Resources

Pastoral Ministry and Psychotropic Medications

Consider this tension: Pastors are not medical professionals and, therefore, should not give medical advice. This seems clear and straight-forward, BUT Pastoral silence on the issue psychotropic medications reinforces the idea they are bad for Christians to take. This...

How to Honor Your Parents as a Young Adult

In my counseling practice, I often see young adults who struggle in their relationship with their parents.  The majority of these clients are in college and in the transition period of leaving adolescence and entering adulthood. Relational struggles stem from the...

Tips for Pastors Counseling Abuse

This is a quick resource for helping those who may be in an abusive or toxic relationship. I wanted to provide a quick list of tips you can refer to as a pastor, Christian leader, or friend to help female victims who are in abusive relationships. If you’d like more...

The Holiday Blues

It’s inevitable for most people.  We break out of the routine and spend lots of time doing little more than anticipating and preparing for the biggest holiday in our culture.  Some of us get energized (and rightfully so.  It does celebrate the birth of Jesus and a...

Intensity vs. Intimacy and Pacing in Dating

In the book The Addictive Personality author Craig Nakken notes one feature of the addictive personality that compounds the difficulty in freeing oneself from addiction. He said that addicts typically make the mistake of confusing intensity with intimacy; that the...

A Confession By Any Other Name. . .

A Confession by Any Other Name “Having a ministry that is fueled by personal devotion has its roots in humble, heart-deep confession.” Sometimes we have to repent and confess until we believe it, or if I can say it this way, until our hearts feel it.  Our repentance...

Confronting Lies with God’s Truth

Part 5 of V on Singles Ministry in a Couple’s Culture Church 48.6%!  That is the number of singles living in the Raleigh Durham area.  Once our counseling center learned about this number, we knew we had to address the issue of singleness in our churches and in our...

Creating a Family Dynamic at Church

Part 4 of V on Singles Ministry in a Couple’s Culture Church Do you remember the song “We are Family” by Sister Sledge? Here is a portion of their lyrics to refresh your memory: We are family Get up everybody and sing   Everyone can see we’re together As we walk...