NCCA is pleased to introduce Dr. Joshua Wells. We met him at our conference in North Carolina in 2019 as a promising student who just happened to be friends with Dr. Tim Brewer and his wife Sheryl, who did an incredible job speaking that year. We look forward to hearing all the Lord has laid on his heart for youth and families as he shares with us in his two sessions, "Youth With STD’s" and “Can We Talk For a Minute? Marriage and Family-Focused”. Introductions we receive from our other presenters are available on our Speaker Homepage. We pray God will continue to bless you, and we certainly hope to see you in Sarasota, FL this October 14-15, 2022.

Calling All Warriors!!! It’s no surprise that the world is getting darker and confusion is running rampant. The Lord placed on my heart a few weeks ago these words, “This is not a drill”. I was having a conversation with a sister here at headquarters and the phrase stuck with me. The Holy Spirit was highlighting something for me, like a signpost flashing, the words kept drawing me in! So, when I was away from work last week God downloaded the entire message that I’m sharing here. He said, “Hello Mark, when was the last time you sat with a person on the side of the road who was asking for help and shared Jesus with them? When was the last time you asked someone in a wheelchair if you could pray for their healing? When was the last time you asked your waitress or waiter if they needed prayer? He had me at “Hello”. It’s been too long a while. “This is not a drill” is a call to all of us for taking real action in the harvest field! Look around! Tell me the world is not screaming for the truth! Everywhere people are riding the wave of any strange doctrine that comes across their social media page or news site. (Christians too.) The picture I chose for this encouragement reveals two ways of interpretation: 1. We can stand by and watch a fellow believer get set on fire for God while we remain complacent. 2. We can ask God to set US on fire and answer the Great Commission. The world needs us to speak up and act NOW more than ever before! They need the One who IS Truth! His name is Jesus! And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. [Mark 16:20 NASB95] Love ya!

NCCA Certified Academic Institutions (CAI’s) are a vital component the Lord uses as NCCA carries out His mission for us “equipping Christians to counsel the hurting”. We view CAI Directors as serving in discipleship ministry, as they lead candidates through the NCCA curriculum. This year at the annual NCCA Conference in Sarasota, the NCCA will present the CAI Award in recognition of the CAI that transferred the most credentialed candidates in 2021. If you are interested in knowing more about how to become an NCCA Certified Academic Institution, please reach out to our ministry headquarters. God often calls NCCA members who have served in full-time ministry, to continue their service as mentors by discipling the next generation of pastoral counselors. Rev. Steven Baran President NCCA

Called According to His Purpose: A Journey into the World of Parenting Special Needs Children By: Crawford Clark Disabilities affect individuals from all walks of life - from the CEO at the largest fortune 500 company to the small business owner at the corner grocery store; from the pastor at the biggest church to the custodian at the local elementary school; from famous celebrities from all walks of life to small-town military heroes. Dr. Crawford G. Clark and his wife have endured a daily struggle raising two children with disabilities. He knows that parents in a similar situation suffer in silence, doing their best to survive each day. Many people have no clue what challenges they face. In this book, the author leads you on a journey of what it's like to raise children with disabilities, including the difficulties with people not being very sympathetic toward children or parents. He covers subjects such as isolation, identity, idiosyncrasies, education, discipline, community, and how God views disabilities. In addition, he shares the story of Theodore DeShields, a good friend whose story speaks to all of us. While he was never supposed to be born, he became a strong person of faith who blessed all those around him.

BEGIN AGAIN Max Lucado In Begin Again, New York Times bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado celebrates God's promise to restore and renew. Max prepares us for the journey ahead by encouraging us to: Trust that God is the author of new beginnings Rely on God's love and protection Hold on to enduring hope Make a difference in the lives of others Set our sights on our eternal home This compilation--which also includes original, never-before-heard content from Max--assures us of the new possibilities ahead.

Ethos Counseling Institute is located in Apache Junction, Arizona. Ethos Counseling Institute is a Certified Academic Institution with the National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA) Sarasota Florida, since July 25, 2016. Dr. Heidi Capozzi received her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Christian Counseling through Colorado Theological Seminary. She has been a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor since 2016. Dr. Heidi also is a Certified Academic Instructor through NCCA, as well as serves as the Executive Pastor alongside her husband at New Season Christian Fellowship in Apache Junction, AZ. Pastor Shawn and Dr. Heidi are also the Executive Directors and progenitors of Ethos Counseling Institute (ECI). ECI is an organization that trains and equips those both called and gifted to the area of Pastoral Counseling. They have three grown children and two daughters-in-love, who faithfully serve in many capacities within the church. And they are blessed with two beautiful grandchildren as well! Temperament – The X-Ray Of The Soul Jesus expressed some of His most memorable teachings through parables. Parables that were significant stories that made the illogical Kingdom that He came from, seem a bit more logical to our finite minds. He portrayed the relevant understanding of sowing and reaping to the agricultural community, the fisher of men parables to the fishermen, the ability to gain understanding of the passion needed for seeking Him and His heart with the parable of the one that would tear their house apart to find that one precious jewel. Let’s face it… we love analogies, stories, visual aids. They assist in simplification, to grasp the vastness of something that is so complex. And that is one way that I have endeavored to become more like Jesus… to become a temperament parable teacher! : ) My husband was a Radiological Technologist for many years before Jesus called us into full time Pastoral ministry two decades ago. Upon entering Christian Counseling, it was an easy analogy to utilize his experience to give our clients a basic understanding of what temperament actually is. Our explanation… we are a spirit that lives forever, we have a soul and are housed in a body. Just as the x-rays show the inner most portions of our physical bodies, the temperament is the x-ray of the soul. Prior to many proper diagnoses being given by a medical professional, images of the unseen must be observed. What’s developing beneath the surface is what is traditionally the cause of what is being seen upon the surface. Temperament is the infrastructure of the soul, much like the bones are the infrastructure of the human body. We wouldn’t take an x-ray of one individual and perform surgery on another individual according to those set of films. Therefore, the discovery of the God-given needs of our temperament will best provide us with strategies to cultivate the atmosphere for our greater mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We often can answer WHAT someone is acting like, HOW their behavior is affecting others, but the most vital question to be answered is, WHY? Why are they feeling the thoughts they feel? Why do they respond the way they do? Why are their fears debilitating to them in this area of their life? These are the questions that can only be answered with discovering the UNSEEN and how it created what we can see. Although it is essential as counselors to eventually inquire of our clients past, their temperament results answer most of those “why” questions without having to delve into past experiences. We explain that we could eliminate the first 5 sessions by just merely having the results of their temperament. It allows us to be a more productive part of their health team, by understanding their motives, their fears, their strengths and weakness tendencies. It enables us, as their counselor, to empower them to become more self-aware, and learn to take responsibility of their decisions based on greater understanding of themselves. The x-ray of the soul enlightens us to develop the most sensible approach to gaining a greater diagnosis to execute the most healthy and successful strategy.

Temperament Corner: Christmas Stress In my Temperament Corner Christmas edition book, my desire is to encourage you to embrace this most Holy Season and keep the true meaning of Christmas tucked in your heart. If you travel back in your heart to the first Christmas and picture yourself standing in the cold evening in a lowly stable with the beautiful star of Bethlehem shining down on you as you gaze upon your Lord and Savior, your soul and your spirit would be filled with love and gratitude. Perhaps you would look at Christmas a little differently. Maybe you would slow down and savor the real meaning of Christmas—Jesus came to die for you and me. This Christmas please don’t become stressed over the hustle and bustle of the commercial Christmas, slow down and enjoy celebrating the true meaning –the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Shalom! Click Here For More Information

Youth, Temperament, and Stress By: Dr Phyllis J. Arno We are continuing the series titled Youth, Temperament and Stress. In this issue we will review some of the “Stress Triggers” in the Inclusion area of the Phlegmatic youth. We will specifically cover “stress” in the home and in school. In review, the Inclusion area is the need to establish and maintain a satisfactory relationship with people in the area of surface relationships, associations and socialization and intellectual energies. Word Review of the Phlegmatic Youth in Inclusion slow-paced observer calm easy-going task-oriented dry humor stubborn tolerates people selfish efficient protects their energy avoid confrontation STRESS TRIGGERS – HOME 1. LACK OF REST Because of their low energy, this youth needs to have time to rest after school. Parents need to be taught that this Phlegmatic youth in Inclusion will become irritable and may make cutting (biting) remarks if they do not receive adequate rest. 2. ACCUSATIONS OF BEING LAZY, ESPECIALLY AFTER SCHOOL Teach the parents that this Phlegmatic youth in Inclusion has a low energy level. Their optimum level might be considered unacceptable to the parents, and they are often accused of being lazy. 3. DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY - PARENTS - DRUGS/ALCOHOL Encourage the parents to seek help in getting off drugs and alcohol so that this youth will not become a drug addict or alcoholic. If the drugs are readily available, think of what an escape this would be for a Phlegmatic! Remember: CHILDREN HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AT LISTENING TO THEIR ELDERS, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER FAILED TO IMITATE THEM! James Baldwin 4. BLENDED OR SINGLE FAMILY - SIBLING RIVALRY In a single parent family, where one parent needs to be mom and dad, how can they prevent sibling rivalry? By giving each youth quality time—not necessarily quantity time and also by finding a person the parent can trust to be a mentor for this youth. Enlighten the parents as to how there is a “pecking order” and that when families are blended, there may be two first borns, two last borns, etc., so each youth will be fighting to maintain their position. This can create problems such as anger, jealousy, resentment, etc., and can bring stress to the blended family. Since this youth is a Phlegmatic in Inclusion, their siblings may feel that this youth is not doing their share of the work, etc. Parents must remember to be open to listen to “all sides” of their disputes. 5. SEXUAL ABUSE - BABYSITTERS, SIBLINGS, RELATIVES, ETC. Teach the parents to encourage the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth to come to them with any and all problems they may be encountering. They will need to encourage the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth to share with them as the Phlegmatic youth in Inclusion usually will not volunteer information readily; they do not want to expend the energy. Parents also need to look for signs such as irritability, overeating, cutting themselves, using drugs, drinking alcohol, etc. 5. AVAILABILITY OF ADULT MOVIES, TELEVISION AND THE INTERNET Teach the parents to be aware of what the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth is watching on television and what movies they are seeing. They also need to be aware of what they are doing on the computer. This Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth needs boundaries. This kind of activity takes very little energy, and they can easily use this as their escape from people and tasks! Parents Need to Become Cyber Savvy! ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Learn about parental controls and filtering software. You can use search engines such as safesearchkids.com Teach your kids to never give out their telephone number or address online. MIDDLE SCHOOL Keep the Internet account in your name to control passwords and filtering. Check your children’s Internet browsing history. Allow them to email and instant-message only people they know. Randomly check their emails and “buddy lists.” If your children participate in chats, help them pick screen names that don’t reveal personal information. Take cyber-bullying seriously. If someone posts threatening or dangerous comments about your child, report it to the police and your service provider. House rule: No downloading without your permission. You can set permissions on smartphones to have time limits on certain apps as well as prevent any downloads from happening without a password. Apple iPhone Parental Controls Samsung Galaxy Parental Controls HIGH SCHOOL Teach teens to use caution when posting about their friends and their plans. Make sure your teens’ online photos don’t reveal identifying information, such as their school’s name. Require your child to ask you before meeting an online “friend” in person. If you agree, schedule the meeting in a public place and accompany your teen. If you have more questions about the intricacies of social media platforms, smartphones, and cybersecurity/cyberbullying please click the button below for parental guides. NETWORK KNOW-HOW Social networking sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook set minimum ages for participation. Generally, if your children are 13 or younger, you can have their pages removed. Read a site’s Terms of Use carefully for full details. Ask to see your teens’ pages on social networking sites. Go through their feed, following, and saved posts. Have your teens use the privacy settings on social networking sites, but be aware that some information, such as their picture, nickname, age and location may still be available for all users to see. Go through your teens’ “friends” list to make sure they know and trust those people in real life. Consider making your own profile and “friending” your teens to stay informed about what they are posting. Create a permission on their phone to set a limit and time frame they are allowed to be on social media platforms. STRESS TRIGGERS – SCHOOL 1. INTERACTION ALL DAY (no down time) Teach the parents that after school, this Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth needs his/her “rest time.” The Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth may be quite irritable and full of cutting/biting/stinging remarks because of stress. Parents need to give them an hour or more of “rest time” before doing their chores and/or homework. 2. NEED FOR PERFECTION. Teach the parents to help this Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth understand that their need for perfection may be causing them undue stress. Others cannot live up to their meticulous demands for perfection. They need to allow themselves and others to have the right to be imperfect—including teachers and classmates. Christ is the only perfect one. They need to learn that God will do the perfecting and that He will not put ungodly expectations on them or anyone else. If they do not learn this, they can become so stressed that they will become irritable and will use their cutting/biting/stinging remarks to retaliate or deal with their stress. 3. AVAILABILITY OF DRUGS/ALCOHOL/SEX. Encourage the parents to watch for signs of drug, alcohol and sex. The Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth, if they are using drugs or drinking alcohol, could become more expressive, i.e., using their dry humor as a way of warding off questions. They could also become more irritable than usual and pull away from their family and friends. They might also become slothful and not want to shower or change their clothes. There is a lot of GOOD information on the Internet regarding this. For example: National Institute on Drug Abuse http://www/drugabuse.gov Look for Signs of Sexual Addiction: Frequently telling sexual jokes or making sexual comments or innuendos. Engaging in sexual activity-especially with several partners. Spending considerable time in activities that could lead to sexual activity, such as cruising for potential partners or spending hours online in chat rooms trying to hook up with others. Visiting pornographic websites or looking at pornographic magazines, books, videos. Neglecting obligations such as work, school, or family in pursuit of sexual activity. Continuing to engage in illicit sexual behavior despite the negative consequences related with such activities. Escalating the scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve a desired effect, such as more frequent visits to Web sites or sex with more partners. Frequently isolating themselves from parents and friends and not informing others of their whereabouts. Getting angry if someone shows concerns or questions them about sex or their use of pornography. Feeling irritable when unable to engage in some sort of sexual activity for a long period of time. Making telephone calls with an 800 or 900 prefix. Becoming increasingly dishonest with other people. People who work with sex addicts say that when someone meets 3 or more of the above, that person could possibly have a problem with sexual addition. For more information on help for troubled youth and adults and for those who minister to them. You can also go to The Missing Link Inc. at http://misslink.org 4. DISAPPROVAL FROM TEACHERS/CLASSMATES. Disapproval from teachers and classmates may be caused by the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth’s dry, sometimes cutting humor. They use this humor as their defense mechanism to keep others from making demands on them— demands that will deplete their low energy. When their energy level is depleted, they can become stressed and may use their dry humor as a way of warding off teachers and classmates. The Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth needs to be taught to interact as much as they are physically able. They also need to be taught that their dry humor can “hurt” and “offend” those to whom they have directed this humor. When they react with this humor, they usually feel that they have been backed into a corner with no way out except to use their dry humor. This is their “weapon of defense.” Sadly, sometimes they do not realize or care how their remarks can offend others; it is just self-preservation. Phlegmatic in Inclusion youths tend to think: “I don’t bother you, don’t bother me.” “Just leave me alone!” 5. BOMB THREATS AND SCHOOL KILLINGS. Encourage the parents to discuss disasters at school and teach the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth to stay prayed up, be aware of their surroundings, and not take any unnecessary chances. Parents need to bring up these subjects since the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth probably will not. Most parents do not realize that the Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth has stress regarding the above, but they do. They just do not talk about it. They would probably eat to alleviate these fears and their anger and use their dry humor to ward off discussing it. 6. NEED TO BE SLOW AND METHODICAL Teach this Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth that they need to learn that while in school they need to try to keep pace with the other youths—within reason. Sometimes they will pull back in order to keep the teachers and students from making demands of them. They do not like to be pushed to complete projects; they like to take their time and think things through. The Phlegmatic in Inclusion youth needs to learn to triage what must be done in order to help alleviate their stress. NOTE: PHLEGMATIC IN INCLUSION YOUTH that do not have an outlet for their stress may tend to have anger. If using their dry humor does not help alleviate their stress, this youth may try to find release by using drugs, drinking, binge eating or even cutting themselves—especially if they do not have access to drugs and/or alcohol. PLEASE NOTE: These are temperament tendencies, and, as always, while you are counseling Phlegmatic in Inclusion youths, you must take into consideration the following: their walk with the Lord, personality, learned behavior and birth order.

May 31, 2022 marks the end of the early registration discount for this year’s conference! That is only 5 days away! Only 18 in-person registrations remain available before we reach full in-person capacity. On June 1st, 2022 the conference registration price will increase from $325 to $380 A new room block is now available at just $225 per night. NCCA was able to successfully negotiate this new rate, down from the current going rate of $426 per night. Choose the payment plan option when checking out to make things easy on your budget. We look forward to seeing you here in Sarasota, Fl on October 14th and 15th, 2022!

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [Col. 3:16 NASB95] Here we are again, Warriors for Christ! I am very thankful for you opening this email and allowing me to share another encouragement with you. So, I will take you to a time and a place some of you younger readers have never been, and some of you more seasoned believers may remember very well. I’ve recently been listening to ‘Jesus Music’ from the ’60s and ’70s, and WOW! Here was a generation being transformed by the power of Christ and the music, of course, followed. The pure voices and instruments coming forth in this music from those set free by the Lord are heart-melting. Whether it was gospel, rock, or folk-influenced, the music was so spiritually raw that my heart longs for that rebirth of purity in our youth, the wonder and the beauty of the Lord once again! When I hear it, it speaks of freedom! Freedom from the status quo of “religion” where music defines our finding a relationship with Jesus! Jesus has given us all a song to sing. SING OUT!!! “Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation And let your laughter fill the air Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation And tell the people everywhere Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation To every man and every nation Sing that sweet sweet song of salvation And let the people know that Jesus cares” From the song: Sing That Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation-Released in 1969 by Larry Norman

We all know the importance of Jesus’s resurrection, so this year our prayer for you is an even deeper revelation of His resurrection! We all need this to be able to walk more boldly in the power it brings. Without the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christianity is without life. So this Easter, let us not forget the Earth-shaking, bondage-breaking, healing deliverance given to us by the Lord as He rose from the grave! Have a very blessed and powerful Easter!

Virtual Individual mentoring. Group discussion. Webinar topical study. Examples of Topics Discovering identity in Christ Forgiving the unforgivable Uncovering childhood shame Turning from toxic relationships and enmeshment De-energizing compulsivities (*countless other topics and themes offered upon request) All fees are based on a per-person, per-session basis, and are negotiated on an individual basis prior to each event. About Dr. Dave Ralston David Ralston, PhD, is the founder and director of Life Training Ministries in Louisville, Kentucky, a leading provider of Christ-centered counseling and mentoring for metro-Louisville as well as online globally. His counsel and guidance have become highly sought after, especially in the areas of shame, brokenness, identity dependence, and soul work. Dr. Dave is a gifted presenter, teacher, and counselor, and has spoken to groups and audiences of all sizes, both close to home and across the country. In addition to writing his weekly blog, Training for Life, he is the author of numerous curricula, articles, and seminar resources, including TURN: Turn from Brokenness to Wholeness in Christ, Marriage Foundations: Seven Pillars of a Well-Built Marriage, and his highly recognized article, “Am I Spiritually Hydrated?” He holds an earned doctoral degree from Colorado Theological Seminary in Clinical Christian Counseling with board certification in Marriage & Family therapy. He is credentialed as an Advanced Licensed Christian Counselor and Certified Temperament Counselor by the National Christian Counselors Association. David Ralston’s nearly four-decade-long journey of personal spiritual formation has been forged through his commitment to his local church, complemented by his experiences as part of the Walk to Emmaus, Promise Keepers Men’s Ministry, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Liminal Unknown weekend. Dave’s full-time ministry began in Owensboro, Kentucky over a decade ago, when he and his wife Ann founded Life Training Ministries, a nonprofit ministry focused on addressing the soul wounds of the hurting, broken, and marginalized in that community. After a fruitful season in western Kentucky, he and his wife joined the staff at a thriving megachurch in north Houston, Texas, where Dave served as Pastor for Counseling & Restoration, seeing God use the unique TURN approach to transform hundreds of lives, marriages, and families. Currently he serves as president and director of Life Training Christian Counseling in Louisville, Kentucky, a division of Life Training Ministries. Dr. Ralston and his wife Ann reside in Jeffersontown, Kentucky and have four children and four grandchildren.