Counseling Religion

Preaching needs to become purposeful, says Jay Adams, because purposeless preaching is deadly. This book was written to help preachers and students discover the purpose of preaching has and the ways that the Scriptures inform and direct the preaching task. Preaching with Purpose, like the many other books of Jay Adams, speaks clearly and forcefully to the issue. After listening to this book, both students and experienced preachers will be unable to ignore the urgent task of purposeful preaching. And the people of God will be the better for it.

As a long-time Christian, Heather Kopp never expected to become an out-of-control alcoholic. Engaging, funny and bracingly honest, Kopp shares her remarkable journey into darkness... and back to the light again. Her story reveals the unique challenges and spiritual conundrums Christians face when they become ensnared in an addiction. If you love Jesus but shop too much, drink too much, eat too much, crush on men who aren't your husband, or otherwise fixate on doing things you hate but can't stop doing, Sober Mercies is for you.

Do you sometimes wonder what happened to the life you dreamed you'd have? Say Yes by storyteller and artist Scott Erickson is a profound, unique meditation on the three arguments of The Voice of Giving Up and the three mental health and spiritual practices that can help you fall in love with your life again.

Many times what we see as our biggest regrets, failures and mistakes become what God uses the most in our lives. God transforms our brokenness into something more beautiful than we can even imagine. He takes our mess and creates a masterpiece. You see, broken crayons still color.

Pete and Geri Scazzero developed The Emotionally Healthy (EH) Relationships Course over a 21-year period to directly address core biblical principles to guide you and others into an experience of discipleship that will deeply change your life. In the EH Relationships Course, everyone will learn eight practical relationship skills to develop mature, loving relationships with others.

We all want life change, but achieving it is hard. As Christians, we know we’ve got God’s help. Jesus has made it possible. The Holy Spirit even lives inside us! And yet, too many Christians are stuck in the mud when it comes to life change. What’s going on? Can things ever get better? Can my life ever turn the corner?

Discover how facing your underlying pain will allow you to overcome it and move forward. With practical insights and biblical teaching about what it takes to break the cycle of addiction and shame, Reframe Your Shame will set you on the path to freedom.

Never in the history of civilization have we been more connected and felt more alone. We are all so lonely. What if fundamentally the ways we have set up our lives is broken? We've withdrawn rather than moved through it. We want supper clubs and friends, instead of war partners. We have a wrong view of community.

When Jesus walked the earth, he cast out demons and had powerful encounters with the devil. But who exactly is the devil, and where did he come from? And what is he up to in the world today? This short, listenable book explains clearly and simply what we can say with certainty from the Bible about Satan, demons, and evil spirits. Suitable for all Christians - especially those who are struggling with questions about Satan.

Fight for Us takes couples on an inspiring journey into the challenges of battling for their marriage - through gut-wrenching times of despair, and then finally to the victory of a renewed relationship grounded in Jesus.

The church should serve as a refuge for people in pain. And yet, we often end up unintentionally causing more hurt to trauma survivors. Theological platitudes and positive thinking aren't simply dismissive to those who suffer, but they inevitably retraumatize the wounded. Does the Bible have anything practical to offer for church leaders as they engage the pain in their congregations? Biblical scholar Michelle Keener shows us that the book of Job provides embodied and practical answers for the church today.

Many people are struggling with mental-health conditions, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and life in our image-conscious culture. But when it comes to helping, it can be tricky to know where to begin. This wise, compassionate, and practical book is written by Steve Midgley, psychiatrist and Executive Director of Biblical Counselling UK, and Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK. It will help listeners understand and respond with biblical wisdom to people who are struggling with their mental health.

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 to help make these meaningful relationships become a natural part of daily life in your church. With short chapters and discussion questions, Ed Welch shows listeners what it looks like when ordinary, needy people care for other ordinary, needy people in everyday life.

We say we're free in Christ, but many of us are still living in captivity - to fear, anger, shame, isolation, unforgiveness, and control. We're good at faking it around others, but we're exhausted by the ruse. Andi Andrew wants women to break free of their self-imposed prisons and live the lives that are rightly theirs in Christ. Sharing her own intentional journey of finding true freedom by surrendering control of her heart and life to the God who welcomed her with open arms, Andrew encourages women to give their pain and brokenness to Jesus.

In this life-changing Bible study, John Eldredge distills a lifetime of wisdom into five practical and ready-to-implement practices for putting your life back together. These practices include: (1) the one-minute pause, (2) benevolent detachment, (3) practicing kindness, (4) getting outside, and (5) stepping back from technology. These practices, ready for the taking, will enable you to begin recovery, focus on what matters most, disengage from the tragedies of this broken world, and discover the restorative power of beauty.

A deep yet simple guide to revolutionizing the romance-building communication every thriving marriage needs. Love Talk is like no other communication book you've ever listened to. The fruit of years of research by two foremost relationship experts (who also happen to be husband and wife), this book forges a new path to the heart of loving conversation. You'll begin by identifying your security need and determining your personal communication style.

When tragedy strikes, people desperately search for answers. Believers and unbelievers alike find themselves turning to God. Best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado points to the only real answer to tragedy and crisis: prayer. In For These Tough Times, Lucado helps us understand how to pray despite our doubt and fear.

Human beings are wired for connection. We long for deep relationships and real intimacy — both of which reflect our fundamental desire to be close to God. But all too often, whether because of our sin or our failures, we imagine that God prefers to keep his distance. In this book, Edward T. Welch shows us the purpose for which we were created: to be brought near to God as a kingdom of priests.

A gripping true story, Prodigal Daughter narrates a family's darkest time through addiction and their journey toward healing. Father and daughter team, Rob Koke - founder and Senior Pastor of Shoreline Church - and Danielle pull back the curtain on the mind-numbing power of addiction and offer hope and real strategies for those longing for freedom. This book is your field guide in the battle of addiction. Danielle and Rob's story will challenge you with truth, equip you with strategies for the journey, and infuse your heart with hope.

So many of us suffer from chronic guilt feelings; we assume that these feelings reflect God’s opinion of us. But then along comes the gospel – exploding the lie with its mind-shattering declaration that not only does He love us, He is the One who “forgives all [our] iniquities, who heals all [our] diseases” (Psalm 103:3). While we tend to conform to our own self-concept, becoming what we think we are, Jesus does something for us that no man can do, He give us a new identity. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have become new (2Corinthians 5:17).