Dr. Carnes states, “Each person has a belief system that is the sum of the assumptions, judgments, and myths that he or she holds to be true. It contains potent family messages about a person’s value or worth, their relationships, needs, and sexuality. Within it is a repertoire of what options, answers, solutions, possibilities or ways of behaving that are open to each of us. In short, it is a model of the world.”

Yet, while one is in this cycle of anxiety patterns, hope can be inserted and isolation can be broken and accountability can interrupt the Cycle of Addiction allowing one to jump over into the Cycle of Recovery.

The Cycle of Recovery demonstrates non-comprisable elements and patterns of behavior essential for restoring wholeness.  Experiences and family systems messages influence our beliefs and shape our attitudes and temperament towards life.  The Cycle of Recovery unfolds in Christian fellowship where distorted thinking can be challenged, new relational patterns are established and we learn to receive the reflection and revealing of God’s glory, His opinion and value of us.

Just like the Cycle of Addiction with each repetition these cycles intensify; yet in the Cycle of Recovery, we strengthen our resolve and character to live a healthy, intimately known life.

In this workshop on God’s Design for Sexual Intimacy participants will better understand neurobiological pursuit and reward and our two pleasure systems.  God intentionally designed the intensity of the endorphin rush, the four parts of the brain that decrease and the resultant purely transcendent bliss.  All this begins with the building of our arousal template, our sexual belief system.  This workshop addresses optimal function and dysfunction, missing the mark and adolescent impaired judgment, and concludes with God’s highest and best design, paralleling the one flesh union with God’s presence.

God’s Design for Sexual Intimacy participants will better understand the importance of carrying the message forward into the next generation and getting the conversation started in our homes, churches and communities.   To host a workshop in your community, please contact info@forgivenmuchministries.org.  GDS Testimonials

This IDentity Agreement workshop gives a spiritual perspective of a person’s life, a road map so to speak.  We’ll start by thinking about our identity from God’s perspective.  Then we’ll see Satan’s influence through the impact of our double-mindedness, our interpretation of experiences through our neurological, physical and emotional lens.  Who’s perspective will we chose to believe?  Sometimes we align with God’s perspective and sometimes Satan’s.  You get to choose your identity agreement.

Preparation for this Mission Statement workshop will ask that you take a moment and list your values, talents, abilities and gifts.  Write down things that you value, character traits of people you admire and outcomes of these traits.  Take some time to scribble on paper.  Prioritize what you find. Then write them concisely in short sentences to inspire you not only to produce those attributes within yourself, but to make a difference in your world.   If it’s fuzzy, come back to it, again and again until you have clarity and assurance.  Don’t let up until you do.  What you “fall for” in the meantime can be costly.  Not only a loss for you personally, but a loss to your generation and your sphere of influence.  Bring these notes to the workshop and be prepared to dig into some biblical word studies for navigational purposes.  All of our study is to get us into kingdom alignment and experience the “pro-vision” God has planned for us before the beginning of time.  We are always given the opportunity to start now, to begin living intentionally on purpose.

Please read the instructions below to help you get the most out of the workshop.

1. Watch this Reflective Listening (RL) Exercise video multiple times.

2. Download, save and print documents listed below and keep them in a folder/binder for easy access.  We suggest that you make multiple copies of the single worksheet.

• Reflective Listening Advanced Instructions & Single Worksheet
• Boundaries Define Us – Cloud and Townsend
• Seven Desires of Every Heart – Mark and Debra Laaser
• Feelings Table and Intensifiers

3. Your Reflective Listening exercise sample: Select an experience or situation and fill out the sentence on your worksheet following the Reflective Listening (advanced version) instructions.  Do your best, but don’t get uptight about doing it perfectly.  Select a topic that you would be comfortable processing with others during breakouts (potentially).

We ask that if you attend this workshop that you are familiar with the video, the worksheet instructions and supporting documents and that you have worked on a couple worksheets (basic or advanced) prior to the workshop. 

During the workshop we will collectively follow the RL instructions with a sample worksheet stopping at each step to breakout into groups allowing time for you to practice on your own worksheet.  We are super grateful to be able to share FMM’s signature skill with you!!   Hats off to you for taking steps toward emotional resilience!

This workshop is based on sound biblical and clinical practices designed to help parents take the next step.  Christian parents are grasping for information on how to protect their children from a perverse and hypersexualized culture that is increasingly becoming more sexually broken.  Some parents have a “don’t ask don’t tell” or “assume the best” policy, while most feel awkward talking with their kids about sex and are unaware of good Christian educational resources available.  This workshop helps parents get comfortable with having an ongoing conversation with their kids instead of just having “the talk.”   To host a workshop in your community contact info@forgivenmuchministries.org. 

“We always have visions, before a thing is made real.” – Oswald Chambers

Envision outcomes that correspond with the values and characteristics expressed in your mission statement and then start collecting printed images and words that leave an impression and speak to your mission and vision.  Save and organize the files or pieces until you have multiple images and words representing the each expression of your convictions.  Those without a reference point for where they are going can benefit greatly from this Vision Storyboard exercise.  If you can, hold off on making your storyboard until you’ve attended the workshop as there are other helpful contributions from Dr. Mark and Debbie Laaser for us to discuss that will enhance your pursuit.  As usual, we will incorporate a few biblical word studies for guidance to become the highest and best version of ourselves.