This is a weekly post that highlights resources from other counselors that I have found helpful. The counselors may be from the biblical counseling, Christian psychology, integration, or secular counseling traditions. By linking to a post, I am not giving it my full endorsement, I am merely indicating that I believe it made a unique contribution or raised an important subject for consideration.
What It’s Like To Have Dementia by Gerda Saunders (Podcast)
Gerda Saunders shares her experiences with oncoming dementia in her new memoir, Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia. When Saunders was in her early 60s, she received a diagnosis of microvascular disease, a precursor to dementia. As Saunders’ short-term memory started failing, she began keeping “field notes” in her journal, which became the basis for her book.
- For another resource on dementia consider, “Dr. Benjamin T. Mast on the Psalms and Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease“
4 Myths about the Wives of Porn Addicts by Vicki Tiede
The world finds lust, fantasy, masturbation, and pornography not only acceptable, but something to be elevated and encouraged, because they’ve embraced the belief that if anyone is being hurt, it’s only the person looking at porn. This is a lie. A wife is part of the collateral damage that’s resulted from her husband’s addiction.There are four misconceptions that many hold about pornography addiction and the betrayed wife. Being aware of these myths will help you improve your counseling strategy to these women.
- To further counter these myths consider this post, “10 Ways Your Spouse’s Sexual Sin Effects You.”
Distracted From Life: The Hazards of Self-Preoccupation by Mark Leary
People have only a limited capacity for attention. Paying attention to one thing necessarily prevents us from paying complete attention to anything else. When we are preoccupied with our self-thoughts, we are not able to focus fully on the world, or on what we are doing. You have probably had the experience of walking or driving from one place to another so absorbed in thought that you arrived with no memory whatsoever of the sights along the way. The fact that you navigated successfully from one place to another while lost in thought is a testament to your ability to function on automatic pilot, but your self-talk pushed out the sights and sounds of the real world.
- For a healthier way to relate to your self, consider this collection of resources.
Why Is My Husband so Angry? It All Comes Down to Shame by Ella Hutchinson
What I’m Reading
A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller. Christians sometimes prioritize productivity over time in prayer—and experience anxiety, joylessness, and fear as a result. If prayerlessness marks your life more often than not, A Praying Life is for you. Miller offers practical, down-to-earth advice on how to talk to God in the midst of your daily routines. Learn to speak from a childlike faith, live your Father’s story, understand unanswered petitions, and more. Includes new chapters on prayers of lament and further guidance on using prayer cards.
Tweets of the Week
Theology in your head is not a substitute for God in your heart. #prayer
— Joel Yoon (@joelyoon) August 20, 2017
If Jesus can raise the dead, he can unite a divided nation.
— BJ Thompson (@bj116) August 16, 2017
Meaningful Meme
On the Lighter Side
Because, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” Proverbs 17:22.
Wow! Kid made an incredible catch.
Maybe the greatest catch ever made in the LLWS just now pic.twitter.com/2zZQQIrbTH
— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) August 20, 2017