4/2/2022 - A Conversation with Donald and Robin Moon

TNG Radio, where today's culture and timeless truths come together. It's reasoned, relevant content apologetics, worldview, and answers to the questions that you need to know. From Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, welcome to Truth For A New Generation Radio. And now the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. In John chapter 10, Jesus says that he's the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But the Lord also warns us about the one called the thief and the robber, Satan, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But we have the opportunity to give our lives to the Good Shepherd, Jesus, the door of heaven, the way to pasture and stability and security, joy, blessing, forgiveness, new life.

Jesus, through the Good Shepherd, he gave his life for us. Hi, Alex McFarland here. I am so honored for the guest that you're going to meet in just a moment. I'm on the road in Texas as I record this. I'm in San Angelo, Texas at First Presbyterian Church. We've just had a wonderful night with the youth. We've heard an amazing testimony from a young man, but as is so often the case, I'm on the road and I meet people, fascinating people doing amazing works for God, and tonight Donald and Robin Moon are with me. And I want to say thank you all for being time to be on the program, but thank you all for what you're doing for people through biblical counseling.

And let's just get acquainted, but I want to drill down and talk about overcoming some of the hurdles people face in the counseling world. So Donald, thank you for being here. And it's my privilege to be here and just excited to be with you and share with the world what Christ can do in their life. And Robin, you are one of the counselors with the Biblical Counseling Center here in Texas too, right?

Yes. Now tell us about yourselves and the ministry. How did you all get into this work?

Give us your website as well. Yeah, website is cvbiblicalcounseling.org, and we have a privilege of just counseling people really around this area as well as over the world, because we do a lot of missionaries and work with them. But we've been in existence for about five years. I was a pastor first fifteen years ago, called into biblical counseling with a biblical counseling worldview, and just really believing. Alex, we all believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, but as we talk and where we're at, we talk in the changing power of Jesus Christ, because we realize a lot of Christians think once they get saved, then there's really no more work to do. And so we have an opportunity to come alongside them and get them equipped, get them healing so they can be out in the front lines for the kingdom of God. You know, one week ago I was on the phone with a major university in the western states. Not a Christian university, not a Christian psych department. And they wanted me on a Zoom call because they're very concerned about the moral and spiritual future of America's young people.

And I was on the Zoom call. They've got a grant for a longitudinal study. They're going to study thousands of youth. But our conversation of about 90 minutes boiled down to the state of the family. So much hangs on the state of the family.

Robyn Moon, you're a biblical counselor yourself. Talk to us about, from your perspective, what are some of the challenges that the family, and then by extension children, are facing these days? Well, one of the big things is just the time element. People are always so busy, they're rushed, they're crowded. And just to be able to communicate with each other is something that is a challenge. So the spouses don't communicate well, and then that filters down to the kids. They don't communicate well with their parents.

And the younger generation a lot of times only text, so there's not even conversation in that way. Robyn, what do you say to the parents that are maybe only nominally Christian, and the idea of turning my family over to Christ, raising my kids in the ways of the Lord, that's maybe not something they themselves know how to do, is walk in the ways of the Lord. How do you all begin to counsel families that need to have the sure foundation of Christ? Well, first off, we're grateful that they do come to a place that offers biblical counseling, and we stand on that. We don't just, because they're not strong Christians, tell them the Word of God. So we do that, but we also let them know the healing power that God has, and that the enemy, like the scripture you brought out at the very first, comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

And we need to do whatever we can equip ourselves with, especially God and His Holy Spirit, to save the family. You know, if there are two things that I see in the lives of youth that are so debilitating – one, we've known about for a long time. One, I think, has just come to the forefront in recent years, but there's divorce.

I'm not trying to beat down people that have been through divorce, but I know that in the life of a young person, as one person said he wanted to ask his dad, why wasn't I worth hanging around for? But the other thing is abuse. What percentage of the clients that you serve and that you all help are victims of sexual abuse? So we have a large percentage. Now, of course, we deal with people that are struggling and admitting their struggle, but I'd probably say 60 to 70 percent has been abused. Sometimes it takes a while, both male and female. That's the thing that surprises most people.

I think it's only female, but there's an equal amount as male, but they don't want to bring it out. It's a stigma there. So we have to help them overcome that hurt and that pain. And that pain, it might linger for decades, but that pain is very real, and that pain just doesn't go away by itself, does it?

No, it doesn't. In fact, I saw an 83-year-old lady that had been molested when she was 13, and all her life had been bitter and hurt and angry over that. But by the grace of God, she did get healing and restoration, and it was just awesome to see that.

This is Truth for a New Generation. Alex McFarland, we're talking with Donald and Robin Moon of the Biblical Counseling Center here in San Angelo, Texas. Now, when we come back, I want to bring out some practical things that you would share with people that maybe abuse has been in their family or they themselves are victims. But before we take a very brief break, I want you to give your website. It's cvbiblical.org.

Cvbiblical.org. Folks, stay tuned. Truth for a New Generation.

We'll be right back after this. The Apostle Peter wrote 1 Peter to remind us that Christians have true and lasting hope in their Savior, Jesus Christ. Because Jesus conquered death in an incorruptible glorified body, we can be sure that our salvation has permanence as we walk through everyday life. The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove presents Jesus Christ, Hope That Lives, Hope That Lasts for Every Believer, a special three-day seminar with Alex McFarland. Alex will dig into 1 Peter to help you gain truths to live by and assurance to keep going. Come to The Cove near Asheville, North Carolina, July 8th through 10th for three days of in-depth Bible study, fellowship, and refreshing. Jesus Christ, Hope That Lives, Hope That Lasts for Every Believer, a study of 1 Peter with Alex McFarland. Find out more and register at thecove.org. Have you ever wanted to raise your hand during a sermon?

Well, here's your chance. Hi, Alex McFarland here from the nationally syndicated radio program, Exploring the Word. For more than 10 years, my cohost Bert Harper and I have taught Scripture and answered hundreds of Bible questions. We've compiled a brand new book of the top 100 Bible questions from listeners of all ages, from questions about supposed Bible contradictions to apologetics facts that prove the truths of Scripture. This new book features practical content that will make the Bible come alive for you.

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There's so much good content in this book. 100 Bible questions and answers published by Broad Street Publishers and available at your local bookstores and also through resources.afa.net. For apologetics resources, books by Alex McFarland, and to find out where Alex is speaking, visit alexmcfarland.com. Welcome back.

Alex McFarland here. The verse we began with where Jesus promises, I've come that they might have life and life more abundantly. That's from John 10. Friend, we want you to know this, and we can't say it often enough, that Jesus not only gives eternal life, salvation, he will wash your sin away and save your soul, but Jesus gives abundant life. And I'm talking with Robin and Donald Moore, biblical counselors. Even though a person may have gone through a deep valley of pain, abuse of some kind, there is victory. Our Savior can heal and restore.

I want to ask this. I know what I believe about this, but I want your take as professionals. Can people really, really get past abuse?

Most definitely. I've been asked that question even by pastors. Can they really get past that? But they really can. What happens when they're abused? They have a tendency, because somebody else touches their body, uses their body for their own purpose, then they throw them away. So they come out of it thinking to themselves that they have no value. But once we get to go back and see that it wasn't their fault, it was somebody else's choice, and their value is really found in the blood of Christ, or more specifically, like it says in Romans 8, starting in 14, is that he has not given us a spirit of fear.

But then it says that he has given us the spirit of adoption by whom we cry, Abba, Father. I love to tell them that they were chosen, they were handpicked, and it cost a lot to redeem them. And then I ask them, how valuable do you think Jesus was to God?

They always say very valuable and have different answers. And then I said, if he was willing to pay the price of his son for you, then how valuable does that make you? And most of the time, they have to stop, they have a hard time answering that, or they began to weep because the Holy Spirit showed them that they truly have value. And then they could start the healing process once they come to understand who they are in Christ. Darrell Bock Robin, is it almost like we have to give ourselves permission to believe that we actually matter to God?

Abba Robin Almost, because in the world we live in today, everyone has to earn whatever it is, earn their trust, earn their value, prove themselves. But that's not God's economy. He freely loves us and gave his son for us to redeem us so that we can be in relationship with him. Darrell Bock No doubt there are people listening, and listener, there's no accident you're hearing this right now. The Bible says that God is sovereign, which means he orchestrates our path, history.

Even the Bible talks about world leaders, their destiny is directed by the hand of God. So if you have been through something painful, maybe verbal abuse, maybe you were shamed, maybe you were told that you were stupid, you're not good enough, and that carrot is always dangled and you could never quite pass faster. Listen, it's no accident you're hearing this because all three of us want to say, and we say it not merely because it's been written in some psychology books, although it has, but we say because it is the Word of God and it is reality, that you are loved, that you matter to God, and yes, no matter what deep valley you've been through, God has green pastures for you, healing and wholeness.

So let me ask this question. What are some of the basic steps? Maybe somebody's listening and they've got a secret they've never shared with anybody, and for years it's been gnawing on the inside. How do you begin to find healing? One of the ways is to find somebody you trust. Larry Crabbe says find a safe person to go to, and begin to share that. I know I came from an abused world and was abused at that particular, you know, when I was younger, and men, just to be able to share that, and the enemy said, men, they'll kick you out, they don't want to be around you, but just the opposite. So begin to share that, but to realize, especially people that are under 18, they had zero control over what was going on.

And Alex, that's one of the biggest lies. For them to come to understand, we had a lady that just finally, at the age of 75, was able to say, I didn't sleep with the guy, I was raped, because he banged my head against that. And the freedom that started coming over the weeks and months as we grieved, and that's what they need to do, grieve what was stolen from them.

Robin, where does it start? I mean, is molestation or sexual violence, is it wanting power over people or is it trying to manage pain in their own lives? Why do people begin these dark cycles? Well, for one, they don't have a relationship with God, but they just, maybe because of their own hurts and their own fears, a lot of times we see generational things, family issues like that. But regardless of why it starts, it can always end with the healing of God, because He is the healer.

I'm going to ask a question that I don't know if you get asked this much. We know there's the physical and the mental people. They're tempted, they obsess, they act. But there's also the spiritual side of this. And I believe, I've counseled families where there were cycles of alcoholism or anger. Speak to, if you would, the spiritual dynamic of Satan tries to destroy families and destroy the witness of the gospel in a culture. What about breaking the dark spiritual chains?

That's a wonderful thing. If we're in Christ Jesus, then we have all spiritual power and authority over that. But we overlook that generational thing that gets passed down from one to the next.

And the way I was taught is if we have something that's in our life and it's kind of like walking up a gentle stream and you walk up there and you can take three steps forward and it's a little hard, that could be our flesh. But Alex, if it's like taking one step forward and it just getting pushed back, more than likely we have some kind of generational. And so one of the things that we teach is just how to break some of that generational stuff and the importance of using the Spirit of Christ to really break those strongholds that are in life, so we could live free, so we could become free from those things.

I want to talk about that. When we come back, folks, we've got a brief break. And I'm going to talk to Donald and Robin more about breaking the cycles of darkness in a family, the generational, the three steps backward. We need to go forward. This could be your day of deliverance and a brand new chapter as you turn things over to Christ. Stay tuned.

We'll be back with Robin and Donald Moon after this. TNG Radio Send your kids to a summer camp that'll change their lives for the Gospel and equip them to defend the faith. Truth for a New Generation presents the Unashamed Biblical Worldview Camp, Go Deeper with God at the Refuge Camp of Eastern North Carolina, July 17th through 22nd. Your eighth through 12th graders will hear from evangelist and apologist Dr. Alex McFarland, as well as conference speakers, pro-family activists and radio hosts, Will and Miki Addison from American Family Radio, as they share with your kids ways to effectively engage and transform the culture. Campers will also enjoy swimming, canoeing, fishing, soccer, volleyball, archery, and a whole lot more. A great summer camp of fun and faith building, the TNG Unashamed Biblical Worldview Camp, July 17th through 27th at the Refuge Camp in Aiden, North Carolina.

To learn more and to register, visit alexmcfarland.com. Are you tired of liberal agendas ruining our country, but you don't know what to do about it? That's why Truth and Liberty Coalition was founded. We want to equip you to take back our country and impact the world. Here's how we do it. We educate through broadcasts, conferences, and our website with resources that inform, equip, and motivate. We unify by collaborating with like-minded organizations like the Family Research Council, the Family Policy Alliance, and My Faith Votes. We mobilize by providing practical tools you can use to impact your local community.

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Now listen up. We've got the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in western North Carolina, July 8 through 10. I'll be teaching through the book of 1 Peter. We're talking about biblical worldview, defending the faith, but there's great fellowship with people from throughout North America. There's the incredible food, the scenery, the accommodations, and the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The presence of the Lord is there. That's all I can say.

Billy Graham and his wife prayer walked over those hillsides. You will not be disappointed. I want to challenge you to invest a weekend that you will remember your whole life. It's July 8 through 10, and their website is thecove.org. The other thing that I want you to be mindful of and please be in prayer about is our youth camp coming up July 17 through 22.

The theme this year is Unashamed, Building Your Biblical Worldview. Now this is for middle school and high schoolers, and we've got Will and Miki Addison, nationally known radio hosts, will be there in person. Somebody said, is this a Zoom?

No, not by Zoom. They will be there, Will and Miki. Also one of our nation's just great experts on youth ministry, Andy Lawrence. Pastor Andy Lawrence is amazing.

He's been a friend and a colleague for many years. Look, we're going to play games. We're going to do the ropes course and the hiking and the fishing and all that fun camp stuff, but July 17 through 22, we're going to be teaching your kids. I'll be there. We're going to teach about what does it mean to be a disciple. How do you defend the Christian faith?

How do you survive college and not just survive but thrive? The website, I'll give you two websites. One is my own website, which is alexmcfarland.com. The other website is ncrefuge.org, as in North Carolina. It's very near Raleigh, super easy to get to. You fly into our state capitol, Raleigh, North Carolina. The Refuge Christian Camp is very nearby.

I would love for you and your youth group or your teen to come July 17 through 22. Right now, talking with Donald and Robin Moon, Christian counselors here in Texas where I'm on the road, this could be significant. I want to talk about with the time we've got left, making a fresh start, families that have had cycles of destructive circumstances.

How does it stop? How, with Christ and his pathway, do we start fresh? What are some of the steps toward breaking the cycles of family abuse? You start off by spiritual, just coming to understand that if you have Christ in you, then you have that spiritual power and authority to really repent of past family things and just ask God to break any cycles in the name of Jesus. And then that is the healing of the heart, begin to break that.

But then you need to be involved with somebody that will help walk you through to make sense, because the enemy really wants to tell us all kind of lies about us, so to begin to break that. And one of the things that I love, that I loved in the Old Testament, is we think about here and now, but just think if whoever is out there that is in this generational cycle, if they break that and they have three kids, Alex, they're also going to have grandkids. And about four or five generations, we're talking about 75 people that are no longer part of that cycle that they were thrust into, and there's freedom there.

There's not just freedom for them, but it's for many generations to come. Either of you could answer this. What do you do, though, in the family if mom and dad spiritually are not on the same page? Have you counseled with couples where one spouse is following Christ and one isn't?

And if so, how do you navigate those dynamics? Well, of course you would need to put God first anyway. If one mate doesn't choose to do that, the believing mate still has to do that, and that's how they will receive God's blessings. Just like the Scripture says they can be won without a word by their actions. So praying for them to have a softened heart toward God and praying that God's will be done in their family and that truth be known is one of the best places to start.

What about the couples that are together but it's pretty icy? And maybe for whatever reason, maybe there was trauma in the marriage, and husbands and wives, they've soldiered on, they're still together, but the love is gone, the respect is gone. How can a wounded couple begin to build back a marriage of love? Something that we deal with quite a bit, and really meant to walk through the act of forgiveness, and June Hunt does such a wonderful job of helping us to understand what forgiveness is but what forgiveness is not. Man, they need a biblical worldview of really what forgiveness is and is not. So to begin to walk to that, and at some point, if they want to then continue on and work together with Christ, at some point, they have to say, that was then, and this is now. And Paul says, when I was a child, I thought as a child and I spoke as a child, but now I've become an adult. Eventually, they've got to get to a point where we've got to put everything aside because of what Christ has done for us, and today is a new day, today is a new marriage, and we're going to start from here and not look back.

Any further, and bless each other by that. Biblically, what is forgiveness? Man, somebody hurt us, and the husband or the wife, whoever is the one who's hurt, has hurt us, and they owe us a debt. And so really what forgiveness is, is a transfer of that debt, because we want that debt collected. So to take that and realize that we're the one that's getting hurt by somebody else hurting us, transfer that debt and say, I'm going to put it in God's hand. And when we put it in God's hands, Alex, we can't come up and tell God how he's going to take care of that debt, but we no longer own that debt. That debt is now there.

So now it's not ours to collect from this person that has done it wrong, but we trust God to do that. Donald, thank you. Donald and Robin Moon, tell us again your counseling center here in San Angelo, Texas. It's CVBiblical.org. CVBiblical.org. Folks, I want to say this, that Jesus has solutions for whatever you're facing. The Bible says the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The Lord Jesus, who loves you supremely, has for you life, forgiveness, restoration, and abundance. So turn to Jesus, and any way that we can help and encourage you in that regard, please don't hesitate to call. God bless you. We look forward to visiting again on the next edition of Truth for a New Generation. Thank you. God bless you.