Celebrating 50 years

Welcome to this special anniversary edition of our magazine CCEF Now & Then. This year marks 50 years of ministry for the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation.

In  this issue some of the articles look back to how CCEF started— the  foundations on which we were built. Other articles capture our cutting  edge—how we are growing and where we are going. As a team we have spent  time over the last year reflecting on key passages of Scripture that are  foundational to our work. A selection of these passages is sprinkled  throughout this issue, along with reflections from different men and  women about why the passage is foundational.

We  who are committed to biblical counseling ministry, at CCEF and  elsewhere, have come a long way. Scripture’s wisdom and grace for  counseling has been freely given by the Holy Spirit. And we have a long  way to go still. Wisdom and grace for counseling must become embodied in  people and in practice. That process must be renewed in every  generation.

I would be remiss if I did  not remember and thank the many men and women who have given of  themselves and used their gifts here since 1968. These men and  women—counselees, counselors, faculty, staff, students, donors, readers,  board members—created our past and continue to make us what we are  today. You, the readers of this magazine, are foundational to our work. A  better way to put it is, what we do with you. Our mission  is fulfilled when Christians have wise conversations about things that  really matter, with the Lord and with one another.

On  behalf of everyone who has, who is, and who will serve the Lord through  the ministry of CCEF, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May  Jesus Christ be praised!

This issue of CCEF Now includes:

God is Changing Us-But How?
David Powlison

Ministry Connections
Featuring two counseling centers

Counseling Is Theological
Ed Welch

Become a Wilderness Companion
Winston Smith

Engaging Our Emotions, Engaging with God
Alasdair Groves

Meet the Counselor
Melissa Clemmens