Domestic abuse and violence are on the rise in our culture today, and just as prevalent in the church of Jesus Christ as it is in the population at large. With an estimated one-fourth of women in the church living with abuse and violence, pastors and biblical counselors need to have the resources to offer hope and help. Continue reading
Suffering and the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores:
Do Trauma and Abuse Have the Last Word?
When someone suffers through trauma, can healing happen? And, if yes, how does it happen? Dr. Diane Langberg tackles these complex and difficult questions with the insights she has gained through more than forty years of counseling those whose lives have been destroyed by trauma and abuse.
Her answer carefully explained in Suffering and the Heart of God is Yes, what trauma destroys, Christ can and does restore. Continue reading
Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure: No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us–until we believe that God is more desirable than life 
itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God’s superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin.
Pastor John Piper shows how to sever the clinging roots of sin that ensnare us, including anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. Continue reading
In the first post on shame, we covered the difference between guilt and shame and how to sort the two emotions despite their similarities. In this post we hope to provide an example case study along with a tool that will help you to separate the emotions. My desire for this post is that it will be a practical application for the previous two posts to help you first separate shame from guilt, thereby, being able to repent for guilt and disempower shame. Continue reading
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV)
From the verses above, we can find hope that sustainable change is attainable through perseverance and consistency. We hope that you will allow us to walk beside you as you begin this journey, knowing that so often the key to finishing well is starting well. We will walk with you as long as you walk with us on your journey. Continue reading
John H. Chapman 