Counselor, have you made mistakes in marriage counseling? Chances are you have! Here are five common mistakes and ideas on how to avoid them. Guest writer Winston T. Smith is a faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) and is the author of Seminary. He has been counseling for twenty years and is the author of Marriage Matters: Extraordinary … Read More
Showing God to the Hurting
GOD matters to the hurting, so our counselees and spritual friends must first know “Where is God?” Then they can experience his care personally. In this insightful post, Dr Donna Hart, PhD, helps counselors and spiritual friends discover how to help the hurting. Her article appeared first here and is used with permission. We who know God often wrestle with how … Read More
Counseling a Practical Atheist
The practical atheist. You know him. He’d the guy who says he’s a Christian but lives like God is dead. Perhaps he’s your counselee, a friend or a family member. The question is, how do you counsel a professing-Christian-practical-atheist? This guy who lists God’s attributes like a theologian–how do you counsel him? You begin by recognizing his ways. Then you … Read More
Lonely During the Holidays? Here’s Help
During the holidays, lonely folks are as numerous as snowflakes in a Minnesota blizzard. Still, knowing this fact doesn’t take away the emptiness, does it? So what helps? Pastor Paul Tautges shares part of the booklet Help! I’m So Lonely by biblical counselor Deborah Howard, RN, an article that appeared first here on his website. He is the editor of the … Read More
Biblical Counseling: What Makes It BIBLICAL?
Biblical Counseling: What makes it biblical? In this guest article written by Robert “Bob” Kellemen–counselor, professor, author, conference speaker, and pastor–he answers this question in light of a recent article in The Gospel Coalition, making comparisons to biblical preaching. My friend, David Murray, wrote a piece for The Gospel Coalition in 2012 that was recently re-posted: How Biblical Is Biblical Counseling? In … Read More
Reformation! Martin Luther, Gospel and Counseling
Today marks the 500th anniversary of the event that sparked the Protestant Reformation. On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the wooden doors of a Roman Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany. In his theses, Luther, a Catholic monk, attacked the church’s corruption and indulgences-for-sale system. Shares pastor Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition: One of the things … Read More
Secret to Godly Counsel
A secret to great godly counsel begins with discerning whether the gospel guides and directs the counselee’s heart. It comes down to knowing and believing. Some folks know the gospel but don’t live according to their knowledge. They deny it by not living according to it. Check out Romans 1:21-22, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4, and Luke 6:46. But when a person believes … Read More
Encountering Perfect Love
PERFECT LOVE: God wants you to surrender your heart to God every day. Will you? Counselor Donna Hart, PhD, shares her insight on spirtual transformation and Perfect Love. Her article appeared first here on her website and is used with permission. Have you sung the words to the hymn “Trust and Obey”? Many of us have. We may think these … Read More
RESET: Learning the Grace-Fueled Life
The book Reset helped a pastor and biblical counselor experience grace after burnout and depression. Paul Tautges reviews Reset and shares his personal story of hurt and hope. Be encouraged. His article appeared first here on his website and is used with permission. RESET: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture is a compassionate and courageous book. Reading it from … Read More
