Trip to Greenville, South Carolina



Joseph Bianchi of Calvary Press, left; and Donn Arms of INS and

NANC, right

 Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jay Adams, the founder of the modern biblical counseling movement, in his home church of Redeemer Presbyterian in Moore, South Carolina. Our family celebrated Palm Sunday there, on our way to Florida for vacation. It was also a pleasure meeting his son-in-law, Bill Slattery, who is the senior pastor and also a NANC Fellow; and Donn Arms, the Executive Director of the Institute for Nouthetic Studies (the program under which I am working towards a certificate in biblical counseling). I had met Pastors Bill and Donn at last year's NANC conference - their faces were very familiar to me, as they are instructors of the distance courses I am taking.

Donn's advice and lectures, in particular, have been very helpful to me in my writing. He questioned my (over)use of the term "idolatry" in discussing bulimia very early on, and so I was able to clarify (and qualify) what, exactly, I meant by that in my book. Donn's committment to biblical accuracy and precision of wording has served me well in defining helpful counseling constructs. In simple language, he's helped me overcome any hesitancy to call sin "sin" - and to boldly address repentance in a practical way.

I was also very excited to meet the man who signed me on as a writer - Joseph M. Bianchi, the President and CEO of Calvary Press Publishing! Although he has moved "Redeemed from the Pit" up in the publishing queue, feeling its message was important and relevent enough to warrant expediation, we still do not have an exact release date as there are several projects ahead of mine at Calvary Press. When I know more, I'll share.

Meeting the publisher! :)

It was a fun and interesting morning, chatting about the publishing process and current happenings in evangelicalism and the biblical counseling world with these two gentlemen. Their wives, who I also met, are lovely and also great fun to talk with. I am hoping my book will be out in time for the NANC annual conference in California this October, but it's all in God's timing.....I am far too Calvinistic to worry about stuff I can't control. The word, I believe, is "sovereignity". His timing is always perfect.