“How do you restart a dormant career without destroying everything that you love in the process?” - Kevin Tracy

If you haven’t heard, the church has been experiencing a mass exodus of pastors. Not because they are commissioned to plant new churches or join the mission field. They’re leaving the ministry altogether. There are several reasons behind this trend. COVID wreaked havoc on the church, and political division has caused many pastors to rethink their calling.

Recent data collected from the Barna organization indicated that U.S. pastors are currently in crisis and at risk of burnout. In 2021 alone, there was a dramatic increase in the number of pastors thinking about quitting ministry entirely. According to Barna, 38 percent indicated they have considered leaving full-time ministry within the past year.

On today’s edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes Kevin Tracy to the podcast. Kevin leads an organization called No Holy Handcuffs, whose primary mission is to help pastors discover how to leave the ministry & recover their calling. 

Helpful Resources:
Podcasts
Episode 132 - Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, "Turning the Tables on Injustice"
Episode 212 - Laura Barringer, "A Church Called TOV"

Website
No Holy Handcuffs 

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On today’s edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael will introduce you to Vance Crow...one of the newest members of the counseling team. Every once in a while, we want to take an opportunity to introduce you to our staff to give you an inside look at the ministry and the team that makes the magic happen.

Vance has training in Emotionally Focused Therapy and has received extensive training in treating addiction, working with couples going through infidelity, and helping couples that have experienced betrayal. He also is passionate about seeing couples and individuals thrive rather than just survive in their marriage. Welcome to the team, Vance!

Discover how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.

What if lust for porn is really a search for true passion?

In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it's no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Common wisdom says if they just had more willpower or more faith, their fight would be over.

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"It is just a beautiful revelation. It's as if I had been born again." - Brian Beatty

We’re closing out 2022 with a very special conversation between Michael and our producer, Brian Beatty. As a result of what you hear on today’s episode we hope you will be inspired to lean into life, reflect, respond, and resolve to live to the fullest.

From all of us here at Restoring the Soul, Happy New Year. May you flourish in 2023!

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“We use faith stories. We use testimonies to build bridges and diffuse tension. We recognize Christ in each other and each other in Christ.” - Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah

Merry Christmas, everyone! If you’re listening in the US, you have probably hunkered down with a few extra blankets or your warmest coat to brave the cold front that has crippled nearly all of the country. But maybe it’s a blessing. Maybe this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the time to slow down and spend quality time with friends and family. Ponder the Christmas story that hopefully will take you to a place of worship as we consider our newborn King. Merry Christmas from all of us here at Restoring the Soul.

Today, Michael welcomes Reverand Doctor Casely Essamuah to the podcast. Originally from Ghana, Casely is the Secretary of the Global Christian Forum. He is a bi-cultural bridge builder with a heart to see the world united in Christ, loving and respecting each other to build the Kingdom here on earth. Michael met Casely while on a recent pilgrimage in Scotland, and they will recount some of their more insightful conversations. We hope you learn where the Church is thriving and growing in the world and what we all can learn from the church in the global south.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
St. Cuthbert’s Pilgrimage
Park Street Church
Support Dr. Casely

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“You will be at your best if you are doing it from a rested soul.” - Alan Fadling

With the overwhelming pace of life, many of us struggle to stop long enough to be present. Our long to-do lists and full calendars leave little breathing room to hear from God. We know we need to slow down, but we don't even know how to begin.

As 2022 comes to a close and we soon turn the page to a new year, it’s a great time to evaluate areas of our lives that need a tune-up and possibly some minor adjustments. Is 2023 the year you start to slow down and live an unhurried life?

Alan Fadling joins Michael on today’s episode to discuss his latest book, “A Year of Slowing Down: Daily Devotions for Unhurried Living.” Alan was a recent guest on the podcast, and his wife, Gem, was on a previous episode. The links to their episodes are below...

Alan Fadling is the president and founder of Unhurried Living, inspiring people to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Episode 237 - Gem Fadling, “Hold That Thought"
Episode 238 - Alan Fadling, “An Unhurried Life"

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“There’s only one answer to the question, “What is God like?” It’s Jesus." - Dr. James Bryan Smith

The Christian faith is not only about belief and practices but also about the kind of people we become. Yet some of the most significant barriers to our transformation come from our toxic self-narratives. These narratives shape the way we see ourselves and the way we interact in the world. God designed us with a deep longing to be wanted, loved, alive, and connected to Him. Healing our souls requires more than knowing what God thinks about us. Our healing comes not through reason alone but through revelation.

This short paragraph was an excerpt from James Bryan Smith’s brand new book, The Good and Beautiful You. Jim is a good friend of Restoring the Soul and is Michael’s guest on the podcast.

If you don’t know him, Dr. James Bryan Smith is the Dallas Willard Professor of Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He is also the Executive Director of The Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation and the best-selling author of twelve books, most notably The Apprentice Series, which includes The Good and Beautiful God. Finally, among other things, James is the host of the Things Above Podcast. We’re so glad to have Jim back with us today.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
RTS_164 James Bryan Smith “Good and Beautiful God”

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“The Sabbath is the greatest gift from God outside of Jesus Himself.” - Dr. Ruth Haley Barton

The practice of the Sabbath has received quite a lot of attention in recent years and if you’re interested in learning more, today’s conversation will be a perfect compliment to your journey.

On this edition of the podcast, Michael welcomes Dr. Ruth Haley Barton to the conversation. Ruth is an author, spiritual director, teacher, and founder of Transforming Center in Wheaton, Illinois.

In October, Ruth’s book, “Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again” was released to ground us in God's intentions in giving us the gift of the Sabbath, providing practical steps for embedding sabbath rhythms in our lives. And as a result of today’s conversation, we hope you learn how to think about Sabbath as a gift and that Sabbath helps us live in our true identity.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Transforming Center
 
PODCASTS
RTS_164James Bryan Smith “Good and Beautiful God”
RTS_237Gem Fadling "Hold That Thought"
RTS_238Alan Fadling"An Unhurried Life"
RTS_239Dr. Janelle Hallman "Fostering Wholeness"

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“Painting was healing and gave me a way to share my story when I could put words to it.” - Sheila Paige

On this edition of the podcast, Michael welcomes Sheila Paige to the conversation. Not too long ago, Sheila experienced the tragedy of betrayal trauma and discovered the path to healing through painting. As a result, she found the faithfulness of a Creator who loves her in her pain.

Although this podcast is in audio format, we trust you’ll be able to visualize Sheila’s beautiful artwork, which we hope will prompt you to see it yourself. We believe her book, “Healing, One Brushstroke at a Time” will make a great gift for someone this holiday season.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Sheila's book:
Healing, One Brushstroke at a Time

Podcasts
Episode 165 - Julianne Cusick, "Barriers to Overcoming Betrayal Trauma"
Episode 166 - Julianne Cusick, "Treatment Barriers to Healing from Betrayal Trauma"
Episode 195 - Julianne Cusick, “Devastated But Not Destroyed”
Episode 228 - Julianne Cusick, "Life After Betrayal”

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“I don’t work well with people who have it all together.” - Dr. Janelle Hallman

On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes his colleague and one of Restoring the Soul’s Intensive Clinical Soul Care Specialists, Dr. Janelle Hallman.

Janelle is a Licensed Professional Counselor, ordained minister, professor, author, and speaker on issues such as redemption, healing, and wholeness. Her passion is to counsel, facilitate, teach and share realities about God, life, and the human experience in a way that transforms and touches a person’s deepest heart. She loves working with any individual or couple seeking greater wholeness.

Dr. Hallman has served as an adjunct professor at Colorado Christian University. She is currently an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary and regularly supervises, trains, and consults other therapists, pastors, and lay leaders.

Dr. Hallman received her MA in Counseling from Denver Seminary and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She loves beauty, babies (being a grandmother!), nature, reading, and absorbing spiritual masters.

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“The trajectory of spiritual growth is in the direction of simplicity rather than in the direction of complexity.” - Alan Fadling

On this edition of Restoring the Soul, Michael welcomes Alan Fadling to ponder questions that not many people want to - or have the courage - to ask, “Do you want a Jesus who is relaxed? When you think of Jesus, is He relaxed?” Living an Unhurried Life is central to Alan’s story - so stay with us as you will hear about his journey out of the fast lane and into the relaxed rhythms of Jesus. You just may find a kinship that will also help your recovery.

Alan Fadling is a frequent speaker and consultant with local churches, national organizations, and leaders internationally. A trained Spiritual Director, Alan is the author of “An Unhurried Life and An Unhurried Leader.” He has also written “What Does Your Soul Love?” co-authored with his wife, Gem Fadling, who was Michael’s guest on a recent podcast.

Discover more about Alan and his ministry here.

In this podcast, we hope you will discover:

• What a lifetime of being “fruitful that lasts” looks like.
• The Christian life is a relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
• What disengagement practices look like.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Episode 237 - Gem Fadling, “Hold That Thought"

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