Some have noticed that it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post. I am taking a break from blog posting until the beginning of 2010 – (which really isn’t that far away). Have a blessed holiday season!
Filed under: blogging | Leave a Comment »
Christian Counselor Webinar Series – FREE
Posted on November 19, 2009 by gracedependent
A Christian counselor should never stop learning. There should be a passionate desire to personally grow continually in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, applying that knowledge in personal, practical ways; and, there should be a desire to grow in the application of that knowledge that will help those to whom one counsels. Upcoming in December there will be a series of four “webinars” given freely that I would like to recommend to you:
Christian Counselor Webinar Series
——————————————————————————
Speaker: Rick Thomas, Counseling Solutions
Topic: How to Identify the Ruling Motives of the Heart
Objective: In this seminar you will learn to identify the true ruling motive of the heart, the real starting place in the discipleship/ counseling process. Rick will practically teach you how to go beyond the presentation problem, to where the counselee really needs to change, i.e. in the heart.
Date & Time: December 1, 2009, 7pm EST
—————————————————————————–
Speaker: Luke Gilkerson, Covenant Eyes
Topic: Practical and Spiritual Resources for the Porn Addict
Objective: In this seminar you will learn about the pervasiveness, power, and pull pornography has in our culture and how we can give hope to those who struggle with this temptation. Luke will talk about the history of pornography’s relationship to technology, focusing specifically on the Internet porn industry. Luke will also talk about the effects of pornography on the heart, and the importance of the local church, accountability, and good counsel in combating this temptation.
Date & Time: December 3, 2009, 7pm EST
——————————————————————————–
Speaker: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., RPM Ministries
Topic: How to Care Like Christ: Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth
Objective: Everyone wants to “do biblical counseling” and to “be a spiritual friend,” but what does it actually look like in practice? In this session you will learn how to:
- Use God’s Word to bring Christ’s hope to people’s suffering
- Offer sustaining care for discouraged people by weeping with those who weep—learn how to empathize with people’s hurts
- Help bring healing comfort for suffering people by exploring Christ’s hope in the midst of our grief
Date & Time: December 8, 2009, 7pm EST
——————————————————————————
Speaker: Brad Hambrick, Crossroads Counseling & Association of Biblical Counselors
Topic: Romantic Conflict at the Cross
Objective: In this seminar you will learn to rethink both conflict and romance in light of our basic call to discipleship as Christians. Often it the very things that we long for most that we quarell over with our spouse. The net effect is that we “weaponize” the legitimate desires of our heart.
Brad will guide you through Luke 9:23-25 with practical exercises to “revise” conflict and “revive” romance by believing Christ’s promise that it is by denying ourself for his glory that we find life!
Date & Time: December 10, 2009, 7pm EST
—————————————————————————-
All webinars are FREE and open to the first 1,000 registrants.
(ht: Dr.Bob Kellemn)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Biblical Soul Care
Posted on November 17, 2009 by gracedependent
Twelve Stones is a wonderful counseling ministry that I was first exposed to about 5 years ago. Since that time, I have sat under Dr. Garrett Higbee’s lectures in my own biblical counseling training. It was a pleasant surprise to receive a newsletter from Twelve Stones introducing “Biblical Soul Care“. It is an 18 part DVD series that is designed to train Pastors and Church Leaders in biblical counseling. I believe this will be of great assistance to the local church desiring to implement the loving care of one another as modeled in Scripture. Below are some FAQs taken from the Biblical Soul Care website.
What is Biblical Soul Care?
It is not a new method or idea but is something that was commanded and practiced since early Jewish culture. Great models are the New Testament church (Acts 2) and the Puritan community. Today, you might know it as biblical counseling, intentional discipleship, mentoring, or other names. We would define it as speaking the truth in love anchored in the Word of God, depending on the Spirit of God, and practiced in a community of believers. It is more of an overarching term and a cultural philosophy of care than a counseling method.
Who would benefit from watching this series?
Small groups, ministry leaders, lay counselors, and anyone within the body of Christ who wants to deepen their understanding and ability to help care for hurting individuals in their life. Much of the material is foundational biblical principles that will help to establish or enhance the culture of caring within your church and your personal circle of influence. The last half of the series goes a bit deeper into the heart issues and how to implement this model in your church.
What is the purpose of this series?
Dr. Higbee and his staff have a great desire to see soul care returned to the church. They have a strong conviction that the most hurting individuals should be able to be cared for within the church. This series is the first of many to begin building the foundation of helping the local church take back counseling at all levels and changing the culture of caring in a way that will attract the world and provide superior solutions in Christ. As you watch the videos, you will see real life struggles and hear from Dr. Higbee’s practical biblical insight into how each of the situations might be handled.
I would encourage you to explore the Biblical Soul Care website; and, if so inclined, invest in this invaluable resource.
Filed under: Biblical Counseling, Christianity, Church, Culture, counseling | Tagged: AACC, Biblical Counseling, CCEF, counseling model for the church, Dr.Garrett Higbee, DVD series, Harvest Bible Chapel, James MacDonald, NANC, Nouthetic, Twelve Stones | Leave a Comment »
Thank you Veterans!
Posted on November 11, 2009 by gracedependent
Filed under: blogging | Tagged: Air Force, Armed Services, Army, Coast Guard, gratitude, Marine Corps, Navy, Veterans Day | Leave a Comment »
Soul Physicians: The Seduction: Paradise Lost (ch.14)
Posted on November 10, 2009 by gracedependent
Dr. Robert Kellemen, RPM Ministries, has produced a terrific resource in Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. As the Lord allows, I have been blogging through this counseling textbook chapter by chapter; arriving now at chapter 14. It is in this chapter that we begin to understand the “hows” of Satan’s seduction of our souls, to turn from God and follow after that which will not satisfy.
We must come to an understanding of how Satan seduces us to sin, so that we might be vigilant and aware personally, but also so that we might teach others of his devious methods! Sin begins it’s enticement in our desires. “Desire, remember, was God’s idea. Temptation and the distortion of desire is False Seducer’s [Satan's] province. Evil allures us to pursue God-designed desire in God-prohibited ways. Each of us is seduced through our appetites, affections, delights and desires.” (p.225) “Sin seduces us to love false lovers…Sin is spiritual prostitution.” “Where does sin seek it’s entry point? In our cravings – in our legitimate relational longings for intimacy”. (p.226) “So we hunger and thirst for relationship. We satisfy our hungry souls either coram Deo – face to face with God or coram Diabolos – face to face with the False Seducer.” “We either love the Lord our God with all our heart, or we love non-god with all our being”.
“Sin seduces us through our affections while it deceives us through our imagination.” “We’re allured by bait…Deceptive bait that blinds us to Worthy Groom’s [Christ] goodness.” “We move far from God when we think little of God.” (p.227) “We forsake God when we lose our awe of Him – when we lose all respect for God.”
“Satan entices us through our desires, deceives us in our imagination, and blinds us in our cognition.” Just like Adam and Eve, we worship substitute lovers, passing by our Creator altogether because we are blinded to the truth that He is altogether lovely! (p.228) “This is the truth to which False Seducer wants to blind us. Satan’s seduction always comes in the form of a story offering us a godness, by lessening God’s goodness.” (p.229)
“Remember the basic process of seduction. I always pursue (volitional) what I perceive (rational) to be most pleasing (relational). I always seek what I sense is most satisfying.” “We are tempted in or through our idiosyncratic appetites.” Here is “Satan’s seduction: crave the world and the food of the world and lose your appetite for God and God’s food.” (p.230) “In seduction, Satan tempts us to depreciate God and to choose lesser gods of our own making – gods that better suit our unique personality and life situation.” “As we turn, we enslave ourselves. The pathways we pursue to find life apart from God become our gods. The bondage of our will leaves us obsessively attempting to make life work without God.” (p.231)
“Satan seduces us to pursue what we perceive will be pleasing and pleasurable.” “Pleasure is part of sin’s seductiveness and addiction. Seductive because it does offer temporal pleasure over which I have some control.” “Pleasure’s temporal, finite nature leads to it’s addictiveness.” “If you wish to separate yourself from your spiritual umbilical cord to God, you will enslave yourself to endless addictive cycles of needing evermore non-god to fill your God-vacuum.” “We seek to be like God; we demand to be like God. When we do, we pursue non-god means of self-sufficiently satisfying our own longings. These non-gods become our master. Seeking to break loose from God’s mastery, we enslave ourselves to Satan’s sovereignty.”
IS THERE ANY HOPE?!?!?!
“Yes! Jesus was victorious over seduction. How?” (p.232) As Satan came to tempt Jesus Christ in the wilderness, he began with a temptation centered around the desire to feed the appetite (bread). “The issue here, as in all temptation, revolves around who will satisfy my appetite – God or me?” “Victory number one: entrust your self humbly to God’s goodness.” (p.233)
Satan then led Christ to the highest point of the temple and challenged Him to throw Himself down, to see if the Father would intervene. Jesus responds with Scripture again, stating that Satan should not put God to the test. “Victory number two: trust God; don’t test God. When tempted by Satan, we don’t tempt God. Instead, we trust Him for our satisfaction, for our victory, for our very life.”
Satan then, lastly, led Christ to view all the kingdoms of the world which would be His if He simply bowed and worshiped Satan. “Temptation always allures us in the realm of our affections and perceptions…We always worship what we value as most magnificent. “Victory number three: worship God, not False Seducer.” (p.234) “We experience victory over seduction to the degree that we worship Trinity as most glorious.”
Wow. This post is long – with a lot to take in. I attempted to keep commentary to minimum so that we could concentrate on Satan’s seductive plan for our lives, the destruction it brings and the victory, modeled by Christ and guaranteed to us in His word. There is a lot to think about here!
Filed under: Biblical Counseling, blogging, book review | Tagged: Biblical Counseling, Dr. Bob Kellemen, James 1, RPM Ministries, Satan, seduction, Sin, Soul Physicians, temptation | Leave a Comment »
Top five blog posts I read today:
Posted on November 6, 2009 by gracedependent
Here are excerpts from some blog posts I read today that either encouraged me or flat-out made me think:
1. Michael Patton, Parchment and Pen:
You know what it feels like: you are on fire; you are ready, willing and able; you don’t need any more sermons on Rom 12:1. You are a living sacrifice; you listened to Piper’s “Doing missions when dying is gain”; you are ready to die. You are ready to die for Christ, the Gospel and whatever other mission God puts you on.
Here I am Lord; I am ready.
Problem: there is no altar. Well, not like you thought. If it exists, it does not exist in the glory of your perceptions. You pray continually for God to show you his direction. There has to be a place for me in his army.
Here’s what you do:
2. Jared Totten, Christians in Context:
(I desire to do my own review of this book soon)
Jerry Bridges wrote one of the best books I’ve ever read on Christian sanctification in Pursuit of Holiness. But if Pursuit of Holiness is Sanctification 101, then Respectable Sins is Sanctification 301. While the former book focused on the broader subject of sanctification and dealt with the more common besetting sins, the latter focuses on the more subtle sins that often go unaddressed.
Before dealing with specific areas of sin, the opening chapters of Respectable Sins set the necessary foundation by addressing sin in general and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it. In this way, the first few chapters read like a concise summary of Pursuit of Holiness. The remainder of the book addresses issues like anxiety, unthankfulness, selfishness, and judgmentalism. Each of these chapters follows a similar formula, defining and exposing the sin before giving the reader practical steps of action against it.
The reader must be careful to read this book without any…(more here)
3. Desiring God
I was encouraged to begin to think about profitable Christmas presents by DG’s Christmas Sale: Something for Everyone. (and they mean just about everyone!)
4. Kevin DeYoung, DeYoung, Restless & Reformed:
(This post flat-out convicted me…thanks, Kevin)
Prayer is essential for the Christian, as much for what it says about us as for what it can do through God. The simple act of getting on our knees (or faces or feet or whatever) for 5 or 50 minutes every day is the surest sign of our humility and dependence on our Father in heaven. There may be many reasons for our prayerlessness—time management, busyness, lack of concentration—but most fundamentally, we ask not because we think we need not. or we think God can give not. Deep down we feel secure when we have money in the bank, a healthy report from the doctor, and powerful people on our side. We do not trust in God alone. Prayerlessness is an expression of our meager confidence in God’s ability to provide and of our strong confidence in our ability to take care of ourselves without God’s help.
more here
5. Dr. Bob Kellemen, Changeless Truth for Changing Times:
If you or someone you care about is struggling with anxiety, what’s our goal?
You shout, “To get rid of the anxiety!”
Well, that’s a great desire. It certainly is an acceptable prayer. “Lord, if it be Thy will, remove all feelings and experiences of anxiety.”
The problem is, this side of heaven, not all feelings are “healed,” not all negative emotional experiences are “wiped away.” It’s on the other side of heaven that we have no more tears, sorrow, pain, or suffering.
There’s no guarantee that medication will eliminate anxiety. There’s no promise that talk therapy will remove all feelings of fear. There’s no pledge that biblical counseling or scriptural meditation will eliminate every negative emotion.
When anxiety is totally eliminated, that’s a special grace of God for which everyone gives thanks. But that’s not the everyday result nor should it be our ultimate goal.
Read more about the goal here…
Tonight there’s a definite chill in the air, high school football game going on across the street, a fire flickering in the fireplace and a warm easy chair for my aching back. And this is just a bit of what I’ve been reading…I hope you enjoyed it as well.
Filed under: Links and Updates, blogging | Tagged: Biblical Counseling, blogging, book reviews, Christians in Context, Christmas shopping, Desiring God Ministries, DeYoung, Dr. Bob Kellemen, gifts, high school football, Jared Totten, Jerry Bridges, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Michael Patton, Parchment and Pen, Pursuit of Holiness, Reformed, Respectable Sins, Restless, RPM Ministries, winter, wood burners | Leave a Comment »
Loving Your Wife as Christ Loves the Church by Larry McCall (book review)
Posted on November 4, 2009 by gracedependent
Loving Your Wife as Christ Loves the Church is the latest release from Larry McCall (Walking Like Jesus Did). He not only is an author but conference & leadership seminar speaker, and the Pastor for Preaching and Teaching at Christ’s Covenant Church which is just a short drive from where I live. Published by BMH Books, a local publishing house, Loving Your Wife was a book I was immediately interested in reading and reviewing.
Loving Your Wife takes Ephesians 5:25 and unpacks it in such a way that men come to know a full understanding of Paul’s exhortation. McCall challenges husbands to love their wives in very practical terms, and his pastor’s heart comes out at the end of every chapter as he provides questions to consider and action steps to apply. His appendices further this practicality as he offers insight for men who may be married to an unconverted wife, living in a difficult marriage or those who might want to begin an accountability group.
Loving Your Wife was easy to read and yet challenged my thinking concerning my own marriage. I found myself reflecting, and wincing from time to time, as I finished each chapter. I enjoyed the manner in which Larry McCall probed nuances of the biblical text, and in the process stayed true to it’s intended meaning. I envision this book being used by men’s groups, young married classes, as a counseling resource and other varied ways in & out of the church.
Recommended; 200 pp, soft-cover.
You can find Loving Your Wife at the BMH website, Amazon, and Christianbook.com.
Filed under: Biblical Counseling, Christianity, Church, Culture, blogging, book review, devotional | Tagged: Accountability, Apostle Paul, BMH books, Christ's Covenant Church, CJ Mahaney, counseling, Divorce, Ephesians, expository, Grace College & Seminary, Jerry Bridges, John Piper, Larry McCall, Marriage, Remarriage, Tedd Tripp, Winona Lake IN | Leave a Comment »
10 Million Words – Tim Challies & New York Times bestsellers
Posted on November 2, 2009 by gracedependent
Well-known, and well-read, Tim Challies of Challies.com is undertaking a new project in 2010 and invites the readers of his blog to follow along. If you’ve followed Tim at all, you know he is an avid reader and an accurate book reviewer. He revealed one of his goals for 2010 today at Challies.com:
I plan to read all of the New York Times Bestselling books over the course of the whole year.
More from his post today explaining his goal (10 Million Words):
Why Are You Doing This?
Just ten years in, the twenty-first century has already been fascinating and complex. The potential for a Y2K disaster was averted but within two years America saw a completely unforeseen disaster that showed just how small the world has become and proved that America was no longer safe within her own borders. Since then we have seen protracted wars, the deaths of iconic celebrities, a massive economic downturn that brought the world to the brink of depression, and the election of the nation’s first black President. All this and the century has only just begun.America’s bestselling books tell us, I’m sure, who America is, who her people are, at this time and place. Surely they will give me a glimpse into the world’s most powerful, the world’s most fascinating nation.
So why am I doing it? That is a fair question and one that does not offend me in the least. There are a few answers. First, I love to read and this project gives me an opportunity to read a lot. That, as I see it, is a good thing. Second, it is a challenge and I like to face a good challenge. I expect this project to involve at least ten million words of reading–break that down and you’ll see that it comes to at least three books per week over the course of an entire year. Third, I am interested in the cultural and worldview implications of all of these books. They will provide, I’m sure, a snapshot of where America is at as she enters a new decade. And for me, as a Canadian who spends a fair amount of time wandering the United States and who has family living in the United States, this stands to be particularly interesting.
You can read more about who Tim is, as well as more about his goal in reading and reviewing here. I read Tim’s blog daily and my interest is piqued to see what he shares as the new year begins.
Filed under: Culture, blogging, book review | Tagged: 21st Century, America, blogging, book reviews, Canada, Challies.com, Culture, New York Times Bestsellers book list, Reformed theology, The Gospel Coalition, Tim Challies, Y2K | Leave a Comment »
Who are Biblical Counselors?
Posted on November 2, 2009 by gracedependent
Biblical counselors have been trained to utilize the Bible in a counseling context by applying practical and hopeful biblical principles to real life situations and problems.
These counselors believe the Word of God to be sufficient and essential for counseling. In other words, there is no other work or resource in counseling that has the same authoritative position to assist both counselor and counselee than God’s Word. To be clear, this does not mean that other resources are not to be used, but their submissive stance to Scripture must be maintained.
Biblical counselors believe in the faithful proclamation of God’s word through preaching (corporately), as well as, the faithful counsel and ministry of the Word individually. It is important for church leadership (pastors, elders, etc) to not be saddled with all of the counseling within the church body. They should be utilizing qualified, trained individuals for counseling purposes – in this endeavor they should walk hand-in-hand.
Romans 15:14 states, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.”
Biblically trained and experienced lay counselors can be effective in solving problems biblically under the authority of the local church.
Finally, below is a “list of essentials” to be found in every biblical counselor:
- The foremost goal of every biblical counselor must be to please God. (2 Corinthians 5:9)
- Biblical counselors must strive for excellence in their personal knowledge of God. (2 Timothy 2:15)
- Biblical counselors also must develop the skills necessary to administer and apply the Word of God accurately. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Quotes taken from Hope & Help through Biblical Counseling; Focus Publishing; Mark Shaw, author.
Filed under: Biblical Counseling | Tagged: AACC, Biblical Counseling, Focus Publishing, IABC, Mark Shaw, NANC, Nouthetic | Leave a Comment »
Thanksgiving Giveaway! Monergism Books
Monergism Books is giving away three quality prizes for Thanksgiving:
by John Calvin
This Special Collector’s edition contains the 22 commentary volumes plus the Beveridge edition of Calvin’s Institutes. Each volume includes a 500-year logo/emblem to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth.
by J. C. Ryle
Ryle’s ‘plain and pointed’ words are a great stimulus to the reading of the Bible itself. While his chief aim is to help the reader to know Christ, he additionally writes so that his commentaries can be read aloud to a group. There are many other fuller commentaries on the Gospels, but no others make such compelling listening as those of J.C. Ryle.
by D. A. Carson
In this commentary on John’s Gospel, a respected Scripture expositor makes clear the flow of the text, engages a small but representative part of the massive secondary literature on John, shows how the Fourth Gospel contributes to biblical and systematic theology, and offers a consistent exposition of John as a evangelistic Gospel.
To find out more about this giveaway (you must fill out a very short survey) click HERE.
(h/t Tim Challies)
Filed under: Contest / Giveaway, blogging | Tagged: Commentaries, D A Carson, Gospel, Grace, J C Ryle, Jesus Christ, John, John Calvin, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Monergism Books, Reformed theology, Tim Challies | Leave a Comment »