What tends to consume your thinking when you start counseling people? Are you aware that when you sit with others to discuss the issues of their hearts, you actually enter a war zone? Would you say this is a prominent aspect of your counseling mind-set? Consider the Apostle Peter’s words for a moment, ”Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the … [Read more...]
Post-abortion counseling
It is estimated that 43 percent of women under the age of forty-five have had an abortion. One in six women in the evangelical Christian church is post-abortive.1 We live in a culture that idolizes personal choice and convenience, and as a result, more women than we are aware of are dealing with the aftereffects of abortion. Because of this, we have to know how to minister to … [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...]
Receiving God’s grace in your grief
An Interview with Elizabeth W. D. Groves On February 5, 2007, J. Alan Groves, professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, lost a battle with melanoma. His wife, Elizabeth, eventually wrote about their yearlong struggle in Grief Undone: A Journey with God and Cancer.1 She graciously shared with us some of what she learned through their horrible trial. We … [Read more...]
Helping stepfamilies when things go wrong
In a previous article, we introduced licensed marriage and family therapist Ron Deal, director of FamilyLife Blended™, a resource website for blended families and the churches who serve them (FamilyLife.com/blended). We interviewed him about the unique needs of stepfamilies and how churches can reach out to them. Here he explains how pastors can help stepfamilies deal with … [Read more...]
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