The word “boundaries” is a popular word in our culture today. From books and pop-psychology, to talk shows and everyday conversations at the local coffee shop, this topic of “boundaries” is a hot topic among people as we try to navigate our relationships. “I have to establish my boundaries.” “I need to figure out how to set up better boundaries with my in-laws.” “You need to define boundaries with your husband so he knows when he’s crossed them!”
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In my last post we looked at how Proverbs 18 gives invaluable instruction regarding the importance of being a good listener in counseling. In this post we look at a case study of biblical listening in action. Here is an example from Solomon’s own life as recorded in I Kings 3. This is a concrete, practical example of what Proverbs 18:15 means by having active ears. Here is the text of the case study: 1 Kings 3:16-28 16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
The opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. Indifference says I don’t care enough about you to give you my time, my energy or other resources to show interest, care, or love towards you. Indifference says how you feel or what you want doesn’t matter to me. Indifference says you are not a person to love, but an object to use. Indifference says I don’t need to change anything to make our relationship better for you if it’s okay for me. Indifference says that you exist for my benefit and when you don’t please me or benefit me anymore, you are replaceable or disposable.
“Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God.” John Piper In counseling, I am often asked “how to” questions. How do I quit overeating, how do I forgive the wrongs in my past, how can I stop being so afraid, how do I stop obsessing over people and circumstances – and of course the list is as long as the maladies we experience in a world stricken with sin.
It's that time of year again - time to ring in the New Year with dramatic resolutions fueled by the hope of immediate and significant personal life change. Let’s be honest. The reality is that few smokers actually quit because of a single
"For I was envious of the arrogant." (v.3) This side of heaven all of us do it and most of the time we do it without knowing that we are. It is such a natural thing for sinners to do. Perhaps every day, someplace, at some moment we want what someone else has. Everyday we are jealous for the possessions, position, or prominence of another person. There is probably never a day when we are free of envy. Maybe you're standing on the corner and someone drives by in a BMW and you say to yourself. "It must be nice!" Or, maybe you see someone coming out of an upscale restaurant and just for a moment you want their life. Or maybe you've just heard about you neighbor's vacation and you wonder
In this two part series we want to talk about equipping the ground troops to care for the hurting people in our midst. This first blog will focus more on the twenty thousand foot view of things. Part two will focus more on the specifics of how we equip people here at Harvest.
A woman struggling in an emotionally destructive marriage once asked me, “Doesn’t love cover a multitude of sins? (1 Peter 4:8). She continued, “Who am I to hold my husband’s sin or blindness against him? The Bible teaches us, ‘It is good for us to overlook an offense’ (Proverbs 19:11). Shouldn’t I just keep quiet and minister to him, and pray that he will see God’s love in me?”
“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.”
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