Israel Tour 2015 Update One
Today we are in the Galilee region staying in the city of Tiberius. We started our time here by having a night out on the town (we arrived late) and grabbing some good coffee at a local shop. The next morning everyone awoke to see the Sea of Galilee out their window with the sun rising and declaring the...
Why Joppa (Jaffa) Israel is Important to Our Lives Today
Today I am in Joppa which is the southern end of the city today called Tel Aviv. The port of Joppa was of great significance in both the Old and New Testament because of access that it gave to Jerusalem and other sites in Israel. This would have been the port Herod the Great used to bring in materials...
How a Trip to Israel Can Change Your Life
Sometimes the most significant things in life sneak up on us. My first trip to Israel was one surprising moment after the other. I joined a tour that was already planned and headed to Israel. The fund were provided for me to go, so I packed up and went, not sure of what to expect. Sure, I had studied the...
Why Repeating Yourself Can be Worth It
Communication is the crux of all relationships. We live with people who we love and some we merely stand. No matter the nature of the relationship, we want to make sure we are communicating for the sake of being understood. I was recently counseling a couple through conflict in their marriage. As I watched them, I noticed they continued to...
Avoid the Tragedy of Counseling Too Quickly
A few days ago some of the counselors and I were jesting about starting a drive-thru counseling service. We laughed at the thought of people taking advantage of this quick service to get fast answers to life's problems. "I am sure that already exists in Vegas," someone said. We quickly returned to the reality of hard sessions that require...
Why Life without a Mentor is a Bad Idea
Mentoring has always been important to me. My father played a significant role in my development of valuing outside voices of wisdom. Through our man-to-man relationship, I realize the importance of having an older and wiser person in my life to help construct and guide me. When I turned fifteen years old, my dad understood that his voice was still...
10 Resources for Counseling Marriage Conflict
Prepare and Enrich Prepare and Enrich is a tool that was designed by Dr. David Olsen to help evaluate the health of a couple’s relationship. This tool can be used for premarital and marriage relationships. It is something that a counselor would administer and facilitate for the couple, allowing them to see what is happening behind the scenes in their...
Why You Need to Avoid Hypocrites Completely
Have you ever heard the phrase - “A wolf in sheep’s clothing?” It’s a statement that is often used to refer to people who are sly, tricky or deceitful. At first you may perceive a person like this to be harmless, but the closer you get to them, you find that they are out to devour whatever they can...
Top 10 Internet Resources for Depression
Biblical Counseling Coalition – Depression Articles This site has an excellent list of articles, audio and video resources on the topic of depression. There are several different biblical counselors that wrote these articles, giving a variety of perspective and expertise. Tools and steps are included to help the counselor know where to start and how to set realistic goals for...
Jonathan Edwards Resolutions
Here we sit on the brink of a new year, a time seemingly to start over and reboot our life's hard drive. I am notorious for starting resolutions and failing or forgetting them by the end of January. However, I think I've found a model worth following. I recently read about one of my heroes. He lived some 300 years...
Defending Against Satan’s Five Most Common Plays
Satan is a crafty enemy, but I don’t want to give him too much credit. He is my enemy because he is an eternal against my God. I cannot tolerate him, bear the thought of him or even stand typing his name. I loathe his existence. Sadly, too often we act as if Satan is just some evil version of Casper...
A Night of Peace on Christmas Eve, 1870: A “O Holy Night” story
On Christmas Eve in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, an intense battle was taking place between French and German soldiers. Suddenly, a French soldier jumped from the trenches, exposing himself to the enemy’s fire. Before either side could figure out what to do, he began singing Cantique de Noel—O Holy Night in English. Each side stood frozen as he sang...