Fearful? Anger may get you too. Have you felt anxious when suddenly something inside you just snapped? Fear morphs into anger and you feel even worse. If you let yourself slide into self-pity, which is a sneaky face of anger, you may begin calling yourself “a waste of space.” If you let your anger turn to outwardly directly rage, don’t … Read More
“I’m Only Joking”
Sarcasm is a style of conversation you hear almost daily. Late-night talk show hosts use cutting remarks to entertain audiences. Politicians use sarcasm to convince their constituents that the opponent is unworthy of their vote. And we use ironic criticisms in our daily communications with one another at work, home, or church. So is sarcasm a godly – or ungodly … Read More
Do You Ignore Your Spiritual Caller ID?
Isn’t caller ID among the best phone features ever invented? When I get a call, I simply check my phone display and see who it is who wants to talk to me. I’m pretty much a “chatty Cathy” and will talk to almost anyone except when I don’t want to be interrupted. That’s why I love caller ID: I can decide … Read More
How to Listen to the Heart
Listen, ask, look – these three essentials help you hear the heart of a hurting person. When you hear the heart like Jesus, you give compassionate, effective counseling. Essential 1: Listen To help the hurting, you need to learn about your counselee. There are two simple, but critical aspects to gathering the necessary information. The first is the ability to … Read More
The Solution to Temptation
Does temptation get the best of you sometimes? Brussels sprouts – yuck! The smell and taste disgust me. This vegetable is more of a deterrent than a temptation. If someone said I had to eat them before I could enjoy wonderfully delicious dark chocolate, I’d say “No Thanks” to both! Facing temptation is rarely this easy, however. When you and I … Read More
Caring Like Christ: Part 1
Caring Like Christ is a mini-course designed for God’s Church. Here’s your chance to preview it! The Caring Like Christ mini-course has four parts; it trains ministry leaders and people in the pew in the basics of biblical counseling. This mini-course is part of our larger 24-session Foundations in Biblical Counseling training course. Part 1: Biblical Shepherding Jesus took the … Read More