Shepherd Press is pleased to announce the fall 2021 release of A Practical Guide for Effective Biblical Counseling by Dr. Wayne Mack, now available for pre-order. About the book Who will benefit from this book? Anyone involved in counseling troubled people; anyone who strives to disciple others for Christ; all parents who want to promote effective communication and faith-building conversations with their children; any Christian committed to serving others through the Word of God; anyone who wants to live a life pleasing to the Lord, utilizing the principles set forth in Scripture. If you fall into any of these categories, you will benefit from this book. This is a guide for biblical counselors on how to effectively help counselees overcome […]
Yearly Archives: 2021
A cosmic battle has been raging between Satan and God from the beginning of time and will continue to the end of time. He has opposed the kingdom purposes of God since the first sin in the cosmos committed by Satan himself (Ezek. 28:12–17; cf. 2 Peter 2:4; 1 John 3:8). Since his temptation of Adam and Eve to sin against God in the garden (Gen. 3:1–6), Satan, along with his demon hordes, has conducted a guerilla warfare campaign to deceive and enslave men and women in his kingdom of darkness. Mankind’s only hope is therefore in God’s redeeming grace, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in […]
The Kingdom of God is the primary theme of Scripture—the center of gravity around which all other themes providentially orbit in bringing glory to the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). This is what makes it so important and exciting! There are essentially three aspects to the Kingdom of God: a Universal Kingdom, a Mediatorial Kingdom, and a Spiritual Kingdom. A general understanding of God’s kingdom program will help explain much of the moral free fall in America and the mounting hostility toward all who oppose it. But more importantly, it will animate the hearts of the redeemed with a renewed passion to see our Savior and King face-to-face. 1. The Universal Kingdom of God First, God’s […]
Thanks to the Biblical Counseling Coalition for this review of When Disability Hits Home. Excerpt: “Paul Tautges did not intend to write a book on disability until a fateful trip to the Gospel Coalition national conference in April 2011. It was there that Paul met another father of multiple children with disabilities, John Knight of Desiring God ministries. Tautges is the father of ten kids, four of whom are affected by congenital hearing impairment, one of whom also has cognitive disabilities and autism. Tautges once experienced the deep pain of knowing that due to her deafness, his daughter had never processed his tender attempts to tell her that he loved her. After a few hours of kindred conversation, Knight asked […]
Think about your parenting experience. You have heard the call in Scripture to shepherd your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord You may wonder why you did not hear these things years ago. But wherever you are now, God calls you to take hold of the plow. When and where you heard biblical truth about child-rearing must be left to God’s sovereign purposes. Start now to shepherd your child’s heart, regardless of your child’s age! The apostle Paul instructs us to respond to opposition, guiding the Lord’s servant to . . . [correct] his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses […]
Verses 20 – 25 of Deuteronomy 6 are a godly apologetic for the choices parents have made to honor God’s law when children ask questions such as: “Why do we always have to go to church?” or “Why is our family different from other families?” We are not different because of social status, money, poverty, heritage, education, skills, intelligence, or opportunities. We are different because of who God is and what God has done! When we appeal to any of the above descriptors to motivate our children to know God or walk in his ways, or to explain why we are different from the culture around us, we are either appealing to pride or avarice to reason with them. Deuteronomy […]
Deuteronomy 6 is wonderfully descriptive of the parenting role. Verses 6–9 frame the daily instruction parents are to give their children in God’s ways. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9, NIV) Notice that the parents’ role is that of instruction. The instruction is heartfelt. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. […]
Why are we tempted to feel like “it’s too late”? Perhaps it is your child’s age—he is a teen now or even an adult. Perhaps it is the degree of brokenness in your relationship—it feels like there is no hope for reconciliation. Perhaps it is the sense you have of your child’s rejection of spiritual things, and even rejection of God or the Christian faith. Here is important truth for you to consider as those thoughts crowd your mind and heart. It is always God’s work of grace that subdues rebellious hearts. That’s what happened to you and me. It is God’s Spirit who brings us, and our children, to repentance and faith—not our works or our children’s works. Ephesians […]
The pain of prodigal sons or daughters is often felt the most keenly by parents who fully invested themselves in intentional parenting. We have spoken with many heartbroken parents who are confused and even a little disappointed in God. “We did everything we were taught to do. We were always in church; if the doors were open, our family was there. Family worship was a daily priority. We sacrificed to provide a Christian education. Our son won prizes for Scripture memorization. He never gave us any trouble. He even went on mission trips with young people from church. But in college everything changed. He never did get connected to a good church. He started hanging out with young people who […]
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:7-10) Here we see Jesus— described in terms of his human nature, his divine sonship, and his high priesthood— learning obedience through suffering and achieving salvation for his people. His true humanity is evident in the “loud cries and tears” that marked his prayers […]