At the 2014 Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) annual conference, and at the 2015 Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference, I presented on:Mental Illness and the Church: Developing a Compassionate and Comprehensive Biblical Counseling Response
When I entered the counseling field fifteen years ago I confidently referred to myself as a Christian counselor. My genuine intent moving into this field was that I would strive to ensure that my counsel would always reflect genuine biblical teaching.
“If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” ― John Piper
When a couple comes to a counselor or pastor for help after serious and repetitive sin, how do we measure progress? Often we see a couple for months without ever defining clear goals or defining what needs to change. Below are ten indicators that I use that help me know that a couple is healing.
There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t go. Don’t watch it. Don’t read it. Don’t rent it.
Imagine struggling with an incessant issue wherein its history is filled with harsh stigmatism and bigotry. Imagine suffering under this daily condition feeling as though you were a shameful, less than human, unlovable outcast.
What if your family spent 7 1/2 minutes every day sitting down together at the kitchen table and offering instruction, guidance, encouragement? What if you read seven Bible verses to each other during the 7 1/2 minutes? What if you used these 7 1/2 minutes to cover very important topics for the health of your family?...
Counsel in a man’s heart is deep water; but a man of understanding draws it out. (Proverbs 20:5, HCSB)One of the hardest tools I learned in my graduate studies was the art of silence.
Recently a man wrote me challenging my theology. He told me I was stuck in Old Testament legalistic thinking. He said that if his wife practiced New Testament grace and forgiveness they would still be together.
Are you a person committed to change? This time of year, we’re all thinking about change. We’re going to change our diet, go to the gym, and finally lose that unwanted weight. We’re going to change our spending, budget more tightly, and finally save up that extra cash. We’re going to change our schedule, make […]