The implications of a Biblical worldview for the profession and ministry of counseling are numerous. First, Biblical authority means the Bible is the final authority for all life, ministry and counseling, not counseling or psychology. Objective morality, faith and values have an objective basis and are not just philosophical ideals. The Christian must always be vigilant to ensure that psychological ideas do not usurp the position of the Bible.
Second, humans are under God. While the individual derives personhood from being made in the image of God, when the individual truly operates “under God”, the individuals feels a sense of meaning and purpose, and more importantly, has a calling, purpose and hope. For Christians for whom operating “under God” leads to a ministry of counseling, the Holy Spirit undergirds and strengthens the ministry. The Christian must be engaged in contemplative activities such as prayer, fasting and Bible reading in order to truly operate “under God”.
Imitating and studying Jesus, the God-Man, enlarges a Biblical understanding of relationships between self, others, and God, ministry, and even how to face death. In a very real way, the life of Jesus helps translate what often seems like philosophical ideals into real life.
Therefore, repentance and transformation, not symptom reduction, are the goal of Christian counseling. The Holy Spirit gives provides the ability for the believer to change and also leads the unbeliever to God. In fact, change does not occur without the working of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “… for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 English Standard Version). This means that nothing of lasting consequence will be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore without the work of the Holy Spirit there will be no true transformation or repentance.
Finally, although the preceding paragraphs speak almost solely of the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the importance of a Christian worldview, ideas from counseling and psychology, if carefully studied and applied, can work to illuminate the principles described above. For instance, group counseling can aid a Biblical understanding of relationships between self and others giving individuals an opportunity for experiential learning. This experiential learning helps the individual to apply concepts learned from Biblical study as well as from science.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Why I blog....
As I observe the world around me it is as if I am part of a living symphony of life. Experiencing the world takes the ordinary and turns it into the extraordinary. Experiencing the world makes me think of flowers, mountains, streams and forests – in short, things of beauty. But the world is more than just beauty. There is also its other – hate, sadness, cruelty, and distrust, to name a few.
I’ve lived both sides, from yoy and sorrow to love and hate. For me, life without beauty becomes a dreary intellectual experience. Bubbling up beyond the descriptions of beauty, joy, and even of hate, is a deep need within me to write, to be creative, to express myself, and yes, even to become famous. I love to think and talk of immaterial beauty, joy and love.
During many of the tough times of my life I’ve hidden under the veneer of the scientist and forgotten my love of art, beauty and of everything that makes humanity human. It used to be that the hiding from the essence of life would drive me into a cave of disbelief in even the existence of God, and of anger at God, if he dared to exist. As I hid from life and felt separation and anger at the world, I withdrew into hatred of men, depression as a lifestyle and a lack of trust in myself and others. Self confidence plummeted.
The deepest cave I ever retreated into was the cave I went into after I was date raped. I started to barely see the sun 8 months later when I decided to give up my anger and trust others and even to dare trust that a God could be there and wasn’t just a sadistic monster. But still I was stuck in the depths of darkness as I tried to live a life pleasing to God, but somehow every attempted backfired. Three years later, I went to seminary out of a profound desperation. During that time, it was as if someone was saying to me, “An unexamined life is a dangerous life. You don’t know why you are doing what you are doing.” I leave you with the challenge of examining your belief, or lack of belief, in God, yourself, and others. It may be leading you down a garden path other than the path to happiness, life, love and true living.
I’ve lived both sides, from yoy and sorrow to love and hate. For me, life without beauty becomes a dreary intellectual experience. Bubbling up beyond the descriptions of beauty, joy, and even of hate, is a deep need within me to write, to be creative, to express myself, and yes, even to become famous. I love to think and talk of immaterial beauty, joy and love.
During many of the tough times of my life I’ve hidden under the veneer of the scientist and forgotten my love of art, beauty and of everything that makes humanity human. It used to be that the hiding from the essence of life would drive me into a cave of disbelief in even the existence of God, and of anger at God, if he dared to exist. As I hid from life and felt separation and anger at the world, I withdrew into hatred of men, depression as a lifestyle and a lack of trust in myself and others. Self confidence plummeted.
The deepest cave I ever retreated into was the cave I went into after I was date raped. I started to barely see the sun 8 months later when I decided to give up my anger and trust others and even to dare trust that a God could be there and wasn’t just a sadistic monster. But still I was stuck in the depths of darkness as I tried to live a life pleasing to God, but somehow every attempted backfired. Three years later, I went to seminary out of a profound desperation. During that time, it was as if someone was saying to me, “An unexamined life is a dangerous life. You don’t know why you are doing what you are doing.” I leave you with the challenge of examining your belief, or lack of belief, in God, yourself, and others. It may be leading you down a garden path other than the path to happiness, life, love and true living.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Angry at God? That's okay
When our son was dying our pastor said that God could heal him, and that his grandson had sat in that same place, dying, and somehow had not died. So why didn't God heal little Jed? I don't know why God didn't heal Jed, but I do know that it is okay to be angry with God. I know it is okay to feel anger and that I have some unreleased anger that I need to release. I wish I could suddenly force everyone out there, Christian and not, to realize that it is okay to be angry and especially to understand that it is okay to be angry with God.
Heaven seems much closer now that I know my little boy is there. He was a little boy who felt the love of our family and who experienced some pain - and then went to heaven. I finally understand why Catholics pray to dead people and I believe that little Jed is watching me from heaven.
When Jed was one day old and being transferred to the Children's hospital - I couldn't go because I hadn't been released from the hospital yet - as he was being put in the NICU portable thing that was going to be put into the ambulance - they took a polaroid of him and gave me the picture, apologizing all the while that they weren't good at taking photos. To me it was one of the most touching gifts of my life because it helped me know that these people were going to take good care of my child. Somehow it helped me to trust them.
Heaven seems much closer now that I know my little boy is there. He was a little boy who felt the love of our family and who experienced some pain - and then went to heaven. I finally understand why Catholics pray to dead people and I believe that little Jed is watching me from heaven.
When Jed was one day old and being transferred to the Children's hospital - I couldn't go because I hadn't been released from the hospital yet - as he was being put in the NICU portable thing that was going to be put into the ambulance - they took a polaroid of him and gave me the picture, apologizing all the while that they weren't good at taking photos. To me it was one of the most touching gifts of my life because it helped me know that these people were going to take good care of my child. Somehow it helped me to trust them.
Death has a dark, deep and sometimes surprising affect on us all. Today is a surprising day near the end of the week, a week in which I’ve mourned the death of my son Jedadiah February a year ago. Usually I focus on the meaning of the word Jedadiah– beloved of God – instead of on the death and strive to remember God’s love for me and that Jesus is holding my son. But this week’s been the disappointment of not having my own baby to hold, of trying yet again – with no success- of wondering if we will ever have another, and of being amazed at how expensive adoption can be!
Then there has been inner hurt, the wondering if things will be okay again, the desire to just lie in the pain for a bit, an almost a sadistic need to feel pain instead of God’s love enveloping me.
Then I remember back to before I knew Jesus and to the daily pain that over time I have given up and of the healing it has been replaced with. How was it that my daily pain, then, was greater than all but the worst days of pain now? Part of it is knowing that there is hope and that this world is not an impersonal ball of wax, destined to slowly melt away into nothingness and to therefore take me to greater and greater depths of nothingness.
How is it that one can have a baby- and still not know what color his hair was, that the color of hair seemed to be a dark red/brown that was unlikely to stay dark colored for long? How can I know my son’s eyes were blue – but only be sure because my and his father’s were both blue? How is it that I’ve learned to trust God with these things? How is it that sometimes I want to take them all back? How can love be such a source of joy and of sorrow? How is it that God would create a world where so often he would feel sorrow? I guess that somehow God knew we, and himself, needed the “minor keys” of life. How does one learn to balance the focus on sadness with happiness, or death and life?
Then there has been inner hurt, the wondering if things will be okay again, the desire to just lie in the pain for a bit, an almost a sadistic need to feel pain instead of God’s love enveloping me.
Then I remember back to before I knew Jesus and to the daily pain that over time I have given up and of the healing it has been replaced with. How was it that my daily pain, then, was greater than all but the worst days of pain now? Part of it is knowing that there is hope and that this world is not an impersonal ball of wax, destined to slowly melt away into nothingness and to therefore take me to greater and greater depths of nothingness.
How is it that one can have a baby- and still not know what color his hair was, that the color of hair seemed to be a dark red/brown that was unlikely to stay dark colored for long? How can I know my son’s eyes were blue – but only be sure because my and his father’s were both blue? How is it that I’ve learned to trust God with these things? How is it that sometimes I want to take them all back? How can love be such a source of joy and of sorrow? How is it that God would create a world where so often he would feel sorrow? I guess that somehow God knew we, and himself, needed the “minor keys” of life. How does one learn to balance the focus on sadness with happiness, or death and life?
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Dr. Seuss Hat
I am completing what I call a "Dr. Seuss hat" for my daughter. It is going to be really wide and go completely over her head when she wants it to. I've made the knitting part about 16 inches wide and 2 4-ounce skeins of wool long, probably about 2 feet. Then I am going to make it even wider using Granny squares so there is plenty of space to look through when it is over here head! Finally I'll put a drawstring in it so she can wear it properly. Stay tuned. You might get a picture if when it's done. Leave me a comment if you want one.
Freedom from headaches & the Contemplative lifestyle
I am excited to reveal that I have now been free from headaches for 3 weekends. I've had a little trouble during the week but have had a HUGE improvement! For me the key was stress reduction, which I did using a small biofeedback device named the Stress Eraser. It's kind of expensive (299) but definetely worth the money. It's helped me to learn to breath as I should to reduce stress and gotten me interested in things like knitting. I've realized that all of those domestic things I haven't had time for - sewing, knitting, cooking, etc - really help us relax and to lead a more contemplative life. Somehow, we are all wired to need contemplation and relaxation and all of the type A's like myself have a hard time seeing that we need to relax and that relaxation is just as important as rushing around to do stuff...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)