Eric Graef

I did a simple resource search on ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) website and they had many helpful articles and resources. There are also other Biblical Counseling organizations with a similar philosophy such as CCEF which find the Word of God to be sufficient for all the various things we encounter in life.
Here is the sight: https://biblicalcounseling.com/?s=trauma

Grateful to see this action taken seriously by the Synod and in a swift manner. I would HIGHLY recommend adding to the list the resources from "The Peacemaker" by Ken Sande. In addition to being a really biblically solid book, the ministry also provides training for people desiring to become mediators of conflict resolution. While this is something we all should strive toward, there at times need to have others help when reconciliation hasn't been achieved.
Check it out: https://rw360.org/peacemaking/

Concerning forgiveness: I am curious (for those who have read all the above recommendations) if there is consensus on the role of forgiveness to those unwilling to repent, or if the resources address that at all. I know it has caused some debate before in certain circles, but it can often be misunderstood if not properly described and explored. From the perspective of a personal declaration of forgiveness from the offended to the offender, some believe that forgiveness should always be granted, even if the offender is unrepentant. Others believe that one should not tell the unrepentant offender that they are forgiven because it does a disservice to them. We should desire repentance and reconciliation to God. Their sin/offense is first and foremost against Him. Now, to not declare to the person that you forgive them is not the same as being an unforgiving person. We are to by all means forgive them from the heart and be ready to declare forgiveness to them, but only upon the offender humbly repenting and seeking the reconciliation as well. In other words, it does not mean that one would hold something against the offender or store up bitterness toward them until they repent... that would be an unforgiving heart. But for the sake of the gospel, we should lovingly confront and seek reconciliation with the offender. We want to forgive just as (in the same way) God in Christ has forgiven us. (Eph 4:32) I think that God does not just dismiss the sins and offenses of the unrepentant (that would be unjust) but instead he pursues them in love and seeks reconciliation which He accomplished and applied through His Son's life and death. But I don't think that forgiveness is ever granted without repentance. (many bring up Jesus' comments on the cross but I think that does not make a clear case for the later position).

Anyways, sorry to go on. I know this may not all apply to the area of disagreeable differences, in which case brotherly love should reign, but perhaps it can be a helpful discussion concerning clear cases where forgiveness is needed. Thanks!

Its good to be well equipped with some resources. Here is a really great video that I appreciated from Tim Keller, who was invited to address Google. He was addressing the skeptical and also to promote his latest book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uIvOniW8xA 

I also appreciate Keller's "accessible prose"... it reminds me that the goal is never to win the argument but win the heart in order to share the gospel. Much like Koukl, he speaks in an "inoffensive" manner.  He also beautifully uses the offensive approach (2 Cor 10:15) by showing the often self-refuting nature of others' belief systems. In addition to Keller, I would highly recommend (at the top of the list) anything written by John Frame, a former student of Van Til and a champion of presuppositional apologetics.   http://www.wtsbooks.com/category/318/John-Frame?view_all

One can also find on youtube some great debates between Doug Wilson and the late Christopher Hitchens.  (really good stuff!)

Also, while I'm not familiar with all of the suggested sources, I am aware of Hugh Ross and what he advocates and promotes. Since I'm unaware of the others, do any of them come from a six-day creation belief?  It may be wise to state up front, some of the beliefs of these men. Perhaps a quick sentence so as not to mislead anyone. Much more could be said regarding that issue, but suffice it to say, there is much apologetic material supporting textual evidence that is contrary to what Ross believes... and it maintains theological consistency in regards to doctrines on the nature of man (historicity of Adam), the doctrine of sin and the sufficiency of God's Word.

I would highly recommend the books "The Gospel in Color." I am working through these with my kids and they have a book for parents and a book for kids to read through with the parents. The beauty of these solid resources is that they rightfully diagnose the problem (sin, and the believing lies) and the solution, (the Gospel!). This is a great time to talk to your children about it all and having resources that are centered on the Gospel is extremely necessary.

Books available here: https://shop.wearepatrol.com/collections/tgic

I found these books at a conference I attended in California for artists and creatives called CANVAS. Amazing conference put on by the ministry of Humble Beast Records. I highly recommend their resources as well.

This is more on the musical side of things, as that is kind of what I do. Not sure how it can be used within a service, but you are more than welcome to use it and share it as you see fit. I changed the settings so that you can download it for free. On the link, I also explain the reasoning behind the song, the hypocrisy, the complexity and also our own contribution to the problem. 

"The Solution" - https://ericgraef.bandcamp.com/track/the-solution

I would highly caution you of using anything written by Peter Enns. You can do your own research on his theology, but with as many as great resources that are available now a days, I would give a hard pass on anything from him. AND, if you have a source that would endorse Enns and his theology/hermenutic, then I would also be suspicious of those sources as well.

I would suggest using financial support in a much different way that will be theologically/philosophically different BUT will also be more long-term, sustainable and bear great fruit for the Kingdom. Let me explain:

Our church provides free counseling to members first and then if there is room in the schedule, we also offer free counseling to anyone. Now with that said, we DO have a full-time staff member who is a certified Biblical Counselor, but part of his job is also to train lay counselors within the church who will go on to help counsel others. Lord willing, the number of those being trained will continue to grow. The need and demand are great! One thing we also realize is that "everyone" needs counseling and its with this understanding that we hope to remove the stigma that only "those" certain people need counseling. Truth is, we all go through things in life that need to be addressed biblically. Not only this, but Scripture seems to indicate that ANY spiritually mature Christian should be competent to counsel. Perhaps not what we normally think of in a formal setting (which is what we normally think of and what we do have in place at our church with set times and meeting places) but rather in everyday informal ways. How do we counsel others? The truth is, we give people counsel and advice all the time, but much of it is rarely biblical, and can unfortunately fall into the category of the "wisdom of the world." What if we not only saw counseling as a need for everyone, BUT also viewed every believer as being trained to "admonish one another!" It is for this reason (trusting the sufficiency of God's Word for everything pertaining to a life of godliness) that we grieve the almost assumed, acceptable practice of out-sourcing counseling to the "professionals."  I realize this may be far more (or different) than what you were asking for, but this is how I would encourage your whole church. I see that you are in Canada and so I'm not sure if it is the same (I'll look for you) but there very well may be a Biblical Counseling Training Center near you where both staff and members could attend and be trained. I would highly recommend budgeting money to that end... and the fruit you will see will be great. Its so much more! In addition to counseling, it's an easy way to evangelize and disciple others.  I realize that not every church is in the position to hire a full-time staff member to focus on this... however, this does not have to be the case. If there are already funds under consideration to be designated for such a purpose, then I think training up leaders within is a much better solution. Now once that is in place and more and more are being trained to counsel, you of course will have to come up with different "policies" in regards to implementation and availability. And the problems you have will be different, but very GOOD problems. Trust me, word of mouth does wonders when lives are being transformed by the power of the Gospel and when the Holy Spirit speaks through the Word.

It does look like Biblical Counseling is on the ground in Canada, you can check out this link: https://biblicalcounselingcanada.ca/

Here is one article that may be more informative concerning counseling in Canada: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/should-canadians-churches-adopt-biblical-counseling/

I hope these resources help you, but more importantly the whole body of Christ.

Blessings

I would HIGHLY recommend going to https://biblicalcounseling.com/ this is the website for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). Contacting them will get you some great, and more importantly, solid biblical resources for helping people with all of the problems in life. We often claim to believe in the truth and authority of God's Word, claiming its infallibility and inerrancy (which we should) but we sadly so often fail to trust that the Scriptures are sufficient for all of life's problems (2 Tim 3:16, Prov 19:7). A good certified Biblical Counselor can help clear a lot of the misunderstandings of mental health and also show how the Scripture is sufficient for handling most of life's problems. This is not to say that there are many organic, biological issues that people face, but often times, things are mislabeled... and often without scientific consensus on data. Anyways, I could go on and on, but I would really look into the resources that ACBC can provide. They should have a locator to find out where the nearest Biblical Counselor is or even a training center. Hope this helps! God bless.

I'm with Chuck, I love books. I've been blessed to have inherited a few small collections from former pastors. I would suggest finding a young minister who would be blessed by having such resources available.

Hey Alex,

Good questions to be asking! I grew up in a different tradition and was taught a few things that I later found were very much less than biblical. Regardless of the label "Reformed" or not (which is also a nuanced term depending on who you speak to) our goal should be to define according to the standard of God's Word.

Biblically understood, one receives the Holy Spirit by an act of God's grace and not as a response to our faith. The tradition I grew up in sadly reversed this order and made it seem as though the new birth (being born again) takes place once you repent and believe. However, biblically understood (read John 3 for example which talks about the new birth) we are dead in our trespasses and sins and are not capable of such things and need to be made alive to the things of God and thus are given the Holy Spirit as a gracious gift of God's choosing according to nothing more than His good pleasure. What takes place as a result of the new birth are also gifts: repentance and faith.

While the word is not found in the bible, historically theologians have called this "regeneration," another term for being born again, or made alive by God's Spirit.

Hope that helps. Not sure if the second question can be narrowed down to one primary role that the Holy Spirit does within the role of the Triune God. He leads us in all truth, empowers for gospel ministry, glorifies the Son and proceeds from the Father and the Son and countless other things.

Eric