“When He saw the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:1-3 Someone asked C.S. Lewis if he cared for the Beatitudes, “As to caring for it, if “caring for,” means liking or enjoying, I suppose no one cares for it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read it with tranquil pleasure.”
ABC Blog
I had a great time facilitating the Center for Church Equipping Pre-Conference on Equipping Counselors for Your Church. Hosted by the Association of Biblical Counselors, over sixty attendees participated from a wide array of backgrounds (denominations, ethnicity, church size, roles—pastors, counselors, elders, deacons, ministry directors). At the end of our all-day overview of the “4Es” (envisioning, enlisting, equipping, and
Whenever we diagnose abuse in marriage, we don’t look at one single episode of sinful behavior which we’re all capable of. Instead, we must take a careful history of the marriage to see the big picture. We’re looking for examples of abusive behavior and attitudes as well as seeing if there is an overall imbalance of power and control within the relationship.
I’ve heard it said that the most important thought you will ever think is what you think about when you think about God. Not only is that a potential tongue twister (try to say it three times in a row fast!), it is a VERY true statement.
There is no question that the actions of Adolf Hilter during World War II stained the history books with the chilling reminder of how destructive an unregenerate heart can be. Albert Speer was a German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office. He was credited with keeping Nazi factories humming throughout World War II. He was the only one of twenty-four war criminals tried in Nuremburg who admitted his guilt. Speer spent twenty years in Spandau prison. Here is what he said in an ABC interview after twenty years:
There have been many challenges brought by critics who doubt the reliability and trustworthiness of the accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible. How can we be sure that the Bible we read can be trusted as accurate?
Then the Lord said to Cain… (Genesis 4:6a) The Scripture provides a wide range of case material packed with truth and meaning for counseling ministry. The story of Cain offers a prime example (Genesis 4:1-16). While we don’t have access to the details of Cain’s childhood, we can probably learn a few
A Common Scenario Pastor Bill and his wife Lisa had a growing church and a good marriage, but something was wrong. For over six months Bill felt tired much of the time. He found himself snapping at his kids and growing more distant from his loving wife. His sermon
The Christian’s Purpose “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to
This is the first devotional in an 8-part series on Relationships. Be honest with yourself. In some way, you've been disappointed with every relationship you've ever had. It's the universal experience of everyone this side of eternity. No, it's not that you've met the wrong people or that you lack relational skills. It's that every relationship you've had, you've had in a fallen world.