“Are these all the sons you have?” –Samuel to Jesse, in 1 Samuel 16:11 Despite the instruction that Samuel has from God to disregard the outward appearance of the sons of Jesse, he easily defaults into the cultural expectations and prejudices of his day. Eliab was the first son to pass by Samuel and God …
Tag Archive: Trauma
Mar 22
Lent, week 5: Watch for morning [with bulletin insert download]
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning! –Psalm 130:6 “This, too, shall pass.” Whatever the crisis is at the moment, we can be assured that God is with us and there is hope that, however difficult the situation… “this, too, shall pass.” This is even true in the …
Mar 15
Lent, week 4: The Valley [with bulletin insert download]
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. –Psalm 23:4 (RSV) Too many individuals have known the reality of being in the “valley of the shadow of death.” Survivors of trauma—especially that experienced in childhood—can …
Sep 12
Trauma-Informed Ministry Interview with “The Catch” (9 mins)
Here are the written responses to the interview Chris Haughee had with Erik Cave of the Pacific NW Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. The ECC is represented in Montana by two of Intermountain’s supporting Churches: LIFE Covenant and Headwaters Covenant Church, both located in Helena. Quick Links: Contact Chris at haughee@gmail.com or 406-465-9693 Intermountain Ministries: http://www.intermountainministry.org What …
Apr 08
Focus on Your Family’s Mental Health: Battling Anxiety While War Rages
It has escaped no one’s attention that there is a major military conflict going on in Eastern Europe between Russia and Ukraine. Turn on the evening news, listen to the radio, or scroll through your social media news feed, and you’ll see evidence of gross atrocities, senseless violence, and doomsayers suggesting that this is the …
Apr 26
Flashback Friday: Five Minutes with Chaplain Chris Haughee
“Five Minutes with Chris Haughee: Helping Kids Heal” Originally posted last April at covenantcompanion.com/2018/04/16/five-minutes-with-chris-haughee-helping-kids-heal/ Chris Haughee is a Covenant chaplain working at Intermountain Residential, an intensive residential program for children who demonstrate behavioral challenges with campuses in Helena and Kalispell, Montana. Chris and his family attend Headwaters Covenant Church in Helena. Who are the children …
Sep 13
Finding healing after trauma: Elizabeth Smart (courtesy of Goalcast)
One of the most common questions I get from the trauma-affected children I serve is, “Why did God allow [insert really awful, tragic experience] to happen to me?” I imagine it’s a question that most pastors, ministers, chaplains, and those Christians who share their faith with others face. It’s fundamentally a relational question, not a …
Feb 08
Knowing and Growing – a look in to a recent chapel lesson from our Resilience series
Dear friends and church supporters, I thought it might be of interest to you to see an example of how I am integrating the themes of resilience building, and in particular the measures from the Children and Youth resilience Measure (CYRM-12+4), into our chapel times on campus. What appears below is part of the lesson …
Jul 10
Was Jesus’ ministry “trauma-informed?” [Part 2] Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma
There is a movement that is beginning to take shape across the country when it comes to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed. The topic concerns churches that are interested in missional engagement with the culture because there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that if we can break the cycle of adversity in childhood …
Apr 15
What does it mean for a ministry to be “trauma informed?”
There is a growing trend in education, mental health, social services, and health care: becoming trauma-informed. For those in ministry, “trauma informed” can be a confusing phrase, bringing up images we might not naturally associate with the church and its mission and ministry. Trauma results from something that occurs in a person’s life that is experienced …
Click here to subscribe to our RSS feed with your favorite email client and be alerted to new articles.