There is little more painful than when an adult child decides they no longer want to have a relationship with a parent. Sometimes, we sense the fracture coming but aren't sure how to stop the destruction. For others, their son or daughter's desire to cut contact feels unexpected and without provocation. Things may feel so tense, we fear there's no hope for reconciliation. But no situation, relationship, or individual is beyond God's transformative, healing grace. In this episode, mental health professional, speaker and author Gina Berkemeier returns to talk with host Jennifer Slattery on signs a fracture might be coming, how we can avoid adding to our child's pain and the distance developing between us, how to respond when they accuse us of something we don't remember doing, and more.

Resource referenced: Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite Our Stories Through Faith and Therapy

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. Where would you currently place your relationship(s) with your adult child(ren)––becoming steadily healthier, tense and potentially on the verse of fracture, or nonexistent?
3. How do you tend to react when your adult child tells you something you did hurt them?
   1. If you've become defensive, what unhealed wounds and/or insecurities might have impacted your reaction?
4. In what ways might estrangement or relational dysfunction be generational in your family?
5. What are some ways you are actively working on (or have you worked on) becoming your healthiest self?
6. When you become aware or think of parenting mistakes, what are some ways you resist falling into shame?
7. What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

Connect with Gina Birkemeier:

On her website

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Follow her on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

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Subscribe to her free newsletter

Join the private Faith Over Fear Facebook Group

(Inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.)

Have a topic you'd like us to discuss? Contact Jennifer through her website to suggest a focus for an upcoming episode.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Deciding to go "no contact" can be one of the most painful and confusing decision we make, especially when it involves people in our family of origin. This can feel even more difficult for those taught "hyper-grace" at the expense of health and truth. In this episode, mental health professional, author, and speaker Gina Birkemeir shares insights on how we can heal from learned shame, differentiate between uncomfortable versus unsafe relationships, how to express boundaries clearly, and why these issues are so important to our well-being and our ability to live for Christ.

Resource referenced: Generations Deep: Unmasking Inherited Dysfunction and Trauma to Rewrite Our Stories Through Faith and Therapy

Discussion/reflective questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. How would you differentiate between an uncomfortable versus an unsafe relationship?
3. Why might it be beneficial, to your mental health and sense of identity, not to make decisions out of anger?
4. What are some steps you can take to work through your anger in regard to a relationship so that you can set boundaries from a place of calm wisdom?
5. Who in your life can act like an "emotional cushion" before and after difficult conversations with challenging people?
6. In what ways can shame be learned (or, in what ways has your upbringing created within you learned shame)?
7. What is one action step you can take having listened to this episode?

Connect with Gina Birkemeier:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Follow her on Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Join the private Faith Over Fear Facebook Group

(Inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.)

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God understands that we live in a world that often feels frightening and overwhelming, but He doesn't want us to become enslaved by fear. But neither does He expect us to simply will ourselves into a state of peace and inner calm. Instead, He with each verse in which He says, "Do not be afraid", He provides important truths that enable us to live with the courage and confidence of a well-cared for child of God, which is precisely who we are. In this episode hosts Carol McCracken and Jennifer Slattery discuss verses from the Old and New Testament in which God tells us not to be afraid, why He says we have no cause for fear, and how we can apply these truths to our lives when we feel anxious and afraid. (Scripture discussed: Deuteronomy 31, 33:12, 34, James 1:5, John 14:1-27.)

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode?
2. Had you been Joshua, what aspects of your assignment might you have found most challenging or intimidating, and why?
3. How might Joshua's time following Moses have helped prepare him for his leadership role after Moses passed?
4. What does God's repetition in the verses discussed (Do not fear; I'll go with you; I won't leave you ...) reveal regarding His heart?
5. What does it mean to you in your current circumstances that God Almighty is with you?
6. What are some ways you intentionally try to "get out of your head" when you feel your anxiety escalating?
7. What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

On Instagram

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Join the private Faith Over Fear Facebook Group

(Inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.)

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.