For Such a Time as This

In this episode of our series on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, we are talking about the importance of going back in order to go forward.  We all carry wounds and struggles from our childhood into adulthood.  Oftentimes, it comes from the dysfunction of our families of origin.  No matter how well-formed a family is, there are likely vows or beliefs that affect every member's ability to live a life of emotionally healthy spirituality.  We invite you to look back on your life, and invite God into the places that need healing.  We cannot change our past, but we can change the ways our past affects our present.  We encourage you to seek healing in these areas so that you are able to Go Forward on your journey to emotional health. 

Reflection Questions:

1. What keeps you from going back?  Invite God into those feelings, whether it be fear, shame, anger or sadness.  

2.  Do you believe that wounds can be passed down generationally?  Can you see any ways this has happened in your family?

3.  In which of the categories of the "10 Commandments of the Family" do you notice a rule/belief that you carry from you family of origin?

10 Commandments of the Family Categories:

Money, Conflict, Sex, Grief and Loss, Expressing Anger, Family, Relationships, Attitudes Toward Different Cultures, Success, Feeling and Emotions

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Resources we mention:

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

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Self knowledge is so important that, even if you were raised right up to the heavens, I should like you never to relax your cultivation of it; so long as we are on this earth, nothing matters more to us than humility. (St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle)

In this episode, we continue our conversation about Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, with the topic of self-knowledge.  We talk about how our emotions can come to help us know ourselves more and in turn, know God.  When we pay attention to our emotions, we will be led to greater healing and better knowledge of our unique purpose and calling.  We hope our conversation encourages you to reflect on the ways you can better come to know yourself to know God.

Reflection questions:

1.  Are you living your own life?  How do you cling to the false self?  Is it by clinging to someone else's expectations, listening to the wrong voices, or living with a mask on, never showing your true self?

2.  What feelings have you been avoiding?  What are you afraid of?  How can feeling those feelings lead you to a better knowledge of God?

3.  What is a tip (below) you can incorporate to better come to know yourself?

Tips for coming to know yourself better:

1. Pay Attention to Your Interior in Silence and Solitude

2. Find a Trusted Companion

3. Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

4. Pray for Courage

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Resources we Mention:

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

Scriptures we Mention:

Put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Welcome to Season 2!

We are starting off this season with some conversations about emotionally healthy spirituality.  We feel this topic is incredibly important, and we are excited to share them with you!

In this episode, we talk about what emotionally healthy spirituality means to us, as well as the 10 symptoms of an emotionally unhealthy spirituality according to Peter Scazzero in his book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature.

Reflection questions:

1.  What does it mean to be emotionally healthy?  How does that change the way I see my spiritual life?

2.  How has my family and church background impacted the way I think about/feel emotions?

3.  Which of the symptom(s) of emotionally unhealthy spirituality ring true for me?

4.  How do I feel God is calling me to grow emotionally so that I can deepen my spiritual life with Him?

The 10 symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality are:

1. Using God to run from God

2. Ignoring anger, sadness, and fear

3. Dying to the wrong things

4. Denying the impact of the past on the present

5. Dividing life into "secular" and "sacred" compartments

6. Doing for God instead of being with God

7. Spiritualizing away conflict

8. Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure

9. Living without limits

10. Judging other people's spiritual journey

As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Resources We Mention:

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero 

*As Amazon Associates, we earn on qualifying purchases.

We are so excited to announce that we will be releasing Season 2 next week!  

Our first several episodes will be about living a life of emotionally healthy spirituality.  Our conversations will be guided by the book by that name by Peter Scazzero.  

You can find the book here. 

Announcing our new website! 

You can visit our website here: www.markandkatiemartinez.com 

To find our podcast, blog posts, and speaking information. 

Season 2 coming soon!  Thank you so much for listening!

In today's pandemic world, we are increasingly struggling with Decision Fatigue, the exhaustion we get when we have to make too many decisions.  We have school decisions, work decisions, shopping decisions, church decisions, and the list could go on and on.  Many of us are burnt out from all of these difficult decisions.  In this episode, we talked about how decision fatigue is affecting us, and how we've found some ways that are helping us get some routine back into our days to reclaim some of that lost energy.

Resources we mention:

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Atomic Habits by James Clear 

Most Habit Advice is Bad and Wrong Podcast by Jennifer Fulwiler 

The Woman School January Donovan 

Please leave us a rating or review to get the word out!

In this episode, we discussed a question many of us have asked when our friends and family are suffering, particularly in regards to mental health: how can I help?  

We start by discussing the importance of learning to ask for help ourselves, both for our own honesty and vulnerability in relationships and in order to create an environment where others feel safe to ask for help.  Then we give tips for how we can help those going through suffering and how to help our loved ones who don't seem to want help.   

Do the kind thing!

Resources we mention:

(*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Emotionally Healthy Spirtuality by Peter Scazzero

Email us at [email protected]

What does it mean to be male and female?  While it seems like a simple question, there is beauty and mystery in both masculinity and femininity.  In this episode, we discussed masculinity and femininity: what they are, what they are not, and how we personally see our masculinity and femininity shine forth in our vocations as a husband and father and a wife and mother.  Our masculinity and femininity our a deep part of our identity as sons and daughters of God, and only with a true appreciation of who we are as a man or woman will we be able to step into the mission that God has for us.   

Scriptures we mentioned: 

"God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27 

Resources we mentioned: 

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by John Paul II 

Email us at [email protected]

The short answer: yes! 

We are big believers of the benefit of counseling, but sometimes it’s not such an easy decision. If you’ve ever asked the question, “Do I need counseling?” we hope this episode can give you some answers. 

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