Our new facebook page is a work in progress but we hope it will quickly become an efficient  means for communicating with our students and friends. Go to our page and become a fan today.

The post We're On Facebook appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

“Seems like par for the course.”

You’re having trouble too?

“Have had in the past. Got it fixed—what’s your trouble?”

Well, we operate here with a wireless system, you see.

“And . . . ”

My computers were not picking up a signal from our router. Had to borrow (so to speak) signals from the router of my son next door.

“So what’ja do about it?”

What I always do—messed around for a couple of weeks unsuccessfully trying to fix it.

“Fix it?”

Nope. Finally had to call the company; they sent out a man who in ten minutes fixed it.

“What’d he do?”

Replaced the old, outdated modem that the company provided with a new one. Now works fine! Said that they had increased the power lately and that the old ones don’t work very well with it.

“Hmmmm . . . .”

People are like that too.

“What’ja mean?”

Christians can live the same way that they have been when the Lord provides the increased power that they need to become more of what He wants them to be.

“Tell me more.”

Just let me read Philippians 2:13 instead:

It is God who is producing in you both the willingness and the ability to do the things that please Him.

He gives the power; we have to use it!

feedback@nouthetic.org

The post Computer Problems appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Now, counselor, the question is—do you? Do you have what it takes to deal with marriage problems? With divorce? With church discipline? With complex theological problems? With the unexpected that is dumped on your desk?

You’d like to? Well you can. How do you think Donn learned about computers? By eating the right breakfast cereal? By chumming around with computer experts hoping he’d get what he needed through osmosis? Osmosis, remember, is the passage of a fluid or liquid through a semi-permeable membrane, the direction of the flow always being from the less dense to the more dense substance. Hardly!

Donn learned by working at it—that’s how. And that’s how you can have what it takes to counsel any and every problem that is presented to you. If you think that there’s an easier way, you’re dead wrong. It takes study, time, effort, practice and updating what you know. Don’t think that because you are successful with five problems that you’ll be successful with the sixth. When you get cocky, God may throw you a curve. Why? Because He doesn’t want you to become proud—He Himself said that pride goes before a fall. But, also, because He wants you to become a better counselor. That curve will send you back to the Book to learn more than you now do. Welcome it. Tell your counselee you’re perplexed, but that by God’s grace and his prayers, you will find out what His answer to the problem is. And then do so! That way, you will have what it takes.

The post What It Takes appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Having to learn the hard way has one advantage: if you really learn it, you’ll hardly ever forget it. So, I’m learning two things as I write these blogs—something I didn’t know before about the computer, and patience! (Didn’t I write about that somewhere?)

Learning is interesting. At Johns Hopkins University, which I attended, we once had a teacher say at the outset of his course, “I don’t care if you learn anything or not. My job is to put it out there for you, and the rest is up to you.” Hmmm. What do you think of that statement?

I can tell you, we did have to get it on your own-he didn’t go to any extra trouble to see that we learned it!
Actually, I found it both good and bad-good, in that you were forced to do the work yourself, and learn more than facts along the way. But not everyone did. Bad, in that if you didn’t get it—too bad!

Now, I have studied the New Testament and Old Testament terms for learning (see my books, Back to the Blackboard and Teaching to Observe for more information) and can tell you one thing about them-they all stress making the information known (“causing to learn”). The attitude expressed by the teacher ought never be heard in Christian schools—of any level. Christian teachers have an obligation not only to lay the truth out before you, but to see that you “get it.” That is a tremendous difference.

“But then, will you ever discover how to learn on your own?”

Sure. That’s a process that teachers also ought to embed in every student. There are ways to do both. If you teach, you must learn both!

The post Learning Vista — and Everything Else! appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.