Biblical Counseling
I Want to Punch God.
Life is not fair. God is always fair. Shelly (name changed) is a woman who has had a very hard life. The things she has told me in our counseling sessions are enough to make me depressed. I’ve told her time and again, “I wish there was a ‘reset’ button I could push for you. Life has been so hard...
Summary of the Seven Keys to “Strategic Pastoral Counseling” by David Benner
Counseling within the church context is full of challenges. Knowing what to offer it to your congregation and the boundaries that should exist within your counseling ministry are not intuitive. I have learned this the hard way, over the last nine years, as I have established two different biblical counseling ministry from the ground up. We have made our...
Bible Verses for the Depressed
Though it is not something I am proud of, I have to admit that the last few days have been some of the hardest days I’ve had in a long time. The number of sermons yet to be prepared and preached were overwhelming to me. I was burdened by the responsibilities of the church. The shambles my personal life...
Free Counseling Notes Template
As a counselor, taking notes is one of the most important parts of my job. The details shared with me in a counseling session are sensitive and critical, so I want to capture what I can. I also hear a lot of information over the course of many cases, so taking notes helps me keep the details straight. I...
3 Keys to Helping Someone Through Loss
This may sound a bit off, but consider this a pastoral confession: I enjoy being involved with people at their greatest point of loss. There is nothing more tragic than the loss of someone you love. Death is hard, no matter when it comes. As a pastor, I am often involved in helping people through the loss of their loved one,...
“You Did What?” and Other Questions You Shouldn’t Ask When Counseling
As a pastor, I have the opportunity to do quite a bit of counseling. I get to sit with the people that I care about deeply and delve into the problems of their life. As I’ve been doing this more and more over the last 6 years, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. Most of my lessons were taught to...
Forty-Eight Things you Can Do to Relieve Anxiety
Dealing with anxiety can be an up-and-down journey. The hills and valleys come when you least except them. We would love to just take the short cut to avoid them, or the straight path that will cut right through them, but it is not always that easy. Believe me, I know. Anxiety is a frequent feeling that I have dealt...
The High Calling of Caring
I recently looked up the word, “Shepherd” in the dictionary. This is what I found: shepherd |ˈ sh epərd| |ˈʃɛpərd| |ˈʃɛpəd| noun A person who tends and rears sheep. Figurative a member of the clergy who provides spiritual care and guidance for a congregation. The task we are called to as pastors and elders is not a simple one. Anytime one person is...
7 Items for a Pastoral Care Team Meeting Agenda
Every week I sit with our Care and Counseling Team to review the current people we are caring for. This is not always a short meeting. On any given week we may have as many as 60 active cases to review. A "case" is someone that we we are currently engaging in biblical counseling or are caring for in...
Biblical Counseling After Suicide or Suicidal Thoughts
Suicide is one of the most difficult types of suffering and pain we can experience. Counseling those who are in the wake of a tragic loss, or those who are contemplating taking their own life, requires deep biblical wisdom. The Bible has hope and help to guide us. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors has given me permission to share...
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...
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...