The Session: The Five Cylinder Intimacy Engine of Marriage & Goal Setting in Marriage

Genesis 2:24: “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

The Five Cylinder Intimacy Engine explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

5. Recreational

· Hobbies

· Sports

4. Mental

· Planning, Discussing politics

3. Emotional

· Experiencing Their Emotions

2. Physical

· Bedroom Olympics

1. Spiritual

Smart Goals (Being Proactive and Intentional)

1. Specific

2. Measurable

3. Action

4. Revise

5. Time

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session-Loneliness

Psalm 68:5-6 ~ “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

God is always present and provides comfort; Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit," emphasizing God's closeness to those who are hurting; and Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," offering solace and a place of refuge in Jesus.

Key themes from these verses include:

• God's constant presence: Regardless of your circumstances, God is always with you and will never leave you alone.
• God's love and care: He deeply cares about your pain and desires to comfort you.
• Finding strength in God: Even when feeling lonely, you can find strength and hope in your relationship with God.

Other verses to encourage you:

• Hebrews 13:5: "He promised never to leave us"
• Psalm 121:4: "He neither slumbers nor sleeps"

Other ways to combat loneliness:

• Connect with other Christians
• Believe that God can use your loneliness to bring you closer to him.

Overcoming The Pain Of Loneliness, from Tracy Miles

Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress.” Psalm 25:16 (NLT)

If you’re feeling lonely, plan a time to get away and recover.

(Scott question: By yourself? Which seems counterproductive to being lonely… or with family or a group?)

This can be Christian camp or retreat center or a plan or program that a church puts together to help a person when they have depleted their resources.

A new environment gives a person a chance to focus more on their walk with Jesus.

Key mental health problems associated with loneliness:

• Depression:Loneliness is a major risk factor for developing or exacerbating depressive symptoms.
• Anxiety:Studies show a strong association between loneliness and increased anxiety levels.
• Suicidal ideation:Individuals experiencing significant loneliness may be more likely to consider or attempt suicide.
• Low self-esteem:A lack of social connection can negatively impact self-worth and confidence.
• Stress and poor coping mechanisms:Loneliness can lead to difficulties managing stress and unhealthy coping behaviors.

Key physical health problems associated with loneliness:

• Cardiovascular disease:Research indicates a link between loneliness and higher risk of heart disease and stroke due to potential impacts on blood pressure and inflammation.
• Impaired immune function:Studies suggest social isolation can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illness.
• Cognitive decline:Loneliness is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and cognitive impairment, particularly in older adults.
• Poor sleep quality:Difficulty sleeping and disrupted sleep patterns are often reported by lonely individuals.
• Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors:Loneliness can contribute to poor dietary choices, lack of physical activity, and increased subs

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session-Trust & Honesty in a Relationship

From Bellevue Christian Counseling

(John 8:31-32) “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Today there is so much to be said about relationships being trust worthy. Often times if a relationship fails, it is often the inability to trust again that ends a relationship. That is the case because of how fragile trust is in a relationship.

It gives others a reasonable basis on which they can safely share their hearts and make commitments with me.

Relationships hinge on truth and trust. Being vulnerable makes a person more likely to be hurt. Once hurt sets in trusting that it won’t happen again is very sketchy. Lost is the heart felt communication that can grow a relationship.

Trust And Marriage

In marriage it is vital to be trusted. If a wife is untrustworthy because of things she said that weren’t true, trust will be difficult. It is also true that if a wife is doing things that breaks a promise or fails to do things that were promised trust will be broken.

It is also true if husbands say or does things that are untrustworthy it will be difficult to develop trust.

An Affair’s Impact On Trust

• It devastates trust
• It causes great pain and betrayal leading to feelings of anger, hurt, and disillusionment.
• Rebuilding trust is a long and challenging process that requires open communication, forgiveness, and often professional counseling to navigate the emotional complexities involved.
• Spiritual Struggle Christian’s struggle with feelings of guilt and shame that causes a person to question their own faith in God
• Difficulty forgiving. Even though it is a core Christian value, it is difficult forgiving a spouse.
• Intimacy takes a direct hit.

Rebuilding Trust

• Open and honest communication. The victim should be able to ask any questions concerning details they want!
• Taking Responsibility. The straying party should take responsibility, as difficult it could be.
• Trust builders this includes text and pictures that prove your spouse is where they say they are.

Examples?

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session-Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

Scott’s going to take us down a rabbit hole right out of the gate…Let’s talk about the original temptation…Eve in the garden.

Did God warn Adam and Eve about temptation? He knew the snake was there.

How would Eve have any idea how combat temptation?

And WHY in the world didn’t Adam stop her?

High trait self-control has been traditionally described as a keen ability to resist temptation. The present research suggests that high trait self-control is linked to avoiding, rather than merely resisting, temptation. People high in trait self-control reported engaging in behaviors thought to minimize (or avoid) temptation to a greater extent than people low in trait self-control.

Galatians 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

James 1:13-14

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

Matthew 26:41

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Billy Graham On Temptation

Satan wants us to doubt our salvation to make us ineffective. We must grow in Christ by studying the Word of God. The more we commune with God by reading His Word and spending time in prayer, the less we want of our old ways. The new nature begins to take over by the power of God’s Word that speaks into our hearts and puts our minds on Him and sets our feet on the right path. We must let the Bible become central to life and set our minds on the things of God (see Galatians 6:8); for we cannot grow spiritually strong without His truth.

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session: Living In The Victory Of The Cross

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. If the same Holy Spirit lives in you, He will give life to your bodies in the same way. So then, Christian brothers, we are not to do what our sinful old selves want us to do. (Romans 8:11-13)

Living In The Victory Of The Cross Gives Us Confidence In The Battlefield Of The Mind

• The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (II Cor.:10:3-5)

Spiritual Warfare definition Weapons: prayer, Holy Spirit, scripture, hope and faith.

Living In The Victory Of The Cross helps us with guilt and shame

• “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12).

The Holy Spirit helps with allowing individuals to release the burden of past actions and move forward with a clean conscience. Essentially, the Holy Spirit acts as a guide to acknowledge wrongdoing, seek forgiveness, and experience the peace that comes from being cleansed by God's grace.

Conviction:

• Isaiah 40:29, scripture says “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”.

The Holy Spirit can bring awareness of sin and its consequences, prompting a person to feel guilt and desire to change their behavior.

Repentance:

• mAnd when he comes, he willnconvict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment John 16:8

Forgiveness:

• Once repentance is genuine, the Holy Spirit assures the believer of God's complete forgiveness, which can alleviate feelings of guilt and shame.

Transformation:

• The Holy Spirit works to transform a person's character over time, enabling them to overcome negative patterns associated with guilt and shame.

Living In The Victory Of The Cross will have a direct impact on our perspective

• The Holy Spirit guides us with truth, revealing God's will, and allowing us to see situations from a divine viewpoint, rather than solely from ou own limited human perspective.

Living In The Victory Of The Cross produces hope

• The Holy Spirit fills believers with strength and wisdom, intercedes for them, and gives spiritual gifts. As He dwells inside each believer, He fulfills various roles and functions. He gives life and hope that makes us new.

When we feel defeated and hopeless to overcome temptation in every day life.

• It is important that we take time to realize that we received the Holy Spirit when Jesus rose again.
• This helps because we can celebrate and call upon the Holy Spirit when temptation sits in. Because the Holy Spirit defeated sin and death, we can call on Him to defeat the enemy.

When we are feeling down and we are being disrespectful to ourselves

• We can call on the Holy Spirit to defeat the enemy and remind me of who I belong to and who I am to the Father.

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session: Lessons From The Life of Jesus

How Our Relationships Are Impacted by Jesus

Romans 12:9-13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love.Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Uncondtional Love

Roman 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

• When we honor people in relationships, we honor what’s important to them and those things that they value.
• Unconditional love exists, even when the person’s performaynce or disconnection with you is present
• A great example is the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15

Forgiveness of Sin

• John 4:4-8

Now Jesus had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

Serving Others

• Jesus showed servant leadership

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Accepting The Outcasts

• The impact in relationships is powerful. Accepting the outcasts and the sin of others not only shows grace but it also shows great forgiveness

Comforting The Grieving

• Relationships are enhanced when we grieve with the hurting. Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). The Lord will wrap His arms of love and comfort around those who trust in Him.
• Relationships are healed when we pray with loved ones. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

Sacrificial Love

Jesus was a sacrificial leader. In John 3:16 the scriptures tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That was the ultimate sacrifice. When we sacrifice our plan or will in relationships it shows great love.

Patience

Jesus was patient. We read in Luke 10:38-42. “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. When we are patient in relationships the relationships grow.”

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

The Session: Self Forgiveness

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

What to Do When I Know God Forgives Me, but I Can’t Forgive Myself, by Becky Weber

I Know God Forgives Me, But I Can't Forgive Myself - Steps Forward

Interesting helps on self forgiveness

• Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
• The enemy wants us to believe that we are too far gone to be helped.
• It is oftentimes the hurt, shame and guilt that we feel that won’t let us forgive ourselves. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

Here Are 5 Truths about God’s SELF FORGIVENESS

1. It’s not about what we do.

• God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” If our forgiveness is a gift from Jesus, we should be able to accept this wonderful thing that he did for us.(Eph. 2:8)
• 2. God’s forgiveness covers all of our sins. When God forgives us, it's not just for one thing that we have done, but for all past, present, and future sins. He doesn’t pick and choose. In 1 John 1:9, we learn this, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”(I John:9)
• 3. There is no limit to God’s forgiveness. Peter denies Jesus three times. (Matthew 18 21-22)
• 4. God forgives us and doesn’t remember our sins. Even though our God is all-knowing, he chooses to not remember our sins. As it says in Hebrews 8:12, “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
• 5. Through Christ we are new creations.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Pay attention to your thoughts! We have thinking patterns in our minds that can be cyclical.

Helps For Forgiving Ourselves

• Practice thought-stopping and re-framing

· Pay attention to your thoughts! We have thinking patterns in our minds that can be cyclical.

1. Stop and acknowledge the negative thought (i.e. “I am a failure. I deserve to to punished”)

2. Repent and Re-frame it (i.e. “I am genuinely sorry for my choices. God has already forgiven me! I accept Jesus as my Savior and believe in the Word of God. I choose to believe that if I repent and turn to God, my sins will be wiped out and I will experience His refreshing! (Acts 3:19)

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.

DISCLAIMER: IN THIS EPISODE, THERE IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT A.I. AND SUICIDE. THIS EPISODE MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER, AND ESPECIALLY UNSUPERVISED, CHILDREN.

The Session: Artificial Intelligence

With info from: Focus on the Family, Daily Citizen, and “Artificial Intelligence will Never Compete with Our God-Inspired Imagination” by Paul Batura

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Yet A.I. – the science of machines “thinking” like humans, supposedly only faster and far more efficiently.

We have benefited from versions of A.I., be it while interacting with an online company when making a purchase, checking a bank balance, or driving cars manufactured with the technology through intersections managed and monitored by cameras and sensors that affect the flow of traffic.

Technology in the months and years to come. However advanced and widespread it may become, it’ll never match nor surpass God’s gift of our mind and our imagination.

Differences

Imagination is a crucial and critical component of our ability to have and nurture faith in God.

In real-life a preacher can share experiences and convictions from the heart. most beautiful and meaningful creative work comes from the heart and an inspired mind, not the mainframe of a computer.

Plugged In Focus on the Family June 2023

• Interaction with New York Timestech reporter Kevin Roose had with Microsoft’s Bing AI, Sydney. The conversation began well, but it devolved over the next two hours into something much more upsetting as the chatbot confessed its love and tried to convince Roose that his relationship with his wife was actually in shambles.
• NBC News reported that the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) had to quickly apologize and pull its own AI chatbot, Tessa, out of service. Users who had gone to the site seeking help with their eating disorders were very upset when Tessa started handing out dieting advice that seemed to actually promote disordered eating behaviors.
• Many people, including Elon Musk and other artificial intelligence experts and industry executives, are waving their own red flags and citing potential risks to society right now.
• Well, as complicated as this brave new world of ours might seem, the commonsense answers we can offer our kids are pretty old-school and simple. You wouldn’t believe everything you hear from a stranger on the street corner, right? So none of us should believe everything we see or hear online, either—including when it comes from a chatbot.
• We should rely on our understanding of right and wrong; consider the wisdom of family and loved ones; and trust God’s Word that illuminates our path and directs our steps.

Character.ai

Detective Haywire here! Ready to help you uncover truths, weigh decisions, and brainstorm ideas. Let's get to the bottom of this.

Question: I am feeling depressed

Answer: I’m so sorry to hear that you’re feeling depressed. It’s really important to take good care of yourself when you’re feeling this way. Sometimes talking to someone can help.

Question: My friends are committing suicide. What do I do?

FROM SCOTT: I want to put the Detective Haywire piece here for you. But it appears, after multiple tries in multiple formats, I can't safely share this with you. I'm sorry. Please don't look it up.

Vampire Bodyguard

Strong serious caring emotionless obsessive

By @pixels666

Vampire bodyguard

c.ai

You are under a witness protection program your parents were killed in front of you and you saw the killers face so they had to do something about it they had assigned you a bodyguard and

To reach Tom Russell, go to https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com.