Author: Andrew Dealy

Book Review of Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life’s Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy by Stephen Viars

Book Review of Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life’s Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy by Stephen Viars

Posted by | Jun 15, 2021 | |

Bitterness is something each of us has tasted and likely been unwilling to talk about. It is pervasive and painful, yet often hidden in the heart beneath the veneer of a contented appearance. If unattended, bitterness will only grow and, as author Stephen Viars succinctly puts it, will eventually destroy us. Bitterness is no small thing with no small consequences. To effectively handle bitterness, guidance is needed, and Viars’ book Overcoming Bitterness is a welcome light for traversing its shadowed paths. Continue Reading →

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Our Sympathetic High Priest

Our Sympathetic High Priest

Posted by | May 5, 2021 | |

When you counsel others, what Bible verse or story do you most often use? I’ve noticed my answer to this question can change throughout the year for a number of reasons. However, one verse seems to stay near the top of my rotation consistently: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Volumes could be written (and have been) on the incredible contents of this singular verse. However, one part particularly produces deep joy in my heart: Jesus is our sympathetic high priest. Continue Reading →

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A Counselor’s Kryptonite

A Counselor’s Kryptonite

Posted by | Feb 3, 2021 | |

As a counselor, I am sometimes treated like I’m a superhero. My ability to leap over emotional crises in a single bound and see through brick walls of communication dysfunction can leave my counselees feeling like I’m something special. Their humble and adoring responses like “Man, I would’ve never understood that without you” and “Andrew, you saved my marriage” are a boost to my ego and a danger to my soul. Like a glowing green lump of kryptonite, these words are beautiful in appearance but if held too close, will drain the life out of me. Continue Reading →

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Book Review of Suffering in 3-D: Connecting the Church to Disease, Disability, and Disorder by John C. Kwasny

Book Review of Suffering in 3-D: Connecting the Church to Disease, Disability, and Disorder by John C. Kwasny

Posted by | Jan 12, 2021 | |

Suffering. We all seek to avoid it, yet invariably we all must deal with it in some form or fashion. For some, suffering ebbs and flows through the various chapters of life, coloring discreet aspects of their experience. For others, suffering is a constant, an inescapable thread running through the entire fabric of their life. In both cases, help is needed to navigate the suffering that adorns life this side of heaven. John Kwasny’s book, Suffering in 3-D, offers such help. Continue Reading →

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Last Words: Seven Sayings from the Heart of Christ on the Cross by Robert J. Nash

Last Words: Seven Sayings from the Heart of Christ on the Cross by Robert J. Nash

Posted by | Dec 8, 2020 | |

Last words matter. They color our experience and can rewrite our understanding of a person’s life. The final words chosen reveal deep truths about a person’s heart and hope. Very rarely does a person know when they are speaking their final words. In such cases, the words carry a weight perhaps surpassing the sum total of all the words they have previously spoken. They are worthy of acute attention and careful consideration. In Last Words: Seven Sayings from the Heart of Christ on the Cross, Robert J. Nash devotes his literary skill to exploring, explaining, and applying the final words of Jesus during His crucifixion. Continue Reading →

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