Visiting the Sick
A seminary student of mine, who is also a pastor, called this week to ask how to begin a visiting the sick ministry team in his church. Here’s the counsel I gave to him: Do the following simultaneously. Teach your
Continue reading
Author: Paul Tautges
Desperate for Grace
O LORD, Thou knowest my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for Thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart. I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable, and loathe and abhor myself. I am at a loss to know what
Continue readingQ&A – “Introvert” Application
As an appendix to the last Q&A, which addressed the meaning of 1 John 4:18, let’s consider another application of the same principle (mature love casts out fear), which I believe is legitimate given the larger context of John’s epistle concerning
Continue readingQ&A – Fearing Judgment
QUESTION: Does 1 John 4:18 mean that anyone who fears judgment isn’t saved? ANSWER: Here’s what the verse says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears
Continue readingEnvy and Vanity
Yesterday, while listening to the audio version of John Stott’s The Cross of Christ, I was hit between the eyes, i.e. convicted, by two sentences: “Envy is the reverse side of a coin called vanity. Nobody is ever envious of
Continue readingThe Lord Is My Helper
Do the troubles of life ever leave you so wiped out physically, mentally, and emotionally that all you can do is squeak out “God, help me!”? Then Psalm 121 is for you. Yesterday, our congregation spent its morning worship time
Continue readingGospel-centered Grief Ministry
Today, I have the privilege to officiate the funeral service of a man in our church who became a friend over the past half-dozen years. When he cautiously first came to a Thanksgiving dinner at our church he did not
Continue readingNuggets for Counselors [8/19/11]
Here are a few more links that will encourage your personal growth, cultivate biblical thinking and discernment, and strengthen one-another ministry. Backward Porn Addiction, by Rick Thomas, tackles the issue of modesty and exhorts Christian women to dress for the
Continue readingFourteen “Amen Sentences”
One of the tasks that I both love and hate as a seminary professor is grading papers. I hate it because it can be so laborious. But I love it because I get to see if I succeeded in stimulating
Continue readingLust Is a Female Problem Too!
Is lust and porn a male problem? The answer is a resounding NO. For all of human history lust has damaged the human soul and wreaked havoc on relationships, destroying too many marriages to count. Yet the church has largely
Continue readingPurified Faith Is More Valuable than Riches
According to 1 Peter 1:7, God’s purpose in our suffering is “that the genuineness of [our] faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at
Continue readingHope & Help for Victims of Abuse
“Abuse is a growing problem. In 2007 there were over three million reported cases of child abuse in the United States, involving as many as six million children. Estimates of the number of incidents of domestic violence range from just
Continue readingApproaching the Unapproachable God
He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:15-16). Let us draw near
Continue readingGodly Appetites (Pt. 2 of 2)
In addition to the daily, private feeding on the Word (yesterday’s post), public intake is also necessary for sanctification. The growing disciple is also one who places a high priority on listening to the public reading and preaching of the
Continue readingGodly Appetites (Pt. 1 of 2)
Biblical sanctification requires the habitual putting off of the sins that so easily entangle us (Heb. 12:1). But there is another side to godliness—what we must put on, or crave. As ingrained sin habits are being cast aside, the follower
Continue readingDo Not Let Go & Let God
Authentic biblical counseling recognizes God’s holy calling for the believer and the disciple’s personal responsibility for self-discipline, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to live in a manner worthy of his or her high position as a new creature
Continue readingDADs 1:7 – Defusing Anger
Since dads are disciplers it is crucial for us to understand how our anger affects our children, most specifically how it corrupts and frustrates their innate desire to please us. Rick Thomas, of The Counseling Solutions Group, posted a very
Continue readingPraying for the Destruction of Pride
O FOUNTAIN OF ALL GOOD, Destroy in me every lofty thought, Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds. Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness, Implant in us true lowliness of spirit, Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence, Open
Continue reading
