Kicking at the Darkness with Micheal Felker

Recorded Live 7/31/2022 at Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ (Arlington, TX) Whenever the people of God have faced GREAT OBSTACLES God has provided GREATER OPPORTUNITIES.  What OPPORTUNITIES are there?  I believe that in this moment, God is providing His people with Greater Opportunities for…  Greater COMMITMENT ……  Greater INVOLVEMENT …..  Greater LEADERSHIP.... ------   My name is Micheal Felker and I am the executive director and pastoral coach for Kicking at the Darkness, a non-profit dedicated to bringing HOPE, CLARITY, and STRENGTH to church leaders. I work one on one with ministry staff coaching them through seasons of frustration and fatigue. I help them work through leadership challenges and determine their next steps moving forward. I also get to be their advocate and a voice outside of their church system to encourage them and guide them to greater health and well-being.   I also consult with churches to help them create systems and strategies that will positively impact ministry staff and their families and work to equip the church body for greater unity and ministry.   This ministry helps HURTING ministers HEAL. This ministry helps STUCK churches get UNSTUCK. This ministry helps DISCOURAGED teams CONFIDENTLY move forward together.   Schedule a FREE Coaching Call with Micheal: https://kickingatthedarkness.com  Support Kicking at the Darkness: https://kickingatthedarkness.com/partner-with-katd

Our FEELINGS and THOUGHTS are REAL but they are NOT always TRUE. How are you doing? Really? How would you describe your current emotional state? Numb—Angry—Afraid—Anxious—Irritated—Unsettled? Jesus DISPLAYED EMOTIONS... He expresses GREIF as he looks over Jerusalem, people rejected God He gets RIGHTEOUSLY ANGRY when religious leaders care more about rules than relationships Jesus is OVERJOYED when the 72 disciples describe how God used them to further the kingdom When Lazarus dies... Jesus weeps In the garden —Jesus is discouraged, lonely, in spiritual anguish God created humans with the emotions, thoughts, feelings, affections which are import to our lives and relationships. Our EMOTIONS are not to RUN OUR LIVES... Our EMOTIONS come under the AUTHORITY of GOD as we come to LOVE Him and those around us... in the ways of Jesus... We don't IGNORE our EMOTIONS... we ENLIST them in order to become like Jesus... 3 Steps to Deal with Your Emotions Acknowledge EXACTLY how you are FEELING Take your EMOTIONS before the LORD Align your FEELINGS with your FAITH Philippians 4:4–7 - Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Resources: Use the Emotion Wheel to go deeper in defining and understand your emotions as you are feeling them Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook: Providing Biblical Hope and Practical Help by June Hunt Partner With Kicking at the Darkness Ministry Coaching and Church Consulting Prayer Partner Donate

Luke 13:6–9 (CSB) 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’ 8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” Imagine your life as a vineyard. You have the tree of your Heart which is nurtured by and displays the fruits of your emotions and feelings. There is the tree of your Mind which is developed by your thoughts and decisions. Next to those trees you find the tree of your Body and scattered around your vineyard are trees that represent the different Relationships connected to your life. At the center of your vineyard is your Soul which is the essence of who you are, your motivations, and what sustains you. As you survey your vineyard, which trees are bearing good fruit? Which trees could use some focused time, attention, and nourishment from Jesus this season?

I’m Micheal and I am the executive director and pastoral coach for Kicking at the Darkness, a ministry dedicated to providing HOPE, CLARITY, and STRENGTH to Pastors and Church Teams. I don’t need to tell you that ministry is one of the most challenging professions on planet earth. Loving and Leading people with everything that you are and everything that you have is emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually draining. After a few seasons of frustrations and fatigue, it is inevitable that disappointment can set in. After 20 years in local church ministry, I grew tired of seeing good men and women in ministry lose confidence in their calling, wrestle with difficult people and processes, and, ultimately, exit the ministry for good. In this new season, I believe that God has called me to serve the church by serving pastors. If you are a church leader, I want to come alongside you to encourage and equip you to continue in ministry with all your heart, mind, spirit, and body. Kicking at the Darkness is ministry care for those who minister. Go to KickingattheDarkness.com. There you can schedule a FREE 45-Min Spiritual Care and Coaching Call. During our time together, I want to hear about the challenges you’re facing and pray over you. After the call, we can work together to determine how best to move forward to provide you or your team with the HOPE, CLARITY, and STRENGTH you need in your life and ministry. Also on the site, you can Partner with Kicking at the Darkness through becoming a Prayer Partner or to donate to the ministry. Our goal for 2022 is to have the solid support of 300 people who love ministers and the church, believe in this ministry, and who pray regularly for ministers facing challenges. Kicking at the Darkness is a registered 501(c)(3) so a gift of any amount will help provide ministry coaching and spiritual care at minimal cost to individual church leaders. You gift will help me, help them. I am also on all the socials. Connect with me. Let’s be friends!