The Table Church DC

When Your Faith Feels Like a Lie

Many of us carry shame about our faith - shame about questions we've asked, people we've hurt, or feeling like we don't fit the "good Christian" mold. This honest reflection explores how religious shame can poison our relationship with spirituality and keep us from authentic community.

Drawing from a summer of solitude and the apostle Paul's bold declaration "I am not ashamed of the gospel," this message distinguishes between life-giving faith and the harmful interpretations that wound people. Through vulnerable storytelling and practical wisdom, it offers a path toward shame resilience and deeper authenticity.

Whether you're wrestling with religious trauma, feeling like an imposter in your calling, or simply trying to separate genuine faith from toxic messaging, this conversation provides tools for healing and two essential questions for personal reflection.

Why Good People Burn Out Fighting Injustice

Ever feel like you're the only one who cares? Like you have to fix every injustice or no one will? Many of us cycle between doing too much, burning out, then either withdrawing completely or blaming others for not stepping up. This pattern destroys both activists and movements.

Drawing from the ancient story of prophet Elijah's breakdown and recovery, Daniel explores how sustainable resistance requires intentional rest. He weaves together current events, Palestinian concepts of steadfast resistance, and practical psychology to show why caring for yourself isn't selfish—it's strategic.

Whether you're overwhelmed by news cycles, exhausted from volunteering, or struggling to balance self-care with showing up for others, this offers a framework for staying engaged without losing yourself in the process.

Your Limits Are Actually Your Compass

We all hit walls—whether it's career ambitions that feel out of reach, relationships that drain us, or dreams that seem impossible. But what if the problem isn't your limitations? What if you're just misreading the signals?

Trevor shares a fresh perspective on personal boundaries, offering practical tools to distinguish between obstacles worth pushing through and limits worth accepting. Through relatable stories (including one about spectacularly breaking expensive furniture), he explores how understanding your constraints can actually expand your possibilities and lead you toward what you actually need.

 

You'll walk away with specific techniques for self-assessment, including the three-circle test, energy audits, and how to listen to your body's wisdom. Perfect for anyone tired of fighting the wrong battles and ready to work with their authentic self instead of against it.

Stop Being the Messiah of Your Relationships

Do you exhaust yourself trying to fix everyone around you? Civil rights lawyer and pastor Antonio explores why our need to be everyone's savior leads to anxiety, burnout, and resentment. Whether you're supporting struggling friends, fighting for social justice, or caring for family members, the pressure to solve every problem can be overwhelming.

Drawing from the example of John the Baptist, Antonio reveals how embracing your human limitations isn't selfish—it's essential. He shares practical insights on setting boundaries that actually make you more effective at helping others, not less. Learn the difference between being a supportive person and being someone's unofficial therapist, and discover how acknowledging what you can't control creates space for real solutions.

If you're tired of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on sustainable caring that protects your mental health while still showing up for the people and causes you love.

When Change-Makers Hit the Wall

Whether you're fighting for justice or just trying to make it through tough times, burnout is real. This conversation explores an honest question: Are you the person who needs care right now, or are you in a position to help others?

Using the ancient story of Elijah's breakdown and recovery, we examine how to assess where you are emotionally and spiritually.

The discussion offers practical tools for envisioning what your "healed self" might look like and identifying concrete next steps to get there. Rather than promoting endless self-improvement, it emphasizes that personal healing ultimately leads us back to community and collective action—not away from it.

Includes interactive reflection exercises you can do while listening. Perfect for anyone feeling overwhelmed by current events or wondering how to sustain their energy for the long haul.

Why One-Size-Fits-All Therapy Doesn't Work

Most of us carry experiences that overwhelmed our ability to cope—trauma that literally rewires our brains and makes safe things feel dangerous. Whether it's childhood neglect, discrimination, abuse, or chronic stress, these experiences can leave us feeling frozen, anxious, and disconnected from the relationships we need most.

This talk explores how ancient stories can offer surprisingly modern wisdom about healing. You'll discover why trauma can only be healed in relationship (even though relationships often caused the hurt), practical techniques for nervous system regulation, and why authentic healing requires ditching other people's expectations about how you "should" recover.

If you're tired of being told to "just get over it" or "think positive," this conversation offers a different path—one that honors your actual needs and meets you exactly where you are.

"How to Stay Calm When Others Panic"

Ever notice how one person's stress can spiral through an entire family, workplace, or friend group? This talk explores why anxiety is "viral" and how we unconsciously pass our emotional states to others—often without realizing it.

Drawing from family systems theory and stories of Jesus navigating conflict, Anthony introduces the concept of "non-anxious presence"—the ability to stay emotionally regulated and connected during others' crises without absorbing their chaos or requiring them to change for you to feel okay. You'll learn practical ways to distinguish between healthy conflict and actual abuse, stop triangulating others into your problems, and recognize when past trauma is distorting your current reality.

If you're tired of feeling like everyone else's emotional dumping ground or find yourself constantly reactive in relationships, this offers concrete tools for breaking cycles and creating healthier dynamics.

"Why Your Family Still Controls You"

Ever feel like you're finally independent, only to realize you're still making decisions based on what you're rebelling against? This talk explores how anxiety spreads through families like a virus, creating patterns that control our choices long after we've left home. Using family systems theory and the story of Joseph, Pastor Anthony reveals how we often think we're being ourselves when we're actually just reacting to inherited dysfunction.

You'll discover the difference between making yourself "really big" (gaining control) versus "really small" (people-pleasing) as trauma responses, and why both keep us trapped. Learn practical ways to notice when you're being reactive versus responsive, and how to stop letting other people's emotional chaos dictate your decisions.

Ready to break free from patterns you didn't even know were controlling you? This is part one of a two-part series on family systems and healing.