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Caller Questions & Discussion: Laura, a presenter at New Life’s Restore and Intimacy in Marriage Workshops, discusses three common myths about forgiveness that contradict God’s truth, based on John 8:31–32. God calls us to live in truth, not pretend. How do I handle my wife wanting a brand-new home and bigger vacations? I feel like I’ve provided for years, but now it’s not good enough. What will I learn at the Intimacy in Marriage Workshop? Who is the Restore Workshop for? How can I help my 29-year-old son who experiences same-sex attraction? He’s a Christian and says he’s tried not to give in to it.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Becky discusses the quote she’s heard, “God’s call on your life is so bigger than your ability to miss it.” The seed never looks like the plant. If there’s something you’re struggling with and the plant hasn’t surfaced yet, take hope that God is still working. I’m a single mom of an 18-year-old daughter. She recently moved in with her boyfriend after his parents encouraged her to share an apartment with him. How do I handle her boyfriend pushing her around when he drinks? Last weekend, my ex-husband asked if he could move stuff into my new home, and I let him. Since then, I’ve thought about letting him move back in with me. Should I let him move back in? I’m disabled and stopped working 3 months ago. Where do I look in the Bible to deal with chronic pain?

Caller Questions & Discussion: Marc explains that our feelings tell us about what’s happening on the inside, but not necessarily what’s happening on the outside. He shares a personal experience that triggered panic; it reminds us that feelings can be good indicators but shouldn’t become dictators. Am I being clueless, or is my husband too involved with a married woman at church who shares her problems with him but not with me? I’m taking a road trip from California to Florida with my 43-year-old lesbian daughter. I want to talk about things on my heart, including our differences and the fact that I won’t be here one day. But she gets defensive, and it turns into a screaming match. I’m concerned about my daughter, who has Asperger’s, and my young grandchildren’s safety because of my son-in-law’s heavy drinking, suicide threats, sexual coercion, and guns left out in the open. Should I request a welfare check?

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Jim recalls visiting his mom in hospice and the last words she spoke to him: that she loved him and was proud of him. Tell someone you love them and are proud of them today. My three youngest children cut me out of their lives when they turned 16. I’m gay and have been married to my wife for 7 years. How can I re-establish a connection while respecting their beliefs that being gay is a sin? I lost my wife 5 years ago to COVID, and I never got to say goodbye. How can I process the grief and loss from her death?

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Jill discusses chronic pain and its impact on mental health, sharing about her son’s experience with long-term chronic pain. She offers the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to help ground yourself. I wanted to share that God delivered me from drugs by reading God’s Word, praying, and praising God. I never went through rehab, but the renewing of the mind through God’s Word transformed me. I’m a 9941 Partner. I came across New Life and have great boundaries with my adult children and 17 grandkids! I understand the importance of family of origin when considering a potential spouse. How do I present this idea to my grandkids? Dr. Jim shares about a woman he recently met who asked how she can forgive her father and heal from childhood wounds caused by his absence, alcoholism, and anger.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Sheri asks, “What’s the difference between givers and takers?” She explains how takers may be motivated by power, control, entitlement, and personal gain, and explores how love bombing can cause us to overlook warning signs and our intuition. Besides medication, what help is there for my anxiety? I’ve struggled more with anxiety as I’ve gotten older, and medication has become less effective. What do you think about yoga, or do you have any other suggestions? When I was growing up, my mom was a tough cookie; there was no love. Now, as a pediatric oncology social worker, I have to be there for people. Am I giving to be accepted? I’m 72 and suffer from complex PTSD from childhood abuse. I’m the tenth of 14 children and grew up in a shack in the woods. How do I deal with complex PTSD?

Dr. Jim asks, “What’s on your dream list in terms of personal growth?” and shares how his friend Tony, a sociologist, had his students ask people 95 and older about their regrets and what they would do differently if they could live life over again. How can I respond appropriately to our daughter’s boundaries? She recently told us that visits with her and her kids should happen organically, and they feel we’re jealous of her in-laws who live nearby. I’m a 9941 Partner and recently received a little card you sent out with a sheep on it. I can’t listen every day, but I often put the callers on a prayer list and pray for them. Please pray for my daughter’s mother-in-law, who’s fighting for her life. I’m looking for biblical wisdom and a word of encouragement. I’ve been alcohol-free for over 192 days, and I’m using medical marijuana. I’m also doing titration therapy for PTSD and work in commercial fishing and the hospitality industry. I wanted to thank the Lord for getting me off meth, alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes. I heard you say that however a person can get free from addiction is great, and I got off each one at a time.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Chris shares how perception can become about performing, impressing, and protecting our ego. Moving beyond perception and admiration into the vulnerability of being truly known can be terrifying—but freeing. I’m negative about work and feel angry, depressed, and overworked. I haven’t received a bonus like others. What can help me mentally? I’m a single guy in my late 60s, a believer, and involved in multiple ministries. But the area where I live makes it difficult to meet quality female friends. How do I stop the negative thoughts that keep me up at night and continue throughout the day? Since retiring after 50 years, I struggle with comparison and feeling alone in our country home when my husband is at work. After 18 years, my husband told me he hasn’t been in love with me for 10 years. We’re raising our 3 autistic grandkids, but ever since he said that, he’s been distancing himself from me and treating me poorly. How do I honor my father when he’s treated me badly my whole life? I’m 67, and he’s 95. My body physically reacts when I hear his name.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Jill shares DIY strategies for managing rumination, including identifying the root cause of anxious thoughts, journaling, and setting aside a specific “worry time.” How can I humble myself while maintaining healthy boundaries and not becoming a doormat for my wife? After 14 years of marriage, my wife and I argue every day, and I feel like she is constantly punishing and scolding me. I’ve been divorced for 10 years. How do I deal with competitive women at singles events while trying to find the right man for me? How can I break free from masturbation and porn addiction? I’m 60 and have struggled with masturbation, lust, and porn for decades. I can go a month or three without them, but then I backslide.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Marc discusses how entangled affairs can begin with an emotional connection and gradually progress through personal disclosure, emotional dependence, fantasizing, secrecy, and eventually physical boundaries. I’ve had a lot of operations and take prescription pain medication. Am I going to miss the Rapture because I’m taking it? My sister lives with me, and I became her conservator. She has learning disabilities and schizophrenia. My parents believe she needs more medication, but I don’t. How can I help bridge the gap between my parents and my sister? How do I let go of my childhood sexual abuse? I’m having a hard time letting go of the fact that my mom allowed me to be sexually abused by her boyfriend when I was young.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Sheri shares about her mother’s passing on September 2. When her mother was in the ICU, Dr. Sheri was stuck in traffic and talked to her mom on the phone, telling her she could go be with Jesus. I don’t like people bringing personal devices into my home. When my friend rushed out of my house after getting a phone call, I thought it was rude. My boyfriend abducted me at age 17 and took me away from my parents. Could past trauma and grief from losing my parents still be affecting me? I’ve listened to you for over 15 years. Listening to your previous caller, Aurora, talk with Dr. Sheri reminded me of the power of prayer and how the Holy Spirit can work through a phone call. I’m a divorced, single mom who left an abusive relationship. I started a business that is growing, but I’m afraid to leave my 9-to-5 job because I don’t know if I’ll be able to provide for my family. How can I overcome this fear and move forward? How can I encourage my 31-year-old daughter to get married? She is a Christian and has lived with her fiancé for 10 years, and they have two children, ages 6 and 4. I’m concerned that she will not enter the Kingdom of God.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Chris confesses that he’s not a good confessor and shares how shame and fear made it difficult to talk openly during his early recovery. He also explains the 3 C’s of confession, referencing 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16. We do the 12 Steps one at a time. For instance, we don’t advance to Step 5 until we’ve completed Step 4. Can you explain more about that? I use the acronym O.A.R. to help me become safer in relationships and work through ruptures in relationships. I had difficulty with an elder who is a teacher at my church and prayed for him to teach the truth. He then had to step down after church leaders learned he doesn’t believe in the Trinity. Should I still try to reconcile with him?

Caller Questions & Discussion: Becky asks, “What’s on your mind?” If you’re like Becky, you may immediately go into fix-it mode, but sometimes we need to talk to someone and bring what’s on our mind to God, allowing Him to renew our mind (Romans 12:12) and help us focus on what is true, honorable, and good (Philippians 4:8). I’m 21yo and live with my mom, who smokes marijuana every day. I used to smoke but haven’t for months, and she still smokes inside the house, so should I get away from it and let her do whatever she wants? My 30-year-old son lives with me and hasn’t seen his children for two years after his ex-wife coached them to make false accusations against him. How should he approach his 7- and 9-year-old children when he begins seeing them again? I’ve been married for 30 years to my paraplegic wife, who says I don’t listen, but I still find her attractive despite not receiving any respect, honor, affection, or touch from her. I have stage 3 Parkinson’s and blood cancer, and my husband of 32 years has become a bully, acting like he’s going to hit me and getting angry while caring for me. I have two children but can’t live with them, so where can I go for help?

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Jacqui explains that people often confuse understanding someone’s perspective with agreeing with them. You can acknowledge and understand how someone feels without sharing their opinion or approving of their behavior. My son died of an overdose almost nine years ago, and I became close to my granddaughter after his death. She’s now 19 and shutting me out. What can I do? I’m 67 and have lifelong anxiety, and my daughter in Australia wants me to take a nine-hour drive each way for a boating trip. That is too much for me. Should I set a boundary? How do I get my husband to see that our marriage is in trouble? He spends more than 40 hours a week scrolling on his phone, with no sexual intimacy for three years.

Caller Questions & Discussion: Dr. Jill discusses generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). When we have GAD, our brains can link worrying with the belief that we can control things. Typically, it’s the man who wants to be intimate and the woman who doesn’t, but my marriage is the opposite. In 34 years of marriage, I’ve always been the one initiating. How do I honor God and my husband? I attended Every Man’s Battle this weekend after a ministry service representative encouraged me to go. Thank you for giving me a scholarship so I could attend! The hosts discuss men who have developed sexual anorexia within their marriage and how Every Man’s Battle Intensive can help with sexual wholeness. What should I do to reconcile with my sister? She hasn’t let my parents or me visit her in 40 years, except after my father died. She gave my mother a ride 150 miles to her house, and her husband was very rude and abusive.