The effort to explore one's deepest fears and most profound hopes is an exercise that quietly defends the essence of one's existence. To the extent that one develops and constructs stories that clarify one's sense of self, we build the essential tools for the defense of our existence as we understand it. It is without question that the notion of survival has a multi-layered understanding that includes ideology, spirit, and a visceral tangibility.Identity development is a continual ...

What are believers to do when belief and lived experience collide? Must the experience of suffering be hidden or pushed aside in favor of only "positive" expressions of praise during corporate worship? Focusing on the premise that "worship is not pain denial," this book seeks to reveal the dearth of soul care within modern corporate worship, and the multidisciplinary approach needed to build and implement a more thorough approach that calls and enables believers to weep with those who weep...

We go through life, focusing our attention on many things. But how much do we focus on ourselves? We may be aware of many things, but are we self-aware? This is a question our contemporary culture asks us to consider more and more, and words like "self-awareness," "personal identity," "authenticity," and "mindfulness" are becoming not just buzz-words but virtues. The ancient dictum "know thyself" reverberates in all corners of our lives, from Disney characters on our TVs to DISC profiles a...

**Christianity, at its heart, is a therapeutic faith—a theocentric form of soul care.**God's therapeutic agenda begins in the perfect triune communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who created human beings to flourish by participating in his glory. But they are now alienated from God and subject to different forms of psychopathology—sin, suffering, and biopsychosocial damage. So God intervened in Jesus Christ to manifest even greater glory. Through union with his incarnation, life, death...

Psychology has exploded across the academic and popular landscape in the last hundred years. Dozens of schools of thought have arisen and thousands of books have been written on the nature of our personalities, our development, our relationships and our inner well-being.All of this has been of interest (and sometimes of concern) to Christians because of the importance we place on a correct understanding of human nature. Psychology often seems disconnected from, if not antithetical to, Chri...

What does authentic Christian counseling look like in practice?This volume explores how five major perspectives on the interface of Christianity and psychology would each actually be applied in a clinical setting. Respected experts associated with each of the perspectives depict how to assess, conceptualize, counsel and offer aftercare to Jake, a hypothetical client with a variety of complex issues. In each case the contributors seek to explain how theory can translate into real-li...

Are Christian treatments as effective as secular treatments? What is the evidence to support its success?Christians engaged in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy and counseling are living in a unique moment. Over the last couple decades, these fields have grown more and more open to religious belief and religion-accommodative therapies. At the same time, Christian counselors and psychotherapists encounter pressure (for example, from insurance companies) to demonstrate that the...

Color plays a significant role in the way we perceive and interact with the world. Beyond aesthetics, colors deeply influence our emotions, psychological state, and overall sense of joy. The connection between color and emotion is not only rooted in cultural symbolism but also in physiological responses that occur within our brains and bodies.When light enters our eyes, it is interpreted by the brain as different colors depending on the wavelength. These colors can trigger various ...

The effort to explore one's deepest fears and most profound hopes is an exercise that quietly defends the essence of one's existence. To the extent that one develops and constructs stories that clarify one's sense of self, we build the essential tools for the defense of our existence as we understand it.It is without question that the notion of survival has a multi-layered understanding that includes ideology, spirit, and a visceral tangibility. Identity development is a continual process ...

A Brief History of Hugh Taylor Birch and Helen Birch BartlettDiscover the remarkable story of Hugh Taylor Birch and his daughter, Helen Birch Bartlett two visionary figures whose love of nature, art, and education left an enduring legacy stretching from Ohio to Florida.Born in the nineteenth century and shaped by the ideals of Antioch College and educator Horace Mann, Hugh Taylor Birch rose from modest beginnings to become a prominent Chicago attorney, cons...

This book is intended to provide a guide to exploring a more meaningful life than we otherwise might have in its absence. Not because the author knows or understands more, but because the author invites the reader to grow in as many ways she or he finds important and relevant. Certainly this may not be a journey that is for everyone, some may find that it contradicts some fundamental beliefs the reader holds dear, in which case it may not be as helpful as intended. In addition, this guide ...

Christian Psychotherapy in Context combines theology with the latest research in clinical psychology to equip mental health practitioners to meet the unique psychological and spiritual needs of Christian clients. Encouraging therapists to operate from within a Christian framework, the authors explore the intersection between a Christian worldview and clients’ emotional struggles, drawing from sources including both foundational theological texts and the “common factors” psychother...