Crosswinds Foundation for Faith and Culture

Crosswinds Foundation for Faith and Culture

Share

Connecting People Where Faith and Culture Intersect

Our nation has discovered that cultural shifts can impede, and in some cases dramatically alter the traditional beliefs and moral principles that were foundational to the fabric of our society. The impact is felt in many arenas, including: the family, education, government, and matters of faith and spirituality. They can also create wonderful conversations among those who hold diverse beliefs, especially regarding matters of faith and/or spirituality.

02/08/2025

Let’s be real- most of our goals are in the future. Somewhere. Some are in the “near future” and some are in the “far off” future. It’s important that we DREAM and LOOK FORWARD…

There’s a load of studies out now that show that people who look to the future are happier, more successful, and have more fulfilling relationships IN THE PRESENT than people who don’t…

Solomon even said it, “Where there is no vision…”

(I bet you can fill in the end of that sentence.)

AT THE SAME TIME, we have to live in the present. In this moment. We can’t be so “hustle-focused” that we forget the things in the moment that are part of the reason we’re hustling…

That is, we can’t RUN OFF and leave people behind! If we do, we’ll get to that preferred future AND learn that it’s not better if the people who matter the most aren’t with us, right?

Plus, all of our action steps that actually bring that future to pass… well… those steps are all taken RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. It’s possible, in other words, to become so future-focused that you forget to take steps in the moment…

If you do that ^^^ you just end up with a plan. A plan with no progress.

The solution?

Yes. Think long-term. But do think in the MOMENT in light of those goals, those dreams, that future :-)

02/08/2025

A throwback pic…

… to Warrior Hope training we did just four years ago, just south of Nashville.

8-10 people in the room.

Another 8-10 online via Zoom.

02/05/2025

When one person in the family is affected by trauma, everyone carries it.

In TraumaComesHome.com / families share their stories of walking with their loved ones…

01/31/2025

It’s important to deal with your physical body, your mental health, your emotional health, and your spiritual health.
They’re all important.
Here’s why.
A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Doesn’t matter how great the capacity of one link is if another flounders with minimal pressure.
We’re the same way.
If our bodies aren’t healthy, we won’t be able to do the amazing things placed in our souls- we won’t be able to live our calling and fulfill our destiny.
If our minds are occupied with worries and fears… it can debilitate our bodies…
And if our emotions aren’t whole… they can shut the other areas down, too….
Total health = addressing it all, in time.

01/27/2025

There aren’t good emotions and bad emotions. Only healthy and unhealthy expressions of them. Emotional health is a component of total health.

⭐️

Though it sounds true, and though I understand the sentiment behind this “bumper sticker-ism,” fear isn’t a liar.

Rather, fear is a valid emotion, an expression of something happening deep inside (often because of some external circumstance) that our heart seeks to communicate to us.

If you’re about to step off the edge of a cliff, fear is healthy. Fear might save you from walking down dark alley, keep you from engaging in a verbal barrage with a bully, or trying to cross a railroad track when there’s an oncoming train. You get the idea.

No, we don’t want to be controlled by fear, but we do want to hear what our hearts are saying.

In fact, the same is true of ALL of our emotions…

❌ We don’t want to avoid them.

❌ We don’t want to be controlled by them.

✅ We do want to hear what they’re saying to us…

That leads me to this...

We’re often afraid to talk about- or even feel- the “bad” emotions. We’ve been told that fear and anger and some of the other emotions aren’t healthy. Hence the “bumper sticker-isms,” memes, and pithy one-liners.

Let me offer a different perspective:

👉 There aren’t bad emotions and good emotions. Just healthy and unhealthy expressions of all of them.

Many of us are taught- from a young age- to be afraid of the “bad” emotions. But, we shouldn’t be.

01/25/2025

There’s always power in sharing your story…

We met this Marine at Kaskaskia.

“You guys made me rethink my past 20 years,” he said.

He was one of the men sent in after the Blackhawk Down incident…

When we share NOT from a victim mentality but from a standpoint healing and helping and honoring each other…

… such incredible things occur.

And we’re all better for it.

01/24/2025

Did you know…? YOU are in control of your emotions. And those emotions can serve you, OR not serve you. They can help you, OR they can hinder you.
The book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 reports that people with the highest IQs outperform people with lower IQs only 20% of the time- yet people with higher EQs (emotional quotients) out-perform higher IQs over 70% of the time.
EQ accounts for a pay increase of $28K per year- across all fields.
EQ can be learned. You can GROW in your emotional quotient.
How? By learning to recognize your emotions when they happen… then STOPPING to read what they’re saying BEFORE you respond.
It’s a mark of health, and it will serve you- and those around you- incredibly well.
Breathe deep, and think about what’s happening, what’s going on inside of you.
Don’t react. Give yourself 15 minutes before doing ANYTHING. Talk yourself down…
Then respond in a healthy way.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

01/20/2025

In 1995 Ieremia and Nelu, two leaders from different regions in Romania (Iremia lives in the East and Nelu lives in the West), from two different denominations (Brethren and Pentecostal, respectively), traveled to the United States to take participate in an intensive training program concerning new religious movements and cult apologetics.

The training was led by Bob Waldrep, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Not only was an unexpected and long-lasting partnership with Bob forged, but the two men also became lifelong friends.

Together, they co-lead Crosswinds Europe.



Learn more about the movement at http://crosswindsfoundation.org/CE/

01/15/2025

When we look it from the standpoint of grace and getting better…

… and when we eliminate the shame and press pause on the blame…

01/11/2025

We talk a LOT about our “warriors on mission” project on this feed…

… but, we’ve got other things, too.

Some of our greatest support— on many levels— comes from groups like this— one of the two weekly Bible studies we host in the Homewood area. Early in the morning. Before “all the things” happen.

To learn more go to our updated events calendar— www.CrosswindsFoundation.org/EC

01/10/2025

In his book Untangling the Mind, Dr. Theodore George reminds us that most people have an automatic “fight or flight” response to danger. He says this occurs naturally, as our brains shift from the neocortex (the rational, logical part of the mind, located at the front o your brain) to the amygdala (the emotional center, in the inner brain). We shift from rational thought to “primal instinct.” That is, according to the graphic below we shift from responding in a 4A way to reacting in a 4B manner.
During their training, soldiers and first responders are taught how to set their survival instincts to the side, over-ride the amygdala, and allow their rational mind to remain in control. In effect, they create a new natural response that sends them into hyper-arousal whenever they perceive danger.
They do this so that they can run towards the danger and protect others, rather than fending for themselves. This is “normal” for soldiers and first responders, and it is precisely what makes them effective at their craft. You probably recall having this training.
Dr. George explains that we want soldiers to react in this way. We want them to be sensitive to danger. That’s normal.
He continues, though, “What’s not normal is when survival emotions erupt when there is no danger.”.
When that happens, it may be time to dig deeper, grab some hope and seek healing.

01/08/2025

From the Ohio premiere of ...

We’re based out of Birmingham, but we’ll bring the film and our resources TO YOU—

This past year, we’ve ALSO been to—

📌Ohio

📌Illinois

📌Missouri

📌Kentucky

📌Tennessee



More info + contact us at www.TraumaComesHome.com

01/07/2025

When we got into chapter 2 of the Warrior Hope manual, we began discussing why MORE people don’t freely talk about their emotional hurts, pains, and scars.
The reality is that if you don’t talk about it, they still surface. They just come out in other words… That is, your emotions will come out if not addressed or managed.
The truth is that emotions are part of who we are. As we consider why we act the way we do we must keep in mind that there aren’t good emotions and bad emotions. Only healthy and unhealthy expressions of them.
Why don’t people stop and deal with emotional issues? Why don’t we talk about them more?.
Here’s what we keep hearing…
#1- We’re told to bury our feelings and push on. That is, you can’t stop in battle. You suck it up and grind away.
#2- There’s often a stigma attached to “bad” emotions. That is- if I told someone what was going on inside of me, they might judge me as bad or flawed.
#3- Emotional exploration isn’t encouraged in the same way other things are (i.e., physical health and intellectual health). That is, if someone was going to the gym or hiring a trainer we would applaud the, but if they went to a therapist, we might step back and (wrongly) wonder what’s wrong.
#4- There could be a real cost associated with emotional honesty (i.e., some careers aren’t available to people who admit having PTSD or experiencing emotional trauma). We heard this multiple times.
#5- We don’t recognize our emotions- that is, we’ve never been taught to step back and read what they’re saying to us, then deciphering a healthy way to move forward.

01/03/2025

Two out of three ain’t bad

🤣

A memory from Scott Air Force back... back this Fall...

Bob Zahn, a helicopter pilot during Vietnam (and his wife Angie— who share their story of healing and overcoming the hurts of the past in our film Trauma Comes Home) shuttled me around, hosted me for the week...
.. and helped us take our Warrior Hope message and films to an Air Force base and a college in the area (Kaskaskia).

As far as the sign goes...


… we’re looking forward to coming back soon, bringing the BHM team, in early 2025.

(We’ll see if we get another sign!)

Spreading the word 12/31/2024

Make a difference before midnight! Your donations change lives.
https://conta.cc/3VWT75y

Spreading the word Email from Crosswinds Foundation It's not too late.     Act Now: Your Contribution Matters   DONATIONS, IMPACT, COMMUNITY, CHANGE There is still time to make a difference in 2024! Your generosity can

Photos from Crosswinds Foundation for Faith and Culture's post 12/31/2024

The best parts of the training events…

… and where SO MUCH of the magic happens…


= moments like these.

🍔 Connecting with each other over a meal, and taking the content from our workshops into conversations with other men and women…

🥁 Music. There’s something super-strong about story put to a melody…

12/30/2024

As it pertains to war/combat, it is important to note that its effects are not unique to American soldiers. But is experienced among those on both sides of a conflict.
Many may think it is a more recent development of war since the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder did not come into popular usage until after Vietnam. However, historical evidence indicates even warriors in ancient times suffered its affects. In fact, though not identified as post-traumatic stress, we see the theme all throughout history.
It is clearly evident than warriors experienced it as far back as Biblical times.
Among Civil War combatants it is referenced as “soldier’s heart.”.
During WWI & WWII, what we now recognize as PTS was referred to as “shell shock.”.
During the Korean War and Vietnam era, people referred to “combat fatigue” or “battle fatigue.”.
Today we call it Post Traumatic Stress.
It’s estimated that from 25%-30% of combat soldiers experience it. Most of these are go UNTREATED, though.
The reasons are varied but basically come down to the stigmas and stereotypes associated with PTS and the view held by many warriors that they can fight through it on their own. For some, to acknowledge it and seek help would indicate weakness.

2024 Highlights from Crosswinds Foundation and Warriors on Mission 12/30/2024

As we reflect on the achievements of 2024, we invite you to explore our Year in Review. This report showcases our journey and success, all made possible by your support. As we prepare for 2025, consider how you can contribute to our mission. Every donation helps us make a greater impact. Read the full report and learn more about our future plans.
https://conta.cc/3BDmaUR

2024 Highlights from Crosswinds Foundation and Warriors on Mission Email from Crosswinds Foundation A snapshot of a year of serving. Highlights from 2024 Planning for the future is a must for successful organizations. It doing this, it is helpful to look back and con

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Birmingham?
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.

Videos (show all)

Getting help for emotional hurts isn’t about what’s wrong with you, it’s about what’s right…… and about walking through ...
If you know you have PTSD…… and you misinterpret things…Step back.Pause.Learn what you need to learn.And lean into the h...
We won’t surpass the weakest part of us, so…… strengthen every area.
Emotions are neutral— expressions of them are not.In other words, feeling something isn’t wrong. However, our responses ...
When you, as a warrior, react…… remember, most of it is in line with your past training and past experiences.You’ve been...
You must heal the KIND of hurt you have…#TraumaComesHome #WarriorFamily #PTSD #MoralInjury #SoulWholeness #VietnamVet #O...
You can’t heal a hurt you don’t acknowledge…AND it’s hard to heal something when you don’t have the vocabulary for what...
Your mission… is to seek the clearest path to total wholeness as possible. This means…Don’t avoid NOR seek a diagnosis...
We bump into disruptions every single day.But, getting emotionally hijacked should be the exception— not the norm....
Where you are isn’t who you are…… nor it where you are where you must remain.But, where you are is where you must begi...
We should pursue total health…… and that involves not settling for “partial health.”And, it entails seeking treatment....
Hard times don’t last forever. If you’re in a bad spot, don’t stop and camp out in it. Keep going. Persist…#TraumaC...

Telephone

Website

http://www.crossSwords.org/, http://www.capstand.org/

Address


2323 2nd Avenue N
Birmingham, AL
35203

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm