Council of Counselors: Words Spoken from Pain / Homosexual Neighbor / Boosting Emotional Intelligence / Depression & Heart Disease / Sanctification

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.

Words for the Wind by John Piper

In grief and pain and despair, people often say things they otherwise would not say. They paint reality with darker strokes than they will paint it tomorrow, when the sun comes up. They sing in minor keys, and talk as though that is the only music. They see clouds only, and speak as if there were no sky.

• This article uses Psalm 103 as an example of how God allows us to express very raw honesty in the midst of our suffering.

Do You Really Want to Minister to Your Homosexual Neighbor? by Mark Yarhouse

“But I would tell you this: The most frequently asked question by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people — people navigating this terrain — is, ‘Do you want me here?’ And each and every one of us has to answer that question.”

• If this is an area you want to grow, consider this presentation from my book Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk.

How to Boost Your (and Other’s) Emotional Intelligence by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Michael Sanger

In fact, thousands of academic studies have demonstrated the predictive power of scientific EQ assessments vis-à-vis job performance, leadership potential, entrepreneurship, and employability. Moreover, the importance of EQ has been highlighted beyond work-related settings, as higher scores have been associated with relationship success, mental and physical health, and happiness.

• If this interests you, consider this post on “Neuro-Psychology and Emotional Intelligence.”

Depression [Is] as Hard on the Heart as Obesity and Cholesterol by Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen

Depression poses a risk for cardiovascular diseases in men that is just as great as that posed by high cholesterol levels and obesity. This is according to a report recently published in the Atherosclerosis journal by researchers from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, together with colleagues from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Center for Cardiovascular Disease (DZHK).

• Don’t allow this article to take you further into despair; instead, look for ways to begin to address the depression you are experiencing.

10 Things You Should Know about Sanctification by Sam Storms

We all hear a great deal about Christian sanctification, but what precisely is it, and how does it work? Today we look at ten things about this crucial biblical truth.

• Here is a collection of posts on “Theology and Counseling.”

What I’m Reading

Christians Get Depressed Too: Hope and Help for Depressed People by David Murray. Many Christians mistakenly believe that true Christians don’t get depressed, and this misconception heaps additional pain and guilt onto Christians who are suffering from mental and emotional distress. Author David P. Murray comes to the defense of depressed Christians, asserting that Christians do get depressed! He explains why and how Christians should study depression, what depression is, and the approaches caregivers, pastors, and churches can take to help those who are suffering from it. With clarity and wise biblical insight, Dr. Murray offers help and hope to those suffering from depression, the family members and friends who care for them, and pastors ministering to these wounded members of their flock.

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.