Biblical Counseling

Made Right to Live Right: A Study of Justification, (Part 1)

By John Woodward

Current events give indications that we are living in the last days. One of the signs of the times not usually mentioned is predicted in 2 Timothy 4:1-4: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the…

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The Bridegroom

By John Woodward

In 2002 ABC began producing the dating and relationship “reality” TV program known as The Bachelor. In that first season a newspaper article reported, “The show … premiered last month with 25 women vying for the affections of a 31-year-old San Francisco management consultant … For fans of the series, the show plays like a…

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How to Get Free From Stubborn Guilt

By John Woodward

When I was about eight years old, I got intrigued with cartridge pens. Regular ballpoint pens weren’t cool anymore; cartridge pens were classy! The soft plastic cartridges that held the ink were replaceable. After getting used to handling one of them, I graduated to a fountain pen. These pens were similar, but instead of a…

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Four Spheres of Discipleship

By John Woodward

When our Lord commissioned His church to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, He left a blueprint and an adequate source of power. The enablement comes, not by our own good intentions, but by the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives: “But you shall receive power…

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The Seeds of Forbidden Fruit, Part 4 (Conclusion)

By John Woodward

Now we consider the question, If the “seeds of forbidden fruit” (pride, independence, unbelief and self-will) comprised the original sin of Adam, could their opposites point the way for Christians to experience life more abundantly? In other words, are humility, dependence, faith, and submission essential to the Abiding Life? The answer is yes indeed! 1.…

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Seeds of Forbidden Fruit, Part 3

By John Woodward

We have been studying how pride, independence, unbelief, and self-will were the “seeds of forbidden fruit” that comprised Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence in Eden. By way of contrast, humility, dependence, belief, and submission to God are essential in Christian discipleship.[1] The Victory of The Last Adam Christ’s mission of redemption required His virgin…

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Resolving Interpersonal Conflicts, Part 1

By John Woodward

Our family once visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This town marks the location of a devastating battle in the American Civil War. During July 1-3, 1863, the Confederate armies fought the Union armies resulting in at least 5,787 dead, 27,334 injured, and 10,612 missing or captured. [1] The various monuments to the military regiments involved in the…

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Jekyll or Hyde?

By John Woodward

Years ago when I read my daughter’s English paper, I was intrigued by her quote from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr Jekyll had surmised, “If each [good force and evil force]. . . could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust…

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Measuring Things Differently

By John Woodward

When we moved from the U.S. to Canada in 1982, one of our challenges was adjusting to the metric system. We were raised with cars going “miles per hour”; up north it’s “kilometers per hour.” I never could switch from fuel economy as “miles per gallon.” In the grocery store there is a whole assortment…

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Job: A Case Study On Suffering, Part 1

By John Woodward

I recall attending a one man theatrical production of the book of Job. For over an hour the Christian actor quoted from this biblical book of wisdom, dramatizing Job’s sufferings, the related speeches, and his eventual restoration. When you see a man writhing in pain and calling out to God for answers and justice, it…

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