CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet

(Listen to this audio podcast by clicking the play button above.)This week we present a favorite presentation from one of our past National Conferences. Steve Estes is a pastor, author, and board member of CCEF. In this talk, he deals with a sensitive and all-too-often ignored issue of church life.Many church leaders lack the experience or maturity to handle church politics. This can lead to frustration and eventually anger, anger that could result in unwise and harmful decisions and reactions. God's wisdom can help even stressed and harried leaders keep their heads in all situations.The 2009 CCEF National Conference is November 13-15. Click here for more information and to register.. Deadline for Early Bird registration discount is September 15.If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with others. The button below will provide you with handy links to automatically share this message with friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, and dozens of other Internet sharing sites. Thanks for telling others about CCEF and the Help and Hope Podcast!

Audio Link:  http://media.libsyn.com/media/ccef/disted_courseintros2.mp3 (Listen to this audio podcast by clicking the play button above.) This week we take a break from our usual topical podcasts to give you a glimpse into the teaching ministry of CCEF. One of CCEF's greatest blessings is God's provision of our wonderful faculty. In this podcast, we've asked three of those teachers—Mike Emlet, David Powlison, and Tim Lane—to tell us about some of the courses they teach for both CCEF's online and on-site counselor training. (More info here.) Even if you never plan to take one of our courses, we think you'll be inspired and challenged by the passion of these teachers for their subjects. CCEF's Distance Education training gives you the opportunity to receive the same renowned biblical counseling training that our students in Philadelphia receive, but from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Learn how to help people change through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Enhance your ministry. Grow in Christ yourself as you learn from our gifted teachers. Registration deadline for August classes is July 15. Find out all you need to know and register today!

This week's podcast is an excerpt from an actual CCEF Distance Education class. Taken from CCEF faculty member Ed Welch's "Counseling: Problems and Procedures" class, this excerpt is from a lecture focusing on suffering, particularly the suffering that results from sexual violation. To hear an extended version of this class sample, click here. CCEF offers training in biblical counseling both on site (at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia) and online (wherever you have a computer and an Internet connection). To learn more about CCEF Training, click here. Deadline to register for August Distance Classes is July 15.

Masturbation, pornography, sexual fantasies...what's so bad about these? No one gets hurt, right? Aren't they better than indulging in actual sexual indecencies with other people? CCEF faculty member Winston Smith addresses the issue of what's sinful (if anything) about these supposedly "victimless" indulgences.By the way, Winston Smith will be presenting an extended seminar on this topic at the 2009 CCEF National Conference. Early Bird Super Savings on registration end June 30, so head on over to www.ccef.org for more information.

This week CCEF faculty member Winston Smith shares some of his observations from many years of marriage counseling. Yes, he's "seen it all," and yet he finds real reasons for hope for marriages, based in what he has seen Christ do in the worst of situations.

This week we take a break from our usual topical podcasts to give you a glimpse into the teaching ministry of CCEF. One of CCEF's greatest blessings is God's provision of our wonderful faculty. In this podcast, we've asked three of those teachers, Ed Welch, David Powlison, and Julie Smith Lowe, to tell us about some of the courses they teach for both CCEF's online and onsite counselor training. Even if you never plan to take one of our courses, we think you'll be inspired and challenged by the passion of these teachers for their subjects.

David Powlison shares about living with suffering day-to-day.

David Powlison contrasts our sinful reactions to suffering with the response of Jesus Christ.

Dr. David Powlison shares about Christians who endure chronic suffering, including himself.