Resource Reviews

04/30/2008 Featured Product: Seeing With New Eyes Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison is intended to help Christians gain a better understanding what is so right about Biblical Counseling. Since most people have an opinion (one way or another) about the place of counseling in the life of Christians, Powlison wants to direct the reader's attention to not only consider how counseling changes people, but also the intended outcome of this type of counseling. Counseling is about changing people, and every school of counseling has its particular understanding of man, his problems and obviously the best solutions for him. And each counseling system intends to change the counselee into that counselor's assumption of who man is to be. The problem is that every system can't be right. Powlison brings God's view of counseling to the forefront. Most haven't considered that God has a slant on counseling, but He does, and it's important to know God's perspective. We either counsel people to become like Christ or to be His antithesis. Understanding anything begins with the conceptual. Seeing with New Eyes starts at this very point. Powlison has divided his book into two categories. First he approaches the concept of counseling from the pages of Scripture. This is not a proof-text of verses to make his point. Rather he reveals what God sees and says about counseling. Second Powlison discusses how to understand man and his problems from the Scriptures. We highly recommend this book for pastors, elders, lay leaders, lay counselors and students who are thrust into the counseling arena or who are pursuing a vocation as a counselor. It will also be helpful if you are considering Biblical counseling and want to See with New Eyes. –Jeff Temple

01/15/2008 Featured Product: Pleasing People If you have ever been told or even think you devote your life to pleasing people when you should be pleasing God this book is a must for you. It will give you more than you want, but everything you need. Priolo has done a masterful job of dividing this subject into two fundamental principles. First, he identifies the problem and second, he offers a biblical solution. His thoroughness in identifying the problem makes you wonder if anyone can escape the sinfulness of being a people pleaser. It is obvious from the depth to which Priolo writes that he has given extensive thought and study to this problem. His clear and easy-to-understand language provides the reader with the ability to thoroughly examine himself regarding this sin. Priolo covers a variety of ways people-pleasing manifests itself. Priolo offers the ultimate answer for people pleasing “ . . . in principle, learning to please God instead of man is the single greatest remedy to the problem of pleasing man.” Priolo offers a list of eleven characteristics of a God-pleaser, each one carefully and fully supported with Scripture. Pleasing People is probably the most definitive work on this subject to date. As with all our sins, we may not like God’s medicine, but it is what we all need. – Don Hart

07/19/2007 Featured Product: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands Biblical counseling is advancing within the church today, but getting the body to counsel one another still remains an issue for many. The term "counseling" requires a trained professional to treat a person’s problem, according to some. To dispel this misunderstanding Christians need to reclaim their role as a counselor, empowered with spiritual gifts and trained in basic skills to minister to one another. Our suggested resource is, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp. Tripp clearly examines the church’s responsibility to counsel one another and then presents practical skills to build confidence within the church body that we can and must restore one another to godliness. This timely and inspiring book is one of my favorites to recommend! It is a valuable resource to equip us to restore one another.

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