meaningful.

The Thanksgiving holiday affords us the opportunity to engage in one of the healthiest human behaviors – the giving of thanks. Research suggests that thankful people are in some ways mentally, emotionally, and relationally healthier than their unthankful counterparts. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Arlan Miller and Matt Kaufmann look beneath the hood of thanksgiving to discover the deeper matters that not only make thanksgiving possible but likely.

Giving thanks is an action. Thanksgiving is the outward fruit of deeper gratitude. By it, our gratefulness finds its expression. Furthermore, our expression finds its mark in gratitude toward God or another person.

Gratitude is a quality of our character. Its opposite is entitlement. Where entitlement believes all things are owed, gratitude sees all things as a gift. It is the fruit of humility. A posture we have with the world where we see ourselves as the beneficiary of all good things.

It has always been hard to stay on top of technology. It seems artificial intelligence (AI) has just raised the ante. In this Breaking Bread podcast episode, David Virkler helps demystify AI. In so doing, some down-to-earth advice is given on how to parent our kids in this world of AI.

Show Notes:

A few things to understand about AI.

• Artificial Intelligence is an expansive field with many applications. It includes everything from machine learning to neural network AI engines and large language models like ChatGPT.
• Large language models respond to inquiries by generating text by using probability models for selecting the next most probable word. In so doing, sentences are created and intelligence is mimicked.
• AI platforms are trained on a body of data made available to them. Some use the data we input into it when we use it. Others do not.
• The source of data from which AI draws its information depends on the platform being used. Some AI platforms pull from all available data on the internet. Others pull from a closed data set according to the specs of the developer.
• AI is only physical. It is made up of circuits, elements and processors with the capability to find and sort data. AI is powered and thereby limited by the earth's resources.

A few things to be cautious about.

• AI has no metric for truth when generating content. Rather, it uses probability to guess what the user wants.
• Be aware, when by your use, you are contributing to the data pool AI will learn and draw its information from. When using AI understand your level of personal privacy or lack thereof.
• To determine the trustworthiness of the AI tool, understand where the tool is sourcing its data. Is it sorting through all the data on the internet or is it sorting through a smaller, more reliable data set?
• AI can mimic human qualities such as emotion. AI companions can be influential and misleading.
• AI will have an influence on our personal formation. Our habits, creativity, critical thinking skills, and more will likely be affected.

A few questions to get us talking.

• What makes AI less than human?
• AI runs on circuits and processors. It is physical and non-living. It has no soul as the human made in God's image has.
• What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?
• AI has made knowledge ready and easy. How to apply that knowledge lies with the user.
• Is speed and ease always better than time and struggle?
• AI completes tasks quickly with very little effort on the part of the user. While this efficiency is appealing, healthy human formation seldom comes quickly and easily. Rather, God uses time and friction to develop our minds, hearts, souls and bodies.
• Who do we want speaking into our life?
• AI can mimic human companionship. However, human connection has been God's design for the community that best cares for the human being.
• Has AI made God old fashioned?
• AI will provide many answers for us. It will push society forward. With it will come questions. As has been the pattern in the past, Christ and the Scriptures will be relevant in new and important ways.

A few things to be enthused about.

• AI is really good at writing and summarizing. If used well, it can be a very helpful tool as a note taker in a meeting.
• AI is really good at analyzing patterns in large data sets. When used well, it can provide tremendous insights quickly make connections and offering helpful suggestions based on data.
• AI will be a strong educational tool. It has the capacity to tailor education modes and means to the uniqueness of the learner.
• AI is becoming very good at language. Real time translation is a powerful asset for those trying to communicate across language barriers.

It's not uncommon for communication between two individuals in a relationship to go sideways. And when the pattern is sideways for many years, it becomes even more challenging to set right the cart. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer and Brian Sutter explain how to do just that.

Show notes:

The speaker/listener model is a structured approach for communication that enhances understanding between two individuals or parties.

When do you use it?

• When communication is not working and understanding is not being reached.

How does it work?

• Roles are determined. One party is the speaker, and the other is the listener.
• The speaker succinctly expresses a message.
• The listener responds by telling the speaker what they said.
• The speaker determines if the listener understands.
  • If yes, the speaker continues.
  • If no, the speaker tries the message again.
• Appropriately, reverse roles.

What does it do?

• It slows down the conversation.
• It promotes understanding between the parties.
• It helps clarify what should be communicated.
• It gives a chance for communicative trust to grow.
• It gives the space for individuals to regulate their emotions during the conversation.

What are the prerequisites for success?

• Participants need to be able to take on another person's perspective.
• Participants need to be able to regulate their emotions.
• Participants need to be able to play by the conversation rules.

Join us in the studio as we celebrate 10 years of Breaking Bread! In this celebratory episode, Arlan Miller, Katie Miller and Brian Sutter turn the tables and interview Breaking Bread host Matt Kaufmann. They go behind the scenes of the show, telling stories and reminiscing. Most importantly, they pay tribute to the devoted listenership of Breaking Bread.

Join us in the studio as we celebrate 10 years of Breaking Bread! In this celebratory episode, Arlan Miller, Katie Miller and Brian Sutter turn the tables and interview Breaking Bread host Matt Kaufmann. They go behind the scenes of the show, telling stories and reminiscing. Most importantly, they pay tribute to the devoted listenership of Breaking Bread.

Nothing motivates treatment quite like pain. We want it to stop. Too often, when the pain has past, we are not motivated to continue the important work of personal growth that lies beneath the pain. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr explains the hope that lies beyond symptom reduction.

Show notes:

Symptom reduction is only half of the journey to health. There are four questions that point to the important second half of the journey...a journey worth finishing.

1. Is my predominant outlook on life joy?

1. Are my relationships healthy and satisfying?

1. Is my relationship with God unhindered and growing?

1. Do I know what my spiritual gifts and talents are and am I actively engaged in using them?

Answers to these questions lead us to important spiritual, relational, psychological and physical growth.

We enter life with no ability to control. As we grow, we acquire more and more faculty to control. If our life takes its natural course and we age into the sunset years of life, we gradually lose our ability to control. Finally, we will leave this life having the same capacity to control as when we entered, little to none. Join us as Matt Kaufmann discusses this life curve with his father, Denny Kaufmann.

• Control, the ability to rule, make choices, make determination in our surroundings and direct people, transitions over the span of life.

• The transition is a function of release.

• Ease of release is a function of confidence in the predecessor and ability to live with God into the future.

• Release to the predecessor is helped with a view that God is in control and uses people separate from us.

• The ability to live with God into the future is helped by learning to find satisfaction in his presence apart from the satisfaction that the power of control affords.

• Living healthily will require that we know where we are on the life curve and live accordingly.

In seasons of busyness, it can be easy for marriages to drift towards disconnection. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer encourages simple ways to maintain connection as well as a framework for thinking about marriage amid the busy.

Show notes:

Demands on our time and attention can ebb and flow over the calendar year. When marriage is involved, these seasons of busyness impact the marriage. If we are not vigilant, disconnection can result. Communication becomes challenging. Irritations can set in, and spouses can drift apart. Couples who wish to weather these seasons well need to be thoughtful about how they remain connected. A few examples follow:

• Connect with your spouse by having regular "check in's." Take time to update your spouse and be updated on the life of the other.

• Connect with the life your spouse is living. Try to understand the demands he/she is under. Have a goal to visualize their day-to-day.

• Connect with your shared roles by growing your appreciation for the career of each. Understand the uniqueness of the profession and what it means to your family.

• Connect by establishing shared rituals through the season. Celebrate the season by infrequent significant moments of connection that bind marriage and family amid the season.

• Connect by establishing frequent small moments of connection during the season.

• Connect with the larger shape of marriage. A life for which a season is that - a season.

• Connect with the larger intention God has for challenges in marriage. The intention to grow you up into Christ-likeness.

ACCFS is a mental health service that supports the Apostolic Christian Church. This unique connection between church and mental health agency has a storied history. To tell it, Ron Messner and Ted Witzig Jr are interviewed by Matt Kaufmann on this episode of Breaking Bread.

Show notes:

Caring for people spiritually has given way to the need to care for them mentally. This led to the following statement of belief and consequently, the carrying out of counseling services at ACCFS.

Based on scripture and extensive experience, we are complex beings with three overlapping and integrated parts to our being: physical, spiritual and mental. These cannot be separated, but each part can be affected by separate factors including biological, spiritual, psychological, or social influences. Each needs to be assessed, and any dysfunction needs to be treated or addressed based on the cause or causes of the dysfunction. This may include repentance, prayer, spiritual counseling and teaching, medication, other health interventions, and/or psycho-social counseling.