I’m really enjoying the quotes that keep being posted over at Christ is Deeper Still. It’s become an almost-daily read for me and this one is a good example of why: “All sins are attempts to fill voids. We might try to fill the voids we so deeply feel by doing bad things or by doing good things. When we salve the ache in our hearts, which only God himself can satisfy, by doing good things, we then feel proud and think God owes us and we get angry when he doesn’t fork over. When we salve the ache within by doing bad things, we feel shamed and think God…

Yesterday, I was blessed to spend time with a precious, real, friend. (“Real” in that, she is seeing more and more of the ugliness of my heart and life—and not pulling back, not rejecting me. Isn’t that a real friend?) As we closed our time together, I was struggling a bit with shame and embarrassment over some past sins that continue to haunt me. (When I think about them, I cringe. When I think about some of the ramifications, I lower my eyes and want to hide my face in shame.) And my friend comforted me with only a few words, as she reminded me of some of the struggles…

Over the past few weeks, my friend and I have been going through the The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation’s (CCEF’s) Crossroads Addictions Curriculum. It has, like all CCEF resources I’ve read, been both a challenge and a blessing. As I have progressed through the curriculum, I have also gone back and re-read many of my LiveBlogs from the 2008 CCEF Conference: The Addict in Us All. (If you’re interested in this topic at all, or if your church is interested in better ministering to the addicts in your midst—and believe me, you DO have them in your church whether you admit it and help them or not!—I encourage you…

Tim Challies linked over to a great CCEF article that I encourage you to check out: When the Problem Is S*xual Sin–A Counseling Model The author, John Bettler, uses a three-tiered pyramid analogy (with “Lust Object” at the top, “Relational Lusts” in the middle and “Life-Meaning Luses” at the bottom) to illustrate his teaching points. There are many excellent points that are useful for all struggles with sin, but they are particularly helpful for this “can be hard to talk about” (but SO common!) one. If you are uncomfortable talking, encouraging, and lay-counseling about this topic (with your teenage children, adult friends, whomever), I encourage you to check it out.…

This morning when I woke up, my first thoughts were DARK: 1. I kept thinking of the mean words that an atheist wrote in a comment to our little “Books of the Bible” video: I felt badly for him (what kind of person trolls around YouTube looking for Christian videos just so he can write mean words?). Plus, just the thought of how MEAN people can be on the internet (anonymous blog comments, flamingly rude emails meant only to attack and tear down) really got me down. (Oh, and I deleted and banned the guy–so don’t look for his comment on the link above. I do the same thing when…

Between Two Worlds linked to a great David Powlison article and I encourage you to check it out: Desire 101: Putting First Things First Just listen to a few of the questions that are asked (and answered): – How can you tell if a desire is inordinate rather than natural? – Doesn’t the word lusts properly apply only to bodily appetites: the pleasures and comforts of sex, food, drink, rest, exercise, health?   – Can desires be habitual? – What about fears? They seem as important in human motivation as cravings. – In counseling, do you just confront a person with his sinful cravings? – Can you change what you…

We got a letter in the mail today and I’m trying so hard not to panic. It’s from the city of Billings and, apparently, we need to tear up the sidewalk in front of our house and put in a new sidewalk–or else the city is going to do it and charge us $2,000 (!!). This is stressful to me in so many ways … 2009 is already a year of less income and additional expenses for us. Our budget is thinner than it’s been since grad school. Soph’s illness started in November, so we have huge medical bills from November and December–and THEN (right after meeting our deductibles for…

I’m still working on my endorsement of Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson’s wonderful book, Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ, and I wanted to share a few more nuggets with you. Here’s what hooked me in the first few pages: “So why add one more counseling book to your local bookstore’s shelves? Because we want to lay before you a provocative claim: the cross of Christ and the gospel that proclaims it really is “the power of God for salvation–comprehensive rescue–to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). In that cross lie both the power to liberate hearts that have been caught in seemingly unbreakable cycles…

If you (or someone you love) is struggling with lust, you may want to check out this post over at TakeYourVitaminZ. Might be worth your time. Our church leaders have also been helped greatly by an accountability program called Covenant Eyes. Oh–and just to try to avoid the flaming/rude comments about how Christians “overreact to this ONE sin, blah blah blah”, please know that we ALL need help whenever we are tempted to ensnared by anything (ANYTHING–even someone good) that begins to enslave us as a ruling lust. Hope the links are helpful!   Yours, Tara B.  

I just found out that The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) is releasing new material on addictions and I’m SO excited! Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away From Addictions (Study Guide and Facilitator’s Guide) Every one of us is a potential addict. Eventually, every addict finds himself at a crossroads. This is such an important topic for every church and every Christian! In the words of New Growth Press (who published the books), “To walk with an addict is both a gift and a grief … these curriculum materials lay a Biblical framework for lasting change.” I am so grateful to CCEF and Ed Welch for creating these resources! I’ll…