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The Friday ReFresh

The Friday ReFresh

Ben and Travis

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Hello and welcome to the Friday ReFresh, a Ben and Travis podcast. I’m Ben from Ben and Travis and I have been working as a minister for 23 years and as a counselor for the last 10 years. I recognize that there are a lot of things in our world that impact different people in different ways. Working in counseling I’ve learned that there are a lot more things that can rock our world that I never knew existed. Many of those things are hidden struggles that others may never know about — or at least they don’t know about until something comes along and quite literally “opens up a can” of past trauma or hidden struggles. So I invite you to come along with me on this journey of exploration and understanding through this podcast which offers short episodes and hopefully informational and motivational material to help you as you prepare for the last day of the week. Not every episode will be about a mental health struggle but there will certainly be weeks that are. Sometimes we will just hope to give you a boost as you close out the week. However, there are some rules of engagement here though - some understanding that I want you to have before you agree to go on the journey. 1. Keep An Open Mind - Some of the things we talk about here may be new territory. It may be like one of those movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth where you see things that seem hard to comprehend. I know there were a lot of things that were hard for me to grasp at first and has certainly been hard to relate to others. So think of it like Journey to the Center of Your Soul. 2. It’s an Ever-Changing Landscape - The counseling field is something that seems to change all the time so understand that I may say some things that may be different than what you might have been taught in the past. It may also change as I record these over time. It is also true that various theories of counseling reveal different techniques for dealing with things so I will likely be sharing things from a wide variety of therapeutic mindsets. 3. No Two Experiences are the Same - Just because we share a thought about anxiety or depression doesn’t mean it will apply to every person who hears and so this is certainly not a replacement for good person centered counseling - but you may very well find some helpful tips for various things you may face. So, do you think you are good to start that journey? I hope so. Travis and I hope through this short podcast, along with the weekly Helping, Healing, Humor Podcast and our website to bring a better understanding of mental health to all people but especially to the church. It is a part of us that has been ignored for far too long. I hope that even in this short little podcast to help us have a little more understanding.
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Friday ReFresh episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Friday ReFresh for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Friday ReFresh episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Friday ReFresh - Make A Difference

Make A Difference

The Friday ReFresh

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08/02/24 • 3 min

This is your Friday Refresh brought to you by Liberté Ministries and TravisLovesHaiti.com!

What does it take to make a difference?

I suppose you could do a quick search online and come up with a variety of answers.

There are thousands of stories of people who have done some great deed to make lives better.

On the Ben and Travis podcasts we support works like Liberte that make a difference by helping kids who are less fortunate than so Many of us and by supplying Bibles.

Other things like Walk for Water that supplies fresh water to people who otherwise have to walk up to four miles round trip to find it.

But there are literally billions of stories around the globe that will never be heard.

Links mentioned in this episode:

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Wrinkles

Wrinkles

The Friday ReFresh

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10/21/22 • 3 min

My six year old son had come to me with a serious question that was rolling around in that growing little brain. “Can only mommies and daddies see the wrinkles?” You see, I had just gotten through making him stand still while I sprayed wrinkle release onto his newly donned shirt and pants as he was getting ready for school. I had always assumed he knew what wrinkles were. I mean, I know what wrinkles are. My wife knows what they are and I think most of my kids do. But it had never been explained to him. Over the next few minutes he had questions: “are they little black specks that I can’t see?” “Are they like germs?” You see all this time I assumed that my son knew exactly what we were talking about as we would make them submit to our orders to stand still as we sprayed — or as we collected their clothes and put them on the bed sprayed this liquid fairy dust. We were trying to get rid of creases. All the while my son thought we were ridding the world of germ like attackers of our clothing, I suppose. I have no idea how long he had wondered about the threatening wrinkles. I have no idea if he had been concerned about them before or if it just hit him all of a sudden. But something occurred to me in that moment: He trusted me and his mother on more than one occasion to rid his clothes and/or his body of some invisible attackers that he couldn’t see that we apparently could.

Links mentioned in this episode:


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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3 Listeners

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The Friday ReFresh - Product vs. Process

Product vs. Process

The Friday ReFresh

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07/01/22 • 3 min

Welcome in to the Friday ReFresh brought to you by Liberte Ministries. Check them out at TravisLovesHaiti.com for more info!

I read a quote recently from Carey Lohrenz that said, “Most people don’t want to be part of the process, they just want to be part of the outcome. But the process is where you figure out who’s worth being a part of the outcome.”

Years ago I started helping the wise Christian sage Lonnie Jones, do ropes courses and experiential groups in Huntsville, Alabama. Eventually I was able to start some of my own groups that I call TEAM, which stands for Teaching, Experiencing, Applying, and Motivating.

In those groups we like to do various challenges with our participants and then follow that up with some debriefing. The hope is that the experience and following discussion of the fun and challenging event will help them find application to their every day circumstances — whether family, work, or athletic team.

One of those debriefs includes the question: “Which is more important, the product or the process?”

Links mentioned in this episode:


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Old Houses

Old Houses

The Friday ReFresh

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11/04/22 • 3 min

Go check out all the good content -podcasts, funsing, VBS songs, blogs, and funny videos. They are all yours to enjoy for free at BenandTravis.com.

A recent road trip to a rural cemetery for a graveside funeral had me passing through many small towns. All through these towns on on the outskirts were buildings, houses, and barns that caught my eye. It wasn’t for the grandeur of them. Not at all actually. What caught my eye was that a great many of them had become so dilapidated that they were beyond repair.

Regardless of where you go — whether small towns or large cities — you will see buildings like this.

Many years ago I went to Scotland on a mission trip and had the opportunity to see several castles. Most of them would have dated back to times before my country of citizenship even existed. Yet Some could nearly be lived in. I’m sure many are. But many were in ruins.

What makes one place seemingly stand the test of time and other structures look like they will fall at any minute?

Interest and energy.

Links mentioned in this episode:


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet?

The Friday ReFresh

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06/07/24 • 3 min

This is your Friday Refresh brought to you by Collisions Auto Repair Services in Killen,Alabama. You can contact them at (256) 272-2007

Are we there yet?

If I heard that question, or some variation of it, once in the 6 hour drive to the beach I heard it 50 times.

The youngest of the kids asked it the most. The others just looked on their map apps on the phone to figure it out.

But every one of my five have been guilty of saying it at some point in the history of the car rides we have all had to endure.

Truth is, I’ve been guilty of asking that question through the years too.

Ive asked it about car rides, plane trips, boat rides, and mountain hikes.

Destinations speak to us. We feel comfort in knowing we are in motion toward something...and that eventually we will reach that destination.

People climb Everest to reach the summit.

Links mentioned in this episode:

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Caring for Self

Caring for Self

The Friday ReFresh

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07/19/24 • 4 min

This is your Friday Refresh brought to you by Liberte Ministries. Visit TravislovesHaiti.com to find out how you can supply Bibles to those who long to read the word of God and learn more through a visit to your church.

A couple of years ago I came across a small pamphlet called “the cookie under the doormat.”

The interactive story inside goes something like this:

Think about two kids. You pick the ages and the gender in your mind. They are simply for ease called A and B.

The first day A and B bring you a cookie. They both want it and you have to decide who gets it.

Of course you want to either break it in half or say neither but that isn’t allowed. You must choose.

Links mentioned in this episode:

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Poison

Poison

The Friday ReFresh

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03/15/24 • 4 min

This is your Friday Refresh brought to you by Collisions Auto Repair Services in Killen,Alabama. You can contact them at (256) 272-2007

The other day I was driving my kids to school and my 7 year old son began talking about how he dreads moving to the next grade in school. His lament went something like this: “what if I CAN’T do the work!”

My immediate...almost visceral response was “don’t say the word can’t—can’t is poison.”

I’m not exactly sure where that came from because I’ve never said that before or even heard that sentence. However, I’m learning more and more the sad power of the word can’t.

PREORDER your copy of "The Adventures of Ben and Travis and the Worrycoaster here: https://www.benandtravis.com/books

Links mentioned in this episode:

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Perseverance

Perseverance

The Friday ReFresh

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01/27/23 • 5 min

This week Ben brings us a motivational story about the importance of perseverance and mental toughness to see the difficult time through.

Links mentioned in this episode:


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Now vs. Most

Now vs. Most

The Friday ReFresh

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05/20/22 • 3 min

Welcome again to Friday ReFresh brought to you by travisloveshaiti.com

I would like for you to hit the pause button on whatever you are doing right now as you read this and ask yourself a couple of questions. First, what is the most important thing in your life right now? And follow it up by asking what you are doing for that most important thing?

Even more humbling is the thought of what God will say about the way I spent my time and talents. Knowing that I will stand before Him after I take my last breath makes me wonder what I might be thinking as I take those last few breaths. Will I be looking back over my life and wish I had spent more time watching television? Will I be thinking about how I should have posted on Facebook or Instagram a little more? Maybe I’ll wonder why I didn’t spend more time in my personal hobbies.

The reality is that I know none of those things will be my regrets. Lonnie Jones has often asked us to consider “what we want now verses what we want most.” I let the “now” win way more times than I really should. On the day God calls me home I’m confident that the things that will matter are the things that don’t belong to this earth. I’ll be thinking about how I spent my life for God. I’ll be thinking about my family. I’ll be thinking about the people whom I love most. So, if that is what I’ll be thinking of then, that’s what I want most. And if that is what I want most then maybe I should focus on it now.

Links mentioned in this episode:


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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The Friday ReFresh - Presence

Presence

The Friday ReFresh

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08/26/22 • 3 min

I recently got an invite to a party. That invitation was followed up with a request for no presents for the person whom they were honoring. They simply wanted our presence. You have probably felt that same sentiment from time to time. One of my favorite pastimes is bow fishing. I don’t own a boat and I don’t really ever plan to. When people ask me why, the answer is simple: I enjoy bow fishing the most because of the presence of my closest friends. Going by myself would not be nearly as enjoyable – not by a long shot (no pun intended). The presence and fellowship of people that I love and respect is what makes the experience so much greater.

As a therapist I have often felt frustrated that I don’t have the right words or correct therapeutic intervention. I have placed a lot of pressure on myself attempting to do things in just the right way. While I won’t say that technique and words are unimportant – we certainly know that words can be healing or they can be devastating to people – I think we often miss the point when we focus too much on those things. What is it that all of us need the most? Presence. We need people to be connected to us.

Links mentioned in this episode: *Donate to our St. Jude Team here: https://www.benandtravis.com/dodgeball


This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Friday ReFresh have?

The Friday ReFresh currently has 68 episodes available.

What topics does The Friday ReFresh cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Christianity, Mental Health, Motivational, Religion & Spirituality and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on The Friday ReFresh?

The episode title 'Make A Difference' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Friday ReFresh?

The average episode length on The Friday ReFresh is 4 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Friday ReFresh released?

Episodes of The Friday ReFresh are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of The Friday ReFresh?

The first episode of The Friday ReFresh was released on Feb 25, 2022.

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