Episode Overview
Life can be very difficult at times. God knows this, and He never intended for us to do life alone. He supports us directly at times, but more often our support comes from Him indirectly through others. In this episode, we explore the various ways we have been supported in our lives during those hard times. And, we discuss thoughts and ideas that may help our listeners navigate and traverse the ups and downs of life.
Pod Club Discussion Questions
Suggested Opening Song: Shoulders, for King & Country
- What are you dealing with in your life that you could and should share with others?
- If you haven’t shared it with someone else, what is keeping you from sharing it?
- What is your belief concerning sharing your burdens with others? Where do you think that belief comes from?
- Think of a time in your life when you shared difficulties or troubling thoughts with someone else. What happened?
Call to Action:
- Find a support group for an issue that you are dealing with. Speak to a member of that support group to hear their thoughts of the benefit of that support group.
- Start or join a faith-sharing group, or pod club. These groups are a great way to build a network of support people who care about you and your health.
Show Notes
On this episode of Retreat Radio Mike and Jay talked about support groups. If you are a regular listener to Retreat Radio you already knew that Mike is part of one of the largest support groups in the world, Alcoholics Anonymous. His wife is also active in Al-Anon. Mike credits this support group for changing his life more than twenty years ago. It is a Christian-based twelve-step program. Mike is very thankful for this organization and gives back by being a sponsor for others.
Both Jay and Mike have participated in over fifteen retreats in the past years. They enjoy being part of the team that facilitate these retreats. The retreat team has weekly formation meetings to help prepare for the retreat. The meetings are focused on our faith and beliefs, along with building relationships with the other team members. The actual retreat planning and logistics are done as separate small group meetings. Formation meetings are a great source of brotherhood and provide a calming peace of God’s work flowing through us.
One of our first, and maybe last support groups are our families. Both Mike and Jay had their fathers-in-law pass away two weeks prior to the airing of this episode. We both provided support to our wives and family during this difficult time. The benefit of a family support group is that they will always love you and accept you for who you are.
There are support groups for just about anything these days. It takes work to find the right one for you.
The success of any support group is what you put into it. The key is that you must open up, share your thoughts and feelings, and most importantly be honest. It might be difficult to fully open up to strangers, but you must put your faith in God. An old saying that I like is: “You can only get out what you put in”. Accountability and shared learning are key to a successful support group.
Call to Action:
Find a support group for an issue that you are dealing with. Speak to a member of that support group to hear their thoughts of the benefit of that support group.
Start or join a faith sharing group, or pod club. These groups are a great way to build a network of support people who care about you and your health.