Getting Offended vs Being Offended

Let’s get rid of the notion right now that healthy, mature, strong people do not get offended.  Because they do.  It’s unavoidable.  No one is exempt.  So, if it is normal, and if it is going to continue happening, why aren’t we talking about it more?  It kind of seems important to understand that there is no failure in getting offended, AND there has got to be something more we can do with it rather than just be hurt. 

We can’t escape it, so we need to know how to deal with it. 

But listen carefully, this is really important.  There is a distinct difference between getting offended and being offended - and that is where our power lies.  We cannot avoid getting offended, but we have a powerful choice over accepting, allowing, settling into, and carrying offence . 

Let's sort all this out together, today!

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Connecting

Do you know that we are wired for connection? That is to say that we are literally created to have connection with others in this world. If we were hooked up to a brain scan, you would actually see the reward centers of our brain light up when we are connecting with others. It’s that important to us. It is that engrained into our DNA, to connect with others. Genetically, our DNA is predisposed to connect; to find someone we care about and who cares for us.  

Then, why are so many of us lonely?  Do we just not know how to connect?  Are we unsure of what steps to take to really connect with someone else?
Join us today as we look at the A, B, Cs of connection... 

• A - Awareness and Acceptance
• B - Build a Bridge
• C - Courageous Conversations with Curiosity

And let's break it down into something very straightforward!

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Jephthah - Prepped for Battle

" Mighty Man of Valor"...  what a way to be described and remembered!  He must have been someone very special, born to wonderfully loving parents, and raised in the ways of the Lord.  After all, he led and won a battle to save the people who needed him, and he presided over them as a judge for years.  A special man indeed!

But what if I told you his early years were horrible?  He was unwanted, unloved, and rejected and abandoned - over and over again.  Were those years he needed to overcome so that the Lord could use him?  OR were they years as preparation for the battle that was to come?

If you've ever felt that you were born into a family so full of pain, that you couldn't possibly have any destiny other than to try and survive and maybe overcome, then this message is for you. 

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Listen to This!

Are you a good listener?   Are you really?  How do you know?
 
Today we are going to look at what it really means to be a good listener and how to put it to the test.   We will discuss what listening is and what it isn't as far as responses, reactions, statements, and intentions.
We might even hear about a situation where Tina was NOT a good listener!

From last week's show on talking, to today's episode on listening, we set the stage for next Wednesday's release on connection.  Don't miss any of them!

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Let's Talk About Talking

We must learn to talk! 
So today, we will talk about talking... and not just to fill the awkward silence in a room, but to really articulating our thoughts and feelings.  Because sometimes our thoughts and feelings sound like "I'm worthless, I'm a bad person, I'm not worthy of love".  While these may not be facts, they may have become truths inside us - that no one knows about, and no one can help us with BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT.
We have a right to feel what we feel.  We also have the right to talk about it. 
So, lets start today!

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The Gift of Forgiveness

As the gift-giving season wraps up, and we move into the new year full of new challenges, we discuss the gift of forgiveness and what is has to offer us.

What exactly is forgiveness and  how do you do it?   Those are important questions. 
But perhaps the most important question to ask first is WHY?  Why forgive?

Listen in as we pull apart the topic of forgiveness to gain a clearer understanding of the what, how, and why, in it all.

Forgiveness can be a hard journey that feels like it will cost too much, but can you actually afford not to?  It's not about what you should or shouldn't do.  The power of the choice to forgive or not to, is all yours.

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I'll NEVER... get divorced, have depression, speak to my kids like that, get cancer, have a kid with an addiction...
Sometimes we state NEVER as a hope, a dream, a wish and then what we said would never happen - happens.  And that messes with our understanding of the word NEVER, especially when we hear God say "I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).  How is that statement to be trusted when I have stated it before, and it failed?

Listen in as Tina shares a little story of talking with God about this concept of "NEVER".  There is a distinct difference in knowing whether it is a hope OR a promise.  What is that difference?

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As you heard from Tina last week, this may not be a time of joy that you are preparing for this season.  Perhaps, as Jenny's family is, you are going to be experiencing a tougher Christmas this year.  Maybe you are grieving as it is the first Christmas after a loss.  Maybe it’s the 12th or 20th Christmas without your loved one.  No matter the timing, your grief matters.  

So, we are not here to wish you a Happy Holidays.  We are here to say that we pray for you, a season with love and care and support.  You deserve to know that you are loved and cared for, no matter what your heart feels from moment to moment.  We pray that you are safe and held close by all who love you. 

We are not going to be releasing regular weekly episodes throughout the season, but we will be back in the new year.   

That doesn’t mean there won’t be something special released.  It just won’t be our regular weekly, topical conversations.  I know Tina has a couple things planned, so watch for those. But make sure your focus this seasons is on you, what you need, and how you need to be cared for.  Take care of your heart.  Take care of your health… and take care of each other. 

You are a blessing to this world, and this world is a better place because you are in it.

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We've all heard the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas", but going home for the holidays is not really about a location.  Is it?  It is often about a person.  It's about being with that special someone who feels like "home". 

So what do we do when we can't go home for Christmas... because they just aren't there anymore?
How do we reckon with the reality of not having anywhere to go, especially when the whole world is focused on being HOME with our loved ones?

Join Tina as she talks about being a mama, without a mama... and not being able to go home for the holidays - not having that place to take her kids.  Listen in as she describes the grief but also her answer to wondering, "Where do I go if I can't go home?"
The answer is also in the song..... "I'll BE Home for Christmas"

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ACOUSTIC GUITAR # 1 by Jason Shaw https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw
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Blue Christmas

Christmas is not always about joy, cheer, and festive get-togethers. 

Every year, someone is facing their first Christmas without someone they love.  It may not even be the first Christmas after a loss.  It may be the second, 12th, or 30th.  The number of years don't matter as much as the very real pain does.

Join Tina as she speaks about experiencing the holiday season, while suffering with the reality that someone very special is just not here.  She will speak about the validated thoughts and feeling that may very well be present, as well as the possible options for taking care of ourselves and protecting our hearts.

If you don't feel full of joy this Christmas, may you feel loved and cared for.


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ACOUSTIC GUITAR # 1 by Jason Shaw https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw
Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International License
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