27. Profound Learning in a Listening Group - with Karen Mains

Karen Mains is a prolific author and activist. She joins us for this episode to talk to us about 'Listening Groups,' a unique group process that creates an environment of safety for people to hear themselves, God, and one another in a way that helps heal us.You can find out more about Karen at www.hungrysouls.com.In this episode, we mention Group Spiritual Direction: Community for Discernment, which can be purchased on Group Spiritual Direction: Community for Discernment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon here.Seeking God Together: An Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seeking God Together by Alice Fryling is also mentioned.Karen Mains' extensive biography is at the bottom of these show notes.Please explore www.onelifemaps.com to download a free introduction booklet to 'Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story,' that contains the artwork we refer to in this episode. You can purchase your 'Listen to My Life' portfolio on that website, too.Sharon Swing and others on our team offer one-on-one coaching or spiritual direction as guidance thru the 'Listen to My Life' experience in addition to virtual coaching groups that happen several times a year.Please join us for a virtual journey thru 'Listen to My Life' starting September 10, 2019 with Sharon Swing, Sibyl Towner and Joan Kelley. Find out more at: https://onelifemaps.lpages.co/september-2019-listen-to-my-life-virtual-workshop-landing-pageAudio Meditations as a Thank You for Your SupportWe're on a mission to help people recognize and respond to God in their story. Will you help?Our Patreon subscription, at http://www.patreon.com/onelifemaps offers you access to recorded audio meditations that are created to assist you in becoming self-aware and God-aware.Sibyl Towner and I (Sharon Swing), co-authored the 'Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story' visual maps, and we produce the oneLifemaps podcast along with our friend and Director of Facilitator Development, Joan Kelley.We are offering you the opportunity to support the continuation of the oneLifemaps podcast and the publishing of 'Listen to My Life' in and weekly audio meditations as a token of our appreciation.If we can serve you, please let us know by emailing us here.EquipmentWe've had some questions about our podcasting equipment. Here is what we use:RecorderMicrophonesMicrophone StandsHeadsetMicrophone Wind ScreensHeadset Extension CordsHeadset Cable SplitterThe links in this episode may give us a minuscule amount of affiliate revenue from Amazon, but they won't cost you anything at all. Thanks for the support.Bio for Karen MainsFor decades, Karen Mains, a prolific writer and gifted communicator, has offered her talents, as well as her joys and sorrows, to the building of God’s Kingdom.Whether as an author, speaker, or radio and television producer and co-host, Karen has addressed the deep spiritual needs and longings that surface in our current society. Karen’s voice is substantive, often humorous, many times lyrical, but always practical.Many of her creative works have been birthed out of personal experience. Her first best-selling book Open Heart, Open Home, is considered a classic and deals with the theology of Christian hospitality. It has sold over 600,000 copies and captured experiences out of 12 years serving in an inner city pastorate in a church founded by her husband, David R. Mains. The book challenges believers to use hospitality as a means of bringing redemption to a broken society.In 1977, Mains’ communication gifts expanded when her husband became director of The Chapel of the Air Ministries. This nationally known outreach featured a syndicated radio broadcast, aired on almost 500 outlets each Monday through Saturday across the U.S. and Canada. Karen often served as co-host on the 15-minute program, lending her unique perspective to issues that impact the spiritual vitality of individual Christians and local churches. Her broadcast research generated the widely accepted book, Child Sexual Abuse: A Hope for Healing, co-authored with Maxine Hancock. The Mains’ media ministry continued with the daily half-hour national television show, You Need 2 Know, which won the 1995 Producer of the Year award from The National Religious Broadcasters.In 1980, Karen traveled through the barrios and refugee camps in Central America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. As a result of these journeys, she wrote The Fragile Curtain, which won the 1982 Christopher Award given to writers, producers, and directors whose works affirm the highest values of the human spirit and are representative of the best achievements in their fields.Mains’ three books for children, The Kingdom Tales Trilogy, was awarded the Gold Medallion by the Evangelical Press Association. These stories are frequently used by pastors as sermon material, have been endlessly adapted in dramatic form for...