You probably have had the experience of watching a foreign film in which you had to read the English subtitles to follow the plot. Sometimes in counseling, we need to help spouses learn to promote mutual understanding by reading each other’s subtitles. In this blog, I will focus on how to counsel husbands to gain this skill in understanding their wives (1 Pet. 3:7). Continue Reading →
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Many are troubled by the destructive ways people interact on social media. And the issue isn’t merely non-Christians fighting with each other over politics. Many professing Christians have contributed to this sad situation. While most of us admit that there is a significant problem with the discourse on social media, few of us think of ourselves as being a major part of the problem. I would like to offer four principles from Scripture to help us honor the Lord both in our public interactions and in our heart attitudes. Continue Reading →
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As biblical counselors, we affirm that Scripture provides timeless and sufficient wisdom to equip us for every good work, including managing money (2 Tim. 3:16-17). For over forty years, I have taken a great interest in what God’s Word says about finances, combining my education and past work in business with my training and experience as a pastor and biblical counselor. Recently I have written three books on financial topics. I was invited to share some key insights at the BCC Summit in December, which are outlined below. Continue Reading →
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After having listened to hundreds of hours of counseling and having read or heard thousands of case session reports, I am convinced that many counselors have Bibles which are way too thin. They need thicker Bibles if they are to be effective biblical counselors. The “thickness” of one’s Bible describes how much of the Bible a counselor knows well enough to be able to use spontaneously in a counseling situation.
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A few years ago, I wrote two blogs expressing concern that biblical counselors need to approach the very sensitive and important issue of abuse in a scripturally balanced way. I began the previous blogs with an acknowledgment that the church and biblical counselors have often failed victims of abuse by not listening well and failing to protect them from harm. I acknowledged that many church leaders need to repent of their failure to “rescue the weak and needy; [and] save them out of the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:4). I include myself among the church leaders who look back (in my case, over 40 years of ministry) and realize that I did not understand the many kinds of abuse and the degree of harm many women were experiencing. Continue Reading →
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