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How to Overcome Fear (by Dr. Andrew Selle)
I once served on a conflicted church intervention team with an extremely gifted mediator and counselor: Dr. Andrew Selle of Vermont’s Christian Counseling and Mediation ministry. We have stayed in touch over the years and occasionally I receive his ministry’s newsletter. All of them are excellent! Including today’s. Dr. Selle has graciously given me permission to share it with you: The Difference of Bold Faith: Overcoming Crippling Fears in Peacemaking 2013 Peacemaker Conference Greetings, friend. This has been one of those summers that really, really flew by, and it’s past time to get another news & prayer letter out! As I write, Dawna & I are preparing for the Peacemaker…
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That’s what covenant is all about: relationship.
When Tim Challies strongly recommends a book, I usually enjoy it and learn a lot too. Such is the case with David Murray’s, Jesus on Every Page: Ten Simply Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament. Today’s reading from the chapter entitled Christ’s Promises contained this gem: “Previous administrations of the covenant of grace, especially the Mosaic administration, were so encumbered with external elements and ceremonies as to be comparatively carnal. The new covenant is more spiritual, more focused on the inward life. The covenants in both Testaments reveal a God who desires relationship with His people, a desire that finds ultimate spiritual satisfaction only through Jesus Christ. The…
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(Very!) Wise Counsel in Just Four Words
In the dark, quiet hours of the early morning, my mind was already whirling away as I considered everything on my plate for the day. I was so happy when Fred was finally awake and we could talk and pray together. He began to move into his day and I was still a little paralyzed by the size of the task before me. So I asked him a simple question and man! Did he bless me by a wise response. This was our exchange: Me: “Fred? Do you really think I can do this?” Fred: “Can you do what?” Me: “Everything on my to-do list.” Fred: “Not all at once.” And…
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An Abuse Survivor Learns to Show Mercy to Her Abuser
A friend emailed me today asking for trustworthy resources on how an abuse survivor can persevere in wise, godly, appropriate responses to her abuser. This friend was particularly interested in persevering in love and mercy toward her abuser because he is repentant and also because all of the other civic authority and ecclesiastical authority issues associated with his abuse are also being wisely and appropriately addressed. So I did what I always do when someone asks me for biblical, trustworthy counsel on complicated issues. I first looked at The Journal of Biblical Counseling and all of the CCEF resources available online. I was not disappointed with the results: An Abuse Survivor Learns to…
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Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile’s Comments on the Peacemaker Women’s Study (My DVD Series)
I was looking through Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile’s blog today for an article on leadership that I wanted to re-read and I stumbled upon two posts he did a few years ago on my video series: The Gospel and Peacemaking Women The Gospel and Peacemaking Women Part 2 I was so blessed by his comments and I thought they might be helpful to you if you are trying to think through whether this study might be a good fit for your church’s women. (Plus, honestly, our family could use a little income to help with some upcoming, kinda scary, bills so it’d be a blessing to us if you click on…
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My Favorite Flashmob
If you could use a reminder of what real beauty looks like in the world, enjoy!
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How to Keep Your Kids from Destroying Themselves with an iPhone
I wish I had included this link in my previous article: How to Keep Your Kids from Destroying Themselves with an iPhone And this one too (I’m not personally familiar with this organization, but a quick glance at their site indicates to me that it is worth checking out): G.R.A.C.E. – Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (HT: TakeYourVitaminZ & a comment from Tanya)
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I Do Not Have One Early Childhood Memory Apart from Pornography
Based on the number of clicks I received on my most recent post (“Three Things You Don’t Know About Your Children and Sex”), I’m not the only one who was helped by Anne Marie Miller’s excellent article. Were you also convicted like me? Yes. Yes. Just like when I am preparing to teach and Fred (lovingly) reviews my notes and then encourages me to listen to the words I am about to say to a few hundred women (“Tara? I think this is a good teaching. I think it might point the women to Christ and help them to be even more confident in Him. In fact–I’m thinking of a woman I…
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Three Things You Don’t Know About Your Children and Sex
A must read—whether you have children or you are spiritually parenting the children in your church. (And by the way—that’s ALL of you if you are a church member, you ARE spiritually parenting the children in your church, whether you’re doing it well/intentionally or incredibly poorly.) Three Things You Don’t Know About Your Children and Sex Once you read it (please read it!), if you discover sexual molestation (especially sexual molestation in the church!), habitual/addictive sins that have become ruling lusts … or if you just have NO idea where to start to grow in wisdom and to be able to help, I would strongly urge you to contact Harvest…
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Motherhood: The Introvert’s Challenge
Well said (and some good advice too): Motherhood – The Introvert’s Challenge
