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Reformed Parenting

Reformed Parenting

Many parents struggle with guilt and confusion over how to train their children. Old-school parenting books emphasized discipline derived from the exhortations in Proverbs. The book of wisdom was used to chastise the foolishness out of children. The next generation of parenting books suggested that parents should go beyond controlling their children’s wayward behavior and …

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Do you keep your commitments – even when it hurts?

Do you keep your commitments – even when it hurts?

When I was a new believer a dear mentor who had great influence on my life made me aware of Psalm 15:4 which proclaims that the righteous man “swears to his own hurt and does not change.” My friend taught me that there will be times in life when one might regret making a commitment, but that it is necessary to keep one’s word. Or as we read elsewhere in Scripture, “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’” (James 5:12  Matthew 5:37).

Be Slow To Speak

Be Slow To Speak

In some ways counseling is more difficult than preaching in that the preacher can prepare extensively for his sermon and can control the direction the sermon takes. The counselor may seek to prepare for a session but  doesn’t have control over the direction the meeting may take. The counselee may raise a new issue or may be facing a sudden (and unrelated) crisis for which immediate help is required. The counselor must be able to offer answers from God’s Word, which means that he or she must know the Scriptures very well.

How Thick is Your Bible?

How Thick is Your Bible?

After having listened to hundreds of hours of counseling and having read or heard thousands of case session reports, I am convinced that many counselors have Bibles which are way too thin. They need thicker Bibles if they are to be effective biblical counselors.  The “thickness” of one’s Bible describes how much of the Bible a counselor knows well enough to be able to use spontaneously in a counseling situation.