Spiritual Friends provides a biblically relevant training manual and relationally practical workbook for relating God's truth to human relationships. Spiritual Friends is for the lay person, pastor, or professional Christian counselor. It will equip the reader to master the personal ministry of the Word and spiritual friendships with thousands of illustrative interactions and hundreds of skill-building exercises.

Spiritual Friends provides a biblically relevant training manual and relationally practical workbook for relating God's truth to human relationships. Spiritual Friends is for the layperson, pastor, or professional Christian counselor. It will equip the reader to master the personal ministry of the Word and spiritual friendships with thousands of illustrative interactions and hundreds of skill-building exercises.

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Author: Bob Kellemen
Located in: Crown Point, IN
Submitted: June 28, 2007

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I teach at Capital Bible Seminary training pastors, counselors, and lay people. I also work with the AACC directing the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network. Additionally, I ministered with the Spiritual Formation Forum. When not "working," I coach high school wrestling. My wife, Shirley, and I have been married for 26 years. We have a son who is married and age 23. We have a daughter who is 19 and a sophomore at Wheaton.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Far too many books about Christian counseling are vague and abstract. They fail to provide a comprehensive training manual. I have taught lay people in churches for 25 years and pastors and counselors in seminaries for 12 years. They all kept saying, "You have to turn this into a book!" Finally, I listened.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  "Spiritual Friends" uses 1000s of illustrative vignettes and 100s of skill-building exercises to equip readers to master 22 skills of biblical counseling. Lay people, pastors, and Christian counselors alone or in groups can all grow in their relational skillfulness.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  Oddly, two people who at times have been "at odds," influenced me: Larry Crabb and Jay Adams. From both I learned a deep commitment to people and to the Word of God. From Larry I learned about compassionate soul care. From Jay I learned about passionate confrontative spiritual direction. True biblical counseling embraces both models. Going further back in history, saints of the past like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and so many more have inspired me.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  True biblical counseling deals both with the evils we have suffered (soul care through sustaining and healing) and with the sins we have committed (spiritual direction through reconciling and guiding). "Spiritual Friends" uses this comprehensive biblical and historical model to equip Christians for relational ministry. Churches and schools across the country and the world are using it to equip their people. Also, the companion manual, "Soul Physicians" provides the theological foundation.

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