"Don’t Be Anxious… Pray" by Ed Welch

These are anxious times. The unknown is scary whether anxiety is something you struggle with on a daily basis or only on occasions that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for everyone.

Most of us have at least a little anxiety right now thanks to COVID-19. But, God’s word has a lot to say about feeling fearful and anxious. The following is an excerpt from A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Edward T. Welch, a small but powerful devotional book to remind us of the encouraging, beautiful words in Scripture to anxious people. 

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Don’t Be Anxious… Pray
By Ed Welch

This sounds too simple.

Do not be anxious about anything, but   in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Don’t be anxious . . . pray.

But don’t brush this off as trite and simplistic. Every other way of dealing with fears and anxieties relies on some technology, medicine, and/or self-talk. But we all know—even children know—that our anxieties need the right person, and you know that person.

Have you tried this when you are anxious? Have you ever answered your anxious thoughts with Scripture-led prayer? It turns out that this seemingly simple and available-to-all teaching is one of the hidden and underused treasures of Scripture. It only sounds trite if you haven’t practiced it.

It is simple, but, like the simple instruction to “love one another,” it takes a lifetime to master.

-    We learn to speak honestly to the Lord about our fears and anxieties.
-    We grow in making simple requests, such as “help.”
-    We talk to God using his words in the Bible—merging our requests with what he says is true and what we know the Lord delights in giving us.
-    We learn to wrap all this together with thanksgiving, remembering what Jesus has done, what he is doing now, and what he will do when we see him face-to-face.

Those who consistently respond to anxiety with prayer are the sages in our midst. Too often we brush off this passage and look for something more complicated. Meanwhile, this wonderfully compact teaching stands waiting for us.

The last thirty years of my life have been spent shortening the time lag between the appearance of anxiety and the onset of prayer. That gap has gone from two days down to one, and then down to an hour. Occasionally, prayer comes even before my anxiety is full-blown. When that happens, I marvel at the power of God that equips me to do what is counterintuitive. Left to myself I spin out doomsday scenarios, hoping that my frenetic mind will stumble into some answers. But when I go to my heavenly Father and tell him my worries, when I remember his words to me (an ever-present help in trouble), and when I thank him for his care, the peace of Christ does begin to rule my heart and mind. It’s a miracle that still takes me by surprise.

For this passage to come alive to you, you have to know that God is near. Paul mentions that right before he tells the Philippians to replace anxiety with prayer (Philippians 4:5). Do you have an image for that yet? For the ancient Israelites, God was just on the other side of a curtain, residing in his Holy of Holies. Now, Immanuel—God-with-us—is in us and we are in him.

Are you persuaded that he wants you to talk to him? This is what happens in the best of relationships. We speak of what is heavy on our hearts, and the other person never minimizes our struggle. Although the Lord knows your thoughts and feelings before you do, he values you actually putting those thoughts and feelings into words and into prayer.

Welcome to the deep wisdom of God that is available to us through Jesus.

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Excerpted from A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Ed Welch. © 2019 by New Growth Press.

Edward T. Welch, MDiv, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at CCEF. He has been counseling for more than thirty-five years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions.

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Want to read more? You can get a copy of A Small Book for the Anxious Heart on the New Growth Press website. They are still on a regular shipping schedule. It is available in print and eBook formats.

Visit https://newgrowthpress.com/resources-for-anxiety for more resources on anxiety, worry and fear.

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Learning about Love from Paul Miller

I am profoundly indebted to Paul Miller.

Paul wrote the best book I've ever read on the subject of prayer, A Praying Life, which has deeply affected how I think of and practice prayer.

And Paul also wrote the best short book I've ever read on the subject of love, Love Walked Among Us. I appreciated this book so much I wrote a small group discussion guide for it.

Paul was a good friend of one of my mentors, David Powlison, and their likemindedness shows in their respective work.

I think it's quite a feat to write two of the best books I've ever read on two different topics!

Paul has a new book out this month called The J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life which I just started reading yesterday. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn from Paul Miller next.

This beautifully made video from Crossway gives a window in Paul, his life, and his thoughts. It's worth the time to watch. The theme is how love is not efficient.



Paul Miller's Story of Learning to Love from Crossway on Vimeo.

You can guess, by the way, how encouraging it was to learn that Paul had read my book and added his endorsement.

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5 Years of Resisting Gossip

Rejoice with me!

Resisting Gossip was released 5 years ago today. Back in September of 2013, I could never have imagined all of the places it would go and the ways it has been used by the Lord. Today, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness for the blessings of the last half decade.

To name just a few:

- Resisting Gossip is now translated into 5 other languages around the world: Spanish (including an e-book), French [in both Canada and France], Russian, Romanian, and Korean. I’m excited to think that I’m getting to teach people God’s Word that I would never meet nor ever be able to converse with all over the globe.

- Resisting Gossip has been a bestseller for CLC Publications every single quarter since its release. For me, those sales translate into real people I hope have been helped to win the war of the wagging tongue in their own lives.

- Resisting Gossip has been recognized by many readers and leaders as helpful in the fight for holiness and love. The gracious words of folks like Kevin DeYoung (and on video), Tim Challies (once, twice, and then thrice at World Magazine!), Joe Valenti, Deb Welch, Monergism.com, Andy Naselli, Alex Chediak, Steve Kemp at BILD, Greg Strand, Bob Kelleman, Daniel Holmquist, Todd Hardin at the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Marci Ferrell at the Thankful Homemaker, Benjamin Vrbicek at Fan and Flame, Will Turner, and Mark Lauterbach at TGC have encouraged me to no end. It’s got 67 reviews on Amazon, and all but 1 of them are very positive. I'm also very thankful for the heartening support that WTSBooks has always shown for the book, as well.

- The message of Resisting Gossip and Resisting Gossip Together continues to resonate with people through online videos [Vimeo, YouTube], live seminars, podcasts, articles, and personal interactions. I love getting to share at conferences like CCEF and Challenge, teach at retreats, camps, and schools like Miracle Mountain Ranch, and speak in local churches such as the upcoming event at Hope EFC in Fertile, Minnesota. I feel so grateful to get to be used in this way.

Into the future:

Unfortunately, the global gossip plague continues to rage on unabated. My little book is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed to effect large scale change. I knew that going in (see the “final word” “The End of Gossip” on pg. 151). But hopefully it’s a drop in the right bucket and continues to be used by the Lord to move the right people in the right direction. That’s my prayer.

The good folks at CLC Publications are making arrangements right now to offer a special 5 year anniversary sale price and maybe even release an audiobook version of Resisting Gossip this Fall. I’ll let you know when I know more about those things. What I do know right now is that I never could have predicted how this would have turned out, and I give all the praise to Jesus Christ. May He receive all the glory due Him forever.

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Appreciating CCEF

The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and I couldn’t appreciative them more.

CCEF has had a profound influence in my life and ministry. When I was a rookie pastor drowning in the difficulties and complexities of shepherding people, my friend Robert D. Jones introduced me the Journal of Biblical Counseling and the ministry of this biblical counseling think-tank based in Philadelphia. I didn’t know it at the time, but Bob had opened the door to some of the richest teaching and wonderful people who would greatly shape my thinking, my spiritual growth, and my whole approach to pastoral ministry–and even shoot me into the world of publishing!

CCEF was used by the Lord Jesus to revolutionize my philosophy of ministry. Actually, they really brought my philosophy of ministry fully home. "Biblical counseling" was simply working out in a practical way all of the implications, entailments, and applications of my theology: progressive sanctification, every-member ecclessiology, biblical anthropology, the sufficiency of Scripture.

I had been taught that biblical counseling was "take 2 Bible verses and call me in the morning," and that it saw every life problem as sin and that if your only tool was a hammer, then every problem would look like a nail. But the JBC told me something different. Every issue was full of true, do-able, timeless wisdom. And it was well-written and hopeful. It was engaging, and it met me right where I needed. It scratched me right where I itched.

Over the years, I went deeper into the ministry of CCEF: training sessions, workshops, books, audio recordings (what we used to call "tapes"), and eventually classes at Biblical Theological Seminary and Westminister Theological Seminary with CCEF faculty–David Powlison, Tim Lane, Bill Smith, Ed Welch, Winston Smith, Mike Emlet.

While at WTS, I had the idea of doing my doctoral project on the problem of gossip–how to biblically recognize, resist, and repent of it. Not only did the faculty encourage this idea, Ed Welch even suggested that I write my project as a book and then agreed to write the foreword when it was published by CLC five years ago.

And then after I graduated with my doctorate in pastoral counseling, the folks at CCEF have continued to encourage and challenge me. They published some of my work in the Journal of Biblical Counseling and on their blog, and they invited me to teach my resisting gossip material at their national conference. It’s a marvel to me that I have been able to contribute in a small way to the very thing that has been such a fountain of nourishment to me for the last two decades.

I don’t know where I’d be without CCEF. I do know that if there was no CCEF that my wife and kids wouldn’t be loved as well, my flock wouldn’t be cared for with as much loving skill, my preaching wouldn’t have as much insight into how the Bible maps onto everyday life, I wouldn’t know where to point people to consistently trustworthy resources for their problems, and there wouldn’t be a book floating around the world called Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue. And most importantly, if there was no CCEF, I wouldn’t know Jesus as well or be as conformed to His image. CCEF has been a wonderful instrument in the Redeemer’s hands in my life. If the Lord tarries, I pray that He gives CCEF another 50 fruitful years of walking with others in wisdom and love.

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And the Winner is....

... Meredith Broadway!!!

Congratulations, Meredith, on winning a copy of A Small Book about a BIG Problem by Ed Welch. Send me your address so that the generous folks at New Growth Press can send you your free book.

Thank you, everyone who participated! If you want to buy your own copy, visit Amazon, New Growth Press, Westminster Bookstore or any other book retailer today.

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Win a Copy of "A Small Book About a BIG Problem" by Ed Welch

Ed Welch is one of my greatest mentors in both life and ministry. His teaching, example, writing, and personal interactions have had an outsized influence on me for which I am truly grateful.

Ed understands how people tick. He knows how people feel, think, and behave and why people feel, think, and behave as they do. He even knows how people change. And he's good at talking about it! Ed has a way of boiling down complex ideas of the inner-workings of the human heart and the intersection of the human heart with God's Word into cogent, concise, and relatable language. So when I saw that Ed had written a short book on anger, I jumped at the chance to read it. I wasn't disappointed.

My Biggest Problem With This Book Is a Small One.

First, the critique.

I hate the title. It's accurate because the book is small (the 185 pages are only 4"x6"!) and the problem it talks about is big and affects us all, but you can't tell from the name what the book is actually about. The small print subtitle helps a little: Meditations on Anger, Patience, and Peace. I like the simplicity and color-scheme of the cover, but it also doesn't signal what is inside. Most of Ed's titles are timeless classics--Blame It on the Brain?, Running Scared, Shame Interrupted, When People Are Big and God Is Small, Side by Side--so this one is a bit of a let-down.

The Biggest Strength of This Book Is Not a Small One.

Okay. Glad I got that off my chest. I really don't have any other criticism to offer. This is a great book! The genius of it is how Ed crams 50 pungent meditations into such a small space and at a perfect pace.

Ed hasn't written a bunch of "devotional nuggets" with flowery, mystical, syrupy thoughts. He has distilled the dynamics of human anger and found 50 helpful ways to approach the problem biblically. Reading it is like having a really good conversation with a really good counselor. But a purposeful conversation. Ed doesn't waste time or words to get to the heart of things. For example, Day 41 begins, "If you want to know what you really think about the Lord, watch how you live." And he ends most of the short chapters with a searching question or two for application. It's really powerful stuff.

And it's funny, too. Day 36 begins, "You usually don't want to mess with raccoons, but this one was extreme." You know you want to read that chapter! The humor is often self-deprecatingly disarming and, before you know it, you see yourself (and your own hang-ups) in the mirror.

When I first started reading it, I said this on social media:

This book is small like a "ghost pepper" is small.

I expect that this small book will have big impact in people's lives.

Win Your Own Copy

Starting today, I'm offering a contest to win a copy of A Small Book About a BIG Problem. The good folks at New Growth Press will send a copy to the winner picked at random.

Entering this contest is very simple:

1. Leave a comment on this post (either here or on Facebook) with your name on it.

2. Wait to see if you win. I'll be drawing the names out of a hat. It's that easy! (Don't forget to check back or subscribe to updates to find out if you win--I'll need your mailing address if you do.)

You can also increase your chances of winning by posting about this contest on your social media page (FB, Twitter, Blog, Pinterest, etc.). Just send me an email or leave a comment with the link so that I know that you've expanded the reach of the contest. For each time you link to the contest, you get your name added to the hat one more time (limit of 7 chances, the contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday night, October 19th).

I'll announce the winner on Friday.

Can't Wait Till Friday?

Buy your own copy now. [Amazon, New Growth Press, Westminster Bookstore]

And one for a friend. Ed recently wrote a humorous post about whether or not it is impolite to buy a book on anger for someone else. I thought his answer was not just funny but really loving, too.

Walk Through the Ideas with Ed

Want more?

CCEF is offering an 8 week video series with Ed directly delivered to your inbox.

By the way, Ed's book would make a great companion to David Powlison's Good and Angry which I reviewed last year. They are good friends, and their insights into anger are compatible and mutually support each other. David's writing is more essay-like, expansive and comprehensive. Ed's writing is more staccato and direct.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicty for the review copy of A Small Book About a BIG Problem.

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How Does Sanctification Work?

David Powlison has had an enormous influence on me.

He's one of those teachers (in articles and books as well as live in class) who get counted on one hand as having an outsized impact on my thinking about how the Bible relates to life.

There are 52 items on my blog that I've tagged with his name, but most of the rest of my posts could legitimately have the same marking--since I first read the Journal of Biblical Counseling, David has been shaping the way I read my Bible, counsel others, and grow in Christ myself.

So when one of my favoritist teachers writes a book on his topic of expertise, I get my hands on a copy immediately!

In How Does Sanctification Work?, David uses his characteristic wisdom to unravel the various biblical strands that form the rope of sanctification (promises, commands, influences, etc.). The table of contents shows the questions he answers along the way (ex. "Is There One Key to Sanctification?") and how he ends with several chapters of case studies to show, not just tell, what he has to teach.

I've heard David lecture on these things before, and over the years, I've been greatly influenced by the teaching in chapter 3, "Truth Unbalanced and Rebalanced" where he gives this core premise, "Ministry 'unbalances' truth of the sake of relevance; theology 'rebalances' truth for the sake of comprehensiveness." Give the chapter a read to see what he means by that, but I can testify that it's really helpful for orienting your preaching, counseling, and discipling ministry.

In other words, this is a great book by a great teacher, and if you want to understand the biblical doctrine of sanctification better, you should read it.

Here are a few videos on this topic from CCEF:

Why Pursuing Sanctification Is More Than Just Remembering Justification from CCEF on Vimeo.


Is Sanctification Complex or Simple? (David Powlison; CCEF) from Desiring God on Vimeo.

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And the Winner Is...

Congratulations go to Brent Bodenhamer for winning a free copy of Good & Angry by David Powlison,

Brent's comment was, "I'll be mad if I don't win." So I'm glad we dodged that bullet!

Send me your mailing information, Brent, so that we can get you your book.

And thank you to New Growth Press for sponsoring this contest!

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Win a Copy of "Good & Angry" by David Powlison

It's hard to communicate how excited I am about this brand new book from David Powlison, Good & Angry, which officially releases on Monday.

I've been waiting 15 years for this book! 

Ever since I learned of the ministry of CCEF and the Journal of Biblical Counseling, I've been reading the excellent (though sporadic) articles that David has written on this difficult subject, and I've also heard him teach on it in person. And for all of those years, he's been promising a book-length treatment but has been providentially hindered from producing it. But now in 2016, Good & Angry has finally arrived!

Seeing Red

I haven't finished reading it, but I can already tell you that it's very good. David has a unique way of seeing and saying truth. He's both feisty and humble at the same time. He captures both the essence of anger and all of its contours. I think Andy Naselli nails it in calling David "the Yoda of biblical counseling," David is one of the wisest people when it comes to understanding how people tick and how the Word of God meets and changes them [I've been learning from and quoting him for years and years!].

Even the title says so much. I've been reading another pretty good book recently about how not to be personally offended, and I've been helped very much by it. But the author basically argues away the concept of righteous anger as a self-justifying fiction [see this excellent review of Unoffendable by my friend Benjamin Vrbicek]. Powlison, instead, would see anger redeemed and gives us biblical categories for understanding good anger (i.e. "the constructive displeasure of mercy").  Yet at the same time, Powlison never excuses sinful anger and constantlly offers helpful counsel for change.  [See this review by Tim Challies to get a fuller picture of the book's strengths.]

Not only does David break new ground, but he does it with gentleness and grace. He writes as one struggler to other fellow strugglers, and it feels like a personal conversation. I can hear his voice in every sentence. This book is biblical counseling at its best written by one its leading theorists and
practitioners.

Win One for Yourself!

Starting today, I'm offering a contest to win a free copy.

Entering this contest is very simple:

1. Leave a comment on this post (either here or on Facebook) with your name on it.

2. Wait to see if you win. I'll be drawing the names out of a hat. It's that easy! (Don't forget to check back or subscribe to updates to find out if you win--I'll need your mailing address if you do.)

You can also increase your chances of winning by posting about this contest on your social media page (FB, Twitter, Blog, Pinterest, etc.). Just send me an email or leave a comment with the link so that I know that you've expanded the reach of the contest. For each time you link to the contest, you get your name added to the hat one more time (limit of 7 chances, the contest ends at 12am EST on Wednesday night, September 21st).

I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

But if you can't wait, order your copy today!

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Three Years of "Resisting Gossip"

Aww. Our little book turns three today!

It's hard to believe, but Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue was released on September 3, 2013.

Yesterday, I went through all of the posts on this blog marked Resisting Gossip, and reviewed what a wonderful adventure it has been over the last twelve months.

This year has definitely been a quieter year than the previous one when we had the release of Resisting Gossip Together, the ten-part Resisting Gossip Video Teaching Series (free online!), and the Spanish translation Resistiendo El Chisme (remember that time it was on Colombian national television?!?!).

But even though it hasn't been as busy, I am still amazed at how far Resisting Gossip has traveled and thankful for how it continues to have an effect on people's lives.

En français!

A year ago, the French version, Résister à la médisance was released in both France and Canada.

I got to actually be present for the Canadian release. Dave Almack of CLC Ministries and I traveled up to the beautiful city of Montreal where I got to meet Antoine Roberge and the rest of the CLC Canada team and share the message of my book through a translator.

In a word, this experience was "Merveilleux!"

In Wales, Too

The next international stop was an article in the Welsh magazine originally titled, "Y Cylchgrawn Efengylaidd," or in English, "The Evangelical Magazine." They published an adapted form of chapter 6, "Instead of Gossip: Listening."  Thank you to CLC Publications for giving them permission to share this with their readers.

CCEF National Conference

In between those two international events, I had the privilege of presenting a breakout seminar at the CCEF National Conference entitled, "Behind the Back: When Gossip Distorts Side-by-Side Ministry."

Speaking at CCEF was a "bucket list" level event for me and brought Resisting Gossip full circle as it started its life as a doctoral project encouraged by Ed Welch. I spoke to a room full of highly-engaged listeners who asked great questions to interact with what I had to share. I would do it again in a heartbeat.



Hope Church

In January, I had the opportunity to present the Resisting Gossip Seminar and preach at Hope Church in Spenser, Iowa which is pastored by my friend Russell Muilenburg. Russell wove the seminar into a sermon series he was doing on "Taming the Tongue" for which he interviewed me.

Still Being Read

I'm encouraged that Resisting Gossip continues to be a bestseller for CLC Publications, and I still get emails and mail from readers who are being helped to fight the good fight against this pernicious temptation.

I'm so glad that we went with CLC as our publisher, especially because of their international missions outreach. In April, I was invited to be the speaker for their special 75th Anniversary Celebration at their annual conference in Philadelphia. What a joy to be with those precious people who pour out their lives to get solid evangelical literature into the hands of the nations!

More Still To Come

The good folks at CLC tell me that the Russian translation has been completed, and they hope to release it this Fall and that the Korean translation is in the final stages of translation and may even be out this month. How exciting to think about the impact of our little book on people around the world.

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Blaise Pascal on Gossip

"I set this down as a fact, that if all men knew what each said of the other, there would not be four friends in the world."

(Quoted in "Do Your Friendships Live Out the Gospel?" by Jonathan Holmes in the newest issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling.  Holmes says, "Though gossip and slander can (and should) be forgiven like any other sin, it can take considerable time for trust to be rebuilt, and the hard truth is that many friendships never recover fully" (pg.37)).

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CCEF#15

Heather and I are in Virginia Beach for the CCEF National Conference: "Side by Side" based on Ed Welch's excellent little book.

Live streaming of the plenary sessions is available for those who can't be here.

If you are here, my talk on "Behind the Back: When Gossip Distorts Side-by-Side Ministry" is Saturday at 1:45pm. I'd love to have you join me. Here is the outline for my talk. I'd appreciate prayer, too!

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Two Years of "Resisting Gossip"

It's hard to be believe, but Resisting Gossip has just turned two years old.

Yesterday, I went through all of the posts on this blog marked Resisting Gossip, and reviewed what a fun ride it's been over the last twelve months.

Some highlights from this second year:

Resisting Gossip Together

In October, CLC Publications released Resisting Gossip Together: Participant's Guide and Bible Study as a companion book. This Summer, RGT already went into its second printing. I'm thankful for the chance to provide this study guide for folks who want to go deeper into God's Word on gossip. I was able to include material that didn't make it into the original book.

For more information, see this page on my blog which include even more resources and my interview with the Biblical Counseling Coalition.


A great place to purchase Resisting Gossip Together is Westminster Bookstore who also has a starter pack of 5 books and study guides at 35% off the list price.

The Resisting Gossip Video Teaching Series

At the same time, CLC Publications also released a complementary set of videos featuring me teaching on the ten chapters of Resisting Gossip. They were produced, filmed, and directed by Spencer Folmar of Third Brother Films and have great music from The Gray Havens.

What I love most about these videos is that they are available for FREE to the world--downloadable and sharable. The first video has already been viewed more than a thousand times. (A DVD set is available for those who need it.)

Restiendo el Chisme on Colombian National Television

I never saw this one coming!

On March 31st, the Spanish version was featured in an 18 minute segment on the morning show of Channel One, the national television station in Colombia. (Click on the picture here to got to the YouTube video.)

I don't know much Spanish, but from what I can tell, they did a great job of covering the contents and even the corny humor from the book.

I love the international reach of CLC Ministries.

The Korean and Russian translations are in production, and I can't wait to learn how the Lord might use those in parts of the world I will never see.

Disciplemaking, Not Just Resisting Gossip

The best part of being the author of this book is that it's not about me, it's about ministry. It's not just about resisting gossip; it's about making disciples of Jesus Christ.

So, my favorite part is hearing stories from people who have been helped by the material.

Stories from folks like Allison Bies, the Federated Church's Adult VBS, this ladies' Bible study group, this family, Uche in Sudan, and this anonymous pastor.

It's a great privilege and joy to be used in ministry.

What's Next?

1. Résister à la médisance!

The French translation has just been released by CLC France in Europe and will soon be released in Quebec by CLC Canada.

I'm particularly excited about this new release because I get to be a part of it in Montreal! On September 25th, Dave Almack and will be traveling up Montreal for the launch of Résister à la médisance. I'll be sharing more about this event as it gets closer.

CLC France has posted the cover, table of contents, the foreword, introduction and a bit of the first chapter in French.

2. "Side by Side."

Next month, Heather and I will be traveling to Virginia Beach to participate in the 2015 CCEF National Conference. I've been asked to teach a breakout session on "Behind the Back: When Side by Side Ministry is Distorted by Gossip."

I love the ministry of CCEF so I consider it a great honor and a high privilege to get to serve in this way. I can't hardly wait!

In preparation for the conference, CCEF ran a new version of my article on how to keep gossip out of prayer requests.



My heart is full of thanks to God for all of these blessings (and also the countless ones I have no idea He's sending me). May He get the glory now and forever.

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Now at CCEF: Keeping Gossip Out of Prayer Requests

CCEF has published my article "Keeping Gossip Out of Prayer Requests" on their blog.

I'm looking forward to sharing a breakout session at their upcoming national conference "Side by Side: How God Helps Us to Help Others" in October.

My talk will be: "Behind Their Backs: When Side-by-Side Ministry Is Distorted by Gossip"  and is described this way in the conference schedule:

Gossip is notoriously hard to define and even harder to resist. It is as alluring and addictive as it is dangerous and hurtful to others. This workshop will equip those involved in personal ministry to grow in their ability to recognize gossip when they encounter it, to resist gossip when they are tempted to listen or pass it on, and to respond in faith and love when they are the unwitting target of harmful clandestine talk.

I love the ministry of CCEF (I call myself a "CCEF-Junkie") so it's a great privilege and deep pleasure to partner with them in this conference. I can't hardly wait.

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In the JBC: "Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?"

The newest issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling from CCEF has just been released, and I have an article in it.

My article is entitled Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?: Four Reasons to Read about the Rape of Tamar.

You can read a preview here. It's my first JBC article that doesn't relate very closely to the problem of gossip.

In his editorial and introduction to the issue, editor David Powlison writes:

Next comes a sermon from Matt Mitchell. In “Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?: Four Reasons to Read about the Rape of Tamar,” Mitchell walks us through the violent and shameful details of 2 Samuel 13, which include evil scheming, rape, murder, a banished son and a passive king. It’s easy to want to avoid this story, but there are good and important reasons why it is in the Bible.

I recommend subscribing to the JBC. It's inexpensive and always worth what you pay. They are also available on Kindle.

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"Need to Know" in the Journal of Biblical Counseling

The newest issue of CCEF's Journal of Biblical Counseling (Vol. 28, No. 1, Spring 2014) is now available online.

As usual, it looks to be a treasure trove, and I can't wait to dive in.

I have an article this issue entitled, "Need to Know" about my own information addiction [preview].

David Powlison introduces it in his editorial:

Given the information age in which we live, I suspect that many of you will be able to relate to our first Lives in Process article “Need to Know.” With candor and wit, Matt Mitchell invites us into the dynamics of his information addiction. His story just may help you understand some of the dynamics at play in your own life—and in the lives of others to whom you minister.

Read the whole thing (subscription required--please support the JBC!).

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"A Gallery of Gossips" in the Journal of Biblical Counseling

The latest issue of The Journal of Biblical Counseling (27:3) is now available.

It includes an article adapted from chapter 3 of Resisting Gossip entitled "A Gallery of Gossips." [Preview, Purchase]

In his lead-off editorial "Changing Seasons," David Powlison writes:

As I refect on our table of contents for this issue, I am struck by how many ways the brokenness of the human condition afects daily life. We gossip, we feel anxious because of unrealistic expectations, we are perfectionistic, we struggle with wayward
sexuality, we do not understand our own motives.

I am equally struck by God's provision for us. His proverbs offer accessible practical help. The words of God in Genesis teach us how our written words can have the power to bless others. God lays bare the tendency of the human heart to worship idols so that he might give grace to restore us to himself. God-given, practical wisdom helps us to think well about complex pastoral questions.

Let me introduce these articles to you.

We begin with "A Gallery of Gossips" by Matt Mitchell. We’ve all been guilty of talking about others. Stories about other people titillate us, tempting us to pass the story on to the next person. Mitchell helpfully identifies five common types of gossips. He explores the potential motivations of each, and pinpoints how the gospel of Christ provides an escape from the temptation to gossip. Come at this article humbly, as you just may see yourself in one (or more!) of these types of gossips.

I'm excited to dig into the other articles. As usual, the JBC looks to be a treasure trove.

***

Being in the JBC is a check off on the "bucket list" for me as I've had an aspiration to a contributor for about as long as I've known about it's existence (more than a dozen years). It's a joy to be listed in the table of contents today. Thanks to David Powlison, Kim Monroe, Lauren Whitman for including and working with me. And thanks to Dave Almack, Tracey Lewis-Giggets and the team at CLC for giving permission for this material to be used in the JBC.

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Next Week: "A Better December" by Steve Estes

Starting on Monday, I'm going to be featuring a book on this blog that is actually not about resisting gossip!

I will be participating in the blog tour for A Better December: Proverbs to Brighten Christmas by Steve Estes.

This is a terrific little gift-sized book that is superbly written and beautifully illustrated--perfect to both read and give away at Christmastime. I've read it several times already!

On Monday, I'll post the details of a contest for two people to each win a copy.

On Tuesday, Steve Estes will join us here and answer some questions about his book.

On Wednesday, I'll post my own review.

On Thursday, we'll see what some others on the blog tour are saying.

And Friday, we'll announce the winners of our contest.

Sound like fun? Last year, we did something like this for Heart of the Matter by CCEF, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully, this will increase exposure for a new book that I heartily believe in.

If you can't wait for next week, order your copy of A Better December here.

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Grace for the Broken Conference

I'm pleased to be one of the speakers at a new conference this coming Spring in the Poconos called Grace for the Broken. 

I'm looking forward to seeing Ed Welch again and hearing him teach on grace. 

I'll be doing a breakout session on "Gossip and Grace" with material from Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue.

Registration opened yesterday. Join us, if you can.

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Small Talk: Building a Bridge or Building a Wall

"You are actually with small talk either building a bridge or building a wall. Small talk is always going somewhere. It's either a way to break the ice and make contact or it's a way to brush you off and never have anything more to do with you."

-David Powlison, General Session #1 "All Relationships Are Intentional" at the CCEF Conference "Not Alone."

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