Noted teacher and experienced counselor Andrew Lester challenges ministers to take up an often neglected task--caring for the children of the parish. It is the pastor's role, Lester says, to make spiritual sense out of the chaos of crisis. He looks to the ministry of Jesus as the model for faithful, effective ministry and illustrates how a pastor's relationship with troubled children can have a significant impact on their development.

A father's guidance through engaging conversations helps a daughter embrace the power of unconditional love.

In this work, respected scholar Andrew Lester discusses and incorporates the newest behavioral research models, contemporary biblical and theological scholarship, constructivist philosophy, and narrative theory into a comprehensive pastoral theology of anger. In revisiting through the lens of theological anthropology the very subject that brought him to the forefront of scholarship in pastoral care, Lester presents engaging new material and innovative new methods of interventions for dealing with this often-confusing human emotion.

In this book, the authors discuss how increasing intimacy in marriage allows both partners to approach issues of communication, power, anger, and faith more creatively and effectively. With exercises tested by dozens of couples in marriage and family therapy and a clear discussion of contemporary perspectives on marriage, this book is an indispensable resource for couples.

"When Children Suffer" is a collection of essays designed to help pastors, Christian educators, and other care givers work effectively with children in crisis. This illuminating book includes background in child development and psychology as well as specific guidance for helping children who are facing difficult situations, such as their parent's divorce or their own illness.

Argues that Christians should not suppress their anger but learn to deal with it and examines what the scriptures say about anger.

In this ground-breaking book, pastoral counselor Andrew Lester demonstrates that pastoral theology (as well as social and behavioral sciences) has neglected to address effectively the predominant cause of human suffering: a lack of hope, a sense of futurelessness. Lester not only looks at the reasons why addressing the ideas of hope and despair has been overlooked by pastoral theology and other social and behavioral sciences. He also offers a starting point for the development of addressing these important dimensions of human life. He provides clinical theories and methods for pastoral assessment of and intervention with those who despair. He also puts forth strategies for assessing the future stories of those who despair and offers a corrective to these stories through deconstruction, reframing, and reconstruction.