Conversational Counseling

Known Ministries

Conversational Counseling is where discipleship and counseling meet. Each season we help you apply biblical truths to your everyday life and to the lives of those around you. After decades of having these conversations in the counseling room and side by side over coffee with friends, we really believe that every single thing we’ve learned is useful within family, with your friends, at your work, with your neighbors and at your church. For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org. Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne.

  1. Aug 4

    S13 Ep. 5 / Living for Heaven when Marriage is Hard

    >> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! ⁠ Every day, we feel the weight of the brokenness in our world. Brokenness that strains our relationships. It can be hard for us to believe the best days are ahead. That one day what’s broken will be made whole — that our broken stories, hearts and relationships will be made whole. The Grand Narrative reminds us that our lives now are a “trailer” for a greater story. It shows us that our marriages are designed to bring us delight and flourishing, to point us to the oneness we will experience with the Lord and the saints in the new heavens and the new earth. The sweetness we experience in this life is only a shadow of the beauty we will one day experience. It’s these pieces of heaven we see, in spite of the brokenness, that help us look forward with hope. Season 13 of Conversational Counseling on “Marriage.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

    S13 Ep. 5 / Living for Heaven when Marriage is Hard
  2. Jul 28

    S13 Ep. 4 / The "Secret" for a Lasting Marriage

    ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! ⁠ Do you worry that your spouse sees but doesn’t accept you? Do you feel insecure in the relationship?  When sin entered the world through the Fall, God’s good design was distorted. Our sense of agency, purpose, belonging, and rest was distorted, not only in our individual lives but in our marriages. But the Fall wasn’t the end of our story. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice and our redemption, we have hope! Now, Jesus is “untwisting” what the Fall distorted so we can delight in our marriages and flourish in relationship. When we understand He loves us and delights in us, then we can truly delight in and love our spouses. When we’re secure in Him, we can more confidently approach our spouses to share our sin and pain and suffering. This one-flesh relationship of marriage doesn’t happen when we walk down the aisle. It requires the daily work of reorienting ourselves to God’s redemptive story while we walk together moment by moment. Resources: The Gospel of Being Human by Marty Solomon and Reed Dent Season 1 Episode 1: The Lens: Saint, Sufferer, Sinner Season 13 of Conversational Counseling on “Marriage.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

    S13 Ep. 4 / The "Secret" for a Lasting Marriage
  3. Jul 23 ·  Bonus

    S13 Ep. 3 Tool / Fighting for Marriage After the Fall

    ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! ⁠ Some days we feel like we can handle the stressors in our lives. Other days it feels like if one more thing happens, we’re going to break down, shut down, or lash out. We all have a window of tolerance. When we’re within this window of emotional and mental stability, we feel we can handle life's challenges. Yes, we might feel stressed and will definitely still encounter problems, yet we feel we can stay emotionally regulated through them. But when we’re outside this window, it’s a different story. When we try to solve conflict or respond to our spouse when we’re outside our window, it probably won’t end well for either person. Alex provides a tool to help us first understand our and our partner’s window of tolerance and then to respect when either partner needs to pause. Resources: Season 13 Episode 3 Tool: Fall: Taking a Pause Season 13 Episode 3 Tool: Window of Tolerance Season 13 of Conversational Counseling on “Marriage.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

    S13 Ep. 3 Tool / Fighting for Marriage After the Fall
  4. Jul 23 ·  Bonus

    S13 Ep. 3 Tool / How to Fight Fair in Your Marriage

    ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! ⁠ How do you handle conflict? Do you face it head-on or does it make you want to leave the room? Do you prefer not to address it and instead do nice things for your partner in hopes that the conflict will just blow over? We all have different ways we handle conflict, and chances are you and your spouse might have two very different approaches. And when both of you are approaching conflict differently, what started as a disagreement about one thing can turn into a much bigger fight. Alex explains different relational styles when it comes to conflict and shares healthy, loving communication strategies to help you navigate disagreements in the moment. Resources: Season 13 Episode 3 Tool: Fall: Relational Trends Season 13 Episode 3 Tool: Relational Trends Chart ​​Season 13 Episode 3 Tool: Redemption: Making a Good Repair Season 13 of Conversational Counseling on “Marriage.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

    S13 Ep. 3 Tool / How to Fight Fair in Your Marriage
  5. Jul 21

    S13 Ep. 3 / When Marriage Meets the Fall

    ⁠>> Click HERE to get free visuals, handouts and discussion questions for Conversational Counseling sent straight to your email! ⁠ When communication is falling apart, when your spouse feels more like an enemy than a partner, when illness or circumstances are straining your relationship — that’s when we really feel how the Fall affects our marriages.  Instead of thinking about delighting in one another, we can place our identity in our spouse, losing our own sense of self in the process. We can fear losing the relationship and compromise on our boundaries to find what we think is peace. So how do we get back to a “good place” in our marriage? One where we’re delighting in our spouse and our marriage. We first need to figure out what’s being distorted in our marriages. Then we can work together as we reorient our marriage story in light of God’s bigger story, the Grand Narrative. Season 13 of Conversational Counseling on “Marriage.” To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Conversational Counseling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne.

    S13 Ep. 3 / When Marriage Meets the Fall
4.9
out of 5
61 Ratings

About

Conversational Counseling is where discipleship and counseling meet. Each season we help you apply biblical truths to your everyday life and to the lives of those around you. After decades of having these conversations in the counseling room and side by side over coffee with friends, we really believe that every single thing we’ve learned is useful within family, with your friends, at your work, with your neighbors and at your church. For free visuals and discussion questions for this podcast, sign up at knownministries.org. Known Ministries is Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne.

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