Outline: We are serious about the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture because without it the biblical counseling movement cannot exist. There are plenty of secular counselors who believe there is no place for the teaching of Scripture in counseling. There are also plenty of conservative evangelical Christians who love the Bible but believe it is a revelation of limited scope, which is not …
Outline: 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 decis…
Outline: The process of sanctification is personal and organic - not a one-size-fits-all formula. Many popular views try to reduce the process of Christian growth to a single template: Remember past grace. Rehearse your identity in Christ. Avail yourself of the means of grace. Disciple yourself. But Scripture portrays the dynamics of sanctification in a rich variety of ways. No single factor, t…
Outline : Sexuality was a part of God's good creation from the beginning. But with sin came a world filled with sexual brokenness. Thankfully, God is always in the business of restoration. This book offers hope for both the sexually immoral and the sexually victimized, pointing us all to the grace of Jesus Christ, who mercifully intervenes each moment in our lifelong journey toward renewal. Aut…
Outline: Where is God? There are never quick fixes or easy answers when we can't immediately see God's hand - when the struggle is hard and painful - he is working. Weaving together Scripture, personal stories, and the words of classic "How Firm a Foundation," David Powlison brings an experienced counselor's touch to exploring how God enters into our sufferings, helping us see God working in ou…
Outline: These are dark days, and this is a book about how to stand up in the face of spiritual warfare - for yourself, for your loved ones, for those you counsel. David Powlison carefully unpacks Scripture and various case studies to show how Christ triumphs over all the powers of darkness.
Outline : Can you be both good and angry? In this groundbreaking book, David Powlison reframes the universal problem of anger through an in-depth exploration of God's anger and ours. Full of practical help for all who struggle with how to respond when life goes wrong, Good and Angry sets readers on a path toward the faithful and fruitful expression of anger.
Outline : This six-week, biblically rich course for students helps young adults wrestle with what it looks like to become more like Jesus through the CCEF model of change. Real Change for Students offers in-depth Bible study, personal and group reflection, and an individualized personal growth project, equipping them to experience gospel transformation in the Christian life.
Outline: This six-week, biblically rich course for students helps young adults wrestle with what it looks like to become more like Jesus through the CCEF model of change. Real Change for Students offers in-depth Bible study, personal and group reflection, and an individualized personal growth project, equipping them to experience gospel transformation in the Christian life.
Outline: ARE YOU OVERWHELMED by stress? On edge? Pressured to achieve? Spinning into free fall? What is the "noise" going on inside you? Or are you quiet inside? Here David Powlison invites you to look at Psalm 131to learn how to quiet your soul. "Psalm 131 gives us intimate access to the inner life of someone who has learned composure," Powlison writes. "This person is quiet on the inside beca…
Outline: "Why has this happened to me? Where is God when I'm suffering?" If you've been harmed by another person, the shock, confusion, and grief can be disorienting and sometimes immense. How are you supposed to process what's been done to you? Where does God fit in? Psalm 10 is an anguished prayer that is filled with comfort and guidance for the sufferer. Here David Powlison shows us what it …
Outline : PRE-ENGAGEMENT : 5 Questions to Ask Yourselves David Powlison & John Yenchko How do you know if you're ready to marry? What are the signs that a man and a woman are heading in the same direction and are right for each other? In this booklet a biblical counselor and a pastor team up to offer five pertinent questions that will help couples decide whether to commit themselves to each ot…
Outline: "PRIVATE SEXUAL FANTASY can preoccupy vast areas of a person's mental life," notes David Powlison. "As explicit sexual images proliferate in films and magazines, on television, and over the Internet, the temptations increase and the bondage seems unbreakable. Even Christians can find that their lives have become a push-pull struggle between indulging in fantasy and resisting it." "Is i…
Outline: Personal Growth. What if your human parents were violent, deceptive, cold... or even just occasionally disappointing? Can their failures keep you from understanding God's love and having a growing relationship with your heavenly Father? Some say that you can't know God's love unless someone will stand in your parent's place, giving you a loving new image to use in relating to God. Bu…
Outline: Resources for Personal Change What makes you angry? Sometimes small things make us angry: traffic ham, a waiter's mistake, or a friend's inattention. And sometimes big things make us angry: betrayal, injustice, meanness, violence, oppression, selfishness, and lying. How do you deal with your anger? Do you dump it on those around you? Or stuff it deep inside? David Powlison surprises …
Outline: DOMESTIC ABUSE How to Help Couples who publicly sit at peace in church pews can secretly be at war. How do you help the victim of domestic abuse? And doesn't the perpetrator of the violence also need our help? Three counselors reveal ways to clearly communicate God's grace to the victims of violence. They demonstrate how to minister with confidence and humility to the afflicted. They…
Outline : Medical and Psychiatric Issues If you're struggling with a sexual addiction of any sort, you understand that feeling of being trapped, out of control, and afraid of being found out. No matter what you try, it seems impossible to break free from the lure of illicit sexual thoughts and practices. Author David Powlison encourages those who want to overcome their compulsive sexual behavi…
Outline : "GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE." Sounds nice, but is it enough? Is there more to God's love? Describing unconditional love as detached "blanket acceptance" and "benign affirmation," David Powlison challenges our common assumption about the nature of God's love. Although wonderfully accepting, divine love is also intrusive, intimate, personal, and active. Instead of simply loving us as we a…
Outline: Are you having suicidal thoughts and feelings? Perhaps you are convinced that life is not worth living. Your life seems hopeless, like a black hole with all love, hope, and joy sucked out. David Powlison describes the various reasons you might be feeling hopeless and explains that God is not surprised or put off by your feelings of despair. Your life is precious to God. He knows everyt…
Outline : Medical and Psychiatric Issues You are bored or stressed or hurt. Something is hard in life and you want a break. What do you grab for that you hope will protect, soothe, and comfort? Whatever it is shopping, overeating, drinking, drugs-promises relief, but never delivers. Instead, you are left feeling empty, anxious, guilty, and wanting more. David Powlison shares that God made us f…
Outline : Medical and Psychiatric Issues As a chronic fatigue sufferer, life as you once enjoyed it has ceased. Fatigue can be brought on by a myriad of physical, emotional, or spiritual issues. But, whatever the cause, your entire world is now affected by your diminished physical strength. David Powlison understands how debilitating and demoralizing a constant state of fatigue can be through …
Outline: Men's Issues. 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 is 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 so…
Outline: Resources for Personal Change Someone you know and love has died. You feel the emptiness and sorrow of loss. That alone is extremely hard. But suicide adds many other painful reactions to the heartache that death brings. Common reactions are feelings of anger, guilt, betrayal, and many, many unanswerable questions. This is one of life's broken, dark experiences in which you need help …
Outline : ANGER. We all experience it, some more than others. When is it righteous and when is it not? How can we control our anger and not get caught in a maze of rage when things don't go our way? David Powlison takes a close look at anger. to help us understand what it is and why we have He exposes three common misconceptions that leave us powerless to overcome anger. Using the illustration …
Outline : PLEASURE Pleasure was part of God's original design, but what happens when the things we enjoy become obsessions or escapes? David Powlison looks at two types of pleasures: those that bring pure, guilt-free enjoyment and those that are stained, empty, and disappointing. He points to the tell-tale signs that we are misusing pleasure to indulge ourselves or run from pain we need to fac…
Outline : Sering kali reaksi spontan kita jika diperhadapkan dengan derita yang menyakitkan adalah: "Mengapa saya? Mengapa i harus sekarang? Mengapa?" ini terjadi? Mengapa Allah datang untuk kita, di dalam daging, di dalam Kristus, ke dalam penderitaan, demi kita. la melangkah ke penderitaan kita yang signifikan. la akan menggendong kita, bahkan di dalam situasi-situasi hidup yang paling sulit …
Outline: Komunikasi dalam relasi bisa menjadi perkara yang pelik. Pasti Anda pernah mengalami kondisi dimana Anda harus memikirkan tentang bagaimana berbicara dengan lebih baik dengan orang-orang yang "sulit," atau bagaimana mengungkapkan iman dan kasih dengan lebih natural di dalam berbagai relasi yang Anda miliki, atau bagaimana Anda bisa memberikan konseling dan bimbingan yang lebih efektif.…
Overview: Beginning in the late 1960s, a biblical counseling movement sought to reclaim counseling for the church and provide a Christian alternative to mainstream psychiatry and psychotheraphy. This book is an informative and thought-provoking account of that moment. The author's historical account combines careful scholarship with a unique, eyewitness insight. This book is an invaluable r…
Outline: Bagaimana orang Kristen memahami dan melaksanakan disiplin psikologi? Pertanyaan ini telah menggugah minat (dan kadang-kadang perhatian) dari orang Kristen karena sangat penting bagi kita untuk menempatkan pemahaman yang benar tentang sifat manusia. Psikologi kadang-kadang tampak tidak ada kaitannya, atau bertentangan den perspektif kehidupan orang Kristen. Bagaimana kita memahami …