Counseling at Canyon Hills...

If there is one overarching word to describe the counseling here at Canyon Hills, that word would be “Biblical”.  From the time that Rich Crist was the Director through the present, those who have been part of the ministry have sought God’s Word as the ONLY answer to every single situation that has presented itself in the individual offices of the counseling ministry.  Due to our unapologetic commitment to biblical counseling, we have sought to be associated with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC) from 2007 until the present.  That organization gave us the opportunity to train, as well as certify, counselors to ensure that they were counseling with excellence from Scripture and Scripture alone.  This past October was a major milestone in the life of NANC in that it underwent a name change.  The membership of NANC overwhelmingly decided that while its commitment to biblical counseling remained as strong as it ever has, it was time to change its name.  The new name needed to explain what the organization was committed to, as well as what its purpose was by using terminology that was universally understood.  Due to that commitment, the organization that was formally known as NANC was renamed the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors or the ACBC.  (And “yes”, for all of you who are acquainted with the band ACDC, numerous jokes have already gone around.)

So for the record, Canyon Hills is just as committed to biblical counseling as it has ever been.  We are committed to the following and will seek to use the newly named Association of Certified Biblical Counselors to help us achieve and stay true to these commitments:

1.       We believe that the Bible is the ONLY sufficient source of counsel that God has granted to us for all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). 

2.       We believe that the Bible is the ONLY inspired Word of God that is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

3.       ALL of our counsel is aimed at the GLORY of God as well as the GOOD of our counselees (Romans 8:28).

4.       In all of our counsel we seek to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ MANIFEST in the lives of our counselees (2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2).  For some, this will equate to eternal salvation. For others, this will equate to becoming more like Christ.

5.       We believe that it is primarily the role of the pastor to EQUIP the counselors that God grants to him for the purposes of counseling the flock of Canyon Hills (Ephesians 4:12). 

Based on these 5 commitments, the counseling ministry at Canyon Hills Community Church exists to:

Compassionately minister the gospel of hope for the sake of suffering and the equipping of the saints for the glory of God.

 

Soli Doe Gloria,

Pastor Ben Marshall

 

Should you want more information about the name change for the ACBC, please click on the link below:

http://www.biblicalcounseling.com/blog/a-letter-from-the-executive-director-about-the-name-change 

Putting Your Past in Its Place

 by Stephen Viars
 

This book explores the effect that events from the past can have on current circumstances. But the author does not stop there; he offers concrete strategies replete with biblical wisdom for turning the past into an opportunity of change for the present. A very readable volume, Putting…Place is structured into three sections: The Power of the Past, Dealing with the Hurts of the Innocent Past, and Handling the Guilty Past. Each of the twelve chapters opens with a story vignette and closes with Questions for Personal Reflection and Questions for Group Discussion. Several case studies aid the reader in application. Many of the verses are printed out, openly grounding the material in Scripture.

Using buckets as a narrative tool, Viars successfully puts events of the past into one of four buckets. The buckets also serve as a useful visual tool. He gently tackles both the innocent past, when we have been sinned against and the guilty past, when we have committed the sin ourselves. A balanced assessment of psychological teachings on the past is carefully presented. Viars writing style is accessible for a wide range of readers and levels of spiritual maturity.

Counseling Homework: The questions provided are a natural for homework after reading a chapter. Pertinent Scripture verses for memory work can be gleaned from within the chapters themselves, further solidifying the central teachings.  Many opportunities are offered throughout the pages for identifying heart idols, sin patterns, and entrenched heart problems, like bitterness and unforgiveness. Both informative and practical, Putting Your Past in Its Place is highly recommended for use in the counseling process, whether the past is a presenting, performance, or preconditioning problem. Both counselor and counselee will be well served by Stephen Viars contribution to the counseling movement.

Review submitted by Susan Sargent

 

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