Godly counsel

Table for Two: Biblical Counsel for Eating Disorders 

David and Krista Dunham

Most people receive counsel more easily when they know the counselor has experienced their pain. That’s what makes David and Krista Dunham’s book so powerful. For many years, Krista struggled with an eating disorder, and the person she turned to for help was her boyfriend (now husband), David. In Table for Two, they share their experience of walking through the trial together: Krista learning to identify and correct the lies behind her unhealthy habits and David learning how to help her. Years of ministry experience and Biblical training shape their perspectives now, as well as their personal story. This short, readable book is aimed at people with eating disorders and friends or family members who want to help but don’t know how.

Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners

Michael R. Emlet

Suffering and sin prompt people to ask for help, but friends and counselors commonly fail to appropriately address each one. Emlet explains what the categories of saint, sufferer, and sinner mean for a person’s identity and what dangers come from overemphasizing one over the others when giving help. Emlet lists barriers to loving others as saints, sufferers, and sinners, and he gives examples of what it looks like in counseling and in the church. He is particularly helpful on how to help friends who are suffering—an area where Christians often hear what not to say but often don’t know what to do instead. Similarly, he tackles another difficult subject: how to address sin in a friend’s life.

Making Sense of Forgiveness: Moving from Hurt toward Hope 

Brad Hambrick

Is forgiving yourself a Biblical concept? What about “forgive and forget”? Are there any situations when forgiveness is the wrong response? Brad Hambrick tackles these and many other questions in his thorough and well-written book. Though forgiveness is a familiar gospel concept, it is messy and complicated in real-life relationships. Hambrick deals with the many misconceptions and worldly ideas associated with human and divine forgiveness and clarifies them in light of Scripture. Then he offers counsel for how to wisely give forgiveness in relationships. He also addresses a host of related issues like promoting reconciliation, rebuilding trust, understanding boundaries in relationships, and discerning true repentance.

The Heart of Anger: How the Bible Transforms Anger in Our Understanding and Experience 

Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley

With clear writing and an unflinchingly Biblical tone, this book explains the dynamics and motivations behind anger. The authors provide examples from Scripture that demonstrate common triggers to anger and the different ways anger can appear. At the heart of the issue is humans’ sinful desire to be God. They write, “When our attempt to be God is confronted with the one who really is God, we will either repent and bow down or determine to remove the one standing in our way.” This book steers clear of clichéd ways to manage anger and instead offers the surprising counsel that Christians remember the righteous and powerful anger of God. At the same time, they can rest in His loving care when things don’t go their way.