As Christians at Stanford, we have an amazing opportunity to influence those around us through our faith, yet often we may feel unequipped for this task. The Biblical Counseling Course at Stanford is a great place to be outfitted as an effective Christian, to learn how the Bible can empower us to face difficult counseling issues in our lives and the lives of our friends, families, and acquaintances.
Taught by Steve and Erica Lawry, the Biblical Counseling Course is a year-long, once-a-week course that aims to make the Bible a useful manual for living for Christians. Steve and Erica—both Stanford graduates—have taught this course for over 30 years, giving them unique wisdom and perspective on the Stanford community. Using both examples of their own counseling experiences and insights from their personal studies in the course, the Lawrys' study of the Word is both infectious and exciting. Autumn quarter is devoted to individual counseling issues, Winter quarter examines counseling interpersonal relationships, and Spring quarter explores counseling issues explicitly related to male-female relationships. Start at any time, but beware, you will soon be hooked!
The heart of the course is the story of God's redemptive nature, worked out in our salvation and evident in our relationships. Beginning in Genesis with a look at fallen human tendencies and traits, the course moves into an in-depth look at the power of God's redemptive love in freeing us from our fallen nature, and from there discusses how our new lives in Christ can be lived out relationally with those around us. The Biblical Counseling Course really does make the Bible a manual for living, equipping students with the knowledge of key passages and themes for living application, and gives the confidence to approach difficult issues from a scriptural standpoint.
For me, the Biblical Counseling Course has been a wonderful blessing in my life, restoring to me a deep appreciation of the Bible's power as an amazing resource for living. All too often, God's Word is unfortunately transformed into a mere academic text or an aloof religious treatise. The course restores the Bible to its full power, showing both the amazing intricacy of God's Word as well as its accessibility and applicability in our own lives. The Bible took on new meaning for me, as it helped me to understand how to approach difficult problems Biblically, such as overcoming bad habits, a flagging prayer life, and day-to-day relationships with roommates, family and friends. Additionally, the Course delves into a fascinating study of nature of human beings and our God-inspired image and how the sinful corruption of our relationship with God and the world is at the heart of the most challenging counseling issues we face, as well as how the redeemed relationship of the believer with God enables us to walk in victorious new life. In my opinion, the Biblical Counseling Course is a must-take for every Christian at Stanford-an experience that will confirm your faith, challenge your lifestyle, impact those in your life, and restore to you a hunger for knowing Him.
- Ryan Theule
This is not your ordinary Bible study. More than any other Bible study I have attended, this course explains how the Bible so powerfully applies to every aspect of our daily (and often messy) lives. When I attended the course during the past winter and spring quarters, I was often taken aback about what the Bible had to say about certain issues---it was so incredibly profound, so beyond what I would expect from even the wisest people, that at once I became convicted at the heart that the Bible is truly God's Word to man.
Both Steve and Erica have special gifts to help bring these profound insights in the Bible to light. Steve is one of the most careful expositors of the Scriptures that I know, and Erica has her own sweet way of sharing how these Scriptures apply to our down-to-earth lives. The examples given are often taken from their own experiences and struggles, and they are very specific and practical. What I especially enjoyed was how both shared funny situations (at least in hindsight!) that all of us deal with, but somehow are seldom communicated with clarity in a large group setting.
- Jeff Wu
Friends-
I can't say enough good things about the personal and spiritual benefits of this class! It is for practical folks who are interested in learning more about God's word from a new perspective, for those looking for Biblical tools to help 'counsel' others, and for those who wonder how God's word can apply to their every-day life.
If you're not sure you want to commit, no worries. Just set aside a bit of time next Tuesday evening and go check it out. There is no pressure to sign up -- you won't be disappointed!!
- Deb Bond
To me, the best thing about the class is that the teaching comes from the Bible, and the Lawrys illustrate how these truths can and should be successfully applied to many of the common issues we and our friends face daily. Personally, I think the title could be somewhat misleading, as we typically associate counseling with human efforts to find our "true inner being" or something fuzzy like that, or to help people put on band-aids so they become more optimistic about situations.
Rather, I would describe it as Bible exposition from key scriptures that help us understand how the Lord has fashioned us and how we are to relate to Him and to others. The material in the class has helped me appreciate the beauty of God's design and the magnificence of the Word. Thus, it is not just useful for addressing problems and issues; it helps us live with greater fulness and appreciation. I have found myself sharing these truths with seekers, as well, because there is so much that any person can relate to. For many, it's a surprise that the Bible speaks clearly on situations we think are peculiar to our day or our own lives.
- Benjamin Chen
Fortunately, God has given us His Word as a manual for living. For 30 years, Steve and Erica Lawry have been teaching wisdom from God's Word and showing its applicability to everyday life at the Biblical Counseling Course. When I attended the course last winter, a classmate asked me, "So, at this class, are you being counseled, or are you learning how to counsel?" I replied that the answer was "Both!" As we learn to counsel others from Scripture, we necessarily find that the Bible not only provides the most effective counsel for the world's problems, but also our own as well.
- Markus Ong
Wanted to let you know about a course that has really been instrumental in my new and renewing Biblical perspective on life!
It is a Biblical Counseling Course taught by Steve and Erica Lawry teaching students (and other guests) how the Bible can apply to our daily lives and our mindsets. It's hard for me to explain the depth and richness with which they explore the Word, but I can tell you that when it goes that deep, it really challenges your preconceptions and worldview in Very powerful life-giving way. It's deep theology mixed with real practicality. it's a hard combo to come by these days!
Andrew Chung
This great class has been a tremendous blessing in my life, as well as in the lives of many generations of Stanford students. Hope that you'll have the chance to check it out!
If so, perhaps the Biblical Counselling Course is for you...
- Buchan Quek
Welcome to an amazing year of learning and growth. I want to tell you about what I've found to be one of the greatest opportunities for me to grow as a Christian. The Biblical Counseling Course is a year-long class taken straight from God's Word. This fall quarter, we will be looking at Growth and Change from the Heart. We will be covering topics such as how God can redemptively use the habits, stress, and depression that we experience in a fallen world. We will study the scriptural basis for every believer's hope of becoming like Jesus. We will also study how these truths can be applied in our lives and the lives of others. The class, now in its 28th year, is taught by Steve and Erica Lawry, with Steve teaching and Erica presenting examples of practical applications of the passages.
The Biblical Counseling Course is meant to help in equipping you to counsel others from God's Word, and is taken in conjunction with your regular church or fellowship. Because we study the Bible, you can benefit from auditing the class simply by sitting in on the lectures, or you can benefit more by studying the scriptures yourself in the week before the class. This is an extracurricular class, and is not taken for University credit.
Although most students take the class once, this is my third year taking the course, simply because I have found this to be the most important learning material and application I have seen in any class at Stanford.
- Brian Decker
YES! *
The Biblical Counseling Course at Stanford is an awesome opportunity for deep spiritual insight and transforming personal growth. It doesn't matter if you're interested in ministry, counseling, business, medicine, law, or simply living-- it's relevant for anyone who wants to learn more about the fullness of life with the Lord in a very practical way.
Steve and Erica Lawry, both Stanford graduates, have been sharing the Lord's wisdom with Stanford students for over thirty years and have a gift for providing a Biblical perspective on everyday issues. In teaching about everything from personal change to dating relationships, they offer a unique combination of Biblical scholarship and practical personal experience that brings the Word to life.
The course is organized topically; this winter we'll be learning about how to bring the Lord's fruitfulness into interpersonal relationships. A few of the topics include: how to enter into and sustain redemptive relationships, conflict resolution and fulfilling friendship, and ministry through loving as Jesus loved. (However, I must say, no matter what the topic, something in each class has always been relevant for wherever I come in that day in addition to providing solid teaching on enduring issues.)
- Benjamin Chen
Friends,
I want to share a great opportunity with you to experience God's Word as it applies to your life in very practical ways. 'Fruitful Interpersonal Relationships' deals specifically with our relationships with both believers and nonbelievers, fellowship in the body, and ministering to others. Not only does the class equip you to walk alongside others, it is incredibly applicable to you on a personal level no matter where you are in your spiritual journey. As I was taking this course two years ago, I was stretched and challenged specifically by studying what the Bible teaches when we are faced with conflict and how to approach the resolution of those conflicts in a Christ-like way.
Steve and Erica have been delving into these texts and teaching this course for the past 30+ years and their insights and joy in sharing what God has taught them are refreshing and contagious.
- Deborah Bond
I want to let you know about Biblical Counseling Course at Stanford, one of the best resources on campus about practical day-to-day living.
1) My friend/roommate have habits that drive me up the wall. But every time I confront them about their habits, they react badly and don't listen. What can I do?
2) It's difficult to communicate with my parents. They just don't seem to understand me, and they annoy me often. But I love my parents, and wish our relationship was better.
3) I feel like I am treated unfairly at work. I work hard there, but people don't seem to be giving me the respect that I deserve. How do I best deal with my circumstances?
Such practical questions rarely addressed from the pulpit, but in the course, we will learn how the Bible answers them in very specific ways. Being a student of the course, I was often surprised how these answers drastically differed from conventional wisdom. They struck me as so full of love, and so other-centered, that I knew that they would be effective.
Steve and Erica Lawry will be teaching the course, and they bring with them more than three decades of carefully understanding the Biblical text, practically applying the text in their own lives, and counseling others from the text. My wife and I have been taking the course together for more than a year, and we have consistently found their material very helpful in understanding and loving each other throughout our courtship, engagement, and marriage.
We look forward to seeing you there!
In Christ's love,
- Jeff Wu
How does the Lord call us to grow in the life situations we go through? How do we minister to other believers who are walking according to the flesh? How do we minister to unbelievers when we least expect it?
This winter quarter we will study our relationships as Christians with other people. We will start with Ephesians 1-3, examining how Paul relates to the members of the church at Ephesus. Study the passage ahead of time to get the most out of the class. As the quarter continues, we will study topics such as resolving friendship conflicts, suffering unjustly, handling God's Word, and triumphing over opposition.
Personally, this is the most practical class I've taken at Stanford. Through taking a wide-angle view of the Bible, it has tied together a lot of tenets of Christianity, giving me a firm Biblical reason to change my manner of thinking.
- Brian Decker
- Elizabeth Dunn Covington
I would like to invite you to attend this quarter's Biblical Counseling Course at Stanford about male-female relationships:
For the single person: How not only to deal with the heartache of loneliness, but to thrive in singleness.
For those dating or engaged: How best to delight the other person while protecting the delight of physical love for marriage.
For those who have blown it sexually: How to rest in God's forgiveness *and* break the patterns that lead to blowing it.
For those married (now or someday): The secrets for understanding, love and respect.
For all: An insightful study of Genesis that reveals what makes each sex "tick", so that we know how best to relate to each other.
The Lord has truly used the Biblical Counseling Course to completely change my life. It was through this course that I learned *how* to break my cycle of lustful fantasizing---something I thought I would never break---and I cannot begin to express the wonderful freedom and joy of submitting my desires to the Lord, both in this area and others. Now that Tara and I are married, I recall the material I learned in this class almost daily while learning how to be a better husband to my wife.
The Biblical Counseling Course is the most in-depth study of the Bible about day-to-day living I have ever attended, and I promise you that not everything will be familiar to even the most mature believer. What distinguishes this course from others is that it not only tells what to do, but *how* to do it. Students, ministry leaders, and counselors will benefit greatly from attending the class.
The course has been taught on the Stanford campus for over thirty years by Steve and Erica Lawry, who bring a tremendous amount of experience studying the Bible, applying it in their own lives, and counseling others.
We look forward to seeing you there!
- Jeff Wu
Regardless of where you're at -- you will come out not only with a very practical understanding of how God has designed us to relate as male-female, but also a greater appreciation for Scripture.
Topics include: dating and engagement, protective boundaries, fulfillment as singles; growing through breaking up, healing from sexual wounds; male-female distinctives and how they affect all relationships; marriage in both joyful and painful seasons; leaving and yet honoring parents; etc.
- Benjamin Chen
I just want to put in a plug for the Biblical Counseling Course run by Parakaleo Christian Ministries at Stanford. This wonderful series has been taught by Steve and Erica Lawry for the past 25 years, and over the course of that time they have really gained a tremendous insight into God's heart and the relationship He wants us to have with Him and each other, all of it solidly grounded on God's Word.
In fact, the overall theme of the course is 'relationships'. Last fall we covered our relationship with God, and winter quarter we discussed our relationships with others. This spring we will be launching into the ever-popular subject of male-female relationships. You do not need have participated in past quarters to attend this spring. In fact, many people start the course in the spring and then take it again from the beginning the following year.
- Ed LeMaster
Steve and Erica Lawry, full-time Christian and Biblical
counselors, will be teaching this quarter on SEXUALITY. Topics
include: differences between male and female and how these deeply
affect every relationship, marriage in the Lord in both joyful and
painful seasons, dating and engagement, protective boundaries, growing
through breaking up, healing from sexual wounds, leaving and yet
honoring parents, and its deep impact on relationships and marriage.
This is Christ-centered and expository teaching (straight from God's
Word). Steve does the preaching and Erica does the illustrating.
Sessions are weekly, every Tuesday night, and follow the academic
quarter. The course and weekly handouts are free. Consistent
attendance is most beneficial, although all are welcome to attend
individual sessions.
This is an excellent opportunity to learn and grow---Steve and
Erica are excellent Bible teachers and experienced counselors. The
course will benefit you, your friends and your loved ones as you grow
in understanding of God's wonderful plan for our lives.
-Raymond Shen
I think the Lawrys are a special family who have really offered
themselves to be used by God at Stanford. I consider their free
counseling course to be one of the best deals one can find at tuition-high
Stanford.
Topics this quarter include: differences between male & female & how these
deeply affect every relationship, marraige in the Lord in both joyful &
painful seasons, dating & engagement, protective boundaries, growing
through breaking up, healing from sexual wounds, leaving & yet honoring
parents & its deep impact on relationships & marriage.
This life-giving, practical, extracurricular course is taught directly
from the Bible by Steve & Erica Lawry, full-time Christian Biblical
counselors at Stanford for over 30 years. Steve presents the main Bible
teaching, and Erica illustrates to provide clear insight into the vital,
practical application to our own lives as well as those the Lord gives us
opportunities to serve through encouraging them from His Word.
-Shih-Wei Liao
Male-female relationships: the world offers an abundance of advice
on how we can find them, what they should look like, and how to find
happiness in them. Nevertheless, we often find ourselves, our friends or
family members confused about male-female relationships and sexuality.
How do I know he/she is "the one"? How do I heal from relational or
sexual wounds? How do I have a Godly relationship with my partner? How
do I find joy and fulfillment during a season of singleness? How does God
define my role as male or female? How do I love and respect my
husband/wife? How does the Lord heal and redeem struggling relationships?
How do I serve the Lord as parents to children?
The Lord has provided counsel on these questions through His Word. This
spring quarter, Steve and Erica Lawry will teach about counseling
male-female relationships in the third part of a three-quarter course
designed to train biblical counselors from God's Word. The Lawrys, now in
their thirty-third year of campus ministry, are gifted and effective
teachers of scripture--equipping Stanford believers for ministry through
in-depth study of biblical passages and through illustrating practical
applications of the Lord's word in daily living. This course is immensely
practical, and valuable to those who crave God's truth about male-female
relationships.
-Paula Giardini