Brad Hambrick

Regret always begins as an opportunity; hence the disappointment. There was something we wanted to be an enduring part of our life that disappeared, was forfeited, or was lost. Regret is never just a moment, but a painful and pivotal change in our life story.When we neglect mourning the hope that birthed our regret or focus exclusively on the moment in which regret began there are two negative consequences: (a) whatever guidance we receive feels light-weight and cliché, and (b) we miss most of what God has been, is, and wants to do.In this presentation I walk through the life of Moses in light of his most regrettable moment (Numbers 20:1-13) to illustrate how God’s works redemptively in the midst of the things we regret most deeply.Presentation Handout: EQUIP_Dealing with Regret_Notes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The panelist in this podcast are:Chris Ball, M.A.Executive Director at Bridgehaven’s Downtown Raleigh OfficeChris majored in Psychology and Religious Studies at UNC-Charlotte, before moving to the Raleigh area to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling.Chris gained experience counseling in the addiction field for three years before transitioning to Bridgehaven. He specializes in counseling those struggling with addictions (alcohol and other drug usage, family/spousal recovery support, pornography), sexuality (same sex attraction, sexual abuse, adultery), and psychiatric issues (PTSD, Bipolar, depression).Mark Cheltenham, M.D.Contract PsychiatristMark contracts with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety treating juvenile, and adult offenders. He received his medical training from both the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Howard University College of Medicine.After graduating f

This is a difficult subject to address, because of its complexity and highly personal nature. Everyone is affected by mental illness; either personally or someone they love. People you care about have experienced depression, ADD, addiction, bipolar, or other mental health struggle. For you the phrase “mental illness” may be a safe haven of explanation, a label that carries stigma, or a mystery that is hard to understand.This is why mental illness is a subject that must be discussed in the church; otherwise, our silence hurts people by leaving them to struggle in isolation. How does the mind relate to the body? How do our emotions relate to our faith? These are important questions that everyone grapples with and are essential to holistic discipleship. This is merely an attempt at “a” Christian perspective; not “the” Christian perspective. I believe there are others who, based upon personal experience, professional expertise, or doctrinal background, can and hopefully will add to this discussion. My desire is t

Burnout is never caused by a single area of life. Burn out is a function of our total life management. One area of life cannot get out of order without overt choices of neglect being made other areas of life. This means that if we managed the others areas of our life well, it would have contained the area (i.e., work, ministry, parenting, etc…) that was the primary cause of burnout. We must resist the temptation to blame life, or even one area of our life management, for the experience of burnout. Burnout is a result of how we have managed our life as a whole.So we might begin our assessment of burnout’s cause with this foundational statement—burnout is the result of living beyond our means with the time God has provided. It is common to say that someone is “living beyond their means” financially. There is a cultural epidemic of people spending more than they earn. The majority of Americans have a negative net-worth; we owe more than we own. We will use this parallel of financial and time management many time

When we care for one another wisely three things should happen: (a) the person being cared for should be blessed, (b) the love of Christ should become more tangible, and (c) our faith should grow.Sometimes our attempts of caring can be done unwisely, resulting in unintended consequences: (a) the person being cared for is enabled, (b) the love of Christ is misrepresented, and (c) the care-giver becomes exhausted.A PDF of the one-page notes for this presentation is available here: 10 Keys to Ensure Caring Is HelpingOn this page we want to provide principles of wise care-giving to ensure that our small groups are places of wise, Christ-honoring care that mutually bless the recipient and giver of care.1. Avoid the rescuer mentality. When you begin to bear the weight of responsibility for someone else’s life unwise decisions always follow. Your role is to come alongside an individual or family to do what is within your power to assist them; not rescue them from things outside your control.2. Do not replace the leg

The following presentation was given at the EQUIP Leadership Forum of the Summit Church (Durham, NC). The purpose of this talk was the present the exciting opportunities and unique challenges involved with trying to offer a comprehensive counseling ministry. This talk is divided into three sections:The Unique Opportunities and Challenges of Summit’s Counseling MinistryHow the Pieces of the Summit’s Counseling Ministry Are Designed to Fuel One AnotherWhat This All Means for Individual Ministries within the Summit’s Counseling Ministry See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Search for Restoration See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Search for Peace See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Understanding the Disruption See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On April 12, 2016 The Sam James Institute of The Summit Church hosted a forum built around the subject of my book Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk: How and Why Christians Should Have Gay Friends. The forum consisted of a presentation that over viewed the content of the book followed by a panel discussion with individuals who either experience same sex attraction or have extensive ministry-counseling experience in the area of same sex attraction. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On April 12, 2016 The Sam James Institute of The Summit Church hosted a forum built around the subject of my book Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk: How and Why Christians Should Have Gay Friends. The forum consisted of a presentation that over viewed the content of the book followed by a panel discussion with individuals who either experience same sex attraction or have extensive ministry-counseling experience in the area of same sex attraction. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Biblical Wisdom refers to the principled pursuit of pleasure, not to fill a void, but to fulfill a calling. Wisdom requires fearing (seeking the approval of) God more than fearing (seeking the approval of) man. The restraint of wisdom does not diminish the intensity of pleasure, but prolongs the time frame in which pleasure can be savored and the freedom of conscience with which pleasure can be remembered. Wisdom cannot be reduced to a set of principles or propositions because it is an expression of God’s character in the midst of relationships. Wisdom is a virtue that allows all other blessings to remain good rather than spoiling into burdens.Wisdom does not belong to academia and does not require a high IQ. Brilliance is, in many ways, capable of more folly than ignorance. Wisdom, in its essence, is simple. It is often because solutions are less complex than our problems that we dismiss wisdom. No one wants to hear that finances boil down to spending less than you make or dieting is only burning more calori

Biblical security is a disposition of stability that allows for a patient and an increasingly accurate interpretation of personal performance, interpersonal interactions, and circumstances in the midst of situations that are as yet uncertain, incomplete, challenging, or negative. Biblical security acknowledges that failure, criticism, and personal sin will occur; however, it does not allow the legitimate guilt, disappointment, or embarrassment of these events to create instability or dash hope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Biblical confidence is the demeanor that exhibits a positive expectation that God will enable us to accomplish any good work He has calls for us to do. This demeanor results in an increasingly shorter period of hesitation and level of anxiety when attempting a task; and a greater degree of peace and fulfillment while planning, carrying out, and evaluating a task. After the task is complete, biblical confidence reduces the degree of pressure to repeat or exceed the accomplishment and the temptation to pride.This chapter focuses on how to develop this demeanor in a Christ-centered fashion. Your goal in reading the rest of the chapter is to identify beliefs, fears, values, expectations, and interpretations of life which prevent you from experiencing biblical confidence. Questions are provided at the end of the chapter to assist you in reflecting on the material and gaining personal insight into your struggle with confidence.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Biblical Purpose is an over-arching objective in life that brings cohesion and direction to the apparent disconnectedness of life. Purpose is what allows an individual to measure progress and have a sense of accomplishment. Purpose defines why you do things (i.e., big picture), more than what you do (i.e., little tasks).We must realize the same action can stem from multiple purposes. For example, how many different purposes are there for why a young boy would help an old lady across the street? A short list includes: sincere compassion; to earn a Boy Scott badge; she is his grandmother and he will get a guilt trip if he lets her cross alone; he works on commission at the business across the street and hopes to make a sale; or she is the grandmother of the girl he wants to date and he hopes she will put in a good word for him. Because the same what (action) can emerge from many whys (purposes), focusing only upon what we should be doing can easily truncate the Christian faith to an unsatisfying set of duties.

Biblical Identity refers to the defining ideas, labels, and relational roles which make our actions or emotions seem right and natural. Identity, when healthy, remains constant even when circumstances and peer groups change. Identity should remain stable when no one is looking, everyone is looking, when you are with the love of your life, or an ardent enemy.Identity is one of the defining marks of human motivation. We act out of who we think we are. Identity is one of the primary ways that the heart expresses what it loves most. Identity is a primary way that we make choices and judgments; often before we are conscious or intentional about either.By identifying ourselves as a loser, a salesman, a good/bad parent, an athlete, a dunce, the guy who knows how to get things, or other label we implicitly make many choices. Those identity statements exclude some options and make others seem “obvious.” Changes in identity have a strong gravitational pull upon our behavior and the emotions.A good way to begin to ident

Is self-esteem a goal (something to be obtained) or a method (means of obtaining something)?In order to answer this question well, we will have to define our terms. Often there is confusion in these kinds of conversations because people use the same word to mean many different things. We can get anything from bottled water to an ice cream sandwich from a “Coke” machine; not to mention that many people refer to Coca-Cola’s rival Pepsi as a “Coke.”We should begin to realize that when a word means everything or anything, it quickly begins to mean nothing. This is a big part of the confusion that surrounds self-esteem. The concept has begun to explain everything, so that it becomes of very little practical value.That is why we want to begin by determining whether self-esteem is a noun / goal (something to be pursued or attained) or a verb / method (a way of pursuing a desired result). Our conclusion will be that self-esteem is actually a verb that is commonly used as a noun. But in order to see this, it will be h