Blog Collection

Hope + Help LIVE for Heart Change with Brad Bigney

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Pastor Brad Bigney via Facebook LIVE about his book, Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols. During the conversation, Brad defines idolatry, explains what it means to uncover "the sin beneath the sin," and cautions about the impact heart idolatry has on our relationships with God and other people. He also examines why it's so challenging to uproot idolatry once the Holy Spirit has revealed it to us, offers insights as to how a global pandemic has served to expose idolatry in our lives, and gives hope from the Scriptures for those seeking to experience true, meaningful heart change through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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3 years ago

Hope + Help for Pregnancy with Gloria Furman

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Gloria Furman about her book, Labor with Hope: Gospel Meditations on Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood. During the conversation, Gloria helps women see topics such as pregnancy, infertility, miscarriage, birth pain, and new life in the framework of the larger biblical narrative, infusing cosmic meaning into their personal experience by exploring how they point to eternal realities. She also reflects upon the forgiveness and mercy Christ offers post-abortive women, shares biblical comforts to pregnant women who are fearful about their impending labor, and highlights the importance of spiritual mothering as a high calling for those who do not have flesh-and-blood children of their own.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Bipolar Disorder with Dr. Charles Hodges

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Dr. Charles Hodges about his book, Good Mood, Bad Mood: Help and Hope for Depression and Bipolar Disorder. During the conversation, Dr. Hodges summarizes the current diagnostic criteria for depression and bipolar disorder, and describes the differences between "normal" and "disordered" sadness. He also explains why recent scientific findings pertaining to brain plasticity offer hope to those labeled with mood disorders and suggests why over-identifying with a psychological diagnosis can stunt spiritual growth. Lastly, Dr. Hodges highlights the importance of setting God-oriented goals with counselees labeled with bipolar disorder, and offers words of encouragement for sufferers feeling hopeless for meaningful life change.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Domestic Abuse with Chris Moles, Joy Forrest, & Ann Maree Goudzwaard

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews authors and biblical counselors Chris Moles, Joy Forrest, and Ann Maree Goudzwaard via Facebook LIVE about domestic abuse care in today's COVID-19 context. Together, the panel discusses cautions for victim/counselor communications, the danger of handling domestic abuse situations as marriage counseling cases, various ways to get equipped for one-another care when face-to-face contact with high-risk women and children is restricted, the basics and importance of developing a safety plan, and much more.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Parenting Methods with Jim Newheiser

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews author and IBCD Executive Director Dr. Jim Newheiser about his book, Parenting is More Than a Formula. During the conversation, Jim summarizes common Christian parenting methods and examines the dangers of adopting unbiblical or extra-biblical approaches to child-rearing. Jim also demonstrates how belief in "parental determinism" is contrary to the Scriptures, defines a biblical view of parenting "success," offers practical helps for pursuing gospel-centered parenting, and shares how he counsels married couples who find themselves in conflict over differing opinions pertaining to parenting methodology.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Evangelism with Becky Pippert

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Becky Pippert about her book, Stay Salt: The World Has Changed, Our Message Must Not. During the conversation, Becky recounts her personal journey from agnosticism to faith in Jesus Christ, and unpacks common reasons why Christians hesitate to share their faith with others.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help LIVE for Parents of Depressed & Anxious Teens

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, we’re premiering Hope + Help LIVE, a periodic segment of the podcast that features unscripted, live recorded interviews previously broadcasted on Facebook. This conversation features authors Jessica Thompson and Joel Fitzpatrick. During the live chat, we talk about the various ways our respective households are navigating the coronavirus pandemic, and offer encouragements to parents of depressed and anxious teens who may be struggling to care for their child in today’s quarantine contexts.
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4 years ago

How Is God Working in My Teen’s Depression?

If you’ve found yourself caring for a depressed teen, maybe you’re wondering what God is up to in the midst of this heartbreaking time. While we cannot know all the ways that God intends to work in your teen’s despondency, the Scriptures do tell us what his goal is for you in this season.
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4 years ago

Equipping You in Grace Podcast: Help! My Teen is Depressed

On this episiode of Equipping You in Grace, host Dave Jenkins and Christine Chappell discuss how to walk with a teenager through depression, how the local church can help teenagers who are depressed and minister to them, along with her mini-book, "Help! My Teen is Depressed" (Shepherd Press, 2020).
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Spiritual Warfare with Iain Duguid

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Iain Duguid about his book, "The Whole Armor of God: How Christ's Victory Strengthens Us for Spiritual Warfare." During the conversation, Iain unpacks various pieces of the spiritual armor Paul describes in Ephesians 6, inviting us to take up the armor each day, all the while resting in the finished victory of Christ and the assurance that our strength for the battle comes from him. Iain also offers relatable illustrations that demonstrate how the armor of God intersects with everyday challenges, and shares words of encouragement for those who find themselves weary and discouraged in their Christian walk.
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4 years ago

IBCD Book Review: Help! My Teen is Depressed

This new booklet is a practical guide for parents walking through depression with their children. It offers biblically-sound, wise advice for parents as they weather through a supremely difficult time.
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4 years ago

Discipling Our Children in Their Suffering

It’s disorienting when a child is suffering. Our parental instinct is to come to our children’s rescue and “make it better.” But life lived in a fallen world means that we cannot always protect our children from disease and death. Money and medicine has its limitations. The truth is that our children are not immune to experiencing the effects of the curse on this world, which means they will look to those charged with their care for comfort, hope, and help when suffering strikes.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for the Age of Self with Jen Oshman

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Jen Oshman about her book, "Enough About Me: Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self," exploring how the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to look away from ourselves in order to find the abundant life God offers us.
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4 years ago

Depression Testimony at Trinity Point Church

My family and I were honored to have been invited by our Pastor, Tracy Turner, to share about our journey through depression over the last 20 years. During this pastoral interview, I share my history with depression how I resolved to fix myself by faith when I became a new believer in Christ. My husband shares some of his perspective on what the challenges were when trying to walk alongside me during my depressive seasons. We talk about the dangers of idolizing healing (both physical and spiritual), the problem with pursuing personal goals rather than God's goals, and how the Lord worked through nearly two decades of our suffering sorrows in order to act as ministers of comfort to our teenager, who unexpectedly endured an intense period of autoimmune disease and despair herself. Pastor Tracy, Brett, and I seek to illumine the importance of being willing to comfort others with the same comfort that we ourselves have been comforted by God.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Loss and Grief with Paul Tautges

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Paul Tautges about his book, "A Small Book for the Hurting Heart: Meditations on Loss, Grief, and Healing," exploring how the gospel of Jesus Christ offers comfort and strength for those walking through seasons of mourning.
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4 years ago

An Interview with IBCD Podcast Host Christine Chappell

As the podcast completes its transition from The Hope + Help Project to IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast, this episode features a discussion between IBCD Director of Communications Ann Maree Goudzwaard and podcast founder Christine Chappell, exploring the various ways biblical counseling has personally impacted Christine's life and ministry.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help Podcast Moves to IBCD

IBCD is pleased to announce the launch of the Hope + Help Podcast on Monday, February 24th. The show, hosted by author and writer Christine Chappell, is intended to provide listeners with rich, biblical conversations about life’s challenging problems. The podcast, formerly known as The Hope + Help Project, has been in production since May 2019, and has featured conversations with a wide variety of guests from the biblical counseling movement on a number of topics.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Self-Righteousness with Kendra Fletcher

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews Kendra Fletcher. They discuss Kendra's book, "Lost and Found: Losing Religion, Finding Grace," to discover how the gospel of Jesus Christ frees us from the bondage of self-righteousness and legalism. Kendra shares how the Lord used her children’s illnesses and accidents to open her eyes to the spiritual pride she had been living in, and recounts the challenges that arose when her family began to pull away from the rigid religious behaviors and beliefs of their long-time church and homeschool community. She also addresses some of ways self-righteousness slowly bleeds into in our lives, and encourages listeners to "lose their religion" by finding acceptance, grace, and identity in Christ alone. Other questions considered: • How can love of religion manifest itself in our thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes? • How does the gospel free us from self-righteous living? • Why doesn't a "Jesus + something" belief system hold up in times of suffering? • How can we address self-righteousness when we recognize it in our lives?
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Death-Awareness with Matthew McCullough

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and pastor Matthew McCullough. They discuss Matt's book, "Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope" to learn how cultivating "death-awareness" clarifies the relevance of Jesus's promises in the midst of our everyday problems. During the conversation, Matt offers listeners an overview of the Christian tradition of "memento mori" (latin: remember death) and explains some of the reasons why death-awareness was such a prominent part of daily life in earlier centuries. He also considers why 21st century Western Christians have increasingly shoved the realities of death from their consciousness—and examines the various negative impacts such death-avoidance has had as a result. Finally, Matt carefully unpacks the hope and help of the gospel of Jesus to the problem of death-avoidance, encouraging listeners to remember their identity in Christ as they seek to better understand the enemy of death and its implications for fruitful Christian living.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Family Worship with Don Whitney

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews Don Whitney about his book, "Family Worship," exploring why it's important, how to deal with common stumbling blocks that arise, and practical wisdom for busy families who want to develop a regular (yet doable) routine in the home. During the conversation, Don shares scriptural support for the practice of family worship and explores reasons why today's families may struggle to make it a priority in their daily lives. He debunks the notion that large amount of prep time is involved and offers three areas of focus for leaders who desire to become intentional in cultivating a routine. Don also encourages listeners not to have unrealistic expectations about the time spent together, but to embrace the reality that chaotic families will have chaotic family worship—and that's okay!
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4 years ago

Our Better Hope: Eight Priestly Comforts for Times of Need

The truth of Christ as our merciful high priest may, upon first glance, appear as an irrelevant consolation in times of need, but the book of Hebrews highlights the critical importance of Jesus’ role of the true and better priest of God’s people. Not only has the Son of Man entered into the Father’s presence as a forerunner on our behalf (Hebrews 6:20), but the book makes eight assurances of “better” things which directly result from Jesus’s permanent high priestly duty.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Wilderness Seasons with Stacy Reaoch

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and writer Stacy Reaoch. They discuss her book, Wilderness Wanderings: Finding Contentment in the Desert Times of Life to examine God’s big-picture plan of the Israelites’ trek through the wilderness, and how their journey helps us find hope and wisdom for the desert times we face in life.
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4 years ago

Death Will Come When Christ Calls

It was not until I became a follower of Christ that my perspective on death changed, and I came to understand it as something more than an instrument of destruction. In Christ, death is no doomsday — it’s a gateway.
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4 years ago

2019 Year-End Review with Christine Chappell

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project podcast, host Christine Chappell shares some year-end statistics and reflects on the Lord's work through the podcast since its launch in May 2019. Stay tuned for new episodes of The Hope + Help Project podcast to air starting Monday, January 6th, 2020.
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4 years ago

8 Truths to Remember in the Midst of Sadness

The card references 8 common lies we may find ourselves listening to as we walk through seasons of sorrows, and pits them against eternal biblical truths. By providing a wealth of key Scripture references, Dr. Newheiser reminds the sorrowing to look to their identity in Christ and God's unchanging character as a means of sustaining grace.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Grandparenting with Larry McCall

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews pastor and author Larry McCall. They discuss Larry's book, Grandparenting with Grace: Living the Gospel with the Next Generation to help us better understand what it means to build a legacy worth following through intentional, gospel-centered relationships with our grandchildren. During the conversation, Larry explains harmful trending mindsets regarding our "golden years," and rich, biblical wisdom for cultivating fruitful family relationships through intentional grandparenting. He also cautions that Christian family heritage does not guarantee our grandchildren's salvation, helps listeners discern how to avoid overstepping boundaries when it comes to our adult children's parenting choices, and provides practical suggestions for navigating various familial challenges such as broken families and long-distance relationships. Larry also offers listeners six ways grandparents can be praying for themselves as they strive toward leaving behind a gospel-saturated legacy.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Depression & Grief: 9 Episodes You Don’t Want to Miss

There have been a number of guest on the show whose books (or interview topics) have revolved around offering gospel hope and help in depression/grief contexts. If you are someone walking through a season of grief/depression, or have been called to care for someone who is, these podcast episodes are sure to offer helpful biblical insights, gospel-centered comforts, and practical applications for taking next steps by faith.
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4 years ago

When Depression Feels Safe

It's possible to grow so accustomed to living in melancholia that it becomes a default countenance—a cave to retreat to when the pains of life feel too heavy to bear. While this reflex doesn't necessarily encumber all experiences of despondency, the solemn truth is that those who suffer from chronic sorrow run the risk of turning shadows into a refuge.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Grief Care with Nancy Guthrie

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and bible teacher Nancy Guthrie. They discuss Nancy's book, "What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts)" to better understand the raw emotions people face as they experience grief, and to learn how to compassionately and confidently interact with those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Nancy shares about walking through the deaths of her two infant babies, and how grief can become a hurdle in everyday relationships. She offers some cautions about what not to say to someone who is grieving, and also suggests possible conversation starters that demonstrate a proper esteem of the loss. Additionally, Nancy observes the misguided assumptions supporters can sometimes make about grieving people, and shines a light on the pain that is felt when friends and family keep their distance. Lastly, Nancy steers listeners back to the hope of heaven through Jesus Christ, and examines why spiritual sentimentality is too flimsy to offer real hope in the midst of unbearable pain.
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4 years ago

Making Church a Safe Place for Sorrow

While Revelation 21 specifically lists death, mourning, crying, and pain as fundamental grievances believers will face, there's a shocking lack of corporate preparation to meet with such sorrows. Removing the stigma of deeply painful sadness requires the local church’s unhurried commitment to making room for it on Sunday mornings and a desire to equip leaders in one-another care.
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4 years ago

John Mark McMillan and the Grief Behind “How He Loves”

As I was writing last week, I stumbled upon John Mark McMillan's record, "The Song Inside the Sounds of Breaking Down" on Spotify. His song, "How He Loves" is one I am quite familiar with, but there's a particular version of the song on this record which was totally new to me—and it stopped me in my tracks.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Pursuing Discipleship with Jonathan Hayashi

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews pastor and author Jonathan Hayashi. They discuss his book, Ordinary Radicals: A Return to Christ-Centered Discipleship to learn how the gospel of Jesus Christ informs the way we foster genuine, mission-minded Christian community within the context of the local church. Jonathan shares how God used intentional discipleship relationships to radically alter the gang-related trajectory he was on as a teenager. He explains some of the reasons why the church-at-large is failing to faithfully commit to making Christ-centered disciples, while also highlighting some of the unbiblical beliefs church members have about what it means to belong to the body of Christ. Jonathan encourages believers to remember that there are no special qualifications for making disciples, and offers practical suggestions for pursuing a discipleship relationship within the respective "mission fields" everyday Christians find themselves in.
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4 years ago

Dear Newlyweds: I Don’t Wish You Happiness—But I Do Pray for This

If I have learned one thing on my brief marriage journey, it’s that the pursuit of happiness swallows more marriages than we realize. It can chew you up and spit you out an unrecognizable, bitter mess. Pursuing personal happiness and fulfillment in your wedded relationship is only fueled by selfish desires, for our quest to be happy is always rooted in the search for soul-satisfaction rather than the offer of self-sacrifice and service.
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4 years ago

Hope + Help for Pornography Addiction with Deepak Reju

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and biblical counselor Deepak Reju to discuss his book, Pornography: Fighting for Purity. During the conversation, Deepak explains what makes porn addiction a form of "voluntary slavery," unpacking the various heart struggles that can tempt men and women to become habitual viewers. Deepak also helps listeners discern what it looks like to "coddle" porn addiction, highlights the importance of radical corrective action, outlines what to look for in an accountability partner, and encourages strugglers to remember their identity in Christ when facing discouragement in the battle for heart change.
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4 years ago

Live Radio Interview: How to Talk to Your Depressed Child

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on The Ride Home with John & Kathy radio show regarding my article at The Gospel Coalition, "How to Talk to Your Depressed Child." For fifteen minutes, we spoke about some of the challenges and necessities of caring for a child who is walking through depression. While I would have loved to have been able to expand on certain points (and of course, I neglected to say a few things I wish I would have), I hope the interview offers some helpful insights into the incredible difficulty of the situation, and stresses the need for compassion, grace, and God's truth in the midst of a disorienting season.
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4 years ago

How to Talk to Your Depressed Child

As parents, we can’t take the place of medical professionals, licensed counselors, or pastoral care. A child’s depressed feelings can indicate ordinary sadness or a more serious disorder, and we’ll typically need outside help to identify the nature of our child’s struggle. But parents do have something valuable to offer: love and encouragement.
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4 years ago