Is it okay to be happy? Was Jesus happy? Are you happy? Listen as Alasdair Groves considers these three questions.

This is episode 5 in a miniseries on emotions, where we are considering how to understand Jesus’s emotions and how that helps us understand our own.

Mentioned in this episode: we recently released our latest issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling, which includes articles on topics such as trauma, the empty nest, faithfulness in marriage, and scrupulosity. Learn more here.

Find a transcript of the episode here

For more resources on emotions, including blogs, podcasts, videos, and more, click here.

 

Today we’re excited to share with you a recent project we’ve been working on. We started a new podcast called the CCEF Blogcast, where CCEF faculty read their own blogs. We hope you enjoy this special episode as Ed Welch reads his blog, “Become a Psalmist.” For more content like this, check out the CCEF Blogcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Music: "Created by Design" by Cody Martin

How can understanding Jesus’ emotions help us understand our own? Listen as Alasdair Groves focuses on one particular emotion which Jesus felt: anger, which we see in Scripture is often directed at the things that turn people away from him. “Jesus is angry about anything that pulls his people away from him, that pulls his people away from their home, the place of life, the house of the living God, where he is leading us to dwell forever and ever.” Mentioned in this episode: We recently released a new podcast called the CCEF Blogcast! Listen as CCEF authors read their own blogs on a variety of topics. You can find it on your favorite podcast app! This is episode 4 in a miniseries on emotions (listen to episode 1, episode 2, and episode 3). Quick reminder: the final episode of this miniseries will be a response to listener questions. Do you have any questions about emotions? We'd love to hear from you! Email us your question at [email protected]. Related resources:

• Good & Angry | Book by David Powlison
• Be Angry & Do Not Sin | Blog post by Ed Welch
• Untangling Emotions | Book by Alasdair Groves

How can understanding Jesus’ emotions help us understand our own? Listen as Alasdair Groves focuses on one particular emotion which Jesus felt: compassion, an ache on the heart that presses toward action to make things better.“   God sees our frantic bleating, living like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless. He is a good shepherd, and he has compassion on his sheep, even especially where we struggle to have compassion for others.”   Mentioned in this podcast: We're excited to announce the 2024 CCEF National Conference on the topic of rest. Learn more and register at ccef.org/nc24.   This is episode 3 in a miniseries on emotions (listen to episode 1 here and episode 2 here). Do you have any questions about emotions? You can email us at [email protected], and we’ll spend the last episode of the miniseries answering some of your questions.   Related resources:

• Because He Cares—for Me? | Blog post by Alasdair Groves
• Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners | Book by Mike Emlet

How can understanding Jesus’ emotions help us understand our own? Listen as Alasdair Groves focuses on one particular emotion which Jesus felt, just hours before his crucifixion: dread. How does Jesus’ experience of dread encourage us in our own experience of it?   Mentioned in this podcast: Head to ccef.org/school to register for Dynamics of Biblical Change, one of our foundational courses, in the March 2024 term. Pricing increases after February 5, so register soon for the discount!   This is episode 2 in a miniseries on emotions (listen to episode 1 here). Do you have any questions about emotions? You can email us at [email protected], and we’ll spend the last episode of the miniseries answering some of your questions.   Related resources:

• “I often experience intense emotions that can feel debilitating. How can I grow?” | Video by Alasdair Groves
• Untangling Emotions | Book by Alasdair Groves & Winston Smith

“The heart poured out to the Lord is actually a form of trust.”   Sometimes we find ourselves unable to control our emotions. Often this produces guilt, and we wonder, “What does that say about my faith?” How do we navigate such an experience? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses this experience and what faithful living looks like in this first episode of a miniseries on emotions.   Related resources:

• Untangling Emotions | Book by Alasdair Groves & Winston Smith
• Emotions Are a Language | Blog post by Ed Welch
• Strong Emotions, Extreme Confidence | Blog post by Ed Welch
• Negative Emotions (Part 1) | Podcast episode by Alasdair Groves

Sometimes Scripture feels dry, distant, or impersonal. How do we apply Scripture in these times? How do we take hold of a cup of cold water when we are most thirsty? Listen as Alasdair Groves discusses what it looks like to bring Scripture to bear on our sufferings and struggles, using several examples from his own life. Related resources:

• Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms | Blog post by Ed Welch https://www.ccef.org/shaking-off-some-lifelessness-with-the-psalms
• How Do You Personally Engage with Scripture? | Podcast episode by Alasdair Groves & Mike Emlet https://www.ccef.org/podcast/how-do-you-personally-engage-with-scripture
• Take Heart: Daily Devotions to Deepen Your Faith | Book by David Powlison https://www.ccef.org/book/take-heart-daily-devotions-to-deepen-your-faith

Do you ever feel guilty about how small or weak your faith is? Listen as Alasdair Groves talks about weak faith, primarily considering an example from Peter, one of Jesus’ own disciples.   “It's not about the strength of your faith. It's about the strength of the Savior. It's about the strength of the one who can pull you out of the dark waters and bring you back to the boat. Even the tiniest little bit of faith is God's gift to us anyway.”   Related resources:

• The Way of Wisdom in Weakness & Self-Doubt | Conference talk by Esther Liu https://www.ccef.org/session/the-way-of-wisdom-in-weakness-self-doubt
• What can I do to strengthen my weak faith? | Video by Winston Smith https://www.ccef.org/video/how-can-i-strengthen-my-weak-faith-0
• An Open Letter to a Discouraged Saint | Blog post by Mike Emlet https://www.ccef.org/an-open-letter-to-a-discouraged-saint

“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/