Show Notes

In the last episode, Dr. Shuler shared his story and presented some very insightful thoughts on how to walk thru this journey of depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Whether you are prone to these emotions or are just in a valley at the moment, Clarence has insight that can help you find God’s grace during a dark time.

In this episode, he becomes more prescriptive with the things he learned by God’s grace in the middle of a dark time. He found Isaiah 45:3: I will give you treasures of darkness and the hidden riches of the secret places, So that you may know that it is I, the Lord, The God of Israel, who calls you by name.

At this point, Dr. Shuler goes through a list of things you will want to hear, that he learned from this verse and his journey. Some of them are:

• God uses these dark times to give us hidden treasures we would have never received otherwise.
• We don’t have to rush out of the dark times because the darkness is part of our journey.
• The Almighty God – calls us by name – He knows where we are and comes to us in these dark times.
• Ultimately: I don’t have to fake being fine. Hard for a man to admit this to himself, let alone anyone else.

He also shares some basic steps to keep in mind in this darkness. Some of them are:

• Admit where you are – you cannot go somewhere until you know where you are.
• Reach back or reach out to those who can offer help.
• Keep going through your routines: church, family life, working out, etc.
• Remember, you are not the only one – you are not alone.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. If you are going through a dark spot, have you admitted to yourself that you are where? Only then will you accept the support you need.
2. Do you know someone who is in a dark spot that needs you to reach out to help them start the walk forward?
3. Do I believe that God knows my name? Do I believe that it is okay to be in a dark place for now?

To reach Dr. Clarence Shuler, or buy one of his books:

clarenceshuler.com

About Dr. Clarence Shuler

Dr. Shuler is the President/CEO of BLR: Building Lasting Relationships. He’s been married to Brenda for over 37 years. They have three adult daughters. They conduct marriage, men’s, women’s, and singles seminars internationally. In 2020, Brenda and he were presented the Family Life Weekend to Remember Marriage GetawaySpeakers of the Year Award. Dr. Gary Chapman and he speak together at The Five Love Languages, Date Night and Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships events. Dr. Chapman and Clarence co-authored Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships: How You Can Help Heal Racial Divides, One Relationship at a Time. His newest book, Finding Hope in a Dark Place: Facing Loneliness, Depression and Anxiety was released in December 2022. Clarence speaks to youth, college students and singles about friendships, dating, biblical sex, pornography and sexting. God uses him to help couples gain victory over affairs. His Maximizing Difference (diversity) training is in constant demand. He’s authored 10 books.

Highlighted Resource

Find his latest book on Amazon:

Finding Hope in a Dark Place

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About Wendell Morton

Rev. Morton graduated from Western Evangelical Seminary with a BA in Religious Education and a Master of Counseling Psychology, Rev. Morton was in full-time ministry for 17 years with both small and large churches. He spent four of those ministry years with Promise Keepers. He was the the US representative to PK Canada – serving on the PK Canada Board.

Wendell also spent 23 years in Corporate America. He built and led sales teams that worked with very small businesses and other groups that worked with Fortune 500 companies. He is gifted at helping identifying the next generation of leaders as well as helping those around him being successful.

Rev. Morton has a passion to help pastors and church leaders build growing churches. Having men come alongside the vision of the pastor, build a dynamic team, create a plan, and execute the model of “each one brings one” has been proven effective for more than 2,000 years. This approach is a great way for every local church in North America to grow while helping men better understand biblical manhood.