Ministry Counseling

Our bodies are designed to heal. But while our skinned knees easily heal, it can sometimes feel like our emotional and relational wounds are left gaping open, broken beyond repair. If our bodies instinctively know how to heal physical injuries, could they also help us understand how to restore painful emotional and relational ruptures? Physician Jennie McLaurin and scientist Cymbeline T. Culiat present Designed to Heal: a fascinating look at how the restorative processes of the body can model patterns we may adapt to heal the acute and chronic wounds of our social bodies.

Drawn from the personal experience of the authors and current research, The Heart of Recovery calls us to set aside judgment and mend recovering addicts and their families with the stuff God uses to heal: compassion and community. It's a call to serve the ones who cannot repay, to forgive 70 times 7, to fling the door wide open to the prodigal, and to remember the purpose of grace. A supportive community - family, friends, the church, and more - encourages and sustains long-term recovery. Through compassion, we bring hope for healing.

Are you lonely? You're in good company! For many, lonely feelings come and go. For others, loneliness is ongoing and agonizing. Yet no matter what category you're in, there is hope. You're not alone. In this short, practical book, biblical counselor Lou Priolo helps you to assess your own experience, get to the root of your loneliness, and do some rethinking on this topic—because the way you think about being alone affects the way you feel about being alone.

Many pastors and ministry leaders are constantly on the lookout for resources that can provide fresh insights and effective strategies for helping their flock grow spiritually and numerically. The Christian DISC® is a spiritual personality assessment tool designed specifically for Christian work and ministry. Based on the widely used DISC personality system, the Christian DISC® integrates insights from scripture and emotional intelligence, and is used by churches, ministries, organizations, and professionals across the country.

This substantive collection from noted scholar Serene Jones explores recent work in the field of trauma studies. Central to its overall theme is an investigation of how individual and collective violence affect one's capacity to remember, to act, and to love; how violence can challenge theological understandings of grace; and even how the traumatic experience of Jesus's death is remembered.

Paula was broken, traumatized, and bound by many addictions, but today she is free. And that is God's desire for you, too!

Has suffering crushed you? Does God even care? Do not live defeated by suffering: allow God to use this audiobook to guide you on your journey to victory. Packed with Scripture, this book can transform your view of hardships and revolutionize how you handle adversity. This audiobook emerged from Celeste Li's experience with her beloved patients with HIV and AIDS, and from her own battles with adversity.

Everyone needs advice, and everyone gives advice. In a world of dysfunctional families, churches, and societies, professional counseling is in great demand as a solution to our problems. The weak link in this solution is the inability to determine a counselor’s qualifications apart from his professional accreditation. Academics can give you knowledge, but no learning or books can give you wisdom. There are no graduate degrees in love or compassion. You cannot get a PhD in virtue. However, these things are available to everyone freely through Christ.

When pain becomes too deep to bear, people ask 4 key questions: What's wrong? Who can help? What will the helper do? What can I hope for? In this program, Drs. Larry Crabb and Dan Allender answer these questions, while shedding light on the strengths and weaknesses of various counseling models, examining the role of the church in providing restoration and growth, and supplying important principles for finding real help. Penetrating, encouraging, and empathetic, Hope When You're Hurting challenges both professionals and church leaders to rethink their views on counseling and Christian community.

The #MeToo movement has revealed sexual abuse and assault in every sphere of society, including the church. But victims are routinely ignored by fellow Christians who deny their accounts and fail to bring accountability to the perpetrators. All too often, churches have been complicit in protecting abusers, reinforcing patriarchal power dynamics, and creating cultures of secrecy, shame, and silence.

In the wilderness, Satan tempted Jesus in the most unlikely ways - through independence, religion, and success. The enemy's goal for us is the same, convincing us to enjoy the gifts of this world while making the Giver optional in our quest for life. But by learning to live in the Spirit, lies are exposed, and moments of temptation are turned into powerful displays of conviction and character, bringing us closer to Jesus and who we are to become.

Your cancer diagnosis comes as a surprise and not a pleasant surprise. It is a hard and threatening jolt. Perhaps you are still in shock. Still trying to wrap your mind around the new reality of your diagnosis and what it means for your present and future. Is it possible to walk by faith on this difficult journey? David Powlison, speaking both as a counselor and as someone who has been diagnosed with cancer four times, describes the uncertainty, the physical pain, and the emotional and spiritual struggles that come with a cancer diagnosis.

When someone leaves an abusive marriage, life isn't instantly fixed. Women who have experienced domestic violence feel shattered. Because of the trauma they've been through, a bond with their abuser has formed that keeps them tied together long after they've physically left. Karen DeArmond Gardner understands these difficulties all too well. And she intimately knows what women in this situation need in order to gain freedom from the lies of abuse - to be reborn as the people God longs for them to be.

Are you a pastor or other church leader who would like to counsel but are afraid you can't do it? This book is for you! It will help you get over the fear of counseling and help you to counsel most people with most of their problems. It will also help you to know when to refer them to someone more qualified. Learn about grief, suicide, abuse, communication, forgiveness,and more.

When Anxiety Strikes is an eight-week guide to managing anxiety, grounded in both Scripture and research. Structured for daily listening, with integrated practices for everyday life, the audiobook addresses seven themes: breath, body, movement, mind, change, spirit, and community. Concise stories, readings, questions, and activities guide listeners to tackle the realities of living with anxiety. When Anxiety Strikes offers real solutions to find a solid landing place when the storm of fear looms.

Americans spend $13 billion a year on pornography, the regular viewing of which is linked to higher acceptance of violence against women and adversarial sexual beliefs. Therapists and pastors are not always adequately equipped to address the unique demands of competent care for those struggling with sexually addictive behaviors. Reclaiming Sexual Wholeness, edited by Todd Bowman, presents cutting-edge research from a diverse group of experts in a single, comprehensive resource intended for therapists, clergy, and others in helping professions.

Whether you’re struggling to make anything work in your youth ministry or finding that most things are clicking along, this book will help you develop a practical theology—to ask what is happening, what should be happening, and how you can make it happen. Each chapter is followed by discussion questions to help you process in a group or on your own.

Helping Groups Heal presents “The Healing Cycle”, a grace-based model that facilitates healing and growth in groups. It has been tested with a variety of settings and can be adapted to nearly any small group, from sex-addiction therapy to marriage therapy to Bible studies.

In this book, recovering cynic Barnabas Piper helps us to throw off both the unrealistic expectations that end in disappointment and the guilty sense that Christians are not meant to have fun. He shows how having a clear view of the reality of the fall and the promise of redemption frees us to live a life that’s grounded, hopeful, and genuinely happy.

The battle to resist pornography is brutal. Its lure just seems too powerful. We've tried for years to be strong, run away from temptation, and manage our desires in better ways. No matter how hard we try, though, we just can't get free from pornography. Some of us have lost all hope. What if the battle you've been fighting isn't even the real battle? What if using pornography is just a symptom of something deeper going on inside of you? What if the things you are doing to protect yourself actually contribute to your obsession?