I think that often the difference between leaders who are able to change things and those that aren’t is often to do with curiosity. Some people are naturally curious. They are always wondering why things are the way they are, always asking questions, always considering different options, scenarios and reasons. They employ the famous “W”… Continue reading Curiosity is crucial
Tag: counselling
Bad theology plus complacent thinking = dangerous pastoral care
I’ve been writing a little about Biblical counselling recently. I’ve been particularly picking up on some of the dangers with certain strains of it but I do so as someone who believes that properly used, Biblical counselling does have a crucial place. I intend to write a little bit more about this shortly. However, first… Continue reading Bad theology plus complacent thinking = dangerous pastoral care
Nouthetic Counselling and Depression
Several of Jay Adam’s counselling case studies concern mental health and depression. Let’s have a look at a couple of them. First of all, we have Violet, a 54 year old lady who is suffering from depression and also has an undisclosed problem which she can tell only to God. Have a look at the… Continue reading Nouthetic Counselling and Depression
Discipleship, pastoral care and counselling
If you are involved in discipling others then there will be times when you are asked to counsel someone. This might be about helping them to work through a particular issue or decision -whether to go for a job or it could be because they are facing specific circumstances such as marital problems, debt or… Continue reading Discipleship, pastoral care and counselling
Cake, pronouns and the main thing
In this week’s podcast Was Boris Johnson ambushed with a birthday cake and was it pre-meditated? US pastors Tom Buck, Owen Strachan and Thabiti Anyabwile get into a spat over the use of a pronoun! We’ll be talking about how not to get distracted or lost in the detail but to listen out for and… Continue reading Cake, pronouns and the main thing
Towards a theology of depression
Over the last few months, I’ve been involved with a few projects and numerous conversations relating to the experience of Christian workers with depression. One thing that has come out so often is the extent to which the sufferers and their churches simply were not ready for it when it hit. At theological college you… Continue reading Towards a theology of depression
Angry at God? (3) The root cause of my anger
Sometimes someone is in so much physical pain that they cannot tell where the pain is coming from. It seems to come from everywhere. When someone is in that much pain, it is very difficult to get close to help. This can be true with emotional pain too. You hurt so much, you cannot remember… Continue reading Angry at God? (3) The root cause of my anger
When pastoral questions might be linked (A further response to Beth Moore)
I want to come back to Beth Moore’s questions. Now we assumed that the two questions were hypothetical and that they were about two distinct scenarios. However, suppose that they weren’t. Of course, only Beth Moore knows the answer to that. Certainly I get the feel that they are at least based on her wealth… Continue reading When pastoral questions might be linked (A further response to Beth Moore)
Food from around the worldwide web (26/06/20)
4 ways not to be a jerk online – From the Gospel coalition. How we behave online matters What does the Bible say about leadership? – Specifically the NT. Ed Stetzer picks up on some themes for leaders in the Gospels, Romans and Titus. Bring Back Isaac Watts biggest hit I grew up in a… Continue reading Food from around the worldwide web (26/06/20)
What not to say when someone is suffering
Our latest Afternoon Discussion looked at how we support and care for those suffering chronic conditions including emotional health issues. What should I not say? I want to be helpful but I don’t want to put my foot in it either. You can watch the discussion below and here are some quick notes. Often the… Continue reading What not to say when someone is suffering
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