A Caring Heart and a Listening Ear (#873)

"Please tell them I am not a professonal counselor; I am a person with a caring heart and a listening ear." The world needs more such people to help those who have been shattered by the broken Creation. That's how Joni Menard decribed herself when Wayne asked if she could help someone. What a great description of a pastoral heart, in the best sense of the word! When he arrived in Edmond, OK, this week, Wayne sat down with Joni to discuss how each of us can provide a safe place for people to explore their pain with God.

Podcast Notes:
Email Joni
A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Brene Brown cartoon on empathy
Past Podcasts with Joni
Keep up with Wayne and Sara's RV journey by liking Wayne's Author page

6 Comments

  1. This podcast absolutely brought me to tears….I am struggling to recover from trauma in various forms..an abusive marriage and various childhood and attachment traumas…it is so hard to find people who are willing to just listen care without trying to fix me or offer me some spiritual platitude. It is soo hard to find people like that…I have found that even kind and caring friends still try to fix me or offer me quick solutions…

    it is such a lonely and isolating journey of healing. The only people who can provide that for me right now are my therapist…I keep praying for others who can help hold my pain…

    • They are out there, though. They are not often in religious settings, which are all about fixing people. Don’t give up. Father has some people for you to walk with.

  2. Thank you for this podcast. From experience of trauma and its ensuing pain – for me, the memories haven’t been erased, but the memory of them has become neutral.
    Once again, thank you

  3. Thanks so much to you both. This was brim-filled with deep things of the heart. I need to go back and listen again. So much resonates. Joni, I’ve loved listening to your other chats with Wayne. You exude a palpable peace.

    • Thank you so much for your kind words. Thank you for listening. I mean “really listening “. I suspect God Journey listeners have caring hearts, hence the resonance.

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