This season of Conversational Counseling is all about equipping you with frameworks to be able to minister more fully to those around you in your everyday life, the ones right in front of you.

Much of the preparation for the best things in life really do not take a linear path. And so much preparation of our hearts comes through seasons of being in a desert place. A place of pain. A place of failure even.

But as we learn to work our story out in the context of God's story, we're able to see our places of failure or pain turn to places of growth. Growth that helps us grow into community that's healthy, where we can know and be known. Growth that lets us lean into heartache and nuance more fully. Growth that leads us to being able to be available, moving through simply being disciplined into being faithful.

For free visuals and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineers and producers Zachary Tate Smith and Shane Selby, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This third season of Conversational Counseling is called "Key elements of personal ministry.”

Season 2 was all about forgiveness, and we have a special treat for you in this bonus episode... Our dear friend and colleague Sherri Tate shares part of her own story and how the Lord brought her to a place of genuine healing and forgiveness after experiencing compound trauma and abuse.

Sherri bravely shares her story of suffering and even her own sin, graciously dispels myths perpetuated by those within the church that harmed her, and offers a long view of forgiveness full of freedom and redemption that has come and holds hope for the future still.

The stories shared in this episode are not explicit or graphic but they do involve murder, domestic violence and sexual, verbal, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse so take caution if these are a part of your own story or if you have children who might be within listening distance.

You can follow along with Sherri's ministry, Daughter By Design, on her website.

In this episode, Sherri mentions the 5 aspects of true repentance as described by Steve and Celestia Tracy.

For a free visual and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineers and producers Zachary Tate Smith and Daniel Nelson, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness.”

This season has been all about forgiveness, both what it is, but also what it isn’t. This episode is about restoration.

We have to orient vertically to the safety we have in Christ. He's the only one who ultimately is not going to let us down. It's only from that place of safety, that we're going to be able to venture out into the risk of any relationship. 

“How to Discern True Repentance When Serious Sin Has Occurred” by Darby Strickland

For a free visual and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness.”

This season, we’re talking about forgiveness, both what it is, but also what it isn’t. This episode is about reconciliation.

Reconciliation is where we’re clearing away the rubble and beginning to repair the ruins of the relationship and the hearts that are involved.

But reconciliation isn’t always possible, no matter how much we desire it. So when is it possible? And how can it look? Even in the midst of leaning in towards reconciliation with other people, we find ourselves confronted often. So we have to stay in a posture of humility and teachability.

For a free visual and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness.”

This whole season, we’re looking at forgiveness… both what it is, but also what it isn’t. Our conversation on this episode is about discerning when to overlook and when to confront.

What’s so hard about knowing whether to overlook or to confront, is that we could do either one from a place of fear and sin or from a place of love and obedience. All of us have a bent one way or the other, but being willing to lean in and listen to the Lord’s leading is essential to knowing the next steps forward for our health as people.

It takes a lot of wisdom to know if we should overlook something or confront it. We’re going to share some practical help in this episode, but our goal in all is to increase a greater love for God and greater true love for another. Let’s love others enough, that we are willing to do what’s hard.

For a free visual and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness.”

In this season, we’re looking at forgiveness, both what it is but also what it isn’t. This episode, we talk through what it looks like to release someone from personal vengeance and bitterness.

The reality is, that we can’t rush this process. And if we try to do so, we’ll likely just experience more shame because we still feel the weight of the pain and a measure of bitterness. But if we choose to hold onto bitterness, even if we try to pretty it up, it surely will harm us and other relationships around us. We really do need to fully feel and recognize the impact of sin, but choose not to get even.

Release isn’t letting go into an empty nothingness, but release is letting go into the most capable God who will defend us and work on our behalf. And there may still be consequences, but when we release we can choose not to retaliate.

For a free visual and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness.”

This season we're looking at forgiveness... what it is, but also what it isn't. In this episode we explore the reality that what we remember, what we rehearse and hold onto, impacts our lives and relationships.

So much of forgiveness is not just an event, it's a process. And just because you have to walk in forgiveness again in something you already forgave before, doesn't mean you're doing something wrong.

Our tendency so often is to seek vengeance. And the good news is, vengeance is not an ungodly thing to feel the need for! But we have to remember, it is God's job. When there has been injustice, God does want us to advocate for justice. Yet in that, Jesus is challenging us to be more committed to reconciliation and forgiveness than we are to revenge.

And when grace and mercy need to be extended, God is so kind to offer it and empower us to do the same. This episode is a challenge to us to remember something different than what so often is our nature to remember.

For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness."

This season is all about the topic of forgiveness. So often forgiveness is equated with complete repair and restoration of relationships. What we'd like to do, is look at what it means to walk in forgiveness and how it can really impact our relationships.

There are a lot of myths around forgiveness. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiveness is not the same as reconciling and trusting. So we're going to take this season to look at what it is... 

When we're walking in forgiveness, we’re not in bondage anymore. We’re not in prison. And we find we're not alone because we’re able to move into relationships and have a beauty and a flourishing in relationships that we can’t have apart from forgiveness.

For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac. The featured song of this episode is "Only Grace" by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This second season of Conversational Counseling is called "It's bigger than forgiveness."

Welcome to Conversational Counseling, where counseling and discipleship meet!

In this episode, Brenda and Alex introduce themselves and their heart for you and this podcast... They're not trying to make professionals out of everyone, but just help meet you in your everyday life and everyday situations so you can enjoy and invite others into the comfort and change Jesus offers.

For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast season, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This first season of Conversational Counseling is called "These Three Things."

The episode in which Brenda and Alex say a "bad" word… listen to find out which one…

One of the things that is the biggest danger to good listening and good speaking up is assuming things. We have to be willing to wade in and ask questions and open up every part of what someone is telling us.

Our methodology (how we go about ministering to people) is as important as our theology (what we’re saying to people).

We want to walk alongside one another in a way that represents and embodies who Christ is as much as it represents and embodies what Christ would say.

For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org.

Our theme music is by As Isaac. The featured song of this episode is "A Lot Like Me" by the lovely Jill Phillips.

This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer Zachary Tate Smith, executive producer Meleah Smith, and generous donors.

Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne. This first season of Conversational Counseling is called "These Three Things."