Over at the Seminary’s blog page, you can find a short post of mine on the topic of lament and our need to enact lament in our church services. We seem to be able to do this on Good Friday but I would suggest that it is an essential practice until all suffering, “is made untrue” (to quote Tolkien).
Category Archives: Biblical Seminary
Putting irritations into perspective
In one of my classes last night, I wanted to show students several short videos of Christian counselors in action. These students were finishing up their last fieldwork classes and so I thought it would be good to remind them of the kinds of professional identities they are developing.
Unfortunately, our Internet didn’t cooperate. Usually, I have no problems showing streaming video in class. However, we have been experiencing a bandwidth problem of late when all of our classrooms are filled with students getting on the Internet at the same time.
Clearly, an irritation. I could not accomplish what I wanted to. I had good material but at that point in time, I had to punt. My thoughts, at the time, were something like this, “someone needs to fix this problem because I have limited opportunities to do this kind of teaching!” I imagined then that I would write to our administrative folks and complain (nicely!) that we need more bandwidth in order to keep providing a quality education.
Today, however, I have a renewed perspective.
I read of a missionary professor talk about the bandwidth issues in his school. For what would cost about $20 per month (DSL, 512KB) in the U.S., they must pay $880 per month! If they want to double their bandwidth (and they need to due the increase in computer use at the University), they must also double the fee per month!
And this is just the bandwidth problem. I have visited that school and student housing wouldn’t qualify here for a place to keep my lawn mower.
Are there things that irritate you, especially things that are supposed to work well but don’t? Well, it is irritating. And we should work to fix the bugs. However, in the right perspective, I can have a thankful heart for how much I have been given AND a willingness to sacrifice more for those who have even less.
I’m still going to write that letter, but with a vastly different spirit.
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Filed under Africa, Biblical Seminary
Chronic pain and the christian life
Over at the Biblical Seminary faculty blog, I posted this entry about the matter of chronic pain for the Christian and ended with a few brief thoughts as to what faith looks like when you suffer with a chronic condition.
You will note that in the post I do not mention anything about healing. I resisted that discussion for the time being (good as it is) because I think it so often adds to the sufferer’s experience of pain (e.g., “now I carry the extra burden of wondering why I haven’t been healed and possibly your judgement that something is wrong with my faith”) AND minimizes the current experience of pain.
On Friday, Joni Eareckson Tada spoke about the fact that she still is stopped by people who tell her they pray she will get up out of her wheelchair and walk. I imagine she is polite but her answer was that she would not want that prayer answered now. She can save walking for heaven. Today, she has a more important job to do, and her paralysis is being used by God to refine herself and redeem others.
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Filed under Biblical Seminary, Christianity, suffering
Diane Langberg on Lessons for Counselors
Back in November, Diane Langberg presented 10 things that counseling students might not normally hear about during their academic training. Click here for the video.
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Mindfulness post over at www.biblical.edu
The faculty blog at Biblical Seminary has posted one of mine about mindfulness from a Christian perspective. Actually, it is a call to develop a theology of mindfulness–or what I prefer to call watchfulness. While you are there, check out some of the other postings by my colleagues.
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The purpose of retreats in counselor education?
I have another post over at the Biblical Seminary faculty blog describing three reasons why we require our counseling students to attend our program retreat each fall.
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Filed under Biblical Seminary, christian counseling, counseling
The priority of relationships in the mission of God
I teach at a missional seminary. You might wonder what “missional” is all about. Well, I’ve tried to articulate why missional is all about redemptive and redeeming relationships. Such relationships change the ways we relate to those we seek to serve, whether here in the U.S. or in any other part of the world. To read a bit about how missional relates to serving others in Africa, read this post over at the Biblical Seminary faculty blog. It came out on Halloween but Hurricane Sandy made her appearance a few days earlier so I doubt many saw this.
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7 questions about your church’s abuse policy
Over at Biblical Seminary’s faculty blog, I have a new guest post up pointing readers to 7 important questions to ask as they review their church’s existing abuse policy. One of the questions ISN’T whether or not your church HAS an abuse policy. I assume that every church has one already.
Read the post here.
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Biblical Seminary and global trauma recovery?
I have a short blog post over at Biblical Seminary’s faculty post explaining why the seminary is interested in global trauma recovery. You can check it out here.
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Filed under Biblical Seminary
Playing fair in politics? Is it possible?
Getting tired yet of the lies and distortions of the current presidential election race? Tired of the Republican/Democrat fights? Tired of biased media? Would you just like a bit of humility and truth? Well, you might want to read Dr. Sam Logan’s new post over at our Biblical Seminary blog.
His point? Start with yourself. Start by telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth about those with whom you disagree. Imagine pointing out the successes of those in an opposing political or theological party. Imagine pointing out an error without hyperbole or exaggeration.
The section that caught me up short was reviewing what the Westminster Divines saw as violations of the 9th commandment. Sobering. Let Christians be known for telling the whole truth, in love, no matter the personal consequences. Let us not give in to fear-mongering just because others do. And even when it might cost us friends, let us acknowledge the good points our enemies make. Let us play fair even if others do not.
Musings on Faith and Psychology 