God's Mercy in Our Suffering: Lamentations for Pastors and Counselors PDF Download

Author: Paul Tautges
Publisher: Kress Christian Publications
ISBN: 9781934952504
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
No matter what kind of suffering you face, there is life-giving hope that springs forth from our merciful God. In his loyal love and faithfulness God comes alongside us in our suffering in order to strengthen our faith, purify our lives, and heal our hearts by centering us on Christ and the good news of the gospel. In God's Mercy in Our Suffering, two pastors and counselors sit down beside you and warmly take you into the book of Lamentations where you will be encouraged to hope in God. Learn how to fasten the rope of your faith to the anchor of God's unfailing love.I heartily recommend this book for those who are in times of deep distress and for the body of Christ that needs to be prepared for every possible form of suffering that may come our way, or that may come in the lives of those we need to reach out to for the glory of God. - Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., President Emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryThis book is a tremendous accomplishment! It is at once a verse-by-verse commentary, rich devotional treasure, and capable guide for biblical counselors. - Lance Quinn, Pastor, Bethany Church on the Hill, Thousand Oaks, CAIn God's Mercy in Our Suffering, the small book of Lamentations is brought to life for us. The authors pull it out of the shadows of neglect and draw us irresistibly to its timeless truths. - Irv Busenitz, VP of Administration and Professor of Bible Exposition and Old Testament, The Master's Seminary

Author: Mark Vroegop
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433561514
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting God’s goodness. Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God—but it is a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many Christians today. We need to recover the practice of honest spiritual struggle that gives us permission to vocalize our pain and wrestle with our sorrow. Lament avoids trite answers and quick solutions, progressively moving us toward deeper worship and trust. Exploring how the Bible—through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations—gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives.

Author: Eric Kress
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781934952085
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Sin does not deliver on its promises. Rather, it brings only pain and misery with its rebellion. Sin's pleasure is only for a moment, but its painful consequences may last a lifetime. So where do we turn when we have fallen for the deceptive power of sin and are left reeling in the wake of the havoc it causes? In The Discipline of Mercy, pastors and counselors Eric Kress and Paul Tautges take us deep into the book of Lamentations where we are exhorted to place our hope fully in the faithful mercy and loyal love of a gracious God--no matter the extent of our suffering. God alone is sovereign and rules forever--and He will use even the grievous effects of sin to accomplish His purposes. God loves His own too much not to discipline us, and yet He is faithful to suffer alongside us, cleansing us, healing us, and grieving with us as He crafts us into useful vessels for His glory. The corrective and purifying discipline of God is one of the most significant demonstrations of His unfailing mercy, perhaps overshadowed only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Author: Esther Fleece Allen
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310344778
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

Author: LeRoy Aden
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 9781451417289
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Centering on five particular situations of suffering--loss, illness, violence, fear, and failure--this book suggests ways in which a pastor can preach to parishioners who are experiencing trauma. Three sample sermons illustrate how to preach on God's gracious activity, while avoiding "psychologizing the text" and reducing the gospel to cheap therapy for individual problems.

Author: Mark Vroegop
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433567628
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Today, racial wounds from three hundred years of slavery and a history of Jim Crow laws continue to impact the church in America. Martin Luther King Jr. captured this reality when he said: “The most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday.” Equipped with the gospel, the evangelical church should be the catalyst for reconciliation, yet it continues to cultivate immense pain and division. Weep with Me by Mark Vroegop is a timely resource that presents lament as a bridge to racial reconciliation in the world today. In the Bible, lament is a prayer that leads to trust, which can be a starting point for the church to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). As Vroegop writes: “Reconciliation in the church starts with tears and ends in trust.”

Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 143351902X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
In the last few years, 9/11, a tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and many other tragedies have shown us that the vision of God in today's churches in relation to evil and suffering is often frivolous. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, many Christians are choosing to become more shallow, more entertainment-oriented, and therefore irrelevant in the face of massive suffering. In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, contributors John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, Steve Saint, Carl Ellis, David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Mark Talbot explore the many categories of God's sovereignty as evidenced in his Word. They urge readers to look to Christ, even in suffering, to find the greatest confidence, deepest comfort, and sweetest fellowship they have ever known.

Author: Camden Bucey
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433557444
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 119

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Book Description
The books of Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah are rich with God’s truth concerning our need of redemption. But hope and mercy have the fi nal word as God promises to bless those who turn back to him in faith and repentance. This accessible study takes readers through these books over the course of 12 weeks. The prophecies, though far removed from our historical context, are deeply relevant and applicable to today’s contemporary issues—offering hope for restoration in our fallen world. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Author: Donna Petter
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
ISBN: 1683072898
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Six scholars trace the role of lamentation in the Old and New Testaments in A Time for Sorrow: Recovering the Practice of Lament in the Life of the Church, reflecting on the theological significance of lament, affirming the ongoing relevance of lamentation in the life of the church, and exploring its biblical roots and application in church practice. In a church era dominated by positive thinking and slick, upbeat worship, even mentioning the word lamentation is apt to cause a dismissive, disinterested shrug. But Christians still suffer, and this suffering is left mute when the church fails to integrate biblical lament in contemporary church practice. A Time for Sorrow looks to address this by recovering the biblical practice of bringing our pain before God in an honest and faithful manner. In this multiauthor work, learn about the role of lamentation in the Old and New Testaments, reflect on the theological significance of lament, and finish with thoughts on lament and pastoral practice today.

Author: Diane Langberg
Publisher: New Growth Press
ISBN: 1942572034
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
She's seen slave dungeons in Ghana. Genocide in Rwanda. Systemic sexual abuse in Brazil. Child abuse and domestic violence in the US. After forty years of counseling abuse survivors around the world, Dr. Diane Langberg, a world renowned trauma expert, remains certain that what trauma destroys, Christ can and does restore. This book will convince you, too, of the healing heart of God. But it's not a fast process, instead much patience is required from family, friends, and counselors as they wisely and respectfully help victims unpack their traumatic suffering through talking, tears, and time. And it's not a process that can be separated from the work of God in both a counselor and counselee. Dr. Langberg calls all of those who wish to help sufferers to model Jesus's sacrificial love and care in how they listen, love, and guide. The heart of God is revealed to sufferers as they grow to understand the cross of Christ and how their God came to this earth and experienced such severe suffering that he too is "well-acquainted with grief." The cross of Christ is the lens that transforms and redeems traumatic suffering and its aftermath, not only for the sufferer, but it also transforms those who walk with the suffering. This book will be a great help to anyone who loves, listens to, and seeks to help someone impacted by trauma and abuse. There is no quick fix, but there is the hope for healing through the love of God in Christ.