Titles and Descriptions

• Introduction to Biblical Counseling (Alasdair Groves)
  Biblical counseling rests on the conviction that Scripture speaks to all people, at all times, in all difficulties. Because its grounding is God's Word to us, it is infinitely deep and offers powerful help to even the most severe and complex situations humans experience. But how do we begin to access this deep wisdom in our own life, and in our relationships with others? How does the Bible orient us to the entire field of counseling? And how can we bring a unified approach to our Christian discipleship and our care for the counseling-related issues many face in our churches? In this half day pre-conference session we'll seek to orient ourselves to core frameworks of personal change that Scripture offers, and discern how we can begin to step into the lives of others with redemptive words flowing from a wise and compassionate use of Scripture.
• Marriage Counseling with only One Person (Aaron Sironi & Lauren Whitman)
  What do you do when only one spouse presents for marriage difficulties? This is one of the most hotly contested questions in marriage counseling today. Counselors and pastors may choose to work individually for several reasons. This pre-conference workshop will examine these motives, highlight the difficulties and dangers with this work, and describe a fruitful way to move forward when you only have one spouse in front of you.
• Hope in Suffering and Tragedy (Cameron Cole)
  • How the Gospel Enables Us to Enter into Our Pain
    Perhaps the greatest barrier people face in healing is the ability to acknowledge hard realities. Whether that involves admitting our sin or entering the most sorrowful chapters of our stories, resisting pain prevents people from healing. In this workshop, we will look at how the gospel enables people to make the challenging journey into our own darkness and sadness, in order that we may find healing in Christ.
  • Teaching People to Lament Well
    Whether it’s in Psalms, the Prophets, or the life of Christ himself, the Bible paints a clear picture of godly, redemptive lament. But lamentation is unnatural for people. It is something God gives us permission to do, and it’s a practice we must learn. In this workshop, we will look at Habakuk’s conversation with God as a dramatic and hopeful instruction on how to lament well.
  • The Truer Truth: How Scripture and Our Stories Coexist for Healing and Hope
    In the midst of tragedy, people tend to go to one of two extremes. They either hyper-spiritualize their situation and neglect their sorrow, or they languish in their pain and forget the promises of God. The Bible shows us that we find hope and redemption when we can dwell fully in both. This workshop will discuss how we honor and own the truth of our tragedies, while finding hope in the truth of God’s word.
• Trauma: Entering In (Darby Strickland)
  Trauma wounds the human heart in profound ways. Scripture speaks to these wounds but it also instructs us on how to tend to them. Jesus’ very entrance into our broken world displays the Lord’s care for the traumatized as he himself faced tremendous suffering. Jesus knows what it is like, he endured it, and now asks us to go with him into the lives of the traumatized. To represent him well we need to understand the complexities of hearts shaped by trauma. In this pre-conference, we will look at the unique wounds created by trauma, God’s heart for those wounded by it and how scripture calls us to love those affected by it