Council of Counselors: Revoice Hope / Addiction & Finances / Grief / Social Media Manners / Suicide Crisis

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.

My Hope for Spiritual Friendship and Revoice by Gene Burrus

I hope Christians will learn to disciple and care for their own with greater sensitivity. I hope churches will have thriving evangelistic ministries to secular LGBT communities. I hope Spiritual Friendship and Revoice will take good-faith criticism seriously. Lastly, I hope the stakeholders in Revoice will one day find churches so full of love and truth that they see no compelling reason to keep offering this conference. Until then, denominations, churches and para-church ministries have a significant and rewarding work ahead of them.

• Gene Burrus was a panelist on the SJI Forum related to the release of my book Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk (forum available in podcast).

How Addiction Impacts our Finances by Leo Sabo

Money is often at the center of addictive behavior. Today, we’re living in a time of great abundance. Most in the U.S. can easily provide for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter. At the same time we have easy access to a wealth of goods and the available income or credit to allow us to buy many of the “wants” we desire. In many ways, this abundance is very good, except when money is used as a substitute for dealing with our real problems.  

• Managing finances while overcoming addiction is a subject covered in the G4 curriculum on addiction.

A Redemption of Grief by Morgan Pitts

In December 2016, my aunt was diagnosed with cancer. Less than a year later, in 2017, we buried her body. It was a few days before Christmas. But the cancer had taken over almost every organ. Grief became a regular visitor in each of our lives.

• If you benefited from this post, you might also like The Big Question of Grief: Who Am I Now?.

9 Ways to Make Social Media More Christian by Karen Swallow Prior

I’m no expert on social media (or etiquette), but as a heavy user for years, I’ve observed countless examples of good manners and bad—from both others and myself. Over time, I have begun to develop some of my own rules of conduct and principles of politeness.

• If you want a strategy for redemptively engaging social media, consider this How to Promote Excellent Counseling Resources to Your Church Members.

Suicides Have Increased. Is This an Existential Crisis? by Clay Routledge

However, the suicide rate has increased even as more people are seeking treatment for depression and anxiety, and even as treatment for those conditions has become more widely available. An additional explanation seems to be needed.

What I’m Reading

Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life by Brian Borgman. Weaves together biblical exposition and practical application to demonstrate how emotions relate to the Christian life.

Emotions are a vital part of what it means to be a human being made in the image of God and redeemed in Jesus Christ. But often our emotions confuse and mislead us. So what is the proper place for emotions in a Christian’s walk of faith?

In Feelings and Faith Brian Borgman draws from his extensive biblical knowledge and his pastoral experience to help readers understand both divine and human emotions. After laying a biblical foundation he moves on to practical application, focusing on how Christians can put to death ungodly emotional displays and also cultivate godly emotions.

This biblically informed, practical volume is helpful for pastors, counselors, and serious-minded Christians who wish to develop a full-orbed faith that encompasses their emotional life.

Tweets of the Week

Meaningful Meme

On the Lighter Side

Because, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones,” Proverbs 17:22.