What first comes to mind when you hear the word fear? You are likely bringing to mind things you had watched/heard in some form of media, maybe a personal experience yourself, or the experience of being around young people when they’re afraid. And you could in turn spend hours sharing such stories. I wonder how you would describe that fear in specific detail?

For the past six months, women from various seasons and circumstances of life have gathered in a home, around a table, rushing in from work, from dinner clean up, or having just putting little ones down, to fellowship with one another around the Word of God. In this, I have seen the fruit of discipleship, and what it looks like to follow a nudge from the Lord and see Him do all the work. 

…and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Paul’s words from Ephesians 4:26-27. What is this anger? How are we to follow this command when our most common experience is not overcome by sin in thought or deed? Following this last question, how in the world do we help young people do the same?!

John Piper coined the term Christian Hedonism in his 1986 book Desiring God. Out of that term came his most famous quote (at least for me), “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” When I counsel, this is a quote I share and have the counselee memorize. Abundant joy and total commitment to the glory of God has to go together in some way.

Souls and how they change: I've found that rudimentary concepts of Christian life are essential in counseling. A biblical understanding of what our souls are is one of these. Our souls are not so much a thing, but who we are as a person. Just who will be the person who sees Jesus' face to face in heaven? Volumes have been written on the subject, but here is a primer. I use this essay to help my counselees understand a clearer picture of why God made them. What is their purpose for their lives ... their day.

My path to becoming a biblical counselor began with God giving me an urging when I was an Elder to start a lay counseling ministry. I started my research by talking with various local churches. I concluded that the magnitude of a church counseling ministry would require a Pastor, so I started praying to that end. Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayer in an awesome way!

My introduction to Biblical Counseling was somewhat of a journey, not necessarily one specific event/resource, but a series of them that the Lord used in very impactful ways. There were three resources and a few very significant life experiences that were instrumental in shaping my view of and involvement in Biblical Counseling.

What happens when you live in fear or sadness, but perhaps you don't share or confess for fear of judgment? Do you feel that you are all alone and yearn to be with and feel connected to others? This feeling describes the emotion of loneliness.

I believe I was always being prepared by the Lord to be a biblical counselor. Of course, I didn’t realize it until I was older. But as I look back on even my childhood years, I know that each situation in my life was teaching me about hardships. And even though my spiritual life was quite shallow then, I always felt Jesus was with me and cared for me.

I frequently use the question “what did/do you want?” to draw out the hearts of others. And most importantly, I use it on myself for self-evaluation in times of anger, fear, despair, etc. I shouldn’t be surprised when the Lord uses this question to reveal answers I was not expecting

It is a Wednesday night and your teen comes home from youth group and asks, “Guess what I heard in youth group tonight?” What follows is a description of how another student had fallen short, that is they had sinned in a clear way and with that the natural consequences are significant. How would you respond?

As you apply soul care to others, whether as a Biblical Counselor, or as one in a shepherding/disciple-making role of any kind (e.g., groups leader, mentor, parent, Pastors/Elders, ministry leader), what does it look like for you to be cared for in similar ways?

The last two Sunday nights about 20 high school students used the book of Proverbs to glean helpful wisdom for decision making that could apply to simple daily decisions or even more complex and life impacting decisions. This was significant, why?

Don't let God's work in your life be a secret. Celebrate Him and the examples/miracles He does in your life. Rejoice, and be glad in Him.

When studying and discussing John 19:31-42 this week I was reminded of an important principle as we observe in others indicators of faith in Christ. That is, faith trajectory over time

My hope is that this has been sufficient to stir students to think Biblically about the topic and engage in the challenge they were given to do the hard work of arriving at personal convictions

With last week’s blog giving a starting point foundation for the relational long game, there are some additional core Biblical principles to consider when it comes to “dating” and relationships with the opposite sex in general

There is quite a bit to talk about when it comes to the topic of “dating”, but I’d like to start with the concept of the long game when it comes to anything in shepherding young people