CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet

Explore the struggles and guilt associated with weak faith, using the story of Peter sinking and Jesus rescuing him as an example. Analyze Jesus walking on water, emphasizing the themes of faith, trust, and the power of Jesus. Discover the strength and weakness of human faith, highlighting God's role as the ultimate source of strength. Learn about the strengthening power of weak faith and how it is part of God's saving grace.

“We can become blind to the goodness of what God is calling us to, the fact that his call to obedience is a call to the path of life, not the path of death. When our drudgery becomes our view of what’s happening here, if we see it as him against us or calling us to something that’s not good for us, we’ve lost some ability to perceive what is true.”   Why do we struggle to do the things God has given us to do? How do we fight laziness or procrastination and move forward into the hard but rewarding task of the work that God has set before us? Listen as Alasdair Groves shares about his own struggles with laziness and how God can grow us in perseverance in our work."Related resources: "Why Bother?" | Blog by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/why-bother/ "Psalm 90 and 'Doing the Best That I Can'" | Blog by Todd Stryd https://www.ccef.org/psalm-90-and-doing-the-best-that-i-can/ More information about the 2023 CCEF National Conference here: https://www.ccef.org/2023

“When you offer normal, mundane, simple, best-you-can-do words of love and encouragement to somebody in their struggles, there is actually a physiological impact you are having on that person. When you offer words of comfort, you are literally changing something about their body.”   We’re excited to launch season 4 with a discussion on how the words we speak to one another can actually have physical effects for good.   Related resources: Words of Counsel | JBC article by Pierce Taylor Hibbs https://www.ccef.org/my-account/jbc/2702/words-of-counsel-part-1-a-biblical-theological-foundation/ The Power of Words | JBC article by Paul David Tripp https://www.ccef.org/jbc_article/the-power-of-words/ Edit Your Counseling | Blog by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/edit-your-counseling/ Speaking Words that Bring Life | Conference talk by Darby Strickland https://www.ccef.org/shop/product/speaking-words-that-bring-life/

“It is hard to speak to the Lord about your sufferings and to lament and to honestly go to him and say, ‘Lord, this is hurting in my heart, on my soul.’ We rarely step into relationship in that way, and it's a struggle. It's a challenge, and it's a good, right, excellent challenge to come to him as the one who really does care.”   What is self-pity, and how should we view it? How can we turn our self-pity into godly lament that engages honestly with the Lord? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses self-pity and considers what to do when we or others are struggling with it.   Related resources: How Precisely Can I Sort Out My Emotions? Part 4 | Blog post by David Powlison https://www.ccef.org/how-precisely-can-i-sort-out-my-emotions-part-4-5/

“Only the Lord is deserving of full, utter trust. We have a God we can trust 100% in every situation to be who he says he will be. And that means we can always trust whatever he’s up to in another person.”   What does it mean that “love trusts all things,” as 1 Corinthians 13:7 says? How do we show an appropriate level of trust in others, and when are the times we shouldn’t? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses what it means that “love always trusts.”   Related resources: Rebuilding Broken Trust | Journal article by Alasdair Groves https://www.ccef.org/jbc_article/rebuilding-broken-trust/ How can I repair broken trust? | Ask the Counselor video by Aaron Sironi https://www.ccef.org/video/how-can-i-repair-broken-trust-its-discouraging-to-think-our-relationship-will-never-be-the-same/

Alasdair Groves speaks with Collin Hansen about his new book, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, and the influences on Tim Keller, which included CCEF and David Powlison. Collin Hansen is the vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics.   Mentioned in the podcast: "Idols of the Heart and 'Vanity Fair'" | Journal article by David Powlison. Read it here for free: https://www.ccef.org/idols-heart-and-vanity-fair/

When we think about the state of the church today, the negatives often come to mind. While there is much to be grieved about and much change that needs to take place, there is much to be encouraged by when you look at how God is working through local churches around the world. Listen as Alasdair Groves considers some of the reasons not to give up on the church.   "The church has been through a thousand seasons where it's torn itself apart over the ages. But grace is always the center. God's love is always the center that draws his people back together. Let your eyes look for the ways where truth and hope and love and kindness and fellowship are gifts to you through your brothers and sisters, from Jesus himself."   Related resource: How Is the Church Doing at Caring for One Another? | Video by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/video/how-is-the-church-doing-at-caring-for-one-another/ The Local Church Is THE Place for Biblical Counseling | Blog post by David Powlison https://www.ccef.org/local-church-place-biblical-counseling/

What does it mean to “get over something”? After enduring a difficult situation, how do we know if we’ve processed it wisely? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses some steps we can consider as we grieve and heal. Check out our free resource included with this podcast! Use the code “podcast” at checkout to receive your free article. “‘I’ll Never Get Over It’: Help for the Aggrieved” by David Powlison https://www.ccef.org/shop/product/ill-never-get-help-aggrieved/

What do we do when we don’t seem to feel much emotion? How can we understand this experience, and what is God’s call to us in it? Listen as Alasdair Groves talks about the experience of numb emotions.   “Each one of us will face different struggles, but for each of us, there's an opportunity to walk toward the Lord and walk toward each other. If you experience a lack of emotion, that in and of itself is always an opportunity to speak to the Lord and to speak to others.”   Related resources: Untangling Emotions | Book by Alasdair Groves and Winston Smith https://www.ccef.org/book/untangling-emotions/ Strong Emotions, Extreme Confidence | Blog post by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/strong-emotions-extreme-confidence/ Engaging Our Emotions, Engaging with God | Blog post by Alasdair Groves https://www.ccef.org/engaging-our-emotions-engaging-god/

Most of us are familiar with the ways our phones can be detrimental to our spiritual lives. But how often do we consider ways they can be of spiritual benefit? Listen as Alasdair Groves talks about how smartphones can actually enrich our relationship with God.   “My phone was pointing me directly to the glories and the riches and the treasures of God's promises to us, fulfilled so directly and so richly through the Holy Spirit, even in things as simple as what I was doing as I swiped or scrolled or sent a text or did a hundred other things that we do every day.”   Related resources: “Why Do We Pray?” blog post by David Powlison “Eyes That See More” blog post by Ed Welch