Jesus The Master Psychologist Listen To Him

Dr. Ray Guarendi directs us to the root of all healthy counseling: the words of the Redeemer. Rightly regarded as America's leading Catholic psychologist and family counselor, EWTN's Dr. Ray Guarendi details here the fundamentals of Christian psychology in his incomparable down-to-earth style. In some teachings, Jesus is two millennia ahead of what psychology is only now coming to understand. In others, He directly contradicts what today's psychology preaches. In these pages, Dr. Ray explores the teachings of both modern psychology and Jesus Christ to identify the therapy tools worth employing -- and those we should avoid. Most notably, he helps us understand that every tool and counseling guideline worth pursuing can find its roots directly in the words of Christ. Jesus knows our minds far more intimately than we do, and He knows the rewards we receive for following the paths He advocates. Indeed, in tackling any interior or exterior difficulty, there is certain knowledge that with Christ's guidance comes reassurance and peace of mind, if only we know the path. Dr. Guarendi's experience as a father of ten and his mastery of the New Testament enable him to provide recommendations for dealing with numerous daily issues, including: How to overcome jealousy and other passions What it means -- and doesn't mean -- to turn the other cheek How to turn negativity into a harnessed virtue -- without changing your nature How to transform your natural qualities into supernatural qualities The benefits of having problem children How to improve your self-awareness What the old adage "know thyself" really means How Jesus turns self-esteem mantras on their heads

How do I handle difficult family members? What do I do if I can’t control my emotions? When do I correct others, and when do I hold my tongue? Too often we are late in realizing that we mishandled a situation, causing both resentment and frustration. But what if you could approach every situation with the mind of Christ? Distilled from his decades of experience as a clinical psychologist and a practicing Catholic, Dr. Ray Guarendi, popular radio and TV host, offers here dozens of bite-sized reflections that combine sound spiritual advice with the best of modern psychology. Dr. Ray will help you address countless daily problems and create a plan of action for your most common troubles. With his trademark frankness and humor, Dr. Ray tackles all the topics that too often bring confusion and heartache, including: What to do when you’re easily offendedCommon excuses parents make for bad behavior in their children—and themselvesThe difference between speaking your mind and losing your emotions.The fine line between being a confident evangelist and being a jerk?What you should do when emotions overwhelm you?How to hold your children to high standards without causing resentmentThe difference between making an excuse and justifying an actionHow to tell people you’re angry without being nasty about it.What true humility is – and isn’t. Thinking Like Jesus is more than a self-help book. It will place you firmly into the mindset of a disciple of Christ so you can focus your attention on God and, ultimately, what it will take to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount is not supposed to read like a collection of standards that we should be striving to achieve. Listen to the Master's voice. It is not saying, "You should do better!" It is saying, "Let me help you do better." Soft and welcoming, yet compelling, Jesus invites us to make Him our guide. The Sermon on the Mount is where we learn to take our first steps. A Far Better Life opens up The Sermon on the Mount with such clarity that readers can almost hear Jesus delivering it. Staying with everyday language and common sense concepts, Dr. Friesen connects Jesus' central ideas, point by point, with Christian counseling. This is one of those books that will be around for a long time, because it is both an introduction to Christian counseling and a troubleshooting volume for counselors and their clients. Here is Jesus' message: The Father eagerly wants to join you in your living space to provide healing for the wounds that keep you from living a far better life. Jesus' intent is for you to invite the Father into every area of your life, especially into the most difficult moments. He will transform them and that will entirely change the way you live.

The Jesus jigsaw When the thought first occurred to me that Jesus was a psychologist, I was excited, because it was like seeing a pattern in a jigsaw puzzle that had baffled me for most of my life. I had always been interested in the parables of Jesus. I gathered them together, noticed similarities; I read books about them; a couple of the parables became the guiding principles of my life. But no matter how much I looked there were still some that didn't make sense, and readers who have been Bible students will have hit the same problem. For instance, what would you make of an employer who throws his staff in jail, or another employer who gives some of his workers 12 hours' pay for one hour's work, or a father who throws a party for a son who has just blown the family fortune, or a king who has his managers tortured. These pieces don't fit. But if you love the parables, as I do, you come back to them from time to time. That's what I was a doing a few years ago. I was preparing to go back into the Methodist ministry, after a long break. Another part was updating my study of psychology. I had studied it as part of my original ministry training, but I wanted to study the main new version today, cognitive therapy. With this approach, if a client looks worried; the therapist says: "What are are you feeling right now?" And the client says, "I feel tense and stressed." And the therapist says, "What were you thinking about just before you started feeling stressed? And a pattern emerges of the things that get this client into trouble. These patterns are called "schemas". The penny drops Well, I was doing these two kinds of research when it occurred to me that there were characters in the parables who had bad schemas. And immediately some of my problem parables made sense! The people in these parables needed therapy. And I believe that's why Jesus was telling parables: to help people recognize their bad schemas and do something about them. Let's not exaggerate I don't want to overstate the case. These parallels between Jesus and psychology don't apply to everything he said: they mainly apply to his parables. And even the bit of psychology that Jesus did do was pretty hit and miss. He did it in public, so you couldn't really discuss your problem with him, and you might sit on the edge of a crowd of listeners for a couple of hours and your particular problem might not come up at all. Or you might be a hypochondriac and start trying medicine that doesn't really suit you at all. You might hear a parable about loving your neighbor, and you might think: my husband is beating me up but it's my duty to love him. And you would be dead wrong; you should be calling the police. It's like taking somebody else's medicine! So I'd advise readers not to be too keen to copy the parables! When in doubt, see a professional. Public education An important part of Jesus' psychology is that he did it in public, and that is one of my hopes in publishing this book, that people will read it, preachers will preach about it, and it will contribute to public understanding. Email me, if you'd like further information at [email protected]

Countless people sit in church each Sunday and suffer silently. They feel depressed, or anxious, or disillusioned with their lives but are afraid to admit it for fear they will be seen as having "weak faith"--"After all, if I love and trust God, I shouldn't feel like this! God's Psychology integrates biblical truth and psychological insights to clear away the obstacles that keep us stuck in feeling, thinking, and behaving in destructive ways. We are destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again by our negative emotions, unloving attitudes, and impulsive behaviors because we fail to examine our heart, soul, and mind and "overcome" the deception in our lives. With God's Word as your anchor and sound mental health principles as your guide, God's Psychology will walk you through the process of both Self-Examination and God-Examination to uncover your negative emotions and thoughts while transforming the way you see your life. You'll learn about the common traps that lead you in self-deception and how to replace your faulty emotions and thoughts with God's truth about you! God's Psychology gives you the "hands-on" tools to challenge your self-deception, change the way to feel and think and live life authentically, enabling you to love God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind. Terry L. Higgins has a Ph.D. in Psychology and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration. Dr. Higgins has worked in the mental health profession for the past twenty-five years providing psychotherapy to adults, couples, and children, helping them overcome a wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. She currently has a private practice in Long Beach, California, and has been a public speaker on numerous subjects over the years including communication and listening skills training.

This book is about psychology and how Christ the Son of God used psychology on a daily basis to help him in dealing with people. Remember, Jesus was all man and all God. He did not need anyone to tell him what people were like. Dr. Jesus knew the principles and psychology of human relationships and human nature and was indeed a serious student of human behavior. His practical insight and personal experience in dealing with people helped to fashion His human relationships with others. It helped Him to identify the psychological and behavior issues with mankind. The Gospels tell us of many encounters that Christ had with people. Even though Jesus was and is the greatest Counselor and Psychologist of all ages, He never had a business card, an office, web site, cell phone, computer, diploma, degree, or any written credentials; yet he knew his patients inside and out. People who met Jesus were changed in one way or the other. Many times their minds were completely renewed...their souls comforted...and their bodies healed. As you read this book, you will find out how Jesus used psychology in His daily life and that Dr. Jesus loved all people regardless of color, gender, creed, or nationality. He continues to love unconditionally. Question? Is Jesus Lord over everything? Yes. Let me reiterate. This includes psychology and psychiatry. Since He invented and created the psyche of the mind, He certainly understands the fundamental concepts of human nature and behavior from a scientific point of view and from God's point of view. Christ was and still is the greatest Therapist and Counselor that the world has ever known. Many well intentioned Christians believe that the root of psychology is bad and has no acceptance in Christianity or the church. Others believe that Christianity and psychology do not mix and that psychology takes the opposite approach of Scripture. This is NOT true even though research shows that some pastors do feel uncomfortable or unequipped to address mental illness because mental illness is still "taboo" in many ways. The belief and use of Scripture are perhaps the most prevalent differences between the secular and Christian psychology worlds. For the Christian psychologist, the worldview must be determined by Scripture. As Christians, we see our clients as individuals in need of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, our understanding of mental illness and disorder is also based upon a Scripture-oriented global view. In recent years, psychologists have begun recognizing that we are a tri-part being...soul, spirit, and body...and that our spirituality impacts our lives; however, some traditional psychological theories and models are still based upon naturalism and are insufficient from a Christian worldview. Secular psychology is not wrong. It just needs to be integrated into the Christian model as determined by Scripture. The successful integration of psychology and Christianity has long been a passion of many Christian leaders and believers. Can the integration of theology and psychology complement each other? Absolutely! As humans, we develop and operate according to biological, psychological, and social influences as well as spiritual influence. As adults we use psychology (sometimes reverse psychology) to get what we want. Men do this all the time as well as women. Hence, we all use psychology in our daily lives quite often without even thinking about it. Was Jesus the Messiah the first psychiatrist? Yes. Let me elaborate on the word "Messiah" It means "the anointed one..".and has come to be understood "as a savior or liberator of a group of people." In the Hebrew (Old Testament), messiah means king or High Priest. The Jewish Messiah was and is a leader anointed by God and He physically descended from the Davidic line...who will rule the tribes of Israel...and herald in the Messianic Age of global peace also known as the new World to Come.

What do Alfred Adler, William Glasser, Albert Ellis, and Jesus have in common? Together they can help you have healthier relationships now. You don't have to be an ordained minister or a trained psychologist to appreciate the simple concepts found in this book: • "Who am I?" and "What's Wrong with Me?" Are Not Helpful Questions. • Better than "Who am I?" and "What's Wrong With Me?" • Are the Questions, "Where am I?" and "Where am I Going?" • Where I go (my behavior) is motivated toward achieving a goal. • Understand the goal, understand the behavior. • People and Events Don't Bother Us. Our Perceptions of Them Do. • We can't always choose our circumstances, • but we can always choose our response to circumstances. Along with these concepts, The Psychology of Jesus offers practical help for living in relationship through a close study of Jesus' encounters with people in the gospels and opportunities to examine your own life as you live it in relationship. REVIEWS: David Jones achieved the pledge he made in the book's introduction to offer from psychology and the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus practical help for living in relationships. In each chapter he uses biblical texts, stories and quotations to challenge the reader's thinking. A section on applying each chapter's content to life is included, along with a personal exercise. He effectively challenges the questions people ask themselves to achieve personal and spiritual growth. Instead of "Who is God?" Jones says we should ask "Where is God?" A better self-directed question than "Who am I?" should be "Where am I going?" In answering these questions, we come to understand God is where the sinners are and we should be where God is. I strongly recommend this book. Ann Bishop I read this book in a group setting over the course of several weeks. We discussed 2 chapters at a time in the group each week. The subtitle of the book is very revealing and very appropriate---"Practical Help for Living in a Relationship". The author takes various text readings from the Bible all involving Jesus obviously and then breaks down the "movements" of Jesus. Jesus is interacting with people in all the chosen text excerpts--and so the challenge is to see how we can apply this interaction into our own modern day relationships. I'm not sure I like the first part of the Title of the book---The Psychology of Jesus--only because it made me feel (before I picked up the book) that Jesus was pre-planning and/or pre-meditating all of his encounters in the Bible in order to prove a point. Perhaps he was. But Psychology is pretty much a modern day term and so the beauty of the book is that the author applies modern day psychology to the actions of Jesus way back when. And it works. The insights about the "movements" of Jesus both away from and towards his encounters along with the exercises at the end of each chapter helped me to understand more clearly how we should all strive to have meaningful relationships.And what happens when a relationship ceases to grow. Mark Oldham David Jones offers solid practical guidance for understanding what motivates our behavior in relationships. He weaves a number of psychological theories with examples from relationships in the life of Jesus to illustrate that Jesus' interpersonal style is to be a loving presence. "The Psychology of Jesus" as described by David is a way of relating that supports our innate desire for growth and change in our lives. It is not a psychology intended to "fix us" or our circumstances but rather to enable us. This type of relationship provides a safe place where we can understand and be understood. It is this climate of "understanding" that is the source or power to effect meaningful change in our lives, as much as, or more than "doing." Throughout his book, the message is clear - IF action is warranted, it is far more likely to have the desired effect when nonjudgemental understanding preceds it. David's writing is insightful and sensitive and reflects a Pastor's heart. It provokes self-examination without any sense of self-recrimination. I have witnessed the use of the book's material in a group discussion setting where it fosters a climate of trust that allows for openness and positive change for the better. I have found it very helpful for understanding my behavior and relationships. Jim Quiggins

For Christians there is nothing more important than understanding the significance of the life and teaching of Jesus. It is when people gain an insight in to the mind of Jesus and understand how his teaching is relevant to them personally that a life-changing relationship develops. Here, the insights of psychology are applied to the figure of Jesus as we encounter him in the gospels – his personality and how it is portrayed, the psychological significance of his teaching, and the psychological processes involved in our reading of the gospels. The contributions range from considerations of the psychology of Jesus himself, and how he is portrayed, through chapters covering the message, sayings and encounters of Jesus in the gospels. A final section explores what we bring to our own reading and interpretation of the gospels. Accessible and approachable, Jesus & Psychology is a must for anyone interested in the psychology of religion, who is looking to deepen their understanding of the gospels and the figure of Jesus. Contributors: Fraser Watts, Justin J. Megitt, Liz Gulliford, Sara Savage, Beaumont Stevenson, Jesse W. Abell, James M. Day, Leslie J. Francis, Everett J. Worthington Jr