Author: Betty-Anne Van Rees

Serving Singles When Death has Separated

Serving Singles When Death has Separated

Posted by | Jun 21, 2021 | |

This week’s mini-series on the BCC Grace and Truth blog addresses the topic of counseling singles. In this first article, Betty-Anne Van Rees provides wisdom for counseling widows. In other contributions to the series, Jodi Kushner discusses the stigma attached to divorced singles in the church, Brady Goodwin exhorts believers to welcome young singles as family, and Jason Hsieh considers three questions for older singles and their churches. Continue Reading →

Read More
The Wisdom in Restrained Responses: A Brief Case Study

The Wisdom in Restrained Responses: A Brief Case Study

Posted by | Jan 4, 2021 | |

Imagine you are peering through the living room window of a young woman’s home. The picture before you is distressing. You anticipated it might be bleak, but you couldn’t have imagined this. There she is, curled up on a cushion on the floor in front of her wood stove, day after day… after day. There is no music playing; no cell phone or TV to deaden the pain. It’s winter and cold outside, and you can only imagine the coldness in her heart that keeps her there. She’s been navigating life as a widow and single mom for two years now, and you hadn’t foreseen that it might look like this at this point in her journey. Continue Reading →

Read More
Changing: Where Do We Begin?

Changing: Where Do We Begin?

Posted by | Sep 30, 2020 | |

When people reach out to us for help, they have an agenda. So often, that agenda has to do with a troubling behavior—they unleash anger destructively, can be paralyzed by fear, are addicted to a substance, or they sin sexually. More often than not, they know their choices and experiences are less than God’s good purposes for them; that God sees their behavior as sin or doubt-fueled suffering, and they feel guilt, shame, or burden, and want relief. And we want it for them. This is where we can go so desperately wrong. Continue Reading →

Read More
Does Your Biblical Counsel Reflect God’s Invitation?

Does Your Biblical Counsel Reflect God’s Invitation?

Posted by | Jun 29, 2020 | |

As people who are prone to strive for things that will give us satisfaction, even our striving after God, the invitation of Isaiah 55 captures us. It’s a hand—not just any hand, but the hand of God—extended, offering satisfaction of the deepest kind. Instead of striving, we are invited to listen and learn and live. There is no one outside the reach of this invitation, though it can appear to be outside one’s grasp. The difference lies simply in a willingness to cease striving (Ps. 46:10), to come and to hear. Continue Reading →

Read More

The Ineffectual Work of Human Anger

Posted by | Apr 13, 2020 | |

The problem with anger is that it works. Do you want someone to comply with your expectations promptly? Let anger loose, and you are very likely to accomplish the task. But here is the problem with relationships that work this way: we “win the battle” but “lose the war,” one battle at a time. While this is a valuable discussion to consider in any relationship, its importance is particularly heightened in parent-child relationships where the potential for harm is greatest. Continue Reading →

Read More

Categories

Archives