There is a path through grief. Helping our grieving teens make progress along that path is so important. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Craig Stickling give us practical tips on doing just that. Things to remember as you walk with a grieving teen: Acknowledge the difficulty. Listen to their thoughts and feelings. Ask for permission. Remember anniversaries. Remember the intensity of grief will over time subside. Healing comes by moving though the grief cycle. https://www.acc...
Nov 30, 2020•23 min
Grief is always hard no matter the age. Yet, our teens experience a unique challenge when it comes to working through loss. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Craig Stickling walk us through the complexities of grief on the maturing heart and mind. Grief and loss can be troubling to teens... Their knowledge is outpacing their experience. Their notion of a safe world is challenged. While they are learning to take control of various aspects of their lives, they learn that they do...
Nov 16, 2020•15 min
The cigarette is falling out of favor with the general public. Stepping into its place and gaining favor is the modernized e-cigarette. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Dr. Aaron Plattner helps us understand the growing appeal of vaping.
Nov 02, 2020•25 min
Sometimes little things make big differences. In this episode of Breaking Bread , Kaleb Beyer relays three small things that exist in happy marriages. 3 Small Things Be Purposeful Highly happy couples generously focus on what their mate is giving to them. The spouse, in turn, deliberately tries to give back. Be Present Highly happy couples fully invest emotionally in their marriage by risking vulnerability; this leads to a dramatically increased security and happiness in the relationship. Be Pos...
Oct 19, 2020•11 min
Like a faulty check engine light that comes on prematurely, some consciences trigger signals of guilt when they shouldn’t be triggered. This is called false guilt. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr explains the difference and how to detect if that check engine light is real or not. True guilt is grounded in truth. False guilt is grounded in feelings. True guilt motivates us to deal with sin and move forward. False guilt causes us to stall and spin in confession. True guilt listens...
Oct 05, 2020•14 min
Both guilt and shame are similar feelings. Both can be triggered for similar reasons. But they each motivate us toward drastically different ends. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr. sorts out the distinctions between guilt and shame and how we should respond to each.
Sep 21, 2020•22 min
Birth is sacred and yet, so is death. For many people they will have the opportunity and responsibility to care for their folks as they age and pass. This responsibility is met with challenges, difficulties, opportunities, and blessings. Roger Gasser and Tim Funk let us in on some of these responsibilities and help prepare us to walk these important days with our aging parents. Realize the aging process of giving up control. Give parents control where you can, as control is taken away. Realize e...
Sep 07, 2020•27 min
At some level, we all want to be successful. Yet success can have ill-effects. On this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter and Fred Witzig tackle this topic of success. Approaching the topic from a historical, clinical and biblical perspective helps provide insight into this “success” we all want. Show Notes : How healthy is my success? Success should promote humility. Success should not promote arrogance. Success should promote thanksgiving. Success should not promote entitlement. Success s...
Aug 21, 2020•23 min
Conviction of truth. Compassion for people. Context for our society. And comfort in Christ. These are our goals. Join Ted Witzig Jr. as he speaks to the important topic of gender and sexual identity with grace and truth.
Aug 10, 2020•22 min
Conviction of truth. Compassion for people. Context for our society. And comfort in Christ. These are our goals. Join Ted Witzig Jr. as he speaks to the important topic of gender and sexual identity with grace and truth. Conviction of Truth Mark 10:6-9 Gender is a divine creation. Marriage between a man and a woman is a divine institution. Fidelity is the divine intention. Compassion for People See people as Christ sees them. Love them. We are created in God’s image. We are loved by God. We have...
Jul 27, 2020•23 min
Empathy is a gift we give to others. It is a gift for many reasons, not the least of which, is the selflessness required. In this episode of Breaking Bread , Amber Miller flushes out empathy. She helps us walk the fine line of looking within ourselves and accessing the God given skill set to turn outward and connect with another person. Empathy is feeling with people. Empathy is not fixing people’s hurt. Empathy is recognizing, acknowledging, and connecting with another person’s emotion. Empathy...
Jul 13, 2020•22 min
Connection in marriage is possible. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer shares with us three keys in connecting with our spouse. Accessibility, responsiveness and engagement go a long way in moving us in the right direction - toward each other.
Jun 29, 2020•11 min
Marriage is far more than a living arrangement. It is a living relationship which meets a core need we each have for connection. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer exposes this core need and coaches us on how to achieve it. Connection in marriage models the connection God desires with us - one in which life flows between us. Christ is the vine and we are the branches. Every spouse desires connection. Connection answers “yes” to the questions, “Do I matter to you? Are you there for me...
Jun 15, 2020•16 min
Conflict happens. Some conflict can be avoided. All conflict needs resolve. Sometimes little things make big differences. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer relays three small things that exist in happy marriages. 3 Small Things Be Purposeful Highly happy couples find that when they can’t resolve conflict before bedtime, they choose to sleep on it. If anger remains in the morning, they don’t let it go unresolved; they deal with it. Be Present Highly happy couples treat one another wi...
Jun 01, 2020•20 min
Uncertainty, unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness, chanciness, unsureness, changeability - 2020. It’s one thing to have expectations gone unmet. It’s another thing to be so uncertain that expectations can’t even be set. Those are the days we are in. And yet, there is an advantage these days afford. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Arlan Miller helps us see those advantages. We learn flexibility. A lot is out of our control. We learn childlikeness. God is our Father. We learn dependence. ...
May 18, 2020•19 min
It is easy to overlook the losses our kids are enduring these days. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Craig Stickling highlights what many of our kids are experiencing as their lives have been put on hold during these days of COVID-19. Fortunately, parents are equipped with a few helpful tools to minister to their losses. Some tools for the toolset: Acknowledge their loss. Don’t down-play it. Kids have had limited experience. Bring perspective. Connect with their loss. Resist shifting the focus...
May 04, 2020•25 min
What do we do with emotional pain when we can’t make it better? (Hint: David, Hannah, Jerimiah, Job, Habakkuk and Jesus all did it.) In fact, the example is so abundant in the Scriptures you can’t miss it. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr. will answer this question and make it very accessible to all who endure pain. Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust. Lament includes four steps: Turn to God Make a complaint Make your request Move forward in trust Lament connects the e...
Apr 20, 2020•25 min
Suffering nearly touches us all and is a common human experience. Suffering is bad. Period. Yet, God steps into this badness. Somehow His knowledge of it and presence in it has some redemptive qualities. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter with Fred Witzig take the topic of suffering head-on and expose the hope that suffering affords. Suffering rises from different places. One type of suffering results from consequences from our actions. Another type of suffering results from calamit...
Apr 06, 2020•27 min
God has made us to be healthy through the COVID-19 crisis. Sometimes that’s hard to believe. On this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter helps us untangle our thoughts and emotions so we can walk these days with a healthy mind. What we need to know about ourselves… We each have an emotional reservoir with only so much capacity. The stress resulting from the COVID-19 crisis can quickly overwhelm us. We need to make the effort to process the emotions we are feeling so as to manage our capacity...
Mar 30, 2020•28 min
Prayer is a conduit of God’s power, provision and purposes. Through it God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. What should we pray for? And what do we do with unanswered prayer? Joe Gerber addresses these questions and casts a vision for a culture of prayer.
Mar 23, 2020•18 min
The Moravians, an unassuming, powerless, group of refugees prayed mightily for one hundred years. The effects of those prayers cannot be estimated and are still felt today. This is no surprise to anyone who understands intercessory prayer. Prayer makes a difference. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Joe Gerber recounts this history and lays a foundation for prayer today. Listeners will be inspired by the privilege and responsibility of prayer.
Mar 11, 2020•20 min
Sometimes little things make big differences. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer relays three small things that exist in happy marriages. 3 Small Things Be Purposeful Highly happy couples practice meaningful touches throughout the day, boosting relational and individual health. Be Present Highly happy couples aren’t just spending time together because they are happy; a big part of the reason they’re so happy is that they are spending time together! Be Positive Highly happy couples qu...
Feb 24, 2020•17 min
The apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesian church to forbear with one another. Forbearance requires a skill set that is growing increasingly foreign in today’s world. A world where individual preferences abound and we have increasingly less reason to endure with those things that do not suit us. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Arlan Miller and Kaleb Beyer flush out the attribute of forbearance and expose it for its Christ-like beauty. Forbearance is enduring with someone or something that doesn...
Feb 10, 2020•18 min
Parenting kids can tee up disagreement between parents. Why? Parenting styles differ. However, it doesn’t have to drive a wedge in a family. In fact, by working together couples might just get parenting right. In this episode Brian and Alison Sutter finish addressing the four basic parenting styles and expose God’s overarching purposes.
Jan 27, 2020•22 min
Parenting is hard. Should we scold? Punish? Praise? Or ignore? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian and Alison Sutter walk us through the dense undergrowth of parenting kids. To discern the path, they give us two lenses: grace and truth. Together these lenses will help us parent our children wisely. Yet if we fail to use either one or both, we’ll surely lose our way. Content contained in this episode: Good parenting requires a growth mindset. Determine to learn and grow as a parent. Jesus wa...
Jan 13, 2020•25 min
All of us tend to our physical hygiene. It is important that we do. Little attention, however, is given to mental hygiene. In this episode Ted Witzig Jr. urges the listener to employ four simple mental hygiene tips in the new year.
Dec 30, 2019•23 min
Some things we see clearly and yet, other things are blind spots to us. Because of this, the generations can clash in their ideals. Commitment, change and freedom are all such ideals that vary widely among the generations. In this episode, a spirit of hearing and learning is cast by participants Amber Miller (Millennial), Tim Funk (Baby-Boomer) and Matt Kaufmann (GenXer) in such a way that each learns and can appreciate each other.
Dec 16, 2019•17 min•Ep. 2
We are not self-made people. We are influenced. We are molded. Each one of us has been born into a generation and that generation has molded us. In this episode of Breaking Bread Tim Funk, Amber Miller and Matt Kaufmann dialogue about different generations and learn from each other.
Dec 02, 2019•21 min
The best way to be helpful to an unattached child is to direct them back to their parents. In this episode of Breaking Bread Craig Stickling answers some direct questions regarding attachment disorder. His answers are both practical and hopeful . Critical content contained in this episode: Question: How can the believing community be helpful with the unattached child? Answer: Always direct the unattached child back to their parents. Question: Is unattachment unique only to non-biological childre...
Nov 18, 2019•19 min
Description: Sometimes the struggles while parenting is not rebellion in the child, nor is it poor parenting in the parent. Sometimes the problem lies in the attachment between parents and children. This is a brain problem – with answers. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Craig Stickling teaches us about Reactive Attachment Disorder. Critical content contained in this episode: Attachment is a deep and lasting connection between a child and a caregiver established in the first 36 months of life....
Nov 04, 2019•24 min
