Showing titles in Counseling

A collection of Scripture-based readings that offer encouragement to individuals dealing with illness, loss, or other personal problems.

We come into the world relentlessly narcissistic, resisting the kind of rigorous self-examination that reveals what is ugly in us and what is our impact on others. Too often, we live with our felt well-being as our priority concern, and so we continue, incurably addicted to ourselves and powerless to resist whatever temptations promise the sense of instant happiness we seek.

Thousands of conscientious believers wanting to honor the sacred vows they took before God suffer in dysfunctional, even dangerous marriages. Each and every day they must choose between the lesser of two evils: divorce without sound biblical support or a life of perpetual, unrelenting misery. Somewhere between the secular disregard for the commands of Christ and the sacred unwillingness to deal with real problems of people, there is a way.

The First Will Be Last: A Biblical Perspective on Narcissism is just what the title says - an A-Z look at the Biblical perspective on these toxic people; including who they are, how they got that way, and how to deal with them. From key words to Biblical case studies, it will unlock a new perspective and provide a framework in your search for truth.

Depression - whether circumstantial and fleeting or persistent and long term - impacts most people at some point in their lives. Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter spent most of his ministry caring for depressed and discouraged souls, and his timeless counsel still speaks to us today. In this book, psychiatrist Michael S. Lundy and theologian J. I. Packer present Baxter’s writings in order to comfort, instruct, and strengthen all who struggle with depression. 

Preaching needs to become purposeful, says Jay Adams, because purposeless preaching is deadly. This book was written to help preachers and students discover the purpose of preaching has and the ways that the Scriptures inform and direct the preaching task. Preaching with Purpose, like the many other books of Jay Adams, speaks clearly and forcefully to the issue. After listening to this book, both students and experienced preachers will be unable to ignore the urgent task of purposeful preaching. And the people of God will be the better for it.

There are many blessings that come with age: retirement, grandchildren, travel, and life experience. Today's culture, however, marginalizes old age, often portraying it as burdensome and hopeless. Many older women can feel like an encumbrance rather than a blessing to their friends and family members. In response to these struggles, Sharon Betters and Susan Hunt encourage women to find hope through both real-life and biblical accounts of women who rediscovered gospel-rooted joy later in life.

Have you found that you can’t read the Bible without being sent back into a painful place? Have the scriptures been twisted to keep you in bondage? The real Jesus wants to set you free. In Untwisting Scriptures: Patriarchy and Authority, Book 2, Rebecca Davis addresses the hold that “patriarchal” parents have had over their adult children in the name of “children obey your parents” or “rebellion is the sin like witchcraft". A toxic faith needs to be deconstructed and rebuilt on the solid foundation of the true Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says the old life is gone and the new life has come (see 2 Cor. 5:17). But we still sin; still get angry, arrogant, and greedy. Sin destroys everything in its path, yet it’s also kind of fun and quite compelling. It often has us holding on to parts of the old life instead of embracing the new life we’ve been promised. Here, Pastor Bob Merritt exposes the inner battle we all fight with sin. He exposes the cycle of failure and loss and shows listeners that no matter how many setbacks they’ve experienced, there is a way to enjoy a new and better life in Christ.

Author and marriage and family therapist Nicole Zasowski knows what it's like to suffer a blow that makes it difficult to look to the future. Despite the struggle, she found the courage to celebrate, and discovered that God is as present in our joy as He is in our pain. Yes, God's purpose for us is worked out in our struggles. But what if it is also worked out in our dreams and our delighted joy? With a psychological and spiritual case for celebrating, Nicole challenges you to let go of the habit of practicing disappointment and fully embrace joy.

Brennan Manning has been dazzingly faithful in preaching and writing variations on the ragamuffin theme, Yes, Abba is very fond of you! But today the crowds are gone and the lights are dim, the patches on his knees have faded. If he ever was a ragamuffin, truly it is now. In this his final book, Brennan roves back his past, honoring the lives of the people closest to him, family and friends who've known the saint and the sinner, the boy and the man. Far from some chronological timeline, these memories are witness to the truth of life by one who has lived it.

Do you know someone who is struggling with pornography use? Unfortunately, it's likely that you do—but you may not know how to help. In this book, counselors Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes provide a treasure trove of straightforward, biblical strategies for guiding a fellow believer toward recovery. You'll learn how to listen well, develop a plan, understand the body's role in sexual struggles, and, by God's grace, keep your friend focused on Christ throughout his or her journey to freedom.

In Take Back Your Joy, Nicole Jacobsmeyer tells how she felt defeated and ill-prepared for a decade of relentless trials, from assault and depression to miscarriage and cancer. With a heart full of questions about the God she was raised to love, Nicole began to doubt. Had God given her more than she could handle? But there is always more to the story with Christ. Through trial after trial, Nicole allowed God to strengthen her faith, and now she shares biblical strategies that carried her through.

More Than Your Number takes a deeper dive into the world of the Enneagram by moving past the quickly assigned and sometimes stereotypical Enneagram Types to consider and engage your unique, multidimensional personality that makes you so much more complex than just a number.

In Effective Biblical Counseling, Gold Medallion Award-winning author Dr. Larry Crabb presents a model of counseling that can be gracefully integrated into the functioning of the local church. He asserts that counseling is simply a relationship between people who care and that its goal is to free people to better worship and serve God.

Whether by choice or circumstances out of our control, we will have moments where we feel like we've been punched out, dragged down, or knocked out. What do we do in those situations? You must learn to persevere. Perseverance requires a deep sense of hope, and thought leader, pastor, and podcaster, Bianca Juárez Olthoff, knows that personally. Using the life of Paul the Apostle as a case study, Bianca shows how grit was the genesis of his transformation from a judgmental Pharisee to a world-changing follower of Jesus.

Vivimos en tiempos que dejan el alma chamuscada. La avalancha 24-7 de la vida contemporánea, con su fuente interminable de tragedias globales y demandas exigentes de nuestra atención, por no hablar de las presiones ordinarias del trabajo, la familia, los amigos y la comunidad, nos han dejado desgarrados, agobiados y vacíos. Pero si ya no tenemos margen en nuestras vidas, ¿cómo encontramos espacio para cambiar las cosas? En su nuevo libro transformador, John Eldredge destila la sabiduría de toda una vida acerca de la sanidad en una serie de hábitos prácticos.

Christian Relationship Counseling Bible Study Guides - TWO BOOK SET BOOK ONE: Divorce – Remarriage and the Innocent Spouse: Counseling for Betrayed Believers What does the Bible really say about divorce and remarriage? Are you unclear how the Bible's directives about divorce and remarriage apply to contemporary conflicts? You might be looking for solid biblical counsel for family, friends, or small group. Maybe even for yourself. With its high view of the authority of Scripture and God's mystical, one-flesh union called marriage, this in-depth study respectfully examines hot-button topics...

Are you distracted by racing or anxious thoughts? Distressed by intrusive or irrational thoughts? Struggling with sinful or untrue thoughts? You may feel trapped in your own head, but God and his Word have given you many different ways to find freedom. In this practical and sympathetic guidebook, biblical counselor Esther Smith provides twelve powerful strategies that are targeted to different thought struggles. Each chapter is filled with a variety of exercises so that you can begin to change your thoughts right away and live at peace.

God's peace, his shalom, can penetrate every aspect of your life - spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Although the word shalom appears 550 times in the Scriptures and was a constant theme in Jesus' teachings, it is a neglected topic today. As a result, God's peace has been elusive to so many followers of Jesus. This book charts a course of shalom for you!