Conversations with Cinthia

Guest Author Karen Kingsbury

These days, some seem to view talking about your religion as inappropriate, even as a way of victimizing others.  Today Cinthia is joined by author Karen Kingsbury who discusses her new book In This Moment.  This story is about a high school principal who responds to the gang violence, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and other high-risk elements in his students' lives by offering a voluntary Bible study after school; he is then sued for this and faces potential for job loss and jail time as a result of the offering the Bible study.  Karen and Cinthia discuss the shift that has taken place in the national mindset regarding the role of religion in the public square, as well as the ways this impacts relationships in our society.  

Relationships with God and Man, Part 3

What do your relationships reveal about your view of yourself?  Knowing who we are is pivotal to having healthy relationships with others, but, without getting our sense of self-value from God, we are ill-equipped to have a realistic sense of identity.  Today, Cinthia explains that false beliefs can skew our sense of identity and send us into relationships full of shame, desperate for approval, blaming and punishing others, fearing rejection, and working desperately to perform our way into finally being ok.  Join Cinthia to explore God's provision for us in each of these places and to learn how to grab onto what He offers instead of letting our false beliefs destroy us and our relationships.  

Relationships with God and Man, Part 2

Relationships may get play in a lot of shallow discussions and articles, but they are bound up with the deep things of life.  What do you believe about yourself?  God?  Other people?  These beliefs lay the groundwork for all our relationships, and sometimes this explains a lot about our relationships!  What does it mean that you are made in God's image, and so are the people around you? Cinthia discusses some specific ways God made us like Himself and examines what these mean for our spirituality and our relationships with each other.  As much as we can all work on things like communication, none of it fits together until we look at these more foundational issues.  Join Cinthia to explore what it means to be an image-bearer of God, one He designed for relationship with Himself and others.

Relationships with God and Man, Part 1

It's not uncommon for people to say they are done with relationships.  It doesn't usually last long because human beings are made for relationship.  Relationships of all kinds (not just romantic or sexual) are basic to human functioning, but they involve so much risk!  Cinthia starts from the beginning: We acknowledge the desire for human relationship and learn how to communicate without over-sharing too soon.  This may sound easy, but it isn't always.  Join Cinthia as she lays the foundation for a series on relationship and discusses how to keep yourself from being too vulnerable in the beginning of relationship.

Addiction, Part 5: Guest Greg Struve on Addiction Therapy for Christians

As we end a week of talking about addictions, Cinthia talks with Greg Struve, LPC, from The Way Recovery, an intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Phoenix.  They discuss the usefulness of IOPs for those who have potential to recover without going inpatient on a residential unit.  They also discuss the need to address trauma and other factors when recovering from an addiction, the importance of not judging addicts or assuming they inherently have more character defects than the rest of the population, and more.  Don't forget to listen to all the episodes from this series, and join Cinthia and Greg for the wrap-up.

Addiction, Part 4: Healing and Addiction

We've been talking all week about addiction, but the question remains:  If we didn't choose to become addicted in the first place, how can we choose to change?  Cinthia discusses the importance of acknowledging that a problem exists, the helpfulness of Twelve Step programs, and what to do if you are considering whether to quit using a particular substance.  She then discusses making a plan, preparing for change, seeking personal and professional support, identifying triggers and making changes to deal with those triggers, getting help if it's not safe for your body to stop all at once, dealing with withdrawals, replacement behaviors, and more.  Every bit of pain, says Cinthia, is worth it. Join her to look at how to make the pain worthwhile.

Addiction, Part 3: How Do We Know When Something Is Unhealthy for Us?

How do we know when we have become addicted to a substance?  Even before that, how do we know whether we are at risk to become addicted?  Cinthia discusses a variety of factors, including things like genetics, trauma, environment, chronic pain, other mental disorders, and more.  She also looks at myths about addiction and the question of why some people become addicted and some do not, despite similar use (though she points out that, with enough use, anyone can become an addict, even without the genes that tend to make some people much more vulnerable).  Some of these things give us clues about what might help, and Cinthia discusses some things that help to prevent, protect, and heal.  Whether you are struggling with an addiction yourself or love someone who is addicted, whether you are sure there's a problem or are just starting to wonder, this episode has some great information.  Be sure to listen to the other episodes in this series, as well.

Addiction, Part 2: What It Means to Love Someone With An Addiction

Addiction is painful for everyone involved, and it raises questions we never wanted to have to answer.  Today Cinthia differs between judging an addict, which she discouraged yesterday, and discerning when behavior becomes unhealthy and dangerous.  What is the difference between setting boundaries and judging?  Between being self-righteous and loving someone honestly?  Between excuses and explanations?  This episode encourages understanding people as fully as possible, dealing with our own issues, and being tolerant of people's pain but intolerant of behaviors that destroy what is precious.  Join Cinthia to explore God's heart toward addicted people and the importance of aligning with His heart instead of swinging between judgment (including self-judgment for addicts) and enabling or excusing behavior. 

Addiction, Part 1: Don't Judge the Addict

Have you ever been impacted by addiction?  Your own?  Someone else's?  Addiction can be devastating, and it can inspire extreme feelings when we encounter it.  Sometimes we even engage in harsh judgment of the addict.  Cinthia reminds us that nobody seeks to be in the grip of addiction and looks at what factors can cause addictions in the first place; she also covers some basic definitions that will help us better understand what constitutes an addiction and how it differs from a habit, compulsive disorder, etc.  Toward the end of the episode, Cinthia addresses the question of harm management and discusses why it tends to be problematic.  Whether you are struggling with an addiction yourself or love someone who is addicted, you can find lots to help you in this episode.  Cinthia also outlines some of the other addiction-related topics she plans to cover this week and describes a relevant interview planned for this Friday.  

Helping the One You Love, Part 5

If you've been following this series at all, go ahead and download this episode so you can listen to it repeatedly.  After a week with lots of information, today Cinthia speaks directly to the hearts of those whose loved ones struggle with mental illness.  Some of it may be hard to hear, while some of it may be a relief.  Many of the same things that are important in dealing with your loved one -- allowing and respecting struggle (including wrestling with God), appreciating the difficulty of persevering, getting the care and help needed, etc. -- are important for dealing with yourself as you walk this road and try to be helpful to another precious human being.  The enemy wants you to burn out, but God is bigger than the enemy.  Toward the end of the podcast, Cinthia gives a list of some of the books, groups, and other resources that may help.  This episode may just have some things your heart needs to hear.