Willow Creek Summit
For more information, visit www.willowcreek.org or call 847-765-5000.
Overcoming Fear In Uncertain Times
Anthrax. Bombings. Hijackings. In the world after September 11, feeling secure is an elusive goal. It seems that, at least of late, there is a new reason for fear almost daily. And with all the information that is available to us so quickly, if we want more scary things, we can all too easily find […]
What Is Good Christian Therapy?
by: John Townsend, Ph.D. What is good Christian therapy? If you’ve ever wondered, you’re not alone—many people have wanted to know. It’s important to know, because (as you’ll quickly see when you set out to find a therapist) there are some Christians who do bad therapy, and some non-Christians who do good therapy, and all […]
Leaders Need a Coach
Ultimate Leadership Newsletter February 2009 by Dr. John Townsend If you aren’t getting some sort of coaching in your particular area of leadership, you probably should consider doing so. A high percentage of people reading this article are likely getting some form of coaching. In fact, it is the norm today to have a coach, […]
Your Gut Helps Your Goals
Ultimate Leadership Newsletter January 2008 by Dr. John Townsend What do you do with hunches, intuitions, and gut responses in your leadership situations? All leaders experience these apparently out-of-the-blue sensations, but often they don’t pay attention to them, or perhaps they just don’t know what to do with them. The reality, however, is that these […]
Effective Small Groups and the Christian Counselor
John Townsend, Ph.D. One of the most significant contributions a Christian counselor can make to the Church is in helping to create, maintain and replicate small groups. Small groups have been growing tremendously in churches for some time, and they are here to stay. Whether they be basic growth groups, psychotherapy groups, spiritual care teams, […]
The Process of Time
The most common question I hear from people in spiritual growth is: Why is this taking so long? They will often enter the growth process with great hope and excitement and then, somewhere along the way, become discouraged that they aren’t achieving results as soon as they would like. Someone is still struggling in a […]
Sin and the Growth Process
Back in the 1980s, I remember listening to a minister give his opinion on the recovery movement, which was becoming popular in the church. He was angry. People were getting off to lightly he thought and he was not going to stand for it. I can almost still hear his words today: “What’s all this […]
Obedience
Obedience sounds so simple. You may hear people say, “Just trust and obey,” “Just follow Jesus,” or “Just obey the Bible.” However, most people who have been into growth for any length of time know that these statements are more accurate when you remove the word just. This is because, although God helps us to […]
Spiritual Poverty
One day when John Townsend and I were meeting with a large Christian organization, the topic of small groups in the church came up. We strongly support and see much value in small groups. We were discussing the needs that groups meet, how they operate, and so on. One of the executives in the organization […]