Posts from January 2021
An Open Letter to the Parent of a Strong-Willed Child
An Open Letter to the Parent of a Strong-Willed Child by Sam Crabtree “Dear weary parent, Few things are as burdensome to a parent than a pattern of a small child’s growing reluctance to cooperate with you. Such ache can reflect loving concern for the child. My heart goes out to you in this difficulty. I’ve heard parents say things like, “I feel like I’ve exhausted all my options. No approach seems to work. I’ve tried praying with him. I’ve…
An Open Letter to Those Frustrated by Their Progress in Sanctification
An Open Letter to Those Frustrated by Their Progress in Sanctification by David Powlison “Dear friend, We all love it when life leaps into forward gear and we make all kinds of progress. Problems just seem to fall away. Perhaps in your life you’ve had a season like that, a season when your life seemed to shine and flourish. Maybe it was when you first became a believer or during some period when you were very well nurtured by good…
Why We Give in to Temptation
Why We Give in to Temptation by Mike Emlet, Dean of Faculty at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation “Why do we give in to temptation? This question often arises in the context of counseling for repetitive struggles such as pornography use, masturbation, substance abuse, and overeating. There are many biblical ways to answer this question, but I want to focus on just one: we give in to temptation because we get tired of fighting the battle. It feels too hard…
Five Ways to Jump Start Your Devotions
Five Ways to Jump Start Your Devotions by Alasdair Groves, Executive Director at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation “Spending meaningful time alone with God is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life, but it is also one of the most difficult to sustain. Failure in this area, real or perceived, is common and is guilt inducing for most Christians. We give many different reasons for our struggle: it bores us, it discourages us, it’s work, we’re busy…
Learning about Sanctification from Groundhog Day
Learning about Sanctification from Groundhog Day by Mike Emlet, Dean of Faculty at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation “We recently celebrated that oddest of American traditions, Groundhog Day. Every February 2, the nation awaits a weather prediction from “Phil,” a groundhog who makes his home in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. If he sees his shadow that morning, it means six more weeks of wintery weather or so the lore goes. If he doesn’t see his shadow, it predicts an early spring….Are you…
Five Things to Encourage You as You Read through the Bible in a Year
Five Things to Encourage You as Your Read through the Bible in a Year by Jayne V. Clark, Chief of Staff at Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation “A year ago today I embarked on an adventure I’d undertaken several times before—reading through the Bible in a year. The only difference this time was that I was going to read the English Standard Version (ESV). Looking back, it occurred to me that one could trace the history of the “Bible of…
How Much Should I Share?
How Much Should I Share? Leaders have difficulty knowing what to share about their struggles with their small groups. by Allen White “Every believer sins. No one is perfect—not even leaders. On the other hand, when you’re struggling with temptation or are caught up in a sin pattern, how much should you share with your group? After all, while confession is good for the soul—and for strengthening a group—it can be bad for the reputation or make a messy situation…