I would like us to have stories and case studies of people that are vivid and three-dimensional and shows everything, the really good things in a person’s life and the hard things and the bad things all in one sort of composite mess. So first as a group for people to go away saying, not only did that person know me, but they know me in a way that I’ve never been known, they know me in depths where I haven’t been known before.
Ed Welch is a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and was our keynote speaker at the 2017 Institute “Addictions: Grace for the Journey.” In this interview with Craig and Jim, he explains how he views the intersection between shame and addiction and how to address it with counselees.
One is people raise these complex stories and situations that rightly should be overwhelming, and none of have these simple sort of, here, do this and everything will be better. Not that any problem has that as an answer. But that simple turn from knowing a person to, okay, how can we pray? Given what you’re saying, how can we pray? That’s what’s certainly I find great encouragement that essentially I’m introducing, there is a person to whom we can turn with this, and we might not even know what he says at this point, but we know to whom to turn and Lord teaches us to pray.
A neglected biblical theme for addiction is the movement from lies to truth, and from the Liar to the Truth. Our job is to do whatever we can to invite strugglers to be open and honest.
Our help comes in two parts: knowing a person’s story and knowing Scripture’s retelling of their story. Both are essential. In this session you will learn to really listen to your counselees and then help them reshape their stories from a biblical perspective.
Self-control is not a popular teaching, and we can offer it in ways that are not inviting. Our task is to learn it in such a way that we find it attractive and can make it attractive and compelling to others.
Listen to addicts and you will hear shame, shame that preceded the addiction and shame that resulted from the addiction. And here, in their shame, they can hear some of the most beautiful words they could possibly hear.
Can we minister effectively to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their families? This session encourages biblical counselors that they don’t have to know everything about bipolar disorder to be able to help their counselees grow in sanctification.
Addictions are a worship disorder. Will we worship our own desires or will we worship the true God? This two-part seminar, based on Welch’s book, discusses the spiritual nature of addictions and the hope that is found in the power of the gospel.
Addictions are a worship disorder. Will we worship our own desires or will we worship the true God? This two-part seminar, based on Welch’s book, discusses the spiritual nature of addictions and the hope that can be found in the power of the gospel.
Worry, anxiety and fear plague all of us at one time or another. On this side of the Fall fear seems to be etched into our nature. Yet God gives over 300 commands not to be afraid. This session examines the beautiful Words of Scripture that can bring peace to fearful people.
Peer pressure, co-dependency, the fear of man: how can someone escape being overly concerned about what others think? This session shows how knowing the holiness of God and learning to fear Him is the only cure for the situations when people seem big and God seems small.
Is it ever legitimate to blame misbehavior on the brain? The Bible teaches that we are embodied souls with hearts that can be sinful or obedient and bodies that can be strong or weak. This session seeks to distinguish genuine brain disorders from problems rooted in the heart.