Category Counseling

Worship: An Antidote to Anxiety

By Thursday, February 1, 2018 Anxiety, Christian Women, Control, Counseling, Soul Care, Spiritual Growth, Women, Worship Permalink

I don’t know about you, but when I’m struggling with feelings of anxiety or fear, worship is the last thing on my mind. Anxiety is something God’s people have struggled with for a long time with God’s Word on the topics of fear, worry and anxiety going back nearly as far as fear itself. One way that God draws our wandering hearts back to himself is through the gift of musical worship. Sometimes, when I feel too anxious, fearful or worried to read my Bible or find the words to pray, listening to God’s life-giving, truth-speaking, peace-giving Word that stands ...

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When Anxiety Takes Over

By Friday, October 27, 2017 Anxiety, Counseling, Ministry, Missions, Pastors, Soul Care, Spiritual Growth Permalink

Today's guest post is written by Pastor, Professor and Missions Mobilizer Dave Shive. He is the author of Night Shift, released in April 2001. Based on Psalm 40:1-3, Night Shift is an easily understood and thoroughly biblical explanation of how God uses affliction to prepare His children for greater usefulness to Him. Since 2009, Dave and Kathy have served as full time mission mobilizers on staff with Frontier Ventures (formerly the US Center for World Mission) in Pasadena, CA. Dave and Kathy have been married for 49 years and live in Catonsville, MD. They have three married children, Dan, Mike, and Becky and are the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren. You ...

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How Discipleship Ministries Enhance Counseling Outcomes

By Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Bible Study, Counseling, Discipleship, Ministries, Pastors, Relationships, Small Groups, Soul Care, Spiritual Growth Permalink

This post originally appeared in Careleader.org Jenna, a twenty-seven-year-old working professional, comes to see you initially for anxiety related to work. She shares with you that she’s been really stressed working sixty-plus hours a week and that it’s starting to take more of a toll on her. Over time, you learn that she has developed an online shopping addiction and accrued thousands of dollars of debt. She is also single and lonely and has become addicted to online porn. Over time, Jenna begins to discover some of the deeper heart issues related to her addictions and anxiety and slowly learns to ...

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3 Ways to Foster Good Communication With Your Teen

By Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Communication, Counseling, Family, Marriage, Parenting, Relationships, Teens Permalink

Today’s guest post is by Mark Stephens, Mid-Atlantic Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) International Director. Mark lives in Urbana, MD with his wife of 27 years, Rhonda, and their four daughters. Connect with Mark at [email protected]   The social pressures of being a teen are extraordinary. From culture to dress to acting a certain way are ever in one’s face. All of this compounded by the fact that technology dominates the way we receive, process and transmit the conversations in our relationships. Being a teen today just isn’t like being a teen when we grew up (speaking for my generation here). That ...

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When Justice Rolls Down… Like Molasses: One Pastor’s Perspective on Time, Justice, and Faith in Inner City Baltimore

By Monday, July 31, 2017 Baltimore, Communication, Counseling, Inner City Ministry, Justice, Life in general, Pastors, Perseverance, Soul Care Permalink

Today’s guest post is written by Pastor Ronjour Locke of First Baptist Brooklyn for the past five and a half years located on the south side of Baltimore, MD. He is a graduate of Washington Bible College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is happily married to his wife, Annie with whom they have four children. I have a neighbor who was involved in a verbal fight with a woman in front of his house. In mere minutes she had a group of fifteen at his ...

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Does My Teenager Have An Eating Disorder? Part 2

By Tuesday, July 11, 2017 Addictions, Anorexia, Anxiety, Binge-eating, Bulimia, Control, Counseling, Depression, Eating Disorders, Identity, Idolatry, Kids, Orthorexia nervosa, Parenting, Self harm, Self Image, Teens Permalink

You are reading the second post in a two-part series about teens and eating disorders. In the previous post we looked at the four main types of disorders with accompanying warning signs. In today’s post we will look at the next steps to take in helping your teen if an eating disorder is suspected. Counselor Michelle Horton, continues our examination into this topic.   So what do I do once I’ve identified an eating disorder in my teenager? First things first, get your child to their pediatrician or general practitioner. Your teen’s health could possibly be in serious danger. You will want to ...

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Ask the Counselor: Should I Try to Forget My Past?

By Tuesday, May 30, 2017 Counseling, Identity, Life in general, Self harm, Self Image, Sex, Soul Care, Teens Permalink

Today's guest post is by Dr. Robert Kellemen, VP of Institutional Development and Chair of Biblical Counseling at Crossroads Bible College in Indianapolis, IN. He is a sought after speaker and teacher and author of several counseling books. This post originally appeared on his RPMMinistries blog.   As a biblical counselor, people often ask me the important question, “Should I try to forget my past?” I first respond with a one-word answer. “No.” Then I respond with a blog-size answer using the words: • Remember • Reflect • Repent/Receive/Renew • Reinterpret • Retell • Resources Remember Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t forget the past. It’s impossible. More importantly, it’s ungodly. Memory ...

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After Abortion Care: Why Churches Need to Care for the Post-Abortive Woman

By Sunday, April 23, 2017 Abortion, Addictions, Anorexia, Anxiety, Baby blues, Christian Women, Control, Counseling, Depression, Eating Disorders, Identity, Kids, Maternal Mental Health, Maternal Soul Care, Mommy Stuff, Perinatal Mood Disorders, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Panic Disorder, Postpartum Support, PTSD, Reproductive Psychiatry, Self harm, Self Image, Sex, Sex Education, Sexuality, Soul Care, Suicide, Teens, Uncategorized, Women Permalink

1 in 4 pregnancies end in an abortion decision, a statistic that is no different whether you look inside or outside the church. Whatever the reason a woman has for having an abortion, the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional strains of the decision can result in repercussions for years to come. Whether it be triggers that remind her of the event or physical and emotional struggles that eventually come to light, the local church can (and should) be a place of safety where women receive grace and loving care to help them work through their struggle. In this fifth and final post ...

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When Your Wife Has Postpartum Anxiety and Depression: One Husband’s Story

By Monday, April 3, 2017 Anxiety, Baby blues, Christian Women, Communication, Control, Counseling, Depression, Identity, Kids, Marriage, Maternal Mental Health, Maternal Soul Care, Mommy Stuff, Parenting, Paternal Soul Care, Perinatal Mood Disorders, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Panic Disorder, Postpartum Support, Reproductive Psychiatry, Soul Care, Suicide, Teens, Women Permalink

As this series on maternal mental health continues, today we hear the testimony of one husband as he journeyed with his wife through her postpartum depression and anxiety after their first child. It is our hope that you will find strength and encouragement in Christ through the telling of Sarah and Kurt’s story. Read Part 1 of this post here. All names have been changed to respect the family’s privacy. What symptoms did you observe in Sarah? The symptoms Sarah demonstrated included: irritability, tiredness, anxiety, panic and anger. For me, it was important to learn to see past these negative emotions. In other ...

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Hope in the Valley: One Mother’s Story of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

By Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Anxiety, Baby blues, Christian Women, Counseling, Depression, Identity, Kids, Marriage, Maternal Mental Health, Maternal Soul Care, Mommy Stuff, Parenting, Perinatal Mood Disorders, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Panic Disorder, Postpartum Support, Reproductive Psychiatry, Self Image, Soul Care, Suicide, Women Permalink

A “Warrior Mom” is a woman who has survived a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder who is working hard to take care of her baby while also fighting her own struggle. As part of my blog series on maternal mental health I thought I would ask one amazing warrior mom to share what her experience was like with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety. As each person’s struggle and road to recovery with a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder is different, it is both our hope that you will find strength and encouragement in Christ through the telling of Sarah’s story. All ...

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