Author: Gary Hallquist

The Mercy of Affliction

The Mercy of Affliction

Posted by | Jul 31, 2024 | |

Lots of people (including me) are not fans of physical exercise, but when you read about the benefits of a regular habit of exercise and the consequences of not exercising, you don’t have to be smart to figure out that exercise is essential to good health and wellbeing… whether we like it or not. The same is true of affliction. Affliction is not something anyone desires, but that does not mean we don’t need it. The truth is that affliction is a God-appointed tool to aid in the maturation of believers. Without it, vital nutrients are missing for the proper development of the fruit we are called to bear (John 15:8). Continue Reading →

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Be Gentle to All—Especially New Counselors

Be Gentle to All—Especially New Counselors

Posted by | Sep 22, 2023 | |

I remember my early days of counseling well. I felt horribly inadequate and terrified by the thought that people would be thinking my words were wise and then acting on them. What if I gave them bad advice, or suggested something unbiblical or contrary to the Holy Spirit? From my personal experience, I would like to give you four action points of applying gentleness to the counselees you supervise. Continue Reading →

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Five Tips for Overcoming Fear of Your Spouse

Five Tips for Overcoming Fear of Your Spouse

Posted by | Jan 16, 2023 | |

This week’s mini-series on the Grace and Truth blog addresses the issue of fear of man. In our first article, Gary Hallquist considers counseling spouses who are afraid of each other. In other contributions to the series, Brady Goodwin addresses counseling courage over fear in our speech with others, and Joe Keller explores the question of whether we should care what other people think of us. Continue Reading →

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A Call to Worship

A Call to Worship

Posted by | Sep 26, 2022 | |

Central to a biblical understanding of anthropology is that humans are made for worship. The understanding that there is something greater than we are has been hardwired into our hearts, and when we come to know the God of the Bible, our response above all else is worship. Continue Reading →

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When the Operation is Successful, but the Patient Dies

When the Operation is Successful, but the Patient Dies

Posted by | Aug 19, 2022 | |

If you’ve counseled for any length of time, you have likely found yourself in a spot where you have done everything you know to do, but the person you are counseling is no better. Maybe it’s a couple that you’ve been working with that’s highly conflicted, and they are just not responding to your counsel. Maybe it’s a woman struggling with anxiety who does all her homework yet shows no signs of improvement. We, counselors, are human and are likely to have intrusive thoughts suggesting we must not be very good at what we do. It’s even harder for us to take when our counselee says as much. Let’s face it—counseling people is hard work. While counseling at its best is a front-row seat to watch God work, it can be discouraging, frustrating, and at times humiliating when you can’t seem to figure out exactly what is wrong or what to suggest as a solution. Continue Reading →

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