Author: Gary Hallquist

Praying for Counseling

Praying for Counseling

Posted by | Oct 8, 2025 | |

In recent days, I have begun the practice of writing prayers. Although I am a regular practitioner of spontaneous praying, writing prayers causes me to think more deeply about what I truly want to say. It forces me to dive deeper into my soul and access my spirit and the Spirit of God in me. To date, I have found this practice enriching in my own spiritual life and a catalyst to more fervent praying for myself and others. Consequently, I have chosen to offer in today’s blog written prayers for counseling. I hope you find them helpful. Continue Reading →

Read More
The Hospital of Worship

The Hospital of Worship

Posted by | Jun 30, 2025 | |

Sometimes I encounter counselees who are broken by so many things that it is hard for me to know where to begin. Of course, the right initial action is always to listen with empathy. But once you have a good picture of what’s at play and it’s time to come up with a plan of action, you must figure out the best place to step in. Continue Reading →

Read More
Is Christ Central to My Counseling?

Is Christ Central to My Counseling?

Posted by | Apr 21, 2025 | |

Is it possible for us to provide counsel to individuals that leaves out Jesus? It is important for us to evaluate how Christ-focused our counsel really is periodically. Perhaps we need to see a continuum, where “Christ is absent” is on the far left and “Christ is pre-eminent” is on the far right, then soberly try to determine where our counselees would say we are most of the time. Continue Reading →

Read More
What Counts

What Counts

Posted by | Jan 6, 2025 | |

Transformation begins with becoming a new creation. I realize that sounds backward. It seems like the statement should read, “transformation ends with becoming a new creation.” The reality is that it’s both. We must become a new creation to begin the journey of becoming a new creation. Continue Reading →

Read More
What’s In Your Pantry?

What’s In Your Pantry?

Posted by | Nov 4, 2024 | |

To a large degree, the whole biblical counseling movement began with the concept of putting off and putting on, found in this verse in Romans as well as passages in Ephesians and Colossians. Much has been written about the Ephesians and Colossians texts, but I would like to focus a little closer on this text in Romans because here, Paul is not calling us to remove bad behavior and put on good behavior—he’s telling us to put on Christ. What does that mean? Since context is the only way to ensure we get a correct interpretation, we must look at what Paul wrote before and after verse 14 to see where this sentence is in his argument. Continue Reading →

Read More

Categories

Archives