Jenna, a twenty-seven-year-old working professional, comes to see you initially for anxiety related to work. She shares with you that she’s been really stressed working sixty-plus hours a week and that it’s starting to take more of a toll on her. Over time, you learn that she has developed an online shopping addiction and accrued thousands of dollars of debt. She is also single … [Read more...]
Mastering the art of silence
Counsel in a man’s heart is deep water; but a man of understanding draws it out.” (Prov. 20:5 HCSB) One of the hardest tools I learned in my graduate studies was the art of silence. For many of us, when we are in a conversation with another person, silence is so AWKWARD. Our instinct is to try to fill it quickly! To avoid silence, we ask questions. We try to relate by … [Read more...]
Why should you ask church members questions about pop culture?
When you sit down with someone in your church, perhaps someone who is struggling with marital strife due to alcohol abuse or anxiety after a job loss or a prolonged depression, how much time do you take to “enter into the person’s world”? Over the course of pastoral counseling, do you take the time to learn about how the person interacts with popular culture in its various … [Read more...]
The Freedom of Responsibility teaching and counseling packet
So that’s when Susie said, “Sometimes people don’t realize that their circumstances could be different—and how they’re contributing to their own mess.” Let me back up a bit. A few months ago, I interviewed Susie Howard and Wendy Herrberg. Wendy and Susie are the care ministry directors at The Creek church in Indianapolis, IN. They explained to me that often, when … [Read more...]
How to avoid preaching insensitive sermons
Lane Sebring has spent a lot of time preaching, and thinking and writing about how to do it well. He is associate pastor at Centreville Baptist Church in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC, area and author of Preaching Killer Sermons. We asked him to share some insights on how to avoid being insensitive when preaching on a sensitive topic. Do you remember a sermon when … [Read more...]
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