Blogs

Declining Interest In History Hits Museums Like Colonial Williamsburg Hard
Sad

“One of the country’s most well-known tributes to the Revolutionary era is on the brink of financial ruin. Mitchell Reiss, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s president and CEO, released an open letter at the end of June revealing that Colonial Williamsburg, which markets itself as “the world’s largest living history museum,” is in dire financial straits. Reiss wrote that in 2016, Colonial Williamsburg lost an average of $148,000 every day. The debt burden of the Foundation stood at a staggering $317 million at the end of last year.”

How To Survive Graduate School
“There are three key practices that will help graduate students survive their programs and end up as healthy as possible on the other end.” See also my resource Get the most out of Seminary. 

Summer Vacation Is No Sabbath
Oh, yes. Been there. Done that. Have a read and have a laugh. Then learn:

God has granted us popsicles, watermelon, and cabin getaways. Yet when we strive after these blessings without setting our minds and hearts on their Creator, we chase after wind (Eccl. 2:11). Rest derives not from a destination, but from a daily communion with the all-knowing and loving God, who offers us ultimate replenishment through his Son.

How Writing on Transgenderism Changed Me
Interview with Andrew Walker about his new book which is a much more reliable guide to transgender issues than Mark Yarhouse’s.

One More Time on Game of Thrones
Kevin DeYoung once more into the breach.

Only in a hyper-sexual, pornographic-saturated culture like ours could we think that graphic sex scenes are no big deal, or somehow offset by a brilliant screenplay. I cannot imagine how anyone growing closer to the God of the Bible will want to see more sex and nudity, or that anyone has found shows like Game of Thrones to be a serious blessing in seeing and savoring Christ. We become what we behold. So let’s be careful little eyes what we see.

Before the Throne of Social ‘Likes’
“Being faithful in our day means giving up our pursuit of likes and living as the people pursued by Love.”

An Open Letter to Those Nonchalant about Their Sexual Sin
“Sex is like fire. When it blazes in the fireplace, a good fire warms and brightens the room, enhancing joy and companionship. But when fires ignite in the wrong places, the house burns down. Is your sexuality igniting in the wrong places? Are you treating sexual sin casually? How do you know when this has happened? Let me offer a few tests that can rouse your conscience.”

New Books

If you liked Kevin DeYoung’s previous book for kids, you’ll also enjoy his latest, The Biggest Story ABC. Different format, simpler, probably better for younger children.

Kindle Books

Lasting Love: How to Avoid Marital Failure by Alastair Begg $1.99.

United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity by Trillia Newbell $1.99. Loved this book and learned a lot from it.

Reading God’s Story: A Chronological Daily Bible by George Guthrie $2.99.

I’ve been updating my resources pages over the past few weeks and, with the help of my assistant Jo DeBlois, I’ve just finished updating this page on anxiety which starts with books and then goes on to online articles.

Books

Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry by Amy Simpson

Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Edward T. Welch.

Anxiety: Anatomy and Cure by Robert W. Kellemen

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Dr. Edmund J. Bourne

When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Therapy That Can Change Your Life by Dr. David D. Burns

Articles

These resources are organized using Paul Tripp’s “Love/Know/Speak/Do” paradigm.

Love

Talking to yourself can reduce your stress levels

More Americans suffering from stress, anxiety and depression, study finds | CBS News

Ann L. Dunnewold, Ph.D. | Stigma

Why Are Our Children So Anxious? | CT Women | ChristianityToday.com

Anxiety at Work. – Medium

What Exactly Is Anxiety? — TIM LANE

Pastoral Anxiety

Helping those who struggle with anxiety | ERLC

Hope for Your Dark Night of the Soul – Justin Taylor

Surprising Facts About Anxiety Disorders – 7 Ways to Cope 

The Anatomy of Anxiety | RPM Ministries

Anxiety – is it a sin?

How a flash of light to the brain can banish fear | Mail Online

The Anxiety-Killing Power of Creation

A Day In The Life Of This Christian Living With Anxiety/Depression | Ragamuffin Soul

Surviving Anxiety – Scott Stossel – The Atlantic

An Update on Fear | CCEF

What My Anxiety Taught Me About God | RELEVANT Magazine

Anxiety and Depression, My Strange Friends | TGC | The Gospel Coalition

A Good Word from My Wife — JOETHORN.net

A Letter to the Anxious Christian | Gentle Reformation

Before you advise someone with anxiety . . . 

Know

Is Worry Making Us Sick? — TIM LANE

What Neuro-revolution? The Public Find Brain Science Irrelevant and Anxiety-provoking | WIRED

Social Media Fuels Low Self-Esteem, Anxiety 

No Cause for Shame: Understanding Anxiety Disorders | Amy Simpson

7 Factors that Contribute to the Impact of Depression-Anxiety | Brad Hambrick

6 Changes in Lifestyle that Add to the Impact of Depression-Anxiety | Brad Hambrick

12 Ways Depression-Anxiety Impacts Family and Relationships | Brad Hambrick

The Anxiety Beneath All Your Anxieties

What Anxiety Does to Your Brain and What You Can Do About It

5 Things Christians Should Know About Depression and Anxiety | RELEVANT Magazine

Are You Experiencing FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)?

What It Feels Like to Live with Postpartum Anxiety – Postpartum Progress

Why women are way more likely than men to suffer anxiety – CNN.com

8 Arguments for Why You Should Be Anxious Today (and How the Bible Responds) | TGC

The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and satisfaction with life in college students

Anxiety and Depression Together | Psychology Today

Busyness as Moral Laziness | internetmonk.com

The Upward Call – The Upward Call – The Gift of Anxiety

6 Reasons Why Anxiety, Worry, & Fear are Particular Problems for Christians

Anxiety: My Thorn in My Flesh – A Daughter of the Reformation

Some Things You Should Know About Christians Who Struggle With Anxiety

How Does the Bible Define Worry? — TIM LANE

When Is Depression-Anxiety Sinful? | Brad Hambrick

Q&A: How Do We Ask for Help When Living with Mental Illness? | Amy Simpson

Out of the Ordinary: Anxiety and the Battle for the Mind

Speak

Tempted To Worry? Call These 4 Words To Mind – The Blazing Center

What Good Is “Don’t Worry” in Times Like These? Part 4 | CCEF

Some Thoughts on the Sin of Anxiety | Counseling One Another

4 Frameworks for Fighting Fear

The secret behind the Bible’s most highlighted verse

Words for the Anxious Soul | Mere Orthodoxy

How to Battle Anxiety with the Promises of God – Justin Taylor

10 Types of Thinking that Undergird Depression-Anxiety | Brad Hambrick

Anxiety and Scaffolding

The Christian Cure for Worry | Gentle Reformation

Sunday Women: What Not to Share

How to Overcome YourWorst Fears

Eight Reasons Why My Anxiety Is Pointless and Foolish – Justin Taylor

Scriptures to Fight Anxiety | Counseling One Another

Abys(s)mal Thinking and Christ « Grace Looking Back

Embracing The Thorn That Bleeds You Dry

More Thoughts on Anxiety | Counseling One Another

What Would God Say to Your Anxiety? | Desiring God

7 tips to help manage Depression and Anxiety

God-Shaped Comfort | The Christward Collective

6 Ways the Psalms Sing to Our Fears — George H Guthrie

Jesus Isn’t Going To Take My Zoloft

Instead of Worrying by Tim Witmer | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

Does trusting God remove anxiety? | Musings of a Christian Psychologist

Do

6 Things to Do with Your Anxiety | TGC

20 Approaches to Battling Depression-Anxiety as Suffering | Brad Hambrick

Regular Exercise & Depression | Counseling One Another

Talk to God About Your Anxiety | Desiring God

Use Anxiety to Your Advantage | Desiring God

Keeping Anxious Thoughts at Bay

How the Lord Restored Me from Intense Anxiety | Desiring God

How Regular Exercise Can Calm Anxiety

Mom and Dad, Your Job Is Not Over | TGC

9 Ways to Battle Depression, Condemnation and Anxiety | The Village Church

A Game Plan for When You Start to Worry – Justin Taylor

Stopping seasonal high anxieties: Some strategies and a better goal | Musings of a Christian Psychologist

Relax, Turn Off Your Phone, and Go to Sleep

Bring Flowers into the Office to Increase Productivity and Reduce Anxiety

The Five Minute Antidote for Anxiety | Musings of a Christian Psychologist

A Gameplan for Combating Worry – Justin Taylor

Three Tricks for Dealing with Anxiety In the Moment

Read the Bible to Your Anxiety | Desiring God

Divine Remedies for Anxiety, Part 1 | Counseling One Another (Part 2) (Part 3)

Ruminating: The Mental Health Killer | Musings of a Christian Psychologist

Some things that have helped with my anxiety

Resources

Overcoming Depression-Anxiety (Seminar Videos) | Brad Hambrick

Why Three Seminars on Depression-Anxiety? | Brad Hambrick

Help Me Teach the Bible: Ed Welch on Helping Those Battling Shame, Addiction, or Anxiety

Experiencing the Trinity

Online Depression-Anxiety Evaluation | Brad Hambrick

RESOURCES: Anxiety, Fear, Panic | Counseling One Another

A scientific look at the purpose and effects of anxiety – 22 Words

My Favorite Posts on Anxiety | Brad Hambrick

Blogs

What Depression Taught Me About Biblical Womanhood
PPD is often more complex than this, but this could help many women take some small steps out of the darkness.

Don’t smile it away. Don’t fake it till you make it. Stare right into the face of the darkness and trust that Christ is sufficient to conquer every little thing that you find inside of it — because he is.

Sleep Deprivation Can Make It Harder to Stay Calm at Work
Who knew?

Sleep deprived leaders were unaware that their sleep deprivation was harming their working relationship with their employees. Much like a person who has had a little too much to drink and does not realize they will be impaired when driving, sleep deprived leaders are essentially clueless about how their sleep deprivation leads their employees to mistrust and dislike them.

New manual guides church leaders in sexual abuse policies and prevention
The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide for Churches and Ministries is aimed at a Christian audience, though it may be useful to any group that serves youth. The book helps church leaders identify different types of abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, spiritual), learn about state laws and institute safeguards, such as background checks for employees. It guides churches on how to draft a protocol for responding to allegations of abuse and how to support victims.

When Homeschool is Hard
Some wonderful sentences in here. For example:

So the next time someone says, “I don’t know how you do it. You must have the patience of a saint,” perhaps I should say, “Actually, I don’t. But if we keep at it, that might be just what God develops in me!”

An Open Letter to Those Debilitated by Their Sexual Sin | Crossway Articles
Encouraging post for those despairing of their sin, and for those who minister to them.

10 Common but Illegitimate Reasons to Divorce
“God has provided a limited set of circumstances in which a marriage can legitimately be severed. However, many people—even Christians—offer reasons to divorce that are not sanctioned by God. Jim Newheiser helpfully outlines a number of these in his book Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage: Critical Questions and Answers. Here are 10 common but illegitimate reasons to divorce.”

Feeling Forsaken, But Not Forgotten: An Infertility Story
I challenge you to hold back the tears on this one.

The Devil’s Glasses
“How does Satan fool us with lies so that we believe that committing sin will be inconsequential? Here are five of the common ways he distorts our spiritual vision with his lies during temptation.”

New Book

The Disciple-Making Parent’s Donut Date Journal: 70 Questions to Connect You to Your Child’s Heart by Chap Bettis, author of the excellent Disciple-Making Parent.

Here’s how Chap describes this new book:

In The Donut Date Journal you will find:

• An easy, fool-proof method for connecting with your child’s heart.
• More than 70 questions you can use to start the conversations.
• Pages to record their answers over the years.
• As easy plan to create a keepsake they will value as adults.

Perfect for:

• Parents or Grandparents who want to connect with their children.
• Birthday and baby gifts.
• Children or youth ministers who want to equip their church.

Kindle Books

The Scriptures Testify about Me: Jesus and the Gospel in the Old Testament by Don Carson and others $2.99.

The Gospel at Work: How Working for King Jesus Gives Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Greg Gilbert and Sebastian Traeger $2.99. An excellent book on connecting the Gospel with our jobs.

The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing by Jonathan Dodson $2.99.

Every Christian father and mother longs to hear these wonderful words and prays earnestly for that happy day. Yet, it’s so hard to know how to respond when our children eventually utter them.

Skepticism
Some might go to the discouraging extreme of immediate skepticism: “Well, son, there’s a lot more to it than just saying you’re a Christian. We’ll see where you’re at in a couple of years.”

Idealism
Another danger is simply to accept our child’s profession without any questioning or examination: “Great, we’re all going to heaven now, honey.” This fails to recognize that it’s fearfully common for children to profess faith just to please their parents or to follow others in their peer group.

Routine
Perhaps other parents might just accept this as part of the routine of being brought up in a Christian home. There’s happiness, but there’s no surprise, no delight, and no thankfulness for the mercy of God. It may not be said like this, but it’s sometimes the underlying thought: “Of course you’re a Christian, you’ve been raised in a Christian home.”

How then do we balance our joy with realism?

1. Welcome: Our first words should indicate how glad we are to hear this profession of faith. “You know that this is what we’ve prayed for and labored for all these years. We’re just overjoyed that you’re saying these longed-for words. There’s nothing we want more for you than to become a follower of Christ.”

2. Question: Without turning it into a suspicion-filled interrogation, we should then ask a number of questions – first experiential and then doctrinal.

The experiential questions should be framed in a way that communicates affirmation rather than hesitation: “Can you share with us what God has done in your life? How did you come to this faith in Christ? Who or what played a role in it? What impact has it made upon you? What’s changed most?”

The doctrinal questions should focus on the content of the faith. What is our child’s view of sin, of God, and of Christ? What or who are they putting their faith in? What is their understanding of repentance? What emphasis do they put on the cross? The questioning should be a gentle and joyful exploration of what they believe.

Both the experiential and doctrinal questions will either help us to enter into the joy of our child and worship God’s sovereign work of saving grace in their life, or else they might flag up some worrying misunderstandings and confusion for further discussion at a later date.

3. Patience: Even if our children have given “wrong answers” to our questions, we should not immediately write them off and conclude that this is a counterfeit faith. There can be much confusion, error, and misunderstanding in young believers. We must exercise patient charity over coming weeks and months to see if they are teachable and receptive to gentle correction and discipleship in these areas.

And even if our children give all the right answers, we still need to exercise patience to see if this is a genuine work of God. Some children from Christian homes can say all the right things without personally experiencing conversion. With them, we need to patiently wait to see if their lives will match their lips.

4. Teach: This is a time that is ripe for teaching our children. If this is a true work of God, their hearts will be tender and impressionable. Let’s especially encourage them to get into the habit of daily Bible reading, perhaps using Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids. As Jesus said: “If you continue in my Word, then you are my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). The Word is the best discerner and revealer of hearts and it will help our children discover for themselves where they truly are before God.

5. Challenge: Once we have laid the groundwork of positively welcoming this profession, hearing their spiritual experience, and patiently waiting for God’s Spirit and Word to work, we can begin to challenge our kids about what may be inconsistent with their profession of faith. Often this is in the area of their relationship to their siblings. We might quote “For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20). If God is savingly at work in our children’s lives, then their relationships with their brothers and sisters will be changed for the better. Loving siblings is one of the most humbling, testing, and revealing of challenges for kids who have become Christians.

Worship or Warning
As time passes, and the child goes on in the faith, we will hopefully be able to rejoice more and more heartily in God’s gracious work in their life. This is especially true as they navigate the teen years. This is when childhood faith will be truly tested. As the teen years pass, it get’s harder and harder to be a Christian, as temptations multiply both inside and outside the child. But there can be no greater joy than to see our children walking in the truth through these years (3 John 4).

If, however, there is little or no evidence of that work, if the child remains as he or she was before, or if the teen temptations sweep them away, then we need to lovingly warn them that many say, “Lord, Lord!” but don’t do the things that he says (Luke 6:46). If a child is truly born again, they will love God not the world. The Apostle John guides us to the right balance of warning and encouragement:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids.

Blogs

Lots to catch up on after my week of teaching at Westminster Seminary.

On Knowing When to Resign
Best article I’ve read on the subject of pastoral resignations. File it away for the day you’ll need it.

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?
If you haven’t yet read this, you need to:

More comfortable online than out partying, post-Millennials are safer, physically, than adolescents have ever been. But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis.

Our Wedding Date Is Set — Why Not Have Sex Now?
Sadly and badly needed.

12 Basic Principles for Faith and Work
Transform your Monday morning.

4 Money Principles for Millennials
Being a long-time Dave Ramsey listener, I’m not shocked by these stats.

How did millennials get into so much financial trouble? They’ve received little financial training, college tuition has skyrocketed during their lifetimes, and student loans have become as easy to get as candy canes on Christmas. This combination of factors has landed many millennials in debt, unable to achieve their goals. With all this debt, it’s harder to buy a home, own a car, save for retirement, and start a family. Many millennials are asking how they can make a difference in the world when they can barely make their debt payments.

Why Does It Take an Eclipse to Get Us to Look Up to the Heavens?
You don’t ned to be in the path of today’s eclipse to wonder and worship:

Let’s not wait until the next eclipse to stop and pause and wonder. Look up to the heavens, and then look further up, until you find joy in the God who enjoys his handiwork.

Today, More than Ever, Read Beyond the Headlines
To paraphrase Hosea 13:9: “O media, you have destroyed yourselves.”

I’m not sure the news will ever be the same after the presidency of Donald Trump. While the industry has already been in a long decline, it seems to have entered into an era of near-insanity as the networks and websites compete against one another to set new standards in thoughtless, bloviating reporting. Whether those networks love or hate the president, they seem to be tripping over themselves and one another to say the most the fastest, to constantly editorialize on every decision, every step, every misstep. Reading the news has become a grueling, exasperating chore. Watching it has become almost unbearable.

Walking Through It: A Family Violence Survivor’s Reflection
The basics of how to help victims of domestic abuse.

A New Set of Priorities for Our Kids
“We must intentionally teach our children the skills and character traits they’ll need to thrive in college and beyond. We must teach them about their need for three things in particular: passion, humility, and trust in a sovereign God.”

Kindle Books

Amazon are offering significant discounts on a number of Kindle devices.

God’s Love Compels Us: Taking the Gospel to the World by Don Carson and others $2.99.

Too Good to be True by Michael Horton $4.99.

Beating the College Debt Trap: Getting a Degree Without Going Broke by Alex Chediak $1.99.

New Book

God and the Transgender Debate: What does the Bible actually say about gender identity? by Andrew Walker

To investigate how the Scriptures shape a distinctive model of counseling among believers in the local church.

This course is designed to contribute to the following D.Min. program learning goals:

(1) Demonstrate the ability to be a reflective practitioner through interrelating counseling theory and practice.

(2) Demonstrate how an advanced understanding of one’s counseling ministry should be derived from the various exegetical and theological disciplines.

As a result of this course you should be able to:

(1) Describe the distinctive characteristics of biblical counseling.

(2) Identify the essential steps in the biblical counseling process.

(3) Practice the skills used by biblical counselors.

(4) Evaluate your level of competence in the skills used by biblical counselors.

(5) Create a vision for how counseling functions within the life of a congregation.

The class will meet on the Campus of Westminster Theological Seminary from August 14-18. Exact times and venue TBA. The course will be divided into three main sections:

THE PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELING

An examination of the distinctive characteristics of biblical counseling:

• The Counselor’s Self-Knowledge

• The Counselor’s God

• The Counselor’s Bible

• The Counselor’s (and Counselee’s) Humanity

• The Counselor’s Qualifications

• The Counselor’s Church/Community

• The Counselor’s World

THE PROCESS OF COUNSELING

A step-by-step explanation of the essential steps in the counseling process.

THE PRACTICE OF COUNSELING

The principles and process of counseling in practice. A brief look at what biblical counseling looks like in practice via various counseling scenarios, together with some practical examples via role-playing.

The class will meet from August 14-18 as follows:

Monday 14 Aug:          1- 6pm

Tuesday 15 Aug:        8.30am-12.30pm, 2-6pm

Wednesday 16 Aug:   8.30am-12.30pm, 2-6pm

Thursday 17 Aug:       8.30am-12.30pm, 2-6pm

Friday 18 Aug:            8.30am-12.30pm

Prepare a script of a multi-session counseling scenario which narrates a dialogue between you and a counselee (real, based on reality, or imaginary), with footnotes explaining the reasoning behind your approach, questions, responses, decisions, homework, etc.

1. All you know before the first counseling session is what the person’s name is and that they are coming to you for counseling. You have to “discover” everything else in the counseling sessions.

2. Demonstrate in the dialogue how you would introduce yourself, welcome the counselee, explain your approach to counseling, initiate the conversation about the counselee’s problem, etc. You may choose any common counseling problem (e.g. depression, anxiety, sexual abuse, pornography, conflict, bereavement, anger, etc.).

3. There should be a minimum of 3-4 counseling sessions, each of which demonstrate knowledge of the principles and process of biblical counseling and skill in applying the Bible’s teaching to particular problems.

4. Each session should be set out as a dialogue between the counselor and counselee. Use footnotes to highlight where you are applying your counseling knowledge, and to explain what you are doing and why. Footnotes should also explicitly demonstrate what you learned from the lectures and from the books on the required reading list. You may wish to conclude each session dialogue with a summary reflection on what you learned and what you wish to teach others from it.

5. Although it may be helpful to get input from another party (e.g. the counselee’s spouse), in the interests of simplicity, try to keep such dialogue to a minimum for the purposes of this exercise or simply summarize what you may have discovered from other sources.

6. Be realistic by showing where you made mistakes in your counseling and how you hope to learn from them in future sessions.

7. Come to the classroom module with a rough draft of the first two sessions already prepared. You may submit this draft to the lecturer between August 14-18 for input and feedback. Use the class lectures to further refine these dialogues and be prepared to present your draft to the class if called upon. You will not be graded on this part of the assignment.

8. The sessions should demonstrate that your counseling is effecting change in the counselee’s life. However, it is not necessary to have a “happy ending.” The paper should conclude with a plan for future care for the counselee.

9. The assignment should be submitted into the online classroom by November 15 using the appropriate upload link.

10. The ultimate aim is to produce a counseling dialogue that can be used as a teaching tool, by you and your fellow students, for training counselors in a local church.

Read two of the following three books. Demonstrate in the counseling scenario assignment that you have read two of the books by explicitly referencing them and interacting with them in the footnotes (indicating agreement and disagreement).

Gospel-Centered Counseling by Bob Kellemen (Zondervan, 2014)

Gospel Conversations by Bob Kellemen (Zondervan, 2015)

A Theology of Biblical Counseling by Heath Lambert (Zondervan, 2015).