Have you ever noticed how some things correlate? The amount of air pressure in your tires affects the smoothness of your ride and the gas mileage of your vehicle. The amount of sleep you get influences your memory and mood. The nutrition of your diet affects your susceptibility to certain diseases. Consider another correlation that might not seem so obvious at first: the … [Read more...]
When someone resists your advice
Brad Hambrick is a pastoral counselor in Raleigh, NC. We asked him to respond to a question that pastors inevitably face: “If someone you counsel in your church refuses or ignores your counsel, how should that be handled?” Here are his thoughts. This is one of the things that can be difficult when we are counseling others. How much is somebody obligated to follow the … [Read more...]
When teens struggle with their faith
We asked pastoral counselor Brad Hambrick this question: “What counsel would you give to the parents of a teenage daughter who announces, ‘I don’t think I want to be a Christian anymore’?” We thought his response would be especially valuable to youth pastors or youth leaders who might be having this sort of conversation with a teenager. Be sure to listen to her reasons … [Read more...]
10 losses of trauma victims
Most of the losses that come with trauma are not tangible. Rarely do the people in your church have scars or missing limbs that would provide evidence to others of the trauma they faced. It can be argued both ways whether these physical marks would make the experience of trauma easier or harder. Either way, the majority of losses related to trauma do not have indicators that … [Read more...]
The big question of grief: Who am I now?
Where should we put grief? To what category of struggles does it belong? To what emotional or relational struggles is grief most akin? For a long time I put it in the basket of emotional struggles. I grouped it together with things like depression, anxiety, anger, and apathy. Then, as I was reading Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide by Gary Collins, I noticed that … [Read more...]