Review: Thankfulness: Even When It Hurts

Susan Lutz. Thankfulness: Even When It Hurts.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, April 1st 2002. 22 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This biblical counseling booklet addresses the issue of being thankful.  Specifically it addresses the need to be thankful to God even when there is life difficulties.  The booklet is part of a series called “Resources for Changing Lives” printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing and this was one of the earlier volumes.  Like other booklets in this series this was helpful.  Personally I have used this particular title for own edification, for counseling as a Pastor, for a devotional with my wife and also I’m planning on reading it together with one of our church’s small group.

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Review: Marriage: Whose Dream?

Paul David Tripp. Marriage: Whose Dream?.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, September 1st 1999. 17 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This biblical counseling booklet addresses the issue of marriage and people’s hopes and dreams of marriage. It is a part of a series called “Resources for Changing Lives” printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing. I highly recommend this booklet and also others booklet in the series since I have found them very beneficial for my own personal spiritual growth and also as a counseling and discipleship resource in pastoral ministry. For this particular title I read this along with others in our church small group. I think this booklet is ideal as part of pre-marital counseling, biblical counseling for those going through difficulties in marriage and even for those who are single who are not yet married but as something to work through concerning one’s dream and expectation of marriage.

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How to Deal with Disappointments Biblically (Audio)

In life we will face many disappointments.  Yet how are Christians to deal with disappointment?

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Review: Suicide: Understanding and Intervening

Jeffrey S. Black. Suicide: Understanding and Intervening.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, February 1st 2003. 34 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This is a biblical counseling booklet on suicide that is a part of a series called “Resources for Changing Lives” printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.  I highly recommend this series of booklets and I have found them very beneficial for my own personal spiritual growth and also as a resource in pastoral ministry.  The specific topic for this booklet is on suicide.  The booklet addresses those intervening and counseling someone who is struggling with wanting to commit suicide rather than addressing directly the person who desire to end his or her own life.  I made the mistake of not reading the subtitle of this work carefully and gave this to someone I was counseling that was feeling suicidal.  Nevertheless when I read this booklet I felt it was a treasure trove of help for the counselor and is jam packed with many insights despite its tiny size.

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Review: Suffering: Eternity Makes a Difference

A few months ago I wrote Why Apologists Should Read Biblical Counseling Books.  This is another one that I recommend for everyone for those going through suffering and those counseling those who are suffering…and also for apologists to be more balanced.

Paul David Tripp. Suffering: Eternity Makes a Difference.  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, April 1st 2001. 31 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

This is a biblical counseling booklet on suffering written by the Biblical counselor Paul Tripp.  It is a part of a series called “Resources for Changing Lives” printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing that I highly recommend and have found very beneficial for my own personal spiritual growth and also as a resource in pastoral ministry.  I recommend this booklet for those who are going through suffering, those who are ministering to those who are suffering and those who are Christians…because we will all go through suffering in our lives.

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One Witty Ditty For Your Memory of Theology: If you reject godly instruction

I haven’t recently have these kinds of post that puts things into bite size memorable ditties but I thought it would be good to post this one in light of some heavy counseling I have been doing recently in ministry.

There comes a point with those who are in serious rebellion against God where their wicked lifstyle is going to incur grave consequences that I start warning them with a passage from Proverbs 13:15: “Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard.”  I usually start using this verse as one of the last things I say to those who willfully choose a path that is wrong.  Here’s a little rhyme to drive the point home and hopefully make the person remember how serious this is:

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Why Apologists Should Read Biblical Counseling Books

When asked what books Christian apologists should read the average Christian would think of works like Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands A Verdict and other books by popular Christian apologists such as Ravi Zacharias, J. Warner Wallace, William Lane Craig, etc.  Works on Christian apologetics have their place.  But Christian apologists should also read more broadly works covering other areas of the Christian intellectual life and the Christian life in general.  One such area that Christian apologists should consider reading works on is biblical counseling.

Why?

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