David Powlison – Familial By Design (#CCEF17 Main Session 1)

David Powlison set the stage for the CCEF 2017 Conference on the topic of family. He asked us how we can embrace the blessing of family and face the brokenness without becoming either idolatrous or depressed. In life there are really high joys and really low valleys. For example, Powlison shared how his daughter gave… Read More »

CCEF 2017: Family – Main Session Summaries

For those of you who missed #CCEF17, or this year’s Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation Conference, below are summaries of the main sessions. This year’s theme was “Family: Embracing the Blessing, Facing the Brokenness.” I hope these concise summaries will be a blessing to you.  You can also purchase the conference audio here.  There were a bunch of really good… Read More »

Praying for the Grace of Repentance

Recently I was amazed at our persecuted brothers and sisters in Egypt who were praying for the evildoers that sought to murder them. These Christians understood that evildoers can take their life but not their living hope in Christ Jesus (Matthew 10:28, 1 Peter 1:3-9). One persecuted leader, Fr. Boules George, explained that his prayer for his enemies was in faithful… Read More »

Waiting on the Lord

In the Christian life, we are often called to the business of waiting on the Lord. Some waits are shorter, like waiting for a child to recover from a cold. Other waits can last decades, like waiting for a spouse to change. Learning to wait well is an important discipline of grace that we should strive to… Read More »

Aaron Sironi – For Better or For Worse: Emotions in Marriage (#CCEF16 Main Session 7)

This is the essence of marriage, a husband and wife, clinging together. Aaron Sironi delivered his general session at the CCEF conference entitled: For Better or For Worse: Emotions in Marriage.  He challenged us to approach marriage counseling from the perspective of encouraging Biblical clinging. Aaron explained that emotions in marriage are powerful. They can tear a couple… Read More »

What God Taught Me About Himself Through My Divorce

As those closest to me already know, my story has been marked with suffering as I faced the death of my marriage. Yet, through it all, I found myself being held and sustained by my Lord. His grace has been sufficient for me. As Joni Eareckson Tada expressed through her own suffering, “There is nothing more sweet than finding Jesus right… Read More »

Winston Smith – Emotions and Relationships (#CCEF16 Main Session 5)

“Emotions help us to enter into the lives of and connect with others.” Winston Smith presented on the topic of emotions and relationships. He explained that emotions are like a passport into the lives of others. “Emotions help us to enter into the lives of and connect with others.” So we don’t just know about them,… Read More »