Recent Posts by RobinBarnes

Suffering, Part III: Deliverance from Suffering is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part III of a multi-part series on suffering. Have you ever felt like you aren't "getting over" your suffering as fast as someone else? Have you ever felt pressured to move on in your grief by those around you and you just weren't ready yet or ...

How God Gives Us Biblical Language to Help us in our Suffering: Toward a Biblical Theology of Suffering, Part II

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Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part II of a multi-part series on suffering. Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words to express the hardship, loss or grief you are going through? Have you ever felt that God seems silent when you need Him most? In my last post, ...

Suffering: Toward a Biblical Theology of Affliction, Part 1

Dave Shive lives in Catonsville, MD, and has been married to Kathy for 52 years. They have 3 married children and 11 grandchildren. Dave writes, not as a clinician or therapist, but as a pastor. His thoughts on suffering emerge from his study of the Bible, reading widely, pastoral counseling, and personal experience. This is Part I of a multi-part series on suffering. In a few months, precisely April 1, 2021, I will celebrate the 30th anniversary of my entry into what I would come to label my “night shift.” On that day I was initiated into the spiritual crisis that ...

Author Interview Q & A with Dr. Bob Kellemen for Gospel-Centered Family Counseling

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Today's post is an author interview with Bob Kellemen, Th.M., Ph.D. Dr. Kellemen is Academic Dean, Dean of Students, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Bob is also the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries through which he speaks, writes, and consults on biblical counseling and Christian living. Dr. Kellemen served as the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. For seventeen years, Bob was the founding Chairman of and Professor in the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, MD. Bob has pastored four churches and equipped biblical ...

Chronic Illness: Walking by Faith (31-Day Devotionals for Life)

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Today's post is an interview with author, Esther Smith. Esther is a counselor at Life Counseling Center Ministries in Marriottsville, MD. She has an MA in Professional Counseling, a Certificate in Biblical Counseling through the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Maryland. She is the author of Chronic illness: Walking by Faith (P&R Publishing, 2020). Her next book, coauthored with Eliza Huie, explores the topic of biblical self-care and is scheduled to be released in 2021 with New Growth Press. Esther lives near Baltimore with her husband, Ian. She enjoys ...

Praying for Your Children: One Roadmap for Praying the Proverbs

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Today’s guest post is written by Jen Costanzo. Jen lives in small-town Pennsylvania with her husband and 3 kids. Jen enjoys reading, writing & dabbling in graphic design. She loves supporting the body of Christ in her work as a church secretary and leads a local weekly Moms in Prayer group in her community. As a parent, I have often been caught off-guard by the book of Proverbs. The wise writer’s words “My son,” stir a longing to speak into my own sons’ lives with such frankness. And of course, being a former schoolteacher, my first inclination is to develop some ...

Grief & Loss: What to Say & What Not to Say to a Grieving Loved One

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Today's guest post is written by Steve Green, a Biblical Counselor with over 20 years of experience in counseling many different issues in the pastoral context including marriage, parenting, substance abuse, anger and sexual issues. From his home in Newberg he works with churches from Vancouver, WA to Eugene, OR. Steve lost his first wife, Ann, in June 2012. They had shared 30 years and were parents of 5 adult children together. God has blessed Steve with his new wife, Laura, who also lost her first husband mere weeks prior to Ann’s death. They are now blending their families and ...

Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams are Delayed [Book Review]

Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? Maybe you were waiting to hear back about a college acceptance letter, a new job that could change the direction of your career or whether the offer you put on the house of your dreams was accepted? Perhaps you’re in a season of waiting for “the one” God has for you, or perhaps you’re still waiting to get pregnant or adopt a child. As believers it can be a struggle to trust God in the waiting for something we so desire. We know that God isn’t keeping us waiting ...

4 Spiritual Misconceptions Teens Face in Youth Group

Today's guest post is written John Song of Columbia, MD who serves as the Pastor of Youth Ministries at Columbia Presbyterian Church, where he also leads and coordinates worship services.  He has served for over 16 years as a youth volunteer, intern, and pastor in a variety of different contexts. A former teacher, John is passionate about education and the local community to see how the Gospel changes everything. Remember your first day of middle school? No longer were you expected to stand in organized lines and walk hallways throwing a peace sign in the air; suddenly you were given the ...

How to Provide Compassionate Support for Cross-Cultural Missionaries

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Today's guest post is by Megan Burns. Megan is married to Brian, and works as a biblical counselor in Richmond, VA with Heart Song Counseling. She served in the Philippines for three years, and has a passion for counseling cross-cultural workers, as well as equipping the local church to care for those they have sent out around the world. Megan enjoys writing about counseling, discipleship and missions on her blog, Remade Whole. How do you love and support someone whose lifestyle and struggles are so different from your own? How can you enter into an unfamiliar suffering in order to connect ...