Higher Ground Biblical Counseling

11/11/2023

Today gave a welcome and unexpected reprieve from the necessary but often frenetic activities of life to simply breathe and take in the beauty of this, my favorite time of year. And most importantly, soak in a grateful appreciation of the indescribable goodness of God. The past 3 years of "officially" walking briefly alongside of men and women facing very real struggles and suffering has confirmed this inescapable truth; God loves His people. He is fully committed to drawing them into a genuine intimacy where they will discover what eludes all of us if we remain fixated on chasing temporal happiness - Joy and Hope. The means by which God brings about this great discovery in our life can seem inconsistent with who we sometimes imagine God to be. His ways are always in conflict with what our self-protective, self-righteous, self-serving flesh desires. Yet, the unwanted, hurtful, and even harmful hardships resulting from our sin, the sin of others, and a perfect creation that is distorted by sin's curse are all ordained for purposes that God is sovereign over. These "good things" are not immediately apparent or perhaps never disclosed to us during our time on earth. But this lifelong practice of realizing our true need for Him in all aspects of our life brings the very thing we so fervently profess we want in our Sunday morning singing - to "know" Him more. God's workbench of sanctification is the only way by which we gain purpose and eternal hope.
God also loves those who do not love Him. Whether they are defiantly resisting His mercy or seemingly unawares of the dire straits of their soul, He patiently calls and draws. All who respond will NOT be rejected. He welcomes all who humble themselves and sincerely turn to Him. Always.
God loves his created images too much to allow unobstructed pursuit to satisfy the itches and cravings that are briefly satisfied by our counterfeit gods. We have an inherent desire to worship, and there is only One worthy of that. Everything else fails. Everything. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only object of worship that satisfies the yearning of our soul. There are no human philosophies or methods that can bring lasting change to the problems people face. We cannot "fix" ourselves because we don't fully understand what needs to actually happen. The Holy Spirit within born-again believers, and the Word that lies before us are the only true hope that any of us have in the circumstances we find ourselves.
This past year, a couple of verses have gained a particular significance and become very precious to me. I Thessalonians 5:23-24 'Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it'
Do you see the absolute hope and peace contained in these few words?
My "success" in my walk is dependent only on my willingness to follow Him in the way he has for me. I am not faithful, but He is. He will keep me from falling when my complete dependance is on His goodness and not mine. I have none. He will do this.
God bless you in this very special season of gratitude, especially as the world continues its inevitable journey to fulfillment of the end. Take heart and be filled with joy. Keep abiding in Him.

09/23/2022

We are only 2 weeks away! We are so excited for this year’s Annual Conference. There is still time to register to join us either in person in Memphis, TN, or for the virtual conference!

Register today: http://ow.ly/hnII50KwQRe

09/09/2022

Jesus Confusion. Jesus did not come to make us happy - he came to give us truly joyful life. He did not come to eliminate suffering on the earth - he came to give suffering a purpose. He did not come to help us succeed in all our endeavors - he came to prove he is the only One worth pursuing. Jesus isn't satisfied to be wall decor or a moral example we should try to emulate better.

Christ came to save people who are broken by the horrible reality of what being born with a sinful nature means. People who realize they cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps to be acceptable to God. People acutely aware that their "self" has repeatedly failed to deliver the goods for personal peace and joy.
People carrying heavy loads that need rest and help. People who realize their true need lies much deeper than pacifying self-oriented desires.

The narrow way of Matthew 7 is not sparsely travelled because it is lined with rigid restrictions and impossible obligations. The gateway is thin because relatively few will choose to acknowledge or accept God's grace of forgiveness and submit to His grace of transformation.

If you are in a "hard spot", take heart. Don't despair. The way through doesn't need to destroy you or shipwreck your faith. The way of the Word and the power of Christ in you is sufficient to keep you and mature you into a better reflection of God's image. You will find that whatever the hardship is in the here and now, there is something more valuable on the other side.

Matthew 11:28-30; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 16:24-26; I Timothy 1:15; Galatians 6:14-16

08/26/2022

Getting excited for cool weather and ACBC conference again this year!

This is "In His Image Promo" by ACBC on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

07/07/2022

Immerse in that truth for awhile!! Freedom is the objective Jesus has for us. There must be a larger goal than simply avoiding sin.

True freedom is being able to do the will of God with the strength and grace He provides. How do we get there? Let's talk about it. Join us at a Recovering Hope meeting.
hopeforaddiction.com/program

06/29/2022

Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken brings light into a place often blanketed in darkness, showing us a biblically patterned vision for redeeming human sexuality.

✨Learn more about David Powlison’s book, Making All Things New, at https://linktr.ee/ccefcounseling✨

06/20/2022

Good thing to remember when helping your brothers and sisters in their distress. The greatest obstruction to this is pride and self-reluance.

Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken brings light into a place often blanketed in darkness, showing us a biblically patterned vision for redeeming human sexuality.

✨Learn more about David Powlison’s book, Making All Things New, at https://linktr.ee/ccefcounseling✨

05/30/2022

Thank you to all past and current service men and women. Especially thoughtful of those who have suffered loss and the families of those who have died.

May those who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior use the freedom we have been afforded for the purpose of promoting the ultimate freedom of God's grace in forgiveness and transformation, rather than the pursuit of self-gratification that leads to leanness of soul.

04/17/2022

Vacant tomb

Never again will something so empty contain so much.

Devoid of condemnation, full of absolute forgiveness

Empty of despair, bursting with eternal hope

Depleted of self-improvement, excessive imputed perfection

Prison sentence to full pardon

Loneliness adopted into family

Moral scarcity for a banquet of purpose

Wrappings of death for garments of life

HE IS RISEN!

As all who will believe!!

Glad Easter

04/06/2022

I have begun to measure the passage of time more by the celebration of Easter Sunday than I do by the coming of birthdays and January 1st. What happened on these days many years ago was once merely a religious concept to me; an event that was apparently meaningful for others, but elusive to me.

Thanks be to a merciful and gracious God for interrupting my life of self-worship, spiritual delusion, and enslaving sins! Contemplating the reality of the Gospel in my life fans the flames for seeing that redemptive power at work in others. Especially those stuck in the pits of 'addictions'.

Romans 6 is one of several chapters that dethrones the prevailing world thoughts of addictive behaviors. The Bible is clear that the repeated practice of sin brings both deception and bo***ge. We become enslaved to passions, pleasures, actions, and thoughts that bring a sense of satisfaction that quickly dissipates, only to return with renewed and more demanding cravings. Over time the body, mind, and heart default to the repeated pattern of seeking water from cracked wells. Even as the fallout and consequences from these patterns become more painful, the intensity of the internal demands cloud and defile the awareness of evil. And soon we are protecting, nurturing, and defending our chosen master. It becomes both a cherished friend and tyrannical abuser.

When we believe that the Bible accurately classifies our habitual struggles as sin, then we can gratefully reject the world's descriptions of disorders, negative behaviors, identity, etc. Because if it is sin, then there is a definitive solution! The grace of forgiveness and transformation. Romans 6 is full of facts that destroy my blame-shifting and excuse-making heart. Jesus did not come only to save us being punished for our sin, but to take us out of being mastered by sin. You and I choose a Master. And yes, life-dominating sin is excruciatingly difficult to fight and escape. Everyone's journey will have differences. But the goal is always to be free of sin's tenacious grasp. God provides more grace than we need. We will be imperfect in our battles. But we have won, because sin can no longer condemn us if we are born-again followers of Jesus. And we must be diligent to "reckon ourselves dead" to the old idols that wish to resurrect their dominion in our life. This chapter is difficult to believe for those captured by the various sinful acts and thoughts that easily snare us. But it's TRUTH. No matter the depth to which you are trapped, freedom is a real and expected outcome of persistent, faithful responses to what Christ does within you.

This Easter, take your burdens to the cross! This is the place where new life happens. Where the hopeless gain hope and the helpless receive help. Where humility brings repentance and freedom!

04/04/2022

I thought this was an excellent article. Not just for talking with children!

In our sincere desire to see our children become Christians, we may offer them a weakened strain of the gospel or speak of salvation in such a commonplace fashion that we inoculate them against it.

03/09/2022

Contrary to what a lack of posting conveys, this ministry is alive and operating! But I have had to acknowledge my inability to spew forth read-worthy posts and information. This simply isn't in my wheelhouse of aptitude. Delivering meaningful and helpful content is a goal, but how this happens remains to be discovered. I promise not to ignore this, but I do struggle giving it 'urgent' status.

I will say in the 18 months since launch of this biblical counsel ministry there's been both great exhilaration and heavy discouragement. We've been thoroughly reminded of God's graciousness through all types of support in ways that are humbling and much appreciated. More importantly, the opportunities to walk with people troubled in a variety of distress and problems has heated the fires of my own refining. Christ has definitely revealed some unlovely parts of my heart in the process of bringing about change in others. Gaining experience includes mistakes that have been overshadowed by His extravagant grace. One of my mentors once mentioned that counselors must give themselves to being counseled daily in the Word. True that.

We (and I) have had the privilege of interacting with a variety of people with a range of needs. I often pray that God bring whomever He will, and that regardless of the issue, I will trust His provision and discernment in providing help and hope. He has done that.

I joined Fallen Soldiers March biblical counselor network which provides counsel as requested by graduates of the Mighty Oaks Legacy program. This has provided some challenging and rewarding interactions. In January of this year, I completed the required 50 supervised counseling sessions and was given certification by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. I am considering pursuing specialty certification in both Marriage and in Addictions programs, but for now, practicing in all aspects of counseling is best.

March 20th I will have the chance to speak at my church (East Fairview Church) and it will be on the EFC page. I have an eager dread for this. While I am greatly enthusiastic about the subject matter, sharing in public or groups threatens to disconnect my brain from my words. Okay, so this should be the last post about me for awhile. Based on history, it might be the last post of any type for an extended period! Shalom!