Breaking Bread Podcast

The thyroid gland is the master gland of the body. From this command center, hormones are dispatched. Those hormones send marching orders for our bodies to follow. The marching orders orbit closely to those matters that preserve and propagate life. While this bustle of activity happens beneath the boundary of our skin, effects surface in our thoughts and emotions. In this episode of Breaking Bread...

A lot goes into a thriving marriage. In this episode of Breaking Bread , Kaleb Beyer uses the research of Dr. John Gottman to place his finger on the components of a marriage that not only lasts, but flourishes. View the Sound Relationship House Model here

What is normal? In a world of air brushing and curated content, it can be illusive . Yet, having a good compass toward knowing normal goes a long way toward good mental health. Studies have shown that supernormal stimuli can have a damaging effect on our brains .  In this episode of Breaking Bread, addiction specialist , Jacob Feucht , teaches us what supernormal stimuli are, how to spot them and...

Bullying is as old as the hills . Yet it has gained more thoughtful attention in recent days. In this e pisode of Breaking Bread, Craig Stickling, a middle school counselor , provides much needed insights into this broken relational posturing between people.

Conflict does not spell doom in the marriage relationship. However, how we do conflict might. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kaleb Beyer shares four behaviors that need to be avoided when "working things out" with your spouse. Kaleb explains what they are and how they can be avoided.   Show notes :   Four negative behaviors that spell trouble for marriages and how they can be avoided .   Criti...

Both the secular and the religious tout mindfulness and meditation . It's no wonder , because t hey promise a great deal of health to the one who practices them. Does mindfulness and mediation , however, look the same across the secular and religious worldviews? To answer this question, Kaleb Beyer and Isaac Funk speak to both the therapeutic and Christian uses of these practices .    Show Notes :...

Sadness is a universal emotion that touches every life. Life's challenges often bring moments of deep sorrow. As Christians, how can we navigate these feelings while staying anchored in God's promises? Whether you're in the midst of sadness or supporting a loved one through their struggles, this episode offers encouragement as you seek to find God's light in the midst of dark days.   Sadness is an...

Children love to grow. They know it is slow. They know it is for the better. Adult s sometimes lose the growth mindset that c hildren have. We forget that growth is for us too. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Isaac Funk and Arlan Miller reinvigorate the growth mindset for the spiritual life.   Spiritual Growth – Becoming more like Jesus. Growth Mindset   – Understanding our responsibility and c...

Words said, cannot be unsaid. They remain . When these words come from a place of goodness , this has beautiful consequences. However, when they come from a place of malintent, they can have devastating consequences. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Craig and Jacki Stickling take up the topic of gossip and give us timely warning and instruction.   Show notes :   Bridling the tongue is a learned...

The truth was too shameful, and the feelings were too painful. So, Mark and Marti locked up their teenage secret in a box never to be opened. But as Christ so lovingly does, h e has been gently opening the box and letting h is light in. The effect has been beauty and healing in the most unlikely place. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Mark and Marti Teubel share their post - abortion story.   Sh...

When Jesus stooped to embrace the c hildren, it was quite shocking to his disciples. That Jesus would give his precious time to this subgroup was quite remarkable. And then h e said the unthinkable... "you must become as these." By this statement, Jesus was saying that we should not only stop and acknowledge the children, but moreover, look up to them! Esteem them as God image - bearers that have...

Play lies at the center of life for a child, and it should. In this episode of Breaking Bread , Amy Mammadov, a speech language pathologist, along with Brian Sutter , shi ne light on this important aspect of human growth and development. Additionally, p arents should encourage, teach, evaluate and share in the enjoyment of play with our children.     Show notes :   Encourage Play:   Play is critic...

Exploration is a prerequisite to having a settled identity. For parents with kids unsettled and exploring, this can be a frightening time. What role do we play in the exploration process? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Brian Sutter will help us sort it out.   Show notes :   Identity:   Is t he sense of self – Who I am and who I am not.    Identity F ormation:   Starts with ex...

We all know that the body is made up of different members. Members one of another. The hand needs the foot. The eye needs the ear. But even more profound than these examples i s the uncommon humility that my non-dominate left hand has with m y dominate right. Similar in frame and made to do everything the right hand can… it performs well, but not as well. Yet it serves my body selflessly and witho...

The Christian life has music interwoven into its fabric. We use it to worship God. We are instructed to sing. It should not be surprising then to learn that music has the potential to benefit the mind and emotion. In this episode , music therapist Nick Lanz gives us tips on how to use music therapeutically.   Show notes :   Music Therapy: The clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to...

The question before every human being is not if they have pain, but rather, what they do with the pain that they have. Some people make peace with their pain. Unfortunately, m any do not. In this Breaking Bread two -part series , Brian Sutter and Kaleb Beyer help us understand what making peace with pain means, why it is important and how to do it.    Show notes :   What does making peace with pai...

The question before every human being is not if they have pain, but rather, what they do with the pain that they have. Some people make peace with their pain. Unfortunately, m any do not. In this Breaking Bread two -part series , Brian Sutter and Kaleb Beyer help us understand what making peace with pain means, why it is important and how to do it.

One of the pains of parenting is watching your children make poor choices. What should we do when there is not much we can do? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Brian Sutter and Craig Stickling speak to the do's and don'ts of parenting through these challenges.   Show Notes :     So you r child made the wrong decisio n. Remember this M om and D ad :    Hang in there with them.   Protect your rela...

Spiritual disciplines are ancient. Yet they are growing in popularity with our contemporary Christian culture. What are common cautions that should accompany our wise application of spiritual disciplines? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Isaac Funk helps us understand four cautions: legalism, agency, syncretism and mysticism. Show Notes : Spiritual disciplines are those practices we habitually d...

This episode of Breaking Bread, Fred Witzig and Erica Steffen give us a history lesson. Not a history lesson about our past. But a lesson about how to capture our past into history. Oral history is the means for getting this done. Fred and Erica will both explain how to carry out this collection of history as well as cast a vision for our participation in a larger Elder Teaching Resource effort.

Hope exists. Depression is not a life sentence. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Ted Witzig Jr. chart the course for walking through depression to the other side. Show notes : There are different kinds of depression. Treatments can vary. However, the path through depression typically has three benchmarks. The first is changing behavior. The second is a shift in thinking. The th...

Depression is real and prevalent. Many live in the felt reality that the skies are cloudy, and no sun exists behind them. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Kathy Knochel and Ted Witzig Jr. speak to the realities of depression - what it is, what it feels like, and what effect it has on living. Show notes : What it is: Clinical depression is a mental condition that flags five of the following nine...

While we might lean more towards left or right brain thinking, we use them both. In fact, it is important we do. And we can. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr., Brian Sutter, Kaleb Beyer and Kathy Knochel help us understand how important it is that we connect with people with both halves of our brain.

Two halves make a whole. This is true for everything. But it is uniquely true for our brains. Each half, the left and the right, bring a wholeness that without either one , we are much less than half. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Ted Witzig Jr., Brian Sutter, Kaleb Beyer and Kathy Knochel help us better understand the vast wonder of our created brain s a nd give us a vision for healthy funct...

Music and verse capture, preserve, and allows the participant to access deep truths with a melody that matches the beauty, mystery and hope of the message. This is what we have in Christmas hymnody. In this episode of Breaking Bread, Katie Miller, Arlan Miller, Isaac Funk, Shauna Streitmatter and Matt Kaufmann share their favorite Christmas lyrics that capture the wonder of Christmas – God with us...