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Helping Those Who Don’t Want Help is unavailable, but you can change that!

Warm hearted but hard nosed. One of the modern myths is that ministers lead sheltered lives. A person who swears in the presence of a pastor will often stop and say, “Oh, excuse me, Reverend,” as if pastoral ears are unaccustomed to such indelicate terms. If anything, pastors are more acquainted with the effects of human depravity. Each week brings situations of power, conflict, adultery, and...

mentioned, motivated largely by the pleasure of being with her. In that case, too, the motive is probably sufficient to rule out personal involvement. Another dangerous and ineffective motivation is self-righteousness. “I’ve found being dogmatic and legalistic does not lead a person to want help. It turns him against it,” said a pastoral counselor. “But if he feels he’ll get a fair hearing, he’s much more apt to let someone step in. It’s crucial to sincerely want to understand that person’s point
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