Over half of pastors are discouraged right now. It’s similar for all kinds of ministry leaders. (You may not consider yourself a “ministry leader” but if you think about your relationships as a ministry of being salt and light for Jesus then I’m sure that you will relate to the problem of discouragement in ministry.)…
Years ago I was responsible for training volunteer telephone counselors for an international Christian ministry. We were getting 150 calls a day from adults and teenagers who were in crisis, hurting in some other way, or needing prayer. Some of the young people who called were struggling with cutting themselves. This frightened some of our…
“Forgive and forget,” some say. “Just let it go to God and move on,” urge others. Often it’s not that easy. Maybe you grew up in a family in which it wasn’t okay to express anger. Or the pain and violation seem too great. Or you’re not sure how to forgive. Read on and you’ll…
Bill Gaultiere’s Notes from Dallas Willard’s Talk These are my notes from the talk that Dallas Willard gave at the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot Seminary, Biola University, on September 27th, 2011. As best I can I have used Dallas’ wording, but this is not a transcript—some of what Dallas said I didn’t write…
Have you experienced the “Jesus burn”? Do you know what it’s like to feel God’s presence in your body? Perhaps your heart has been warmed by God’s peace. Or on the back of your neck and shoulders you’ve felt tingly with the Spirit’s blessing or “anointing” when you were being prayed for or seeking God…
I want to share with you a portion of Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, written by Jeanne Guyon in 1685. These are some of the most helpful and winsome words ever written on the subject of meditating on Scripture. Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717) was a French woman, widowed at the age of 28 after an unhappy marriage.…
Our lives today are cluttered and crowded. The list of responsibilities that we feel we must accomplish grows overnight like Jack’s beanstalk! We keep taking on more and more until before we know it we are bowed down with burdens, panting through a never-ending program of projects to complete, people to meet, and places to…
Learning to discern God’s voice as part of living in a conversational relationship with him is vital for our personal lives and ministry to others. But relationships have ebbs and flows. In our most important relationships we probably experience times of enjoying intimacy and times of being separated for one reason or another. This is…
You can hear God’s voice as part of a growing conversational relationship with him. Here are some proven methods to help you listen to God. Many people would say they try to listen to God. But there is much confusion on discerning if you’ve truly heard God’s voice. I know people who were sure they…
We long for soul talk with a friend that helps us experience God’s presence. You can facilitate these life-giving spiritual conversations. I’ve been doing this for many years, not only in my ministry as a Psychologist and Spiritual Director, but also in my marriage and friendships. I love to elevate conversations into experiences of soul…