The Pastor as Counselor (Foreword by Ed Welch)


Book Description

David Powlison Examines the Unique Role of the Pastor as Counselor A pastor inhabits multiple roles—teacher, preacher, youth leader, and counselor. Yet many church leaders feel unprepared to counsel church members who are struggling with difficult, multifaceted problems. David Powlison reminds pastors of their unique role as the shepherds of God's people, equipping them to apply biblical wisdom to the thoughts, values, moods, expectations, and decisions of those under their care.




Side by Side


Book Description

Everyone needs help from time to time, especially in the midst of painful circumstances and difficult trials. In this short book, a highly respected biblical counselor and successful author offers practical guidance for all Christians—pastors and laypeople alike—who want to develop their “helping skills” when it comes to walking alongside hurting people. Written out of the conviction that friends are the best helpers, this accessible introduction to biblical counseling will equip believers to share their burdens with one another through gentle words of wisdom and kind acts of love. This book is written for those eager to see God use ordinary relationships and conversations between ordinary Christians to work extraordinary miracles in the lives of his people.




Shame Interrupted


Book Description

In Shame Interrupted, bestselling author Edward T. Welch empowers readers to live in light of the gospel of God's grace, which breaks the lingering power of shame. Providing immediate application to every reader's spiritual journey, Welch's book guides men and women to seek freedom from the shame of their own relational and sexual brokenness. Shame controls far too many of us, and the Bible addresses the issue of shame from start to finish. Shame Interrupted reminds readers that God cares for the shamed, and that through Jesus, they are covered, adopted, cleansed, and healed. Shame Interrupted creates a safe place to deal with shame, shining a light on the dynamics of sin and how it is overcome through the power of Christ. By identifying with our shame on the cross, Jesus gives believers freedom from the paralyzing effects of sin and shame. As someone who is familiar with the effects and crushing weight of shame—and the overwhelming freedom found in Christ—Welch invites readers to find confidence in the cleansing work of Christ in this raw and brutally honest book. By examining the depths of the human heart, Welch has made accessible invaluable tools for counseling, soul care, and pastoral work. Shame Interrupted dwells on hope and healing, providing gospel answers to difficult questions.




The End of Anxiety


Book Description

If God is All-powerful, Why Doesn’t He Eliminate My Anxiety? Instead of asking this, perhaps we should ask why God is allowing it in the first place. Join pastor and biblical counselor Josh Weidmann on a journey through Scripture and his own vulnerable stories of discovering God’s ultimate purpose in pain. The End of Anxiety is designed for individuals or small groups; each chapter begins with Scripture and finishes with practical steps you can apply for immediate relief. Your anxiety, fear, stress, and panic are not the end of you—but facing them could be the start of something great! “Read this, apply it, and find freedom from fear—forever.” Ray Johnston Senior pastor of Bayside Church in Granite Bay, California




Caring for One Another


Book Description

Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you. The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. With short chapters and discussion questions meant to be read in a group setting, Ed Welch guides small groups through eight lessons that show what it looks like when ordinary, needy people care for other ordinary, needy people in everyday life.




CrossTalk


Book Description

Your friend just left his wife. You catch your child posting something inappropriate on the Internet. Someone in your small group is depressed. A relative was just diagnosed with an incurable disease. When those you know experience trouble, you want to offer real hope and help from God's Word. Using case studies and concrete examples, Michael ...




A World Upside Down


Book Description

As he approached the final decade of his life, Martin Luther observed that the beginning and end of all his theology was simple faith in Christ. This faith in Christ brought peace and joy to his soul, and also turned 1500s Europe upside down through the Reformation. ••• A World Upside Down is a collection of four essays that describe this faith. 1). The first essay describes the intersection of this faith with Luther's remarkable life, giving him great assurance before God, yet placing him at war with the world. 2). In the second essay, Luther's Understanding of the Gospel is discussed: what faith in Christ is, the need we all have for the Savior, and the Christian's humble dependence on the good news of God's unchanging grace. 3). The third essay, That No Flesh Should Glory in God's Presence, shares Luther's teaching that the gospel outlined in chapter two gives all glory to God: a) God's wisdom revealed in the gospel message humbles man's pride and wisdom and exalts God alone. b) The gospel produces good works in the believer's life to the glory of God. 4). The final essay, Christ's Church, shares Luther's thought that the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ is central to the life of the church. The church is made up of forgiven and weak sinners who are dearly loved by God and carried by him through their earthly pilgrimage. This essay summarizes the book, applying Luther's theology to us in the 21st century. ••• Martin Luther's life and theology are shared with the hope that we, like Luther, would grow in having simple, uncluttered faith in Christ alone for the glory and honor of God.




Anchored in Grace


Book Description

Salvation is anchored in grace, rooted in God's favor toward us in his Son, the Lord Christ. Anchored in Grace is a celebration of these exceeding riches of God's grace toward sinners in Christ Jesus. These are realities with which Christians need to be thoroughly acquainted. They are paths to walk so that we do not miss our way to heaven, nor fail to honor the Lord God along the way. They are central truths, humbling truths, saving truths, and comforting truths. Not least, they are God-glorifying truths, for the great end of our salvation is the praise of the glory of God's grace. When God saves sinners, it reveals his wisdom and power, his love and compassion, his justice and truth, as nothing else. In Christ crucified, we are given insights into the gracious heart of God Almighty that can be found nowhere else. There his majesty, might, and mercy are on display, and there we find life everlasting. When our faith is anchored in this grace, holiness and happiness take root in our hearts. Here sinners are liberated from condemnation, dread, and wrath. Here Christians are relieved of fear, confusion, and pride. Here we may find peace, certainty, purpose, joy, and hope. With this in mind, Anchored in Grace provides a brief survey of the grace of God in Christ revealed in the Scriptures, tracing the arc of his saving dealings with lost men and women. It is by no means exhaustive, but rather sets out some of the fixed points in which humble faith can rest so as to exalt and enjoy God in all his saving kindnesses in his Son.




When Texas Prison Scams Religion


Book Description

When Texas Prison Scams Religion exposes corruption in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, especially in the abuse of religion. In many ways, this book is a literature review of 1,800-plus works that defends freedom of conscience in prison while exposing the unconstitutionality of the seminary program that “buys faith with favor” from prisoners. The state veritably ordains the prisoner a “Field Minister” that represents the offices of the Governor, TDCJ Director, and wardens throughout the prison. Therein, TDCJ lies about neutrality in a program all about Christian missions and lies again in falsely certifying elementary Bible students as counselors. Why is the director sponsoring psychopaths counseling psychopaths? In fact, TDCJ pays $314 million a year to UTMB for psychiatric care and receives not a single report of the care given, and worse, for UTMB generates no reports itself. The underbelly TDCJ’s executive culture of cover up is exposed. TDCJ has hired the lowest qualified of the applicant pool many times in the last 25 years and regularly destroys statistics on violence. TDCJ Dir. Collier led the prison to model Louisiana Warden Burl Cain, the most scandal-ridden in penal history according to a host of published news stories for 20 years. Therein, Collier led TDCJ to favor the smallest segment of religious society within Evangelical Dominionism. Texas has no business endorsing the truth of any religion over another. We close with a proposal that utilizes the 400,000,000 hours of officer contact over ten years as a definitive influence in contrast to a commissioner that spends less than 10 minutes on each decision. Maness has been lobbying Austin for 15 years to definitively access staff for his “100,000 Mothers’ 1% Certainty Parole Texas Constitutional Amendment,” which would revolutionize prison culture and save Texans millions of the dollars.




I Have a Psychiatric Diagnosis


Book Description

A psychiatric diagnosis can be heavy burden—for you or someone you love. What does God have to say about that? Edward T. Welch helps you answer that crucial question by exploring how God's Word speaks in ways that can help you find wisdom, rest, and hope in Jesus.