Being lonely is a dangerous. Being lonely and misunderstood is a train-wreck waiting to happen. It is huge that you take the time to know your children. Especially your teenagers. Here is an example of a young woman who was both lonely and misunderstood. Her problems didn’t start in college, but had roots in her younger teen years. She looked like she was doing well – but underneath she was lonely, wanting to be known. She wasn’t prepared for temptation that came from a “safe” place. This combination will allow for temptation to be reasoned with, just as Eve attempted to do long ago in the garden. Here is Kate’s story: Kate was a good Christian girl from a strong […]
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Author of Counseling One Another Interview by Fred Zaspel of Books at Glance Part 2 (read part 1 here) Books At a Glance (Fred Zaspel): How might churches foster this kind of “counseling one another” atmosphere? Tautges: Pastors need to teach their people that making disciples of Jesus is the primary task of the church, and is a work that necessitates the involvement of every believer. Disciple-making is not only for church leaders; it is for every Christian to one extent or another. Congregations need to understand what it means to live as a community of the faith, which involves the exercise of biblical love in “one-anothering” relationships. Believers also need to understand what biblical sanctification looks like, that is, […]
Author of Counseling One Another Interview by Fred Zaspel of Books at Glance Part 1 Books At a Glance (Fred Zaspel): The first thing that struck me when I opened the book is that in your title – Counseling One Another – you intend something more than we may catch at first glance. Explain your title for us. What is your book all about? Tautges: This book is about biblical discipleship. It’s that simple. The ministry of counseling has too often been relegated to the professional outside the church because we don’t understand what discipleship entails. This is not to say there is no need or place for the professional counselor; however, the lion’s share of this personal ministry can […]
God says there is a particular order to life and that you are more valuable than birds. But many would say you, as a person, have no more value than other forms of life. For example: If random evolutionary process is the author of life then there is no purpose, except to survive. Since each living thing is simply a product of this process, one part of life is not more valuable than another. If the ancient eastern religions are right and God is not separate from his creation, then one life form is just as significant as the next, since God is in everything and is everything. Eastern mysticism and evolutionary thinking have become the dominate influence in western […]
A time to celebrate, a time to cry, a time of sweet memories, a time to forget, a time of thanks, a time of regret, a time of anticipation, a time of disappointment. Mother’s Day is all of these things and so much more. Mothers are part of God’s great plan that binds all of us together in the fabric of life. Mothers are not just some random adaptation of a blind evolutionary scheme. God designed the human race to come from mothers and fathers, specifically from one mother, Eve, and from one father, Adam. At one point in human history, there were just three of us. A mom, a dad, and a little boy. if you had a time […]
Like you, the Psalmist had his crazy, challenging days! There were days that life didn’t make sense. There were days when the unexpected became normal. Life’s craziness overwhelmed to the point of distraction, even to the point of saying “God, where are you?” But even as these thoughts threatened to crush him, the Psalmist returned to what he knew was true, what he knew he could trust… The Holy Spirit has given us a window into the Psalmist’s heart during a difficult, crazy time in his life. Let’s look at this portion of Psalm 42: In the middle of his discouragement he realizes the waves are God’s waves. He feels desperate and alone. Still, he recognizes his God has not […]
The origin of many personal conflicts comes from the inability to distinguish between opinion and objective fact. If it is only your opinion, then ask God for the grace and humility to hear and understand the opinions of others. Maybe they have something of value you need to hear. If it is only your opinion don’t value your own worth so much that you are willing to cause relational damage just to make your point. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinion. (Proverbs 18:2) If what you are presenting is factual then ask God for the patience to present what you think with a quiet and gentle spirit. Pleasant words promote instruction, not […]
Gold and precious stones are easy to acquire. All you need is money. Thus, the rich, the famous, the sports elite gather gold and glittering jewelry for all to see. For the ordinary rich and those who want to be rich, they are told to pad their retirement accounts with gold and silver. In the midst of the dazzling display of wealth you can hear the words of success and the worship of created things. But for all this wealth, what is rarely heard are words that make sense of life. The wonders of man are easily obtained. Look at our culture. Material wealth abounds, even in the face of poverty. Money, either owned or borrowed will provide the desires […]
Once again, someone in your life has offended you. Your frustration boils over. How many more times will you have to put up with being offended? So, you take matters into your own hands and let the offender know how you feel. You tell him just how annoyed and offended you are. You don’t care if he is your brother or your coworker, enough is enough. Afterwards, you think you feel vindicated, you think you feel better, you think you have stood up for your rights. But something is not right. You still feel edgy and angry. What’s wrong? Doing things your way will always leave you unsettled. God has a different way to handle personal offenses! Here are four […]
There appears to be a genuine unrest at the choice of political candidates. Indeed, on a global scale there are few leaders who stand out as people that are noble and trustworthy. There are few that inspire confidence, few that make us feel safe. But there is reason to hope! Isaiah 40 brings strong but comforting words to our ears. The Prophet speaks with awe respect at the power and control of God. His words are sharp and to the point, but they are just the words that you and I need to hear when we become discouraged. God’s purposes will stand. People who flaunt him do not have the upper hand. God is not intimidated by them in the […]