D. B. wrote,

Have you ever read Ecclesiastes by Philip Graham Ryken? I am reading it now.

Reply:

Ecclesiastes is so relevant for our existential, post-modern culture. There are timeless insights as the writer shifts from secular “glasses” (“meaningless, meaningless”) to faith glasses: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”(3:11)

A brief introduction is Why in The World am I Here? by Kurt De Haan available as a free PDF at RBC.

Yours in Christ,
John

Merry Christmas!

…While I am not yet rooted in a job [as a counselor], and am looking forward to some traveling in Central America this winter, I have been able to share the exchanged life wheel and line diagrams with five people. I was able to share an overview of it with a friend whom I visited in Nashville on the way home from the conference.

Also, in the past month God has been doing some incredible things with four of my co-workers at the group home and has illuminated some truths about who He is and the truth of the gospel to them. I have led three of them in a group of the wheel diagrams (and assigned some reading for them 🙂 I have gone over the wheel and line individually with one of the ladies from the group and also one of the ladies who works at a sister home closer to the Twin Cities [MN]. The executive director (of the group home) is also interested in what is happening and wants to be a part of the group the next time that we meet up.

It has been fun to see the Spirit work in the lives of these people and to have the opportunity to direct, encourage, question, share, and pray with them. The fact that I’m not working has allowed plenty of time to sit and talk with them about the truth of who they are in Christ!

Personally, I see how this model fits much better with my gifts then the traditional counseling I had been doing. It has given me more enthusiasm for starting to counsel again as well. As I say that I am still planning to spend a few months traveling, although instead of the control that I would usually seek, I am trying to keep it very open and allow the Lord who lives through me to surprise me and grow me through the experience. At this point I do believe that I will go to Idaho in the summer and start a practice there–unless the Lord gives me some other direction between then and now…

Hope that all is well with yourself during the Christmas season!

Blessings,
P.B.

My name is Don Livermore, formerly a Christ Centered counselor at His Life Ministries in Springfield, MO where we used the Wheel & Line diagrams as our primary tool in the counseling process. I still use these diagrams from time to time in helping those God sends my way through our local church body. I also do a little bit of teaching in our Identity In Christ ministry at our church.

I’ve lost track of just when I began using the diagrams but somewhere between 20 and 25 years ago I’d guess. It is what God used to show me why no matter how hard I tried….I just could not live out the Christ Life….in that small quiet voice God gave me some great advice….as in…..”Don, if you ever hope to achieve your goal of living the Christ Life you need to let the only Person to ever have lived that life….live it out THROUGH you”….Since that day so many many years back…I’ve never turned away from that advice.

Dr. Solomon, thank you for these diagrams.