Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
Here’s more God-centered encouragement from Paul Tripp’s book A Shelter in the Time of Storm. [O]ur inability to find security for ourselves is so profound that we’d never find on our own the One who is to be our rock;
Continue reading[A couple weeks ago, Dr. William Varner, a professor at The Master’s College, posted on Facebook some brief, but very insightful thoughts from the life of David, particularly about a lesser-known figure named Ahithophel. I asked him if he had
Continue readingAuthentic biblical counseling is a matter of fulfilling our God-given command to make disciples, but what exactly is a disciple? The Great Command at the end of Matthew’s Gospel contains one main action: “make disciples” of Jesus Christ (28:18-20). A
Continue readingWhere should my sense of security come from? That’s a vital question. Here’s how Paul Tripp counseled me last evening. If you are God’s child, you are the object of the love of the Person who rules everything that there
Continue readingAs we continue to walk through the story of David and Absalom, in my preaching at our church, we are learning that it is by focusing on David that we see Christ through him and the godly response to betrayal
Continue readingHell glorifies God—that is the premise of Thor Ramsey’s book The Most Encouraging Book on Hell Ever, the newest release from Cruciform Press. It is very encouraging to see a Christian publisher (who consistently aims at the general Christian audience)
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[Previous editions of Journey to Biblical Counseling consisted of interviews with men and woman whom God is using as leaders in today’s biblical counseling movement. Today, we depart slightly from that format to publish an unsolicited testimony from one of
Continue readingThere are basically two different ways we treat fellow sinners. We either act like self-appointed judges who, like the Pharisees, act out of our supposed self-righteousness, or we act like needy sinners who never step very far away from the
Continue readingFear is a powerful motivator. Granted, fear is often used by Satan to hold us in his grip, but fear—when connected to the fear of God—can motivate us to turn away from our sin toward Jesus Christ and God’s gifts
Continue readingPaul, the apostle, exhorts us as believers to set our mind on things above, “where Christ is,” rather than on the things of this earth (Col 3:1). This heavenly-mindedness empowers us to continue to live for God while we patiently
Continue readingLast week, I was pleased to receive a review copy of the just-released, updated and revised edition of Keith & Patricia Miller’s Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Youth. From abortion to worry this helpful resource addresses 129 subjects—providing biblical counsel
Continue readingTwo days ago, I preached my farewell sermon to the church that God—by His grace—gave me the privilege to serve for twenty-two years. During the final weeks before this sermon, I thought much about what I might say and finally
Continue readingJames 4:1-10 continues to be one of the most significant passages of Scripture that the Holy Spirit is using in recent years to awaken my heart and mind to the reality of idolatry within me. The more I grow in
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You and I were not hardwired to make our way through this fallen world on our own. We were meant to exist with eyes filled with the beauty of [God’s] presence and hearts at rest in the lap of his
Continue reading[Today’s post was submitted by one of our occasional guest bloggers, Dave Coats. Dave is a pastor, certified biblical counselor (ACBC), college professor, and author of Building a Pure Life.] We all go through trials of various kinds. We may
Continue reading[Today’s post is written by Cara Croft and is from the excellent new book, The Pastor’s Family by Brian and Cara Croft, published by Zondervan.] Every counselor begins with the question, “So how long have you suffered with depression?” The
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James 5:16-18 teaches us, The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth
Continue reading“All of life is a trial and, therefore, we need God’s wisdom.” That was our guest preacher’s main point yesterday morning, based on James 3:13-18. This Monday morning, I again summarize some of my notebook scratchings for you, and for
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By God’s grace, I’m a husband, dad, grandpa, and pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Hts, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
