Because of recent events, there has been a lot written about the topic of depression and suicide, much of which has been very critical of churches and biblical counselors. We have a friend who has been engaged in a long-term heroic struggle with depression that has...
Worry comes all too easily and naturally to most of us, especially as it regards financial matters. You hear a rumor that layoffs are imminent, and you wonder whether you could get a new job at your age. When money is already tight, your daughter needs orthodontic...
What are the inward heart motivations of overcommitted, overwhelmed people? Why do we allow others to control us and use us? The Bible gives us insight into the root of the problem when it says, “The fear of man lays a snare” (Proverbs 29:25a). What is happening in...
The experience of being rejected, and the emotional and relational pain which often accompanies it, is universal. We all experience rejection, and we all know how much it hurts. Being in close relationships with others is risky and makes us vulnerable. And yet, given...
The Hebrews were not the only ones in the ancient world who appreciated and collected wise sayings. Israel’s neighboring nations also obtained knowledge and valued wisdom in a certain sense. In 1 Kings 4, we observe how the wisdom of King Solomon was compared to that...
In an era when many are choosing not to have children, believers stand out as those who choose to fulfill the creation mandate to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). When many see children as expensive inconveniences, we regard our children to be a blessing from...
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here! Many parents aren’t prepared for the challenges of raising children, especially in the chaotic world in which we presently live. Questions which will be addressed include: Why do children turn out the way that...
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here! When I first started ministry over forty years ago, I never expected that I would see so many cases of divorce and remarriage within the church. Questions addressed will include: How do we answer those who say...
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here! There are many situations in which team counseling can be effective. For example, it usually ideal when a husband and wife can work together counseling married or engaged couples. Team counseling has many...
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here!
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here!
Looking for the notes from this session? Download them here!
Looking for the notes to this session? Download them here!
This video was part of the 2023 Summer Institute. https://www.youtube.com/live/oC81Yqb6_Po
In addition to counseling within my local church for over forty years, I have been involved in biblical counseling ministry to people outside of the church since 1993. While the Lord uses counseling ministries for good, one danger of relying upon outside counselors is...
The fundamental assumptions that shape biblical counseling are reviewed and key elements expanded upon. Building hope in God’s promises from the earliest stages of counseling is critical. What are some ways we can seek to build hope?
It has been my privilege to participate in the training of biblical counselors for the past twenty years. Many students enthusiastically embrace biblical counseling theory in the classroom, but then have trouble when they practice counseling in fictitious role play...
As a biblical counselor, one of my passions is to point my counselees to helpful biblical resources related to their struggles. Long after our one-on-one conversations are over, I want them to have tools in their hands for continued growth. An issue carries special...
Author Jim Newheiser considers God’s wisdom about money by addressing three common money myths which could potentially lead people astray: 1.) Is Money the Secret to Happiness in This Life? The most common money myth among non-Christians is that money is the...
One question some might raise is, “Why do we need another book about money?” Dave Ramsey has built an empire with his radio show, bestselling books and seminars. He has created a curriculum which is being used in many evangelical churches. He even has a network of...
This session examines how the sainthood of the believer informs their identity. ...
” In this workshop, we will seek out the biblical response to those that define...
” This session considers how a Christian is uniquely called to live out Grandparenthood....
” This workshop will explore the idea of “Love Languages” and how they should be...
Jim Newheiser joins Bob and Ann Maree Goudzwaard to discuss his upcoming talks at the...
Jim Newheiser and the Goudzwaard’s sit down with Elyse Fitzpatrick to get a sense of the history of the biblical counseling movement. How did all this get started and where are we headed?
Jim Newheiser and Bob Goudzwaard talk with Dave Harvey about the challenges of ministry and leadership. How can we develop a church culture of authenticity and transparency?
Many young adults face significant challenges from their parents. Issues include controlling parents, parents who disparage one’s spouse, parents who don’t properly fulfill their role as grandparents, parents who are financially irresponsible, parents who fall into serious sins including immorality and substance abuse, etc. What responsibilities do adult children have to their parents? What should adult children do when their own lives and families are being impacted by the waywardness of their parents?
Sound biblical counseling functions in the context of the local church. Counselees must be committed members of a faithful local church which follows biblical principles of church discipline. Counselors work with church leaders to follow biblical principles of church discipline so that counselees can be, if necessary, restored and so that the church will be kept pure.
What do you do when someone you love leaves? And how do you pursue someone who has hurt you, who has sinned against you?
Whether you are dealing with an unfaithful marriage partner, a rebellious child, or a wayward friend, the counsel you offer needs to be pursued in a gospel-rooted approach, grounded in truth and practiced in the midst of Christian community.
This resource was recorded live at the 2018 Institute: Loving Wayward Souls: Grace for our Prodigals
Marriage is a stage designed to show forth the realities of the gospel. This seminar will set forth the biblical vision of marriage and give practical counsel of how we can reorient our hearts and actions so our marriages better reflect the profound realities they illustrate.
The gospel of grace needs to be at the heart of how we understand marriage roles. Both husband and wife have a unique part to play that shows forth the relationship of Christ with his church. This session will focus on the role of the wife in marriage.
Marriage requires lifelong maintenance to keep it healthy and strong. It takes a lot of effort to guard and grow your marriage but the reward is more than worth it. This session will discuss many practical ways to preserve and strengthen your marriage.
The gospel of grace needs to be at the heart of how we understand marriage roles. Both husband and wife have a unique part to play that shows forth the relationship of Christ with his church. This session will focus on the role of the husband in marriage.
Bob Goudzwaard sits down with Jim Newheiser to talk about medical and mental issues in counseling. What can biblical counselors offer to those with pathological brain conditions?
Worry is a problem of the mind and can become life dominating. Worry, stress, and fear are closely related and often dealt with sinfully. How can we help counselees think about their lives in light of biblical truth? How might someone misunderstand or abuse God’s promises to care for them?
Trials are the ordinary experience of believers living in a fallen world. Believers in the Bible suffered great trials and we will continue to endure significant trials. Why do Christians tend to be so surprised by trials when the Bible speaks so often about them? How does God work in our trials and use them to mature us?
This session completes the Peacemaking series of the curriculum. It lays out important things to consider before attempting to confront someone’s sin and describes the peacemaking process. Church discipline is also explored along with how church structure and membership is related to peacemaking.
As Christians, we ought to do all that is in our power to pursue peace. How can we seek forgiveness biblically? How does the gospel empower us to forgive? Why is it important to go though a thorough process of confession?
Biblical peacemaking is founded on the gospel. Christ came to make peace between God and man. All conflict is the result of sin. Conflict is very dangerous but brings great opportunity: to glorify God, to be more like Christ, to serve others, and to bear witness to a watching world.
When counseling, responses can vary widely. What do we do when people don’t take our counsel? Craig and Jim sit down to discuss a listener question about this personal aspect of the counseling process.
We and our counselees are responsible to exert effort towards change. Immediately after telling us to consider our identity in Christ, Paul exhorts us to take action against the lusts of the flesh. What is the proper use of biblical indicatives and imperatives? What should our motive be for obedience?
Former Executive Director George Scipione talks about the early days of IBCD and the biblical counseling movement. He joins Jim Newheiser to pass on what they have learned over the years through difficulties in ministry and counseling. This interview was recorded live at the 2017 Institute “Addictions: Grace for the Journey.”
Craig sits down with Jim and Caroline Newheiser to catch up since their move to North Carolina. They talk about Jim’s new work and Caroline’s experience in the Master of Arts in Counseling program at RTS. Caroline discusses how women can become involved in one-another care and the opportunities women have to serve in the church. This interview was recorded live at the 2017 Institute “Addictions: Grace for the Journey.”
The recent #Metoo movement on social media reminded me of a very dark time my wife and I encountered in our ministry. A missionary, who we knew and trusted for over twenty years, was exposed as a sexual predator. He was respected and revered by churches in the United States as well as thousands of …
Counseling is about helping people to change. The change biblical counselors seek is unique and unbiblical approaches to change will impede spiritual growth. This session explores how change begins by understanding and applying the Gospel. Understanding our union with Christ is the key to growth in holiness.
Ed Welch is a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and was...
Our keynote speaker Chris Moles sits down with Craig and Jim to discuss how he got into counseling domestic abuse cases and ministering to abusers. They also discuss his book, ͞The Heart of Domestic Abuse.͟ This interview was recorded live at the 2017 Institute...
Many parents struggle with guilt and confusion over how to train their children. Old-school parenting books emphasized discipline derived from the exhortations in Proverbs. The book of wisdom was used to chastise the foolishness out of children. The next generation of parenting books suggested that parents should go beyond controlling their children’s wayward behavior and …
The Bible says we are to fear God. Fear can also be an appropriate response to real potential dangers. Fear becomes sinful when we fear men more than God and we fail to trust God. What are some proper and healthy manifestations of fear? What are indications that fear has become sinful?
This year we remember the work of a reformer, Martin Luther, who five hundred years ago dared to challenge the established ecclesiastical authorities when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg. I see many similarities to what happened about fifty years ago when another reformer, Jay Adams, came on the scene …
During the first half of this year’s baseball season, Yankee rookie Aaron Judge was a phenomenon. He hit for both power and average, and he was on track to set numerous batting records. During the second half of the season, Judge’s production fell way off. The only record he set was most consecutive games striking …
A friend of mine once said that it is easy to overlook an injustice until it is our ox that gets gored. This is especially true when it comes to one of the more respectable sins like gossip. When the victim is someone with whom we are not close, we are either unconcerned spectators or …
Sadly, I have been witness to a discouraging pattern in local churches as they handle cases involving abuse. It begins as church leaders are made aware of a situation in which a husband is acting abusively towards his wife, and it has been going on for quite some time. The abuse may include any or …
Continue reading “Helping Churches to do a Better Job Handling Cases of Abuse”
While some people turn to drugs and alcohol to get high or to relieve stress, many turn to food which can be just as dangerous an idol as substance abuse. Other people are addicted to fitness to the extent that it becomes harmful to their lives and relationships. How can we overcome temptation to make an idol out of our food and our bodies?
The Bible teaches that words can be as destructive (or abusive) as fists. Every time we open our mouths we are either promoting God’s kingdom by building others up or we are extending the realm of the Evil One by tearing others down. How can our sinful tongues be tamed?
All addicts are seeking a satisfaction in something that will never truly satisfy them. In this session Dr. Jim Newheiser will discuss the need to lead addicts to the God who satisfies.
When I was a new believer a dear mentor who had great influence on my life made me aware of Psalm 15:4 which proclaims that the righteous man “swears to his own hurt and does not change.” My friend taught me that there will be times in life when one might regret making a commitment, but that it is necessary to keep one’s word. Or as we read elsewhere in Scripture, “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’” (James 5:12 Matthew 5:37).
As we finish out Season 1 of our Care & Discipleship Podcast, Craig talks with Jim and Caroline Newheiser about their move to Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. They discuss what their ministry will look like, how they came to this decision, and about this exciting stage of growth for IBCD. Season 2 of our podcast will launch in August with many great interviews with our speakers from the 2016 Summer Institute.
Have you ever wanted to call down fire on someone for what they did wrong? It may sound extreme, but in this episode IBCD Executive Director Jim Newheiser talks about a passage from Luke 9:51-55 and how we often are not all that different from the disciples.
In some ways counseling is more difficult than preaching in that the preacher can prepare extensively for his sermon and can control the direction the sermon takes. The counselor may seek to prepare for a session but doesn’t have control over the direction the meeting may take. The counselee may raise a new issue or may be facing a sudden (and unrelated) crisis for which immediate help is required. The counselor must be able to offer answers from God’s Word, which means that he or she must know the Scriptures very well.
How is the biblical counseling approach different from all other Christian approaches? What are some key texts for defending the sufficiency of the Scriptures for counseling? IBCD’s position of biblical counseling (the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority) is outlined and its key concepts explained.
What are some common Christian approaches to counseling in our day? Why might it be useful to learn about psychology? This session explores several Christian approaches to counseling including integration and synergism.
Psychology and theology both deal with the same fundamental issues of meaning and value. Many modern approaches have unscriptural presuppositions and practices. This opening session introduces biblical counseling and the importance of approaching these issues from a Christian perspective.
This article was written by Christina Henson for use in the IBCD Winter Newsletter. Christina recently had the opportunity to interview Jim & Caroline Newheiser and discuss their new roles at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What is depression and how are we to understand it? Many secular psychologists see mankind as merely physical and therefore tend to see depression as a physical problem with a chemical solution. Christians recognize the dual nature of mankind – body and soul. What are some important things for biblical counselors to keep in mind when handling cases of depression?
As we finish out Season 1 of our Care & Discipleship Podcast, Craig talks with Jim and Caroline Newheiser about their move to Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. They discuss what their ministry will look like, how they came to this decision, and about this exciting stage of growth for IBCD. Season 2 of our podcast will launch in August with many great interviews with our speakers from the 2016 Summer Institute.
Sexual predators often look upon churches as soft targets for their evil acts. This workshop teaches church leaders and parents the need to implement proven policies and practices that will help keep our children safe.
Sexual sin has a devastating impact on a marriage, but the gospel offers hope. This session showcases how God works through His Word and His Spirit to change hearts empowering repentance, forgiveness and transformation.
Disordered sexual desires are ultimately a problem of worship. We seek ultimate satisfaction from earthly things, which become our idols. This session shows how the gospel forgives our idolatries and adulteries and transforms us into worshipers whose greatest delight is in God.
Audio note: Due to some technical difficulties the first 20 minutes of this audio recording is poor quality. We are looking into ways make this content available with a better quality recording.
Anger is a problem both in the world and in the church. It is both deceptive and dangerous because for the angry person all anger feels righteous. This session explores the nature of righteous versus unrighteous anger and discusses the gospel truths that address the angry heart.
Food and fitness idolatry are big issues in our culture. How can those stuck in sinful patterns change? This session discusses the unique change that is sought by Christians as they make it their aim not to please or impress people but to glorify God in their body.
Counseling is about helping people to change, but the change we as biblical counselors seek is unique. This session shows how change that will bear God glorifying fruit requires effort on our part and is firmly rooted in the gospel.
You may have always expected your job as a parent to be done once your children reached adulthood but you never stop being a parent! This session discusses how to handle many of the unique challenges that arise for parents of young adult children.
You may have always expected your job as a parent to be done once your children reached adulthood but you never stop being a parent! This session discusses how to handle many of the unique challenges that arise for parents of young adult children.
Joseph’s treatment of his brothers in Genesis 45 provides an excellent model of biblical peacemaking and reconciliation. This session looks at what we can learn from Joseph’s example to help us in our own efforts toward peacemaking.
You may have always expected your job as a parent to be done once your children reached adulthood but you never stop being a parent! This session discusses how to handle many of the unique challenges that arise for parents of young adult children.
Parents are looking for a formula that guarantees their kids will turn out right. Is there anything that can ensure successful parenting? This two-part series examines pros and cons of common parenting formulas and emphasizes the need of God’s grace for both parents and children.
Parents are looking for a formula that guarantees their kids will turn out right. Is there anything that can ensure successful parenting? This two-part series examines pros and cons of common parenting formulas and emphasizes the need of God’s grace for both parents and children
How can parents prevent their kids from getting out of control? What should they do if their children rebel? What about children that are incorrigible? This session unpacks principles from Scripture to answer these questions.
God’s design is for marriage to be a lifelong covenant of companionship between one man and one woman but many marriages fall short of this ideal. This session seeks to offer wisdom to counselors working tough questions about separation, divorce and remarriage.
What is the best approach to finding a marriage partner? What is the nature and purpose of courtship? What if I am single and lonely? This session answers many questions for those who are considering marriage or want to know how to prepare for marriage in the future.
God’s revelation in Scripture is complete. While every believer is called to seek God’s revealed moral will, some go beyond this and claim that God speaks to them. How does God guide us today? How are we to understand his will for our lives?
The goal of parenting is to make your children ready to live wisely on their own. Parents must recognize that their relationship with their adult child is very different from what it was when the child was small. One of the biggest mistakes made by Christian parents is to treat young adults as if they were still small children. How can parents foster healthy relationships with their adult children and pursue peace?
What should parents do when their children rebel? Christian parents must be aware of two extremes: giving up too soon because of personal hurt feelings, anger and bitterness … and tolerating and enabling sin. How can we beware of not being manipulated and becoming enablers of their sinful lifestyle?
Those advocating formulas often assume a form of “parental determinism” – the (unbiblical) belief that how well you follow their formula determines how your kids turn out. Parents who depend on these can tend toward pharisaical pride, as if we can save our kids by our good works. Parenting is not about following an extra-biblical man-made formula; it is about the gospel.
Parents often look for a formula which will guarantee that their kids will turn out right. Many “Christian” approaches to parenting are legalistic. It is very important to distinguish between what Scripture commands versus one of many possible ways to fulfill our responsibilities to God. Some make their particular methodology “law”, while failing to acknowledge that other approaches are equally valid ways to fulfill biblical commands.
Christian men are called to love their wives unconditionally, as Chris loves the church. Christlike love is not merely a feeling. It is a commitment. Christ’s love is demonstrated on the Cross. What should a husband do if his wife is hard to love? What should he do if he doesn’t have loving feelings towards his wife?
God has designed marriage to be a partnership in which the wife follows her husband’s leadership. Many women suffer under the authority of sinful husbands. What if a husband won’t lead in a Christlike way? What does Peter mean by saying you should win your husband “without a word”?
Marriage is designed by God to be the most intimate of human relationships. It is a lifelong covenant of companionship. The bond is not metaphysical but covenantal. We need to invest time and effort in our marriage relationships and enjoy the blessings God has given.
Marriage is a foundational social institution and a creation ordinance. It is a lifelong covenant relationship and is meant by God to be a blessing for mankind. What can we learn from the Bible about this important area of our lives?
Anger is a problem both in the world and in the church. Anger is very deceptive and dangerous. It is usually murderous by nature and leads to many other sins. What are some ways that people try to justify their anger? Where does anger come from? How do we go about uprooting anger from the heart?
What are some common Christian approaches to counseling in our day? Why might it be useful to learn about psychology? This session explores several Christian approaches to counseling including integration and synergism.
How is the biblical counseling approach different from all other Christian approaches? What are some key texts for defending the sufficiency of the Scriptures for counseling? IBCD’s position of biblical counseling (the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority) is outlined and its key concepts explained.
Psychology and theology both deal with the same fundamental issues of meaning and value. Many modern approaches have unscriptural presuppositions and practices. This opening session introduces biblical counseling and the importance of approaching these issues from a Christian perspective.
The fundamental assumptions that shape biblical counseling are reviewed and key elements expanded upon. Building hope in God’s promises from the earliest stages of counseling is critical. What are some ways we can seek to build hope?
This session continues exploring the key questions involved in biblical counseling. Why is investigation a crucial part of the counseling process? What is the goal of asking good questions? Why is it important to give biblical labels to our counselee’s problems? How much sin be dealt with?
Counseling is more than instruction and the greatest progress in counseling is made between sessions. What are some ways we can prepare our counselees for growth between sessions? Why is concrete homework important? This session completes outlining the key elements of biblical counseling.
Counseling is about helping people to change. The change biblical counselors seek is unique and unbiblical approaches to change will impede spiritual growth. This session explores how change begins by understanding and applying the Gospel. Understanding our union with Christ is the key to growth in holiness.
We and our counselees are responsible to exert effort towards change. Immediately after telling us to consider our identity in Christ, Paul exhorts us to take action against the lusts of the flesh. What is the proper use of biblical indicatives and imperatives? What should our motive be for obedience?
This session covers the fundamental theological concepts involved in biblical counseling. It explores the IBCD and NANC understanding of the Bible’s authority, the Trinity, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, pneumatology, and ecclesiology.
Biblical peacemaking is founded on the gospel. Christ came to make peace between God and man. All conflict is the result of sin. Conflict is very dangerous but brings great opportunity: to glorify God, to be more like Christ, to serve others, and to bear witness to a watching world.
As Christians, we ought to do all that is in our power to pursue peace. How can we seek forgiveness biblically? How does the gospel empower us to forgive? Why is it important to go though a thorough process of confession?
This session completes the Peacemaking series of the curriculum. It lays out important things to consider before attempting to confront someone’s sin and describes the peacemaking process. Church discipline is also explored along with how church structure and membership is related to peacemaking.
Trials are the ordinary experience of believers living in a fallen world. Believers in the Bible suffered great trials and we will continue to endure significant trials. Why do Christians tend to be so surprised by trials when the Bible speaks so often about them? How does God work in our trials and use them to mature us?
What is depression and how are we to understand it? Many secular psychologists see mankind as merely physical and therefore tend to see depression as a physical problem with a chemical solution. Christians recognize the dual nature of mankind – body and soul. What are some important things for biblical counselors to keep in mind when handling cases of depression?
Worry is a problem of the mind and can become life dominating. Worry, stress, and fear are closely related and often dealt with sinfully. How can we help counselees think about their lives in light of biblical truth? How might someone misunderstand or abuse God’s promises to care for them?
The Bible says we are to fear God. Fear can also be an appropriate response to real potential dangers. Fear becomes sinful when we fear men more than God and we fail to trust God. What are some proper and healthy manifestations of fear? What are indications that fear has become sinful?
This session looks at David’s catastrophic sin of adultery in 2 Sam 11:1-5. This passage shows that the Bible is honest about its heroes and serves as a warning to us against sin and presumption. How does David’s sin point us to Christ? What are some practical ways to guard ourselves from temptation?
What is the difference for an unbeliever and a believer who are confronted with temptation? How is idolatry connected with temptation? This session walks through some specific issues involved with temptation such as substance abuse. How can a drunkard or an addict find help to overcome his sin?
To what extent does our body (nature) and relationships (nurture) affect our hearts? We are embodied creatures. However, both our inner and outer person have been affected by the fall. While we reject both genetic determinism and social determinism, we recognize that the Bible teaches that both body and social environment influence the inner person.
Every family experiences communication breakdown. The key to our relationships with each other is our relationship with God (and vice versa). We need to grant forgiveness when we have been wronged. We need to learn to listen in love. Are we more concerned about being heard, or hearing?
God is the owner and source of all wealth. We need to maintain a balanced perspective on finances. Money can be good but it is also dangerous. Christians need to learn the secret of contentment as they work hard and smart to make a living. Make it your goal to be wise, not rich!
How can we make our sexual relationships in marriage all that they should be? We need to think about our marriage and sex lives through a gospel lens. Gracious sex gives to your spouse freely, just as God has given to you – treating him/her better than he/she deserves.
God designed marriage to be a lifelong covenant of companionship. Marriage is worth fighting for. Some are called by God to remain in hard marriages. Divorce (and remarriage) without biblical grounds is sinful and adulterous. This session unpacks the surrounding issues and questions about this difficult subject.
God created sex to be a blessing. It is part of God’s perfect and holy creation but is often twisted sinfully. Idolatry, more than adultery, is the key to understanding sexual sin. Even something which is good can become sinfully idolatrous when we desire it more than we desire God, are willing to sin in order to get it, or react sinfully when we don’t get what we want.
Sadly many people, even Christians, respond in destructive and sinful ways when conflict arises. This session will look at the steps of biblical conflict resolution, describe the PAUSE principle and discuss options including mediation and arbitration.
Victims of abuse suffer greatly and need help. This session will teach you to offer compassionate biblical counsel to a victim of abuse as well as providing practical instruction on how to help the victim gain safety and deal with the abuser in a biblical way.
Biblical counseling is necessary for the church and the church is necessary for biblical counseling. This session will define what is meant by “counseling” in the context of the local church and discuss how helping hurting, needy people is at the heart of her calling.
Psychology and theology both deal with the fundamental issues of meaning and value. Many modern approaches have unscriptural presuppositions and practices. This workshop introduces biblical counseling and the importance of approaching these issues from a Christian perspective.
How is the biblical counseling approach different from all other Christian approaches? In this session IBCD’s position of biblical counseling (the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority) is outlined and its key concepts explained.
Many people have been touched by the tragedy of having a loved one take their own life. This workshop will examine how can we help those left behind deal with the emotions and the questions which come in the aftermath of suicide.
Many people struggle with bitterness about what has happened to them in the past. Like Naomi, they may even be embittered against the Lord. How does one counsel a Naomi? This session will explore a case study of a male version of Naomi.
How do we counsel people who can’t make ends meet, have lost their jobs, or are overwhelmed with debt? This session will seek to answer some of the most common questions about finances and money management from a biblical perspective.
To what extent to our body (nature) and relationships (nurture) affect our hearts? This session discusses how God has created humans as complex creatures that exist in a social context. Counselors must learn to care for the whole person to counsel effectively.
Adultery is something that many of us will have to deal with in one way or another in the church. The gospel gives great hope in these difficult situations. The goal of this workshop is to help equip you to bring that hope to those who have felt the pain of a broken covenant.
Forgiveness can be very hard, particularly when someone has hurt us very much. This session will examine how for Christians, meditating on the way Christ has forgiven them all of their debts can and should empower them to forgive others.
Sometimes to live at peace with others we must confront them about their sin. This session will discuss how to determine if a sin must be confronted and how to go about the process in a way that seeks to gently restore a brother or sister.
God calls us to peace with others, but in this life it is impossible to completely avoid conflict. This session will examine how to understand conflict from a biblical perspective and practical ways to humbly pursue peace with others when conflict does arise.
The gospel of grace needs to be at the heart of how we understand marriage roles. Both husband and wife have a unique part to play that shows forth the relationship of Christ with his church. This session will focus on the role of the husband in marriage.
People often do not realize the weight of their words, and careless words have crushed many souls. This workshop will examine biblical categories of caring speech, and how we can help foster it in our own lives and in the lives of our counselees.
The gospel of grace needs to be at the heart of how we understand marriage roles. Both husband and wife have a unique part to play that shows forth the relationship of Christ with his church. This session will focus on the role of the wife in marriage.
Marriage requires lifelong maintenance to keep it healthy and strong. It takes a lot of effort to guard and grow your marriage but the reward is more than worth it. This session will discuss many practical ways to preserve and strengthen your marriage.
Marriage is a stage designed to show forth the realities of the gospel. This seminar will set forth the biblical vision of marriage and give practical counsel of how we can reorient our hearts and actions so our marriages better reflect the profound realities they illustrate.
What does the Bible have to say about sex? Through this two-part message you will learn how the grace of God in the gospel powerfully changes how we view our own sexuality and gives us the power to once again put this blessing in its proper place.
God’s sufficient word speaks to our financial issues. This session examines some common money myths and lays out a biblical view of wealth as a blessing that can also be very dangerous. This talk calls us to examine our true spiritual condition behind our financial situation.
Our sex-saturated culture has taken sexuality from a blessing given by God and made it into an idol to be worshipped and distorted. This workshop will examine the rampant destruction left in the path of pornography and the hope the gospel offers to strugglers.
What does the Bible have to say about sex? Many people have unanswered questions about this aspect of life. In this Question and Answer session you will hear a panel of counselors discussing biblical answers to common questions Christians have about sex.
What does the Bible have to say about sex? Through this 2-part message you will learn how the grace of God in the gospel powerfully changes how we view our own sexuality and gives us the power to once again put this blessing in its proper place.
The Bible describes both legitimate and illegitimate ways to gain wealth. This session lays forth a biblical theology of dilligent and skilled work in contrast to the sluggard’s whims. It also puts to rest some common money myths related to gaining money.
Our money is not really ours, we are stewards of what God has given us. This session lays out how a proper view of stewardship helps us honor the Lord in the way we spend money. It also gives practical steps of how to spend wisely by using a budget and controlling expenditures.
It is wise to plan for the future. This session examines biblical principles of saving for the future and how this applies to options related to anticipating expenses, obtaining insurance, investing, and making a will.
In our society it is almost taken for granted that we have to borrow for many things. This session lays out a biblical view of debt and how Christians can think through the multifaceted motivations and options with borrowing money in today’s economy.
We were shocked last week when we heard that Charles had been caught in a pattern of adultery and deceit and had been removed from office. How could such a thing happen to a man who seemed to have it all together, who had successfully passed through the temptations of his younger years, who seemed to have everything a minister could want? Does this mean that his entire ministry had been a lie? Are the books, articles and tapes he produced worthless? Or did something happen to take a man who had been qualified and used of God and ruin him?