by Mark Shaw | May 27, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Most people think of counseling as lying on a couch, venting and complaining about your problems, and then paying the counselor for your 50 minute visit. But is that what we do as biblical counselors? No! Truth in Love Ministries provides biblical counseling and...
by Mark Shaw | May 24, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff
Did you realize that “self-pity” is prideful? When one is mired in self-pity, they are being prideful. Why? Because they are focused upon themselves and not focused upon Christ. “Woe is me” is the attitude. “I deserve better” is the...
by Mark Shaw | May 23, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Sadly, we see a number of problems as biblical counselors. I’ve ranked them from 1 to 10 so you’ll know what we deal with on a typical day. At #10, we meet with many rebellious teens/youths. These young people fail to listen to their parents, respect...
by Mark Shaw | May 22, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Scripture, Vs. Psychology
One of the joys of biblical counseling is that the Word of God never changes. It consistently applies to every situation no matter how different the circumstances. It is such a joy to have a weapon that offers my counselees hope and practical help whose truths never...
by Mark Shaw | May 15, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff
What qualifies someone to be a biblical counselor? What credentials are necessary? How about these 2 essential elements: 1) knowledge of the Word of God and 2) yielding to the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is only understood by the illuminating power of the Holy...
by Mark Shaw | May 12, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV): “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”** In EVERY Christian relationship, God...
by Mark Shaw | May 12, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Vs. Psychology
So many of us do NOT want to believe that problems can be diagnosed as “sin” or “selfishness” or “self-centeredness”. Why is that? Until we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us through Christ Jesus, we stay in bondage (I John...
by Mark Shaw | May 10, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff, Vs. Psychology
And when you give someone a diagnosis, even when that diagnosis is NOT based upon objective data but is merely conjecture and subjective, do NOT try to take that diagnosis away from that person! Often, the diagnosed person will hold onto that diagnosis with both hands...
by Mark Shaw | May 9, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff, Vs. Psychology
When family members have a loved one who is acting in a bizarre, dangerous, extreme, abnormal, or unusual manner, they want a “diagnosis” for that loved one. They want to know exactly what is wrong so it can be treated. They want their loved one...
by Mark Shaw | May 9, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff
Proverbs 27:5 says: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” (ESV) One of the Puritans, Richard Baxter, wrote about the pride of mankind that hinders spiritual growth: “We are so tender, that a man can scarcely touch us but we are hurt; and so...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 29, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
The least read book in the U.S.A. is NOT the Bible – it’s your car’s instruction manual. Very few people read that book. Crisp, fresh, unmarked, and clean is how you’ll find this manual in most cars. But guess when people do read it? When their...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 15, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Someone recently congratulated me for, “completing a successful year in your business.” Even though it was meant as an encouragement, it is wrong on two counts. First, we are NOT a business. We’re a ministry. Plain and simple. We do not operate to...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 11, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Thank you all for standing with us for the Bible as sufficient to help us change into the image of Christ! What is counseling but an opportunity to offer people an evaluation of their thinking, speaking, and acting in order to bring about change? That’s simply...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 2, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Thomas Oden wrote that our job is “to lead back the wandering sheep and to cure that which is wounded by the serpent” (Classical Pastoral Care, vol. 3, Baker Publishing, p. 57). This is PRECISELY what our ministry is all about: helping hurting, wandering...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 2, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
One of the things I strongly dislike about counseling teens and youths is the parents! Typically, we meet with the parents FIRST before meeting with the child. In most cases, the child is a product of the lack of parenting or poor parenting of mom and dad. It’s...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 24, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Cough syrup is a drug in liquid form. Likewise, alcohol is a drug in liquid form. So why do we think of alcohol differently than we do other drugs? Why does our culture put it into a totally different category? Some say, “alcohol is legal” but so are other...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 20, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Parents are going to pay a price either on the FRONT end or the BACK end for how they teach OR fail to teach their children. If you INVEST your time and energy to discipline your children in the Lord (Eph. 6:4) while they are young, the investment will pay off down...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 7, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
It is March 1st in Birmingham, AL, when I wrote this…and it’s snowing for the first time all year. So I thought to myself, what if we had visitors to our city today from Asia and they only came to B’ham today. What would they think about our city?...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 2, 2009 | Posts by Mark, Truth in Love Staff
Physically, when young people smoke cigarettes, it is said that it “stunts their growth” primarily because it suppresses their appetite. Thinking about this same concept in a spiritual sense: what suppresses our appetite for spiritual food from God’s...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 1, 2009 | Biblical Counseling, Posts by Mark
Physically, when young people smoke cigarettes, it is said that it “stunts their growth.” Do you know why that is? The answer: it suppresses their appetite. They do not eat because their natural, God-given desire to eat is suppressed. Now, let’s...
