Does Gospel-Centered Counseling Really Work?

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Does gospel-centered counseling really work? 
Isn’t this a crucial question for biblical counselors and counselees? Listen to this story.

Meet Ashley and Nate

Ashley and her husband, Nate, met with Pastor Bob Kellemen at church the day after their twin sons’ eleventh birthday. With tears streaming down her face, Ashley shared that twenty-five years earlier, not long after her eleventh birthday, a relative had begun sexually abusing her.

Those who knew Ashley would have been shocked. She grew up in a Christian home, was active at church as an adult, served as a leader in the women’s ministry, and was always “pleasant.”

As Ashley described herself, “I’m the good girl from the good home.

“The good mom; the good wife. But nobody knows the ugliness I feel inside. Nobody knows how I’ve pretended and denied all these years. I just can’t keep faking it any longer. Depressed to the point that at times I’ve thought about suicide. Fearful and anxious—terrified I’ll displease someone. Terrified someone will find out what an empty but evil thing I am…”

As Ashley’s voice trailed off, Nate asked, “Pastor Bob, can you help?”

Does the Bible Offer Any Hope?

“Does the Bible offer any hope for my wife?”

How we respond to Ashley’s soul struggles and to Nate’s life questions depends on how we answer a foundational question: “What would a model of counseling look like that was built solely upon Christ’s gospel of grace?”

Continue reading this post at Biblical Counseling Center.

Sacred Friendships: Blog Tour!

Hi friends,


Related Posts with Thumbnails

I take a break from my series on sex — start with “Keep the Devil Out of Bed”  — and introduce you to Sacred Friendships, Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith. Written by Robert W. Kellemen, Ph.D. and Susan M. Ellis, this easy-to-read book reveal the stories of more than 50 Christian women — yes, women. Some you may have heard about, most you haven’t.

sacred_friendship_finalAnd if you leave a comment after you read this post, you may win a free autographed copy of Sacred Friendships. Bob and Susan say that they will randomly select five readers of the 20-plus blogs participating in this blog tour.

The authors write, “Our purpose is to uncover the buried treasure of wisdom about soul care and spiritual direction as practiced by women throughout the history of Christianity. Christian women from all races and nationalities have always helped hurting hardened people through the personal ministries of sustaining, healing, reconciling, and guiding.”

Are you convinced that women have much to teach men and women about life and ministry?

(Yes, women.) 

Then you want to read Sacred Friendships. It poses this provocative question, and it equips you to change lives as you learn from the women you went before you.

Among the stories are better-known women like Susannah Spurgeon and Sojourner Truth and those whose names you may have never heard but whose lives have much to teach about Christ-likeness. My personal favorite: Elizabeth Keckley, a black woman who sustained Mary Lincoln after the assassination of her husband and the president, Abraham Lincoln.

Another bright spot of Sacred Friendships: each chapter’s Q & A called “Learning Together from Our Great Cloud of Witnesses.” You can use this in a Bible study group or for personal study.

To read a free sample chapter, please visit: http://bit.ly/1S1haj and be empowered by the ministries of Margaret Baxter and Susannah Wesley.

To order your copy of Sacred Friendships at 40% off for only $12.99 please visit: http://bit.ly/MG1l5.

You Are Loved, Lucy

Psst: Remember to comment and you may get a free autographed copy from the authors of Sacred Friendships.

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