Christian Counseling Bundle (19 vols.)

For years a debate has raged over how to define true masculinity and true femininity. While there is agreement that men and women share equally in the privilege of being made in God's image, some views of manhood and womanhood blur God-given gender distinctions.Wayne Grudem assembled a team of distinguished writers to show how egalitarian views destroy God's ideal for your relationships, marriage, and life purposes. The contributors to this book include:

• John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Bruce A. Ware, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Richard W. Hove, Director of Campus Crusade for Christ at Duke University
• Daniel Doriani, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of New Testament and Covenant Theological Seminary
• Daniel R. Heimbach, Professor of Christian Ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Peter Jones, Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in California

These writers explore key issues, including the interchangeability of male-female roles, the meaning of submission, and the historical novelty of egalitarian interpretations of Scripture. This book will demonstrate how some views of manhood and womanhood tamper with our understanding of God's character and why the extremes of male domination and feminism destroy the beauty of our sexual differences - differences that celebrate the excellence of men and women as God created us.

As the shepherd of the flock, a pastor has many responsibilities--few as great as leading and training families. The pervasive attitude and beliefs of the world have only added stress and confusion to this task. Sixteen highly regarded men and women help bring clarity and guidance to this important issue. They tackle practical topics such as how and why to preach on biblical manhood and womanhood, putting the Internet to use, church discipline, small groups, and handling domestic violence. They discuss the personal applications within the pastor's marriage, and they examine the biblical views of ministering to singles, homosexuality, leadership and submission, and much more. This compilation is thorough, potent, and a must-have for any pastor's library.

Dennis Rainey writes, "Today our nation suffers from a sickness of the soul because our families are weak." People in our society suffer from broken hearts, dull marriages, or rebellious kids. Marriages are crumbling, more and more couples are merely living together, singles are lonely, and homosexuality is becoming more "accepted" in popular culture. How can you confront these challenges and make the most of the widespread opportunities for ministry to families today?

The conviction of the editors of this Foundations for the Family Series volume is that family ministry in your congregation begins with your own family. Wayne Grudem and Dennis Rainey gathered a group of prominent Christian leaders to provide wisdom for people who want to see the Gospel flourish in their church families. Their essays touch on building strong marriages, confronting domestic violence, reaching out to singles, and more.

Besides Grudem and Rainey, contributors to this volume include:

• R. Kent Hughes
• Danny Akin
• Bob Lepine
• H. B. London, Jr.
• Dick Purnell
• Timothy B. Bayly
• Ken Sande
• C.J. Mahaney
• Bob Davies
• David Powlison
• Paige Patterson
• Paul David Tripp
• Edward T. Welch

Building families is the greatest way to spread the kingdom in today's world. With families in such disarray in our society, the church has the opportunity to provide answers, and Christian families have a unique opportunity to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ.

Besides our relationship with our heavenly Father, there is nothing more important than our relationship with our family. It is the building block of our churches, communities, and nation. So when we neglect our families, the foundation of our churches and nation crumbles, and our homes begin to splinter.

If we desire to fulfill God's calling in our lives and to make a difference in others' lives for eternity, then we must start within our families. Whether single or married, with children or not, we all have a part in God's calling to build strong spiritual families.

Dennis Rainey and ten other Christian leaders understand that in order to make a change you need standards, courage, and innovative strategies. In this book you will find challenging, encouraging words on key issues ranging from gender roles and sexual intimacy within marriage to raising masculine boys and feminine girls, as well as the practical concerns of renewal in your own home and effective mentoring within the church and community.

God's calling is clear: we each have a part in His family. With the help of these respected Christians, you should be able to find the best way to fulfill your part.

Contributors to this volume include:

• Dennis Rainey
• Wayne Grudem
• John Piper
• Bob Lepine
• C. J. Mahaney
• Stu Weber
• Susan Hunt
• Harold D. Davis
• Robert Lewis
• Steve Farrar
• Crawford W. Loritts, Jr.

Though the modern feminist movement left suffering families and a lost culture in its wake, there is a new movement spreading seeds of hope in the hearts of Christian women everywhere. Nancy Leigh DeMoss has brought together seven respected teachers, including Susan Hunt and Mary A. Kassian--all of whom speak to the hearts of their sisters in Christ with a message about the greatness of God's created order and the part women play in His grand, redemptive plan so that they may re-discover the beauty and wonder of their distinctive calling.

The feminist revolution was supposed to make us feel better about ourselves, bringing us greater fulfillment and freedom. Yet many of us are feeling anything but fulfilled and free. Across generational lines, inside the church and out, we are understanding that we have lost the beauty and wonder of our distinctive makeup and calling as women. We are realizing that what was supposed to lift us up has been tearing down society, churches, and most importantly, our own families.

There is now a new movement spreading its seeds--seeds of hope, humility, obedience, and prayer. It is a call to return to godly womanhood, and it is resonating in the hearts of women everywhere.

Let its truth ring in your heart through the powerful messages of these seven beloved teachers: Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Susan Hunt, Mary A. Kassian, Carolyn Mahaney, Barbara Hughes, P. Bunny Wilson, and Dorothy Patterson. They approach the subject of womanhood from different angles and teaching styles, but throughout there runs a thread. One that will instill itself in your spirit. A thread of joy and delight with the greatness of God's created order and the part He wants you to play in His grand redemptive plan.

Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? He sends you flowers when what you really want is time to talk. She gives you a hug when what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn’t your love—it’s your language!

In this international best seller—which has sold over 3 million copies—Dr. Gary Chapman reveals how different people express love in different ways. In fact, there are five specific languages of love:

• Quality Time
• Words of Affirmation
• Gifts
• Acts of Service
• Physical Touch

What speaks volumes to you may be meaningless to your spouse. But here, at last, is the key to understanding each other’s unique needs. Apply the right principles, learn the right language, and soon you’ll know the profound satisfaction and joy of being able to express your love—and feeling truly loved in return.

Want to know the secret to making sure your child feels loved? Kids desperately need to know how much you love them. But if you don’t know their special “love languages,” you might as well be speaking gibberish. Every child (like every adult) expresses and receives love best through one of the five languages. Find out which one your child speaks with The Five Love Languages of Children.

If your love language is different from your children’s, you’d better learn to translate – fast. Discover how to express unconditional feelings of respect, affection and commitment that will resonate in their souls – and inspire them for the rest of their lives.

Are you equipped to love your teenager effectively? Never before has the task of parenting teenagers been more perplexing. Despite the peer pressure that teenagers face, it is still parents who influence teens the most. And the door to that influence is love. Love is the most functional building block of parent-teen relationships. According to Dr. Gary Chapman parents must learn to express their love in a language that makes sense to their teenager. Some teens long for tender words; others desire a gentle touch, a thoughtful gift, a kind deed or quality time spent together.

Find out which love languages your child speaks with The Five Love Languages of Teenagers. Through true stories from the counseling office of Gary Chapman, you will discover how the principles of the five love languages can really work in the lives of your teens and family.

To love and to be loved, what could be more important? The craving for love is our deepest emotional need. Each of us feels loved when others speak our primary love language. We are drawn to that person because he or she is meeting our basic need to feel loved.

The love languages in human relationships are a reflection of divine love. If man is indeed made in the image of God, then we would expect to find all five love languages (and more!) expressed in the character and nature of God.

Dr. Chapman’s goal for readers is that they may be led to explore the possibility of speaking different love languages to God and thus expanding their own understanding of God and others.

You know you love her – but is she getting the message? You bring your wife flowers but she’d rather just have a hug. You buy tickets to a movie when she wants to sit and talk. Tired of missed cues and confusing signals? Dr. Gary Chapman reveals how different personalities express love in different ways.

Ready for a richer relationship? Open this book and dive in. Because the only thing better than learning to speak her love language is teaching her to speak yours!

You can know the joy of unconditional love! Dr. Gary Chapman believes you have a God-given yearning for complete and unconditional love. But you’ll never be able to express it – or receive it – until you learn to speak the right “love” language. The Five Love Languages for Singles reveals how different personalities express love in different ways.

Gary Chapman’s first best-selling book, The Five Love Languages, has already connected with more than 3 million readers. Now he tailors that message to meet the unique needs of singles, using real-life examples and anecdotes taken from his 30 years of interaction with single adults.

Whether you are young or old; widowed, divorced, separated or never married, these proven principles of communicating and receiving unconditional love can apply in all your relationships, including friends, coworkers, classmates or roommates. Discover the joy of expressing love, and feeling truly loved in return!

Real life involves real people who make real mistakes. Sometimes saying “I’m sorry” just isn’t enough. The need for apologies impacts all human relationships. The good news is that you can learn the art of apology.

Through their research and interaction with hundreds of individuals, counselor Dr. Jennifer Thomas and Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the revolutionary The Five Love Languages, have discovered five fundamental aspects or “languages” of an apology:

• Expressing Regret – “I am sorry.”
• Accepting Responsibility – “I was wrong.”
• Making Restitution – “What can I do to make it right?”
• Genuinely Repenting – “I’ll try not to do that again.”
• Requesting Forgiveness – “Will you please forgive me?”

In The Five Languages of Apology, you will learn how to recognize your own primary apology language while speaking the language of those you love. Understanding and applying the five languages of an apology will greatly enhance all of your relationships.

Depression seems to be everywhere. It seems everyone knows someone else who struggles with it—you may yourself. It has become such a part of the psychological landscape that it can often be met with cynicism, or indifference, which is a problem—because Depression does exist—and people suffering from it need help.

The concept of D Is for Depression is what makes it immensely valuable. It is a self-help book about getting better and a resource for those who suffer, or who are close to someone who does. The content of D Is for depression is to be trusted because it has already been translated and read across the world; appearing on university and theological college reading lists. It is substantially based upon Michael’s earlier book, Facing Depression. A book widely used by individuals, churches and in the training of those seeking professional skills to help others.

There are not many books that deal credibly with depression from both a Biblical and medical scientific angle. The absence of either leaves you with a less than holistic guide. This is one of the best of such books. Read it and understand better what depression is. Then allow the text to lead you through some practical exercises that will show whether or not medical help is needed. The vast majority of sufferers from depression do get better. If you are a sufferer or a helper of others (informally or professionally) then D is for depression will help you immensely.

Most of us will have faced that most delicate situation of meeting a person who is suffering. We tend to go down one of two different avenues—one is to offer well-intentioned advice: often in the form of well-worn cliches that the person will have heard several times before. The other is not to say anything at all: risking the danger of leaving the person under the impression that God has no idea what is going on and is unable to help.

How are we to understand suffering and its place in our lives? Should we try and rationalize it away, trying to come up with a solution that sits as comfortably as possible? Surely we should look to Scripture first? This is what Walter Kaiser does here. Looking at the Old Testament book of Lamentations, Kaiser does not offer any easy solutions, but rather shows us how a sovereign and loving God can work through even the most painful moments.

God can heal; this is a truth clearly evident from Scripture. We can agree, with absolute certainty, that God still possesses the power to do the miraculous. In The Healing Promise Richard Mayhue provides straight answers without compromising the Bible or God's miraculous power.

The Healing Promise includes

• A special interview with Joni Eareckson Tada where she talks about coping with the attitudes towards healing she encounters every day
• A chapter by André Kole, the man behind many of David Copperfield's illusions, on techniques used in healing meetings.
• An Interview with John and Patricia MacArthur about their experiences when Patricia was badly injured in a car accident

The most heard views expressed on the vexed subject of divine healing often come from entrenched camps. It is difficult to find someone with the medical, theological, and practical experience necessary to give advice on the subject that gives you confidence. Dr. Dilwyn Price was a medical practitioner who belonged to an evangelical church in the North of England. He was actively involved in the care of his church and suffered from cancer himself. He was able, therefore, to approach the subject from the point of view of a healthcare professional, a church leader, and a sufferer.

This book came about from Dr. Price wanting to discover what the Bible actually says about divine healing—what he found, from his special vantage point, is reproduced for your help too. In this book he considers other issues liek the role of prayer of local church leaders when a believer is sick, the contribution a healed person should make to the ongoing mission of the church, and the benefit or otherwise of healing meetings.

Many couples live with the ache of not being able to have children. Malcolm and Nick Cameron are writing from such a background themselves. This book tells of their struggles as they coped with years of infertility and will take you through the story of their miscarriage and the task of piecing their lives back to together afterwards. Throughout their ups and downs, and amidst the heartache, Malcolm and Nick have been carried through by God, and emerged on the other side stronger than before. This book will help you whether you are going through a similar situation or if you have a friend or family member that is facing the heartache of longing for, or losing, a baby.

As Christians, too often we are unwilling to share our experiences with others, not realizing that there are countless couples in the same position, longing for a child, confused by questions like "Why them?". Here Malcolm and Nick Cameron have produced an honest and real account of their experience. They do not claim to have the answers as to how you should deal with infertility or miscarriage, but they can point you to the one who does, our Heavenly Father who never leaves us, and draws alongside us in our times of sorrow and pain and is there to pick us up when ever we fall.

"Things can't be all that bad," "pull yourself together," "snap out of it," these are some examples of a widespread misunderstanding of depressive illness. It is an ignorance found among Christians and non-Christians alike. Over recent decades the numbers of people in society suffering from depression have risen dramatically, and it is an issue which friends and relatives have often failed to understand to the detriment of their relationships. This is a state of affairs which Elaine Brown seeks to change.

The misunderstanding and stigma surrounding depressive illness makes it harder to bear for the sufferer than a physical complaint. It leaves the sufferer feeling alone and isolated in their experience. This, despite the fact that depressive illness affects so many! Elaine Brown's account of her experience is therefore such a blessing, a message of hope and re-assurance to all those engaged in such a struggle, cutting through the isolation so many experience. If you seek to help a loved one struggling with depression, you must read this book. If you are struggling with depression it's a valuable source of comfort.

Visiting the sick, lonely or downcast is a duty we all have as Christians. It is not to be left to ministers or elders but is a responsibility for all those who seek to follow Christ's perfect example. The problem often arises when we actually make the visit. Discussing the weather or the hospital food is all very well, but for our visit to have maximum value we need to try and help the person spiritually. Reading our favorite Bible passage might suffice once, but it cannot be apt to every situation. What happens when you visit for a second time?

This is where this book helps. Providing Scripture readings, a prayer and even a suggested hymn for a wide range of possible visits, it is a wonderfully useful tool. Written by authors with long pastoral experience, it will prove a real help to all those who seek to turn the routine visit into a time of real spiritual growth.

Using New Testament passages, Thomas examines how the Christian is to think, and explains how a correct, biblical view of self should radically transform our Christian living. Starting from the premise that how we think has everything to do with how we behave; he emphasizes our need to understand the death/life paradox in order to be able to live lives appropriate to our new identity in Christ. Thomas goes on to examine various aspects of the Christian life, including: our relationship to the Law, family tensions and responsibilities, the enticements of the world, suffering for our faith, witnessing to others, fruitfulness and its implications, Christian submission, following the will of God, and biblical definitions of success and failure.