Many Christian counselors and pastors want to bring Christ's Gospel and forgiveness into their soul care, but don't know how. Luther's very Christ-centered theology, based in his desire for care of souls, can provide us with that foundation. Various techniques flowing from that foundation are shared. "Martin Luther formulated his proclamation of the message of Scripture for his contemporaries between the poles of God's voice in the pages of the Bible and the needs and afflictions of his hearers and readers. Marrs brings twenty-first century readers into that exchange and demonstrates how Luther's insights into the gospel of Jesus Christ help bring healing and comfort to those struggling with guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, and other spiritual afflictions in our day. This volume provides those who are engaged in conversation with the troubled and distressed rich resources for fostering peace and joy in the midst of such trouble and distress." Robert Kolb, PhD, professor of systematic theology emeritus, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis USA "If all good theology is pastoral in its orientation, then this groundbreaking, practical, biblical study is well worth careful consideration by any pastor or Christian counsellor. In it Marrs engages in a conversation with the teaching of Luther as a Christ-centered pastoral theologian and the practical insights of psychologists on the personal care of their clients, with a special emphasis on Luther's insistence on the need to distinguish between law and gospel in the proper application of God's gracious word with the delivery of soul care to God's people." John W. Kleinig, PhD Professor Emeritus, Australian Lutheran College University of Divinity, Adelaide, South Australia

Everyone talks about the personal ministry of the Word, but how do we make one-another ministry truly biblical? Gospel-Centered Counseling equips readers to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. It does so by examining life’s seven ultimate questions and then guiding readers on a journey that explores the biblical, gospel-centered narrative of: The Word: “What is truth?” “Where can I find answers?” The Trinity: “Who is God?” “Can I know Him personally?” Creation: “Who am I?” “What makes people tick?” Fall: “What went wrong?” “Why do we do the things we do?” Redemption: “Can I change?” “How do people change?” Glorification: “Where am I headed?” “How does our future destiny impact our present reality?” Sanctification: “How can I help?” “How can I change lives?" Bob Kellemen builds on the foundation of the written Word and provides a gospel-centered resource for understanding people, diagnosing problems, and prescribing biblically-based solutions. Gospel-Centered Counseling is the first volume in The Equipping Christian Counselors Series, a comprehensive relational training curriculum for the local church that provides a model for equipping God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. This two-volume series weaves together comprehensive biblical insight with compassionate Christian engagement.

Have you ever noticed that conflict is absolutely everywhere? Though we all want harmony in our relationships and our world, peace seems so hard to come by. Maybe for you, conflict looks like the latest culture war that relentlessly screams at you to pick a side, and you're tired of all the fighting. Or perhaps it takes another shape, like a hot-tempered spouse, rebellious child, passive-aggressive friend, difficult church member, withdrawn roommate, or angry social media comment. No matter its form, conflict always finds us. And often, we let it overtake us. In this short, biblical, and practical book, pastor and author Tony Merida shows us that it doesn't have to be this way. Merida not only paints a stunning picture of Christ our Peacemaker, he also shows us how to stop wishing for peace and go make it. In these pages, Tony will help you: Discover where conflicts come from Realize conflicts don't have to define you, scare you, or undo you Stop allowing your relationships simmer in a place of division, anger, or strife Understand the pattern and power of Christ as the ultimate Peacemaker Tap into the Spirit's supernatural ability to change you in the midst of your conflicts Learn how to overcome evil with good Anticipate conflicts and resolve them in biblical, Christ-centered ways Stop waiting for peace to "hopefully" come to your doorstep. Instead, in the power and strength God provides, become a person who can make the peace you so deeply desire, and watch your relationships transform.

Many Christian counselors and pastors want to bring Christ's Gospel and forgiveness into their soul care, but don't know how. Luther's very Christ-centered theology, based in his desire for care of souls, can provide us with that foundation. Various techniques flowing from that foundation are shared. "Martin Luther formulated his proclamation of the message of Scripture for his contemporaries between the poles of God's voice in the pages of the Bible and the needs and afflictions of his hearers and readers. Marrs brings twenty-first century readers into that exchange and demonstrates how Luther's insights into the gospel of Jesus Christ help bring healing and comfort to those struggling with guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, and other spiritual afflictions in our day. This volume provides those who are engaged in conversation with the troubled and distressed rich resources for fostering peace and joy in the midst of such trouble and distress." Robert Kolb, PhD, professor of systematic theology emeritus, Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis USA "If all good theology is pastoral in its orientation, then this groundbreaking, practical, biblical study is well worth careful consideration by any pastor or Christian counsellor. In it Marrs engages in a conversation with the teaching of Luther as a Christ-centered pastoral theologian and the practical insights of psychologists on the personal care of their clients, with a special emphasis on Luther's insistence on the need to distinguish between law and gospel in the proper application of God's gracious word with the delivery of soul care to God's people." John W. Kleinig, PhD Professor Emeritus, Australian Lutheran College University of Divinity, Adelaide, South Australia

Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling is a comprehensive guide that will equip God’s people to use biblical truth to change lives. More than that, this book will increase people’s confidence in the sufficiency and relevancy of God’s Word to address real-life issues in a multitude of counseling situations. Readers of this book will: Understand clearly why they should embrace biblical counseling Be encouraged to trust God’s Word to provide rich insight for living in the midst of even the most difficult challenges Enjoy the relevant, pastoral, and theological teaching they have come to appreciate from such noted authors as James MacDonald, John Piper, Mark Dever, and Elyse Fitzpatrick The 28 chapters blend theological wisdom and practical expertise. The first half of the book emphasizes a practical theology of biblical counseling; the second half highlights a practical methodology of biblical counseling. Though accessible to all Christians, the book will especially appeal to pastors and church leaders, counseling practitioners, students, and educators.

What role does Scripture play in counseling? Today, we face a weakening of confidence in the Bible. This is just as true for the pastor offering counsel in his office as it is for the person in the pew talking with a struggling friend. We need to regain our confidence in God's living Word as sufficient to address the real-life issues we face today. Scripture and Counseling will help you understand how the Bible equips us to grow in counseling competence as we use it to tackle the complex issues of life. Divided into two sections, Part One develops a robust biblical view of Scripture’s sufficiency for "life and godliness" leading to increased confidence in God's Word. Part Two teaches how to use Scripture in the counseling process. This section demonstrates how a firm grasp of the sufficiency of Scripture leads to increased competence in the ancient art of personally ministering God's Word to others. Part of the Biblical Counseling Coalition series, Scripture and Counseling brings you the wisdom of twenty ministry leaders who write so you can have confidence that God’s Word is sufficient, necessary, and relevant to equip God’s people to address the complex issues of life in a broken world. It blends theological wisdom with practical expertise and is accessible to pastors, church leaders, counseling practitioners, and students, equipping them to minister the truth and power of God’s word in the context of biblical counseling, soul care, spiritual direction, pastoral care, and small group facilitation.

Messy Beautiful Love delivers an incredible testimony of grace that offers hope for today’s marriages and a spark for rekindling love. Love gets messy. Financial problems, sickness, aging parents, a chronically unhappy spouse . . . trials will inevitably come that threaten your marriage. No matter how long you’ve been married or how strong your relationship is, sooner or later you are going to have a mess to clean up. Messy Beautiful Love is about cleaning up messes God’s way, exchanging your ideas for His, and being prepared for both the best and the worst that marriage has to offer. When you surrender your relationship to God, then and only then will you experience the blessing of marriage as He intended. This is the blessing of obedience. Messy Beautiful Love is an invitation to that obedience. The cynical world says marriages don’t last, but God knows better. Tune out the world and tune in to Him. When you do that, a beautiful marriage is not only possible, it’s inevitable.

The gospel of Jesus Christ—the heartbeat of the Bible—brings life-changing hope and power to real people with real problems. Inspired by that conviction, The Gospel for Disordered Lives provides an introductory guide to the theory and practice of Christ-centered biblical counseling. Intended to serve as a foundational textbook for students in Christian colleges, universities, seminaries, and graduate schools, the book also provides a useful overview that working counselors can reference in their ministry contexts. Additionally, it can serve pastors and current counseling practitioners as a helpful refresher and a resource for common counseling problems.

Dr. Michael Belzman is the founder of the Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counselors (ACADC). An educator, counselor and pastor, he is also a speaker at congressional hearings warning law makers against making laws that exclude Faith-Based counselors from participation in the professional arena or infringe upon their religious freedom. ACADC is the only Christ-centered counselor certification organization authorized by any state government. ACADC Institute trains their students biblically so they can provide addiction counseling to Christians in need of the biblical rather than secular options. Few thought it possible that a Christ-centered certification board could exist in today's postmodern society, yet ACADC was written by the hand of God into the California Code of Regulations, opening a door that no man could close. From a background of teaching psychology at secular universities, and a false belief in human solutions to the problems of the soul, Dr. Belzman surrendered his life to Christ in 1980. By nurturing a personal relationship with Him through prayer and Bible study, he found that God's life principles and promises changed his life in a way that psychology or prescribed drugs could not do. He saw first-hand how God's power not only overcomes deep addiction, but can direct the decisions of kings. Dr. Belzman pastors ACADC Christian Fellowship founded on the notion that healing of the soul best takes place in the context of Christ-centered relationships bathed in prayer. He lives with his family in Calimesa, California and welcomes communication from anyone desiring to serve God by becoming a Christ-centered counselor. He and his staff of Christ-centered professionals may be contacted by email at [email protected], or by letter addressed to the Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counselors, attn: Mike Belzman, PO Box 8604, Redlands, CA 92375.

A guide for believers who want their wedding to portray the relationship of Christ with the church and to reflect the gospel to all in attendance.