As I write this, the world is in upheaval. Africa experiences a plague of locusts, in Indonesia, the Krakatoa volcano erupts, countries the world over are wrestling with the virus Covid-19 and all the issues that come with it. And I would imagine there are many who, like me, are concerned about the seriousness not […]
Category: Counseling
Theology’s Role in Pastoral Counseling
Theology, broadly defined as the study of God and/or God’s nature, is at the core of how every person responds to the world around them. If you believe that there is no God, you are an atheist and will likely have no belief in an eternal afterlife or any sense of concern about an eternal […]
Book Review: God’s Grace In Your Suffering by David Powlison
If you are not familiar with the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation” you will quickly become familiar with it as you read God’s Grace In Your Suffering by David Powlison. The entire premise of the book is to map out the way the song addresses suffering. And he does so as only a master counselor […]
When A Counselor is Desperate
When a Counselor is Desperate I’ve wondered lately about where my heart has been. The past few weeks I’ve sensed a high level of self-sufficiency, and I realize the burden this is. Perhaps that seems like a contradictory statement to you. Or maybe you have been in the church a while and recognize the error […]
A Broken Church
I have been pondering the role of the church in today’s contexts a lot as of late. America has become a post-Christian nation despite the fact that the majority of American’s claiming to be Christian. Many are questioning the role and purpose of being a part of a local church body. After all, with technology […]
Running Away
Running Away When a pain finally is acknowledged by your brain, your body responds to protect itself by pulling away. Once, when I was just a preteen, I accidentally stepped on the sharpened end of a pencil that pierced deep into my foot. Before my foot went all the way to the floor, my foot […]
The Sorrow of Tomorrow
The Sorrow of Tomorrow My heart is weary. It’s not hard to imagine why. Even those who do not have much place for faith can look around our country and point to any number of different issues causing sorrow and pain. Something is wrong with our world. I heard tonight of a story of a […]
3 Reasons for Gospel Centered Counseling
There’s Cognitive-behavior therapy, behavior-modification, narrative-therapy, and a rather long list of other types of counseling theories. Why then is Gospel Centered Counseling something worth advocating? Isn’t it just another way of helping people like all the others? 1. Gospel Centered Counseling is THE Counseling Theory When God created man and we experienced our first problem […]
Counseling and Motivation
Counseling and Motivation I believe the motivation of counselors today is fundamentally flawed; especially counselors within the church. I believe that because the motivation is wrong, counselors are finding fewer and fewer opportunities to really help people, are burning out quicker, and are training others in a motivation system that leaves new counselor’s wanting for something […]
Community and Counseling
Community and Counseling Our culture has flipped the purpose of community and counselor’s on their head. Today, it is expected that when you visit a counselor, you should be able to expect some level of healing, if not complete restoration. While our culture teaches us that community should be a place where you get a […]