The last year and a half of my life has been a complete whirlwind. That’s the best word that I can use to describe all the things that have been going on.
So today, I’m excited to announce several different events and changes that have happened and that are on the horizon.
First: As many of you already know, I signed a book deal with Moody Publishers back in March. The manuscript has been completed (edits and all), and is on its final leg before it hits the e readers in February (I believe), and the bookshelves on March 1. I’m thankful for everyone who has been involved in this process. If you are interested, you can pre-order your copy of The Anxious Christian: Can God Use Your Anxiety for Good?
Second: I resigned my job from HopeWorks Counseling one month ago, and I’m excited to announce that I have ventured off into a new practice at Auxano Counseling. This move allows me to really focus on several things that I’m excited about. So if you need/want counseling, or know someone who does, I am now taking referrals at my new practice. Auxano is located in the beautiful Willow Bend Wellness Building in Plano, TX, and I’m excited to be a part of the great practitioners in that building.
Third: I have officially launched a new counseling website that better conveys the three things I’m passionate about–therapy, writing, and speaking/teaching. Check out the site and the beautiful design by Ryan Smith. If you are wanting a new site, I recommend Ryan.
Fourth: I’ve launched a new monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to. Each month you will receive information, tips and resources on a variety of topics such as family, marriage, anxiety, emerging adulthood, transitions, youth ministry and more.
Fifth: I’m currently in the midst of working on a new self-care/counseling group that is for youth pastors. The group will launch in Jan/Feb. (in Plano, TX) of 2012 and will equip youth pastors in better understanding who they are (identity issues), how to set proper boundaries, manage their emotional reactivity, practice self-care, take care of their marriages/family, etc, etc. Stay tuned for more details. If you are interested in being a part of this limited group of 6-8 youth pastors, please send me an email.
Thanks for all of your support and encouragement in my endeavors.
You Have Been Warned
The prophet has already warned us that we should be careful not to think that God has any form or likeness, saying: “Watch yourselves most carefully, since you saw no image” (Devarim 4:15); “But you saw no image – there was only a voice” (ibid. 4:12). “Watch yourselves…..carefully” means: be careful – in your thinking and imagination – not to represent the Creator by any shape, nor to conceive of Him in any image or likeness, for your eyes beheld neither image nor form when He spoke to you, as it says: “To whom, then, will you liken the Almighty? What likeness will you compare to Him?” (Yeshayahu 40:18); “To whom, then, will you liken Me, that I should compare to?’ says the Holy One” (ibid. 40:25); For who in the skies can be compared to God? Who is like God among the heavenly beings?” (Tehillim 89:7); “There is none like You among the gods, HaShem, nor are there works like Yours” (ibid. 86:8); and there are many similar passages. (source pg. 133 Duties of the heart)
The Divine attributes of action are those that are ascribed to the Creator as a result of His actions. It is possible that in attributing these qualities to Him, He is made an associate of some of His creatures [to whom they are also attributed]. Nevertheless, we are permitted to ascribe these qualities to Him, because of our urgent need to know Him and recognize His existence, so that we may assume His service. We find extensive use of this kind of Divine attribute in the Torah and the books of the prophets, as well as in the praises offered by the prophets and the pious. Such attributes are used in two ways:
1) Attributes are ascribed which indicate image and bodily form, as in the following examples for Scripture: “And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him” (Bereshis 1:27); for in God’s image did He make man” (ibid. 9:6); “By the mouth of God” (Bamidbar 9:18); “My hands alone stretched out the heavens” (Yeshayahu 45:12); “in God’s ears” (Bemidbar 11:1); “and under His feet” (Shemos 24:10); “O arm of God!” (Yeshayahu 51:9); who has not sworn falsely by My Name” (Tehillim 24:4); “in the eys of God” (Bereshis 6:8); “and God said in His heart” (ibid. 8:21) and there are other similar attributions of bodily organs to God.
2) Attributes are ascribed to God which indicate movements and bodily actions, as it says: “God smelled [the pleasing fragrance]” (ibid. 8:21); “God saw…regretted…and He was saddened at heart” (ibid. 6:5-6); “God came down” (ibid. 11:5); “God remembered” (ibid. 8:1); “God heard” (Bemidbar 11:1); Then God awoke as one that had slept” (Tehillim 78:65); and there are many other similar attributes to Him of human actions.
The foolish and ignorant person will conceive of the Creator, may He be exalted, according to the literal sense of the Scriptural phrase.
Wow. I am neither Pastor, Jew, nor counselor; but as a Christian I can only imagine that this is how the pharisees sounded…