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Cross Talk: Where Life and Scripture Meet

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Recommended: Michael Emlet's CrossTalk offers one of the most robust approaches yet to the biblical counseling process of relating the scriptural narrative to a person's life story. Its Christ-centered, comprehensive, and compassionate approach powerfully and practically equips readers for the personal ministry of the Word.

The publishers aptly promote CrossTalk with the phrase, "An antidote to 'take two verses and call me in the morning.'" For far too long, some segments of current pastoral ministry and modern biblical counseling have practiced the idea that there is a simplistic one-verse, one-problem, one-solution method to every counseling and relationship issue.

Michael Emlet's training as a family physician and as a seminary professor seamlessly equips him to teach a much more robust approach to changing lives with Christ's changeless truth. In CrossTalk, he investigates the intersection of biblical truth and people's lives by exploring how we understand people biblically and how we use the Bible in biblical counseling.

Speaking the Truth in Love

We have many books about how to interpret the Bible, but few address the topic of how to relate truth to life--how to connect Scripture to struggles. Or, if they do, they focus on the pulpit ministry of the Word--preaching and teaching, and not on the personal ministry of the Word--biblical counseling, one another spiritual friendship, and personal spiritual direction.

Emlet teaches us how to look at life experiences through biblical lenses. His focus is on the person and the passage, on how to read the Bible and how to "read" people biblically. You might say that he understands that hybrid Christians run on truth and love. CrossTalk promotes a gospel-centered, personally relevant use of Scripture in personal ministry. "It describes a way to use the Scriptures to help people to grow to love God and others more fully in the midst of their complex daily lives" (p. 4).

The Story of Suffering and Sin

CrossTalk also counters another all-too-frequent error in modern biblical ministry--dealing with sin but minimizing issues of suffering caused by sin. Historically, the church has always helped hardened (sinning) and hurting (suffering) people. Soul care through sustaining and healing has always related God's hope to suffering people, while spiritual direction has always related Christ's grace to people's besetting sins. Emlet wisely continues this biblical, historical practice of Christ-centered, comprehensive, and compassionate biblical counseling.

Emlet connects the Bible to life--all of life in all its complexity. He does so by focusing on the "story"--the story of Scripture and the stories of people's lives. CrossTalk equips readers to make meaningful connections between the two.

Connecting the Bible to Life

While emphasizing the connection between truth and life, Emlet refuses to make the process simplistic. He begins by explaining the nature of the Bible--what it is not and what it is. He correctly summarizes the Bible as a CFR Narrative--the story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption with a Christ-centered focused of helping people to become Christlike.

With this foundational understanding in place, Emlet begins to establish implications for reading and using the Bible. Rather than imagining that personal ministry involves finding the right passage for the right problem for the right person, truly biblical ministry thinks theologically about relationality.

*Creation: Who are we? What makes us tick? (People)

*Fall: What went wrong? Why is the world such a mess? (Problems)

*Redemption: What's the remedy? How do people change? (Solutions)

Biblical counseling is more than looking for one verse for one problem. It is more than looking for theological categories to relate to life issues. It is exploring how a person's dominant story (approach to life) intersects with God's Christ-centered Creation, Fall, Redemption story so that people respond to suffering and sin in such a way that Christ is glorified as they become more Christlike.

Connecting the Stories

In simplistic biblical counseling, we connect the dots. We connect a problem to a passage or a principle.

In robust, rich, relational biblical counseling, we connect the stories. We connect a person and his/her dominant life story of suffering and sin to God's redemptive meta-story of grace.

Emlet first offers some general principles for applying his approach to personal ministry. These seem a tad brief while at the same time being a tad technical--not as full of "real and raw life" as the preceding buildup. However, Emlet subsequently takes an in-depth look at this model, thus breathing life into the skeletal outline. He offers insightful questions for saints, sufferers, sinners, and Scripture which serve as foundations for relating truth to life.

Even more helpfully, CrossTalk introduces Tom's story and Natalie's story. He teaches readers how to read the person, how to connect the person to the Old Testament narrative, and how to connect the person to the New Testament narrative.

We "read" a saint's story by looking for marks of grace. Where is the person living true to his identify as a child of God?

We read a sufferer's story by pondering what circumstances impact his or her struggles. Here Emlet looks predominantly at "level one suffering"--what is happening to the sufferer, and less at "level two suffering"--what is happening in the sufferer. An in-depth look at such internal suffering could have added more richness to this overall valuable approach.

We also read the story of sinning by probing what desires (relational), thoughts (rational), emotions (emotional), and actions (volitional) are out of line with kingdom values and therefore compete with the biblical story. Here Emlet models a thoroughly comprehensive approach to spiritual direction through reconciling and guiding.

Perhaps the most powerful and practical chapters are the two (chapters 9 and 10) in which Emlet demonstrates how to use an Old Testament and a New Testament passage with Tom and with Natalie. Talk about rich! The dialogues of applying scriptural narratives to life narratives are worth the proverbial price of the book. And, quite importantly, Emlet emphasizes that once we understand the grand biblical narrative and the person's dominant life narrative, there are a host of potentially applicable intersecting passages. He offers samplers to whet our appetite and to model what it looks like in "real life."

While the purpose of CrossTalk was not to focus on the relational element in biblical counseling (no one book can cover everything), Emlet's approach is clearly relational. He emphasizes that ongoing relationship is the context for personal ministry and that multiple conversations over time provide a natural framework to relate the biblical story to a person's dominant life story. Growth happens in community.

A Watershed Book

CrossTalk is one of those watershed books. It has the potential to help move the modern biblical counseling movement into the next generation. Its dynamic incorporation of truth and life in the context of scriptural and life narratives is a rare blend. Everyone interesting in understanding where life and Scripture meet should read and apply CrossTalk.

Reviewed By: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, Author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships, and God's Healing for Life's Losses.

Many churches and Pastors in our day see the need for helping people with answers for their life's problems. Slogans like "Real Answers for Real Life" are common in many contemporary churches. Sadly, many times these real answers are not Scripturally-grounded or focused on Christ but are more like the answers one would receive at a self-help seminar or from a motivational speaker. Michael Emlet's book, Cross Talk, points to a better way for Pastors, counselors and other believers. Emlet is convinced that the Bible is inspired by God and therefore incredibly useful in the life of a believer. He is also convinced that Christians often misuse or underuse the Bible by just dealing with it at the soundbite, surface level. Emlet encourages us to go deeper, to let the Scriptures speak by understanding what they meant to their original audience and then transferring that understanding to our current situation. Emlet makes a point that passages connect to people on the level of saint, sufferer and sinner, but that not every passage applies on all three levels. The first half of the book is Emlet's attempt to build the case for reading the Bible in a holistic way. The second half of the book deals with the application of the principles of the first half to two case studies, Tom and Natalie. In each case, Emlet shows how an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage can be used in counseling. There are samples of dialogue and a depiction of how this kind of biblically-based counseling works in practice.
I was most impressed by this book. Emlet has done an excellent job of connecting serious study of the Bible with diligent application of Scripture to daily life. I hope that many churches will move toward the approach of this book, by acknowledging the paradigm of saint, sufferer and sinner instead of providing simplistic answers to real life which are really not answers at all and which fail to address life as it really is, beautiful and broken, challenging but hopeful.

In today's world, Biblical illiteracy is becoming widespread. Even in America, one will find people without any knowledge of even the most basic Bible stories. The evangelical church doesn't fare much better, unfortunately. While the average church-goer is familiar with Bible stories and even Bible trivia, they are often unable to connect the Bible's message to the real, every-day problems life throws their way. As a result, the Bible stays tucked away on a dusty shelf, while the latest self-help book lies half-read on the nightstand.

Michael Emlet addresses this problem head on in his new book, "CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet". The book explains how to understand and apply the Bible to the problems of life. Along the way it deals with questions of nature and interpretation: What is the Bible all about? How do we interpret the Bible? What are the real nature of life's many problems? How should we understand these real life situations?

The book opens by explaining the concept of ditches and canyons in relation to the Bible. Some passages have a relatively simple connection to our modern day life. The separation from the original world and context of the Bible to today is comparable to a shallow ditch. Other passages seem, in contrast, like canyons. It is hard to visualize any kind of contemporary application from the endless genealogies of 1 Chronicles or the bloody conquest of Canaan. Functionally, this leaves many Christians with an abridged Bible. Ditch passages resonate with us and: "In practical terms, we end up ministering with an embarrassingly thinner but supposedly more relevant Bible." (pg. 16) Of course, the Bible wasn't given to us in such an abridged manner. In fact, upon closer examination of several passages, Emlet shows how the ditches are actually wider than they seem, and canyons may not be quite so deep.

The next 2 chapters discuss what the Bible is and what it isn't. For me, this was the best part of the book. Emlet confronts several popular misconceptions of Scripture. The Bible is not primarily a book of Do's and Don'ts. It is not a book of timeless principles for the problems of life. The Bible is not primarily a casebook of characters to imitate or avoid. It is not primarily a system of doctrines. In all of this, Emlet emphasizes that for too many, the Bible has become Gospel-deficient! "You could talk about how to discipline your child..., draw encouragement from God's presence as you start a demanding new job..., emulate David's courage..., and discuss predestination..., without ever referring to the coming of the kingdom in Jesus Christ or encountering him yourself! Shouldn't the life, death and resurrection of Christ have some practical connection to disciplining children, God's presence, living with courage, and the doctrine of predestination?" (pg. 37-38) The Bible is a story - The Story. It's chapters include creation, fall, and redemption. It's main character is Jesus. It is all about Him!

Emlet draws important implications from this understanding of what the Bible is. We should read it back to front and front to back. Using a bigger Bible, results in a richer ministry. God's mission is central. Our lives should be lived bidirectionally. Interpretation and application should be a community (church) affair.

The next few chapters address the story aspect of life. The bits and pieces of life, which are so easy to diagnose and correct, actually have a "narrative skeleton" on which they hang. These pieces "add up to a cohesive whole". "Despite (their) diversity... certain patterns can be discerned. Life histories are going somewhere." (pg. 65-66) In light of the True Story, our lives are a combination of competing stories. Focusing too narrowly on individual aspects of one's life may ignore the larger picture of what God is doing, and where the real battle is.

We are fallen people. But created in God's image, and redeemed by Christ, we are simultaneously saints, sufferers and sinners. It is important to provide hope to those we minister to. "Ministry to others is much more than correction or reproof. It is also encouragement..., vision-casting, and hope-building." (pg. 95)

The final chapters of the book apply the approach to two case studies. "Tom" and "Natalie" present challenging life situations and varying degrees of understanding Scripture. Michael Emlet models how to apply Scripture carefully from a variety of texts (both ditches and canyons) to their life stories. This fleshes out the book's message and offers a practical explanation for how this perspective to the Bible and people works out. Emlet takes pains to emphasize that this isn't an exact science, nor is ministry only to be performed by people who have everything figured out. You will learn and grow, and the more you do, the better able you will be to connect the Bible to life, and the more impact you will have on people's lives.

The book covers a lot of ground as it seeks to explain how to approach Scripture and how to approach people. Both skills are needed. "In ministry we are reading two `texts' simultaneously, the story of Scripture and the story of the person we serve.... Reading the person without reading the Bible is a recipe for ministry lacking the life-changing power of the Spirit working through his Word." (pg. 90)

I appreciated the immense practical value of this book. I can't think of a more important topic for Christians to study. We need to minister to our own selves and speak the Word into the lives of those around us. Readers will find the book laid out in a helpful way, and very easy to read. Discussion questions after each chapter make the book ideal for group studies.

I can't recommend this book more highly. The "whole Bible", redemptive-historical approach to Scripture that is explained is life changing. The pattern for personal application of Scripture for use in ministry to others will multiply that change exponentially. You need to get this book!

Disclaimer: This book was provided by New Growth Press for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

I was sitting in my office at the church on a rather quiet Friday afternoon. Things weren't very busy, as many had already left for the day. My phone rang. The receptionist said a woman walked in who was in need of pastoral care. Given my present mix of responsibilities at the church where I serve, pastoral counseling isn't formally listed on my "job" description. It's not that I didn't want to come alongside this person in our body; I just didn't expect to be the one called upon to provide the care. That being said, those who normally are involved in pastoral care and counseling had departed for the day, so the receptionist asked if I could talk to Irene*.

As I walked out into the lobby to greet Irene, she immediately apologized for being an inconvenience (which, she wasn't) and began to cry. I invited her into my office where she proceeded to share the news that she had just been let go from her job under rather unjust circumstances. With a flood of questions, doubt, confusion, sadness, and more, she was longing for some manner of help and healing; and she was looking to me for guidance...

The question is, "How does one effectively and accurately, in a timely and sensitive manner, bring the Word of God to bear on the lives of those whom we are given the grace to counsel toward the cross?"

The Psalmist wrote:

"My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!"
Psalm 119:28, ESV

"My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word."
Psalm 119:81, ESV

The challenge presented for many Christian pastors, counselors, and those in any type of accountability relationship is connecting the Bible to a myriad of life situations, in an interpretively faithful and biblical sound manner, bringing strength to the person facing the difficulty.
CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet (New Growth Press, 2009), by Michael R. Emlet (M.Div., M.D.), is a welcomed and much-needed resource which stands in refreshing contrast to plethora of books spouting self-help, psychological nonsense. In this gospel-centered, accessible resource for pastors, counselors, and laypersons alike, Emlet provides methods and models for meeting life's most challenging situations with the transforming power of the gospel.

"God speaks to change us," writes Emlet. Though that truth is widely known, the art of applying the Scriptures in a meaningful way to a particular person's life often ends up in well-intentioned, but contextually-absent, eisegetically derived principles, with very general applications; possibly serving to meet the moment, but failing to help the person continually move more deeply into gospel realities and experiencing long-term spiritual growth and healing.

CrossTalk aims to help the reader "interpret people as well as Scripture and suggest relevant biblical applications that will benefit those around [them]." Emlet accomplishes this aim by:

-Addressing several common misunderstandings of biblical application

-Reorienting the reader around a redemptive-historical understanding and application of the grand narrative of Scripture, centering on the person and work of Christ.

-This approach opens up the entirety of the Bible to the couselor, allowing them to utilize passages (i.e., 1 Chronicles & Haggai 2) potentially un-mined in the past in terms of their gospel-centeredness.

-Instructing the reader in becoming an active listener of the stories of individuals to help counselees move toward a biblical understanding of, and outlook on, their story in light of the gospel.

-Making the reader aware of the indicative-imperative structure of biblical commands, grounding them in the reality of the gospel.
-Graciously approaching those we seek to help in the biblical categories of saint, sufferer, and sinner. In every case moving them toward a deeper understanding of the faithful grace of God.

-Including thought provoking discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
Demonstrating the approach and process in action through two case studies.

Overall, CrossTalk is an invaluable resource in the development of a gospel-centered, grace-saturated, biblically faithful approach to care and counseling. I highly recommend it!

Just in case you were wondering about my counseling appointment...Through the story of Job and the Sermon on the Mount, by God's grace, I was able to redirect her toward the riches of the gospel and God's sovereignty; applying aspect of what Emlet describes in the pages of CrossTalk to Irene's situation. She left encouraged by the reality of the gospel in the life of a believer, and for that I was grateful.

*The name was changed to protect the identity of the individual.

Very often, people read the Bible and have a hard time relating to it in the past-paced and modern society in which we live. In his book, `CrossTalk: Where Live and Scripture Meet,' Dr. Michael R. Emlet provides a practical approach to bring the Bible and life together.

Here is the synopsis of this book:

An Antidote to "Take Two Verses and Call me in the Morning"
Your friend just left his wife. You catch your child posting something inappropriate on the internet. Someone in your small group is depressed. A relative was just diagnosed with an incurable disease. When those you know and love experience trouble, you don't want to hand out pat answers or religious platitudes. Instead, you want to offer real hope and help from God's Word. You know it's true, but how does an ancient book, written thousands of years ago, connect with your twenty-first century problems?
In Crosstalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet, Michael R. Emlet gives you the tools to connect the Bible to your life and to the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Using case studies and concrete examples, Emlet gives practical direction for how to effectively apply Scripture to everyday problems. You will learn to understand people and God's Word in ways that promote gospel-centered, rich conversations to help you and those you know grow in love for God and others. This book will make the whole Bible come alive for you. Instead of platitudes, you can offer a cup of living water to those who are struggling in this broken world.

Here is the author's biography:

Michael R. Emlet, M.Div, M.D., practiced as a family physician for twelve years before becoming a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (http://www.ccef.org). His responsibilities for CCEF include counseling, teaching, directing the CCEF Counseling Internship program, writing, and speaking. He is the author of many counseling articles and booklets. Dr. Emlet received a M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Div from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA. He resides near Philadelphia with his wife and two children. He enjoys camping, gardening, and making pottery at his community art center. He and his family are active members in their local church where he serves as a small group leader.

Here is Dr. Emlet discussing his book:

[...]

Dr. Emlet provides his summation on why he wrote this book:

To sum up, this book can help you to read the Bible and "read" people in a way that promotes gospel-centered, personally relevant use of Scripture in ministry to others. It describes a way to use the Scriptures to help people grow to love God and others more fully in the midst of their complex daily lives. (p. 4)

And here he explains who would gain from owning/reading `CrossTalk':

Here's the bottom line: this book is for anyone who takes the "one another" passages of the Bible seriously and is eager to use the richness of Scripture to minister wisely to the people God has placed in his or her sphere of influence. It is for anyone who has been captured by Paul's vision for God's people, namely "that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the while measure of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:12-13) (p. 5)

Here is the explanation of his approach - that Scripture needs to be used in counseling/ministry:

This good news reaches God's people in the trenches of life and is tailored to the particularities of life. Any attempts at ministering God's Word that do not fundamentally connect the good news of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, with the details, themes, and plotlines of people's lives will miss the mark (or land off the target altogether!). Hence, it is appropriate to call the approach of this book "redemptive-historical" or "gospel-centered" application. It is an approach that takes the narrative (storied) nature of the Bible seriously in order to make wise connections with the narratives of our lives. Understanding both the Story of God and the stories of the people we serve is necessary to help others embrace the transformation the Bible envisions for God's people. (p. 7)

He goes on to explain the goal of this book:

Put simply, the overall goal of this book is to help you live a biblically rich, Christ-centered life in community with fellow believers. It will equip you to make more sense of the details of the Bible and the details of people's lives. It will equip you to see how the diverse writings of Scripture have a cohesive, kingdom-centered thrust. And it will help you discern life patterns, themes, and plotlines that underlie the details of people's experiences. Ultimately, it should equip you to more carefully read the story of the Bible and diverse stories of the people you know and to make meaningful connections between the two.
...CrossTalk focuses our attention on the intersection of two kinds "speech" - the story of Scripture and the stories of people's lives. This is the place of application. This is CrossTalk in action. (pp. 8-9)

What an interesting approach; that makes a lot of sense to me!

Connecting the Bible and life can sometimes be difficult. Dr. Emlet's term for it is the "Ditch vs. Canyon Phenomenon":

What I mean is this: sometimes use of Scripture in ministry has the feel of stepping across a ditch (easy!) and sometimes it has the feel of stepping across a canyon (impossible!). The challenge, really, is how to bridge the gap between an ancient biblical text and a present-day life situation. How do we attempt to bridge that divide? Most of the time we assume that a direct line of connection must exist between the situation then (in the text) and the situation now. Or at the very least we think we can extract some "timeless principle" from the text and bring it to the present. This mind-set, where we assume some kind of one-to-one correspondence between a text then and a situation now, is admirable in its goal to "make" the Scriptures relevant to the believer today. (p. 15)

Dr. Emlet emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in this process:

We share the same struggles common to people of all eras, so we should expect God's revelation to them to resonate with us. In addition, let's not forget that God's Spirit gives wisdom and direction in the application of Scripture to life. Although I will stress throughout this book the importance of deeper study of Scripture and people, I want to affirm the often impromptu Spirit-led connection between the Bible and life that you have experienced in ministry. You already have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). At the same time, just because God's Spirit graciously uses your current knowledge of Scripture to connect with people, that doesn't mean you shouldn't dig deeper as you have opportunity. View this book, then, as an opportunity to dig for more treasure, even as you use and enjoy the riches you already have found! (p. 18)

In Chapter 3, Dr. Emlet declares what the Bible is:

If you read the Bible from cover to cover you realize that it narrates (proclaims!) a true and cohesive story: the good news that through Jesus Christ God has entered history to liberate and renew the world from its bondage to sin and suffering. This is the story of God, who pursues the restoration of his creation at the cost of his own life. His is making all things new (Rev. 21:5)! That's the simple and yet profound, life- and world-altering plotline of the Bible. Don't you want to live in light of that plot? Don't you want to help others do the same? No part of our lives should remain unchanged as we are captured by this redemptive story. (p. 41)

My answers to both of those questions - "yes" and "yes"!

The general characteristics of Jesus' life connect with Israel:

But he completes Israel's story in an unexpected way. He does not
reestablish the renewing rule of God by freeing the Jews from exile and from enemy rule in accordance with Old Testament prophetic declarations (e.g., Is. 52:7-10; 59:16-20; Zech. 8:3). Instead, he becomes the Passover Lamb, the final sacrifice for the sins of his people (Matt. 20:28; 1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 9:11-15; 10:11-14). Suffering, humiliation, a cross and death would precede glory. Sacrifice would precede celebration and vindication. (p. 45)

It is important that we read the Bible from back-to-front, and front-to-back:

[K]nowing the end of the biblical story means we can never read the earlier parts in the same way. That's certainly true for the way Jesus and the New Testament writers read and interpret the (Old Testament) Scriptures... Knowing how the story ends, we ask "What difference does the death and resurrection of Jesus make for how I understand this passage?" The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the climax of redemption initiated in the Old Testament and the sure foundation for the life of the newly formed church. .. So whether we find ourselves in the Old Testament or New Testament, we expect to discover an organic connection to the person and work of Christ, with multi-faceted implications for the lives of God's people. (p. 54)

It is important that we have the same worldview that God has:

Seeing the Bible as a unified story of God's redemptive mission helps us avoid introspective, individualistic application. The endpoint of redemption isn't a redeemed and transformed individual life (your own or another's) - it is the restoration of all things! Have you caught that immense vision? Does it saturate your life and ministry? We can settle for so little in our use of Scripture, even when we genuinely look to the Scriptures to guide our lives. We are, to paraphrase, C.S. Lewis, like children content to make mud pies in the backyard when a beach vacation is offered to them. Do we keep before us the hope that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14)? (pp. 57-58)

And it's also important that we look at the Bible as a whole to order to have a whole life:

Because we tend to use "bits" of the Bible for disconnected "bits" of daily life without paying attention to the whole, the whole of people's lives don't change. A dis-integrated Bible often leads to dis-integrated, compartmentalized lives. This doesn't mean we have to tell the whole story every time we minister the Word. Many conversations don't permit such depth. But it does mean that the sweeping, Christ-centered plotline of Scripture increasingly shapes the way we view and use any passage. (p. 62)

We need to look at people in terms of three categories: saints, sufferers and sinners.

Here are questions for the saint (p. 95):

1. What evidence of God's grace do you see in the person's life?
2. In what ways do you see the individual already living true to her identity in Christ? (That is, how does the person already exhibit the character of Christ in word and deed?).

Here are questions for the sufferer (p. 97):

1. What significant situational stressors is he currently facing? Consider things like body/health issues ("intrapersonal" influences), relational pressures ("interpersonal" influences), and circumstantial and social/cultural influences).
2. What were the significant shaping events of his life?
3. How has he been sinned against?
4. How is the person experiencing his problems?

Here are questions for the sinner (p. 98):

1. What desires, thoughts, emotions, and actions are out of line with gospel/kingdom values?
2. What motives, themes, and interpretations of life "compete" with the biblical story?

Dr. Emlet goes on to provide two case studies of people who have problems they need to work through (a man with problems in his marriage and an addiction to pornography; a woman who is questioning her life and life's work). He provides examples of his approach using the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Dr. Emlet concludes his book this way:

I'm convinced that, in large measure, it is because we have ignored the redemptive-historical character of God's story and the narrative structure of people's lives as saints, sufferers, and sinners. As a result, our use of Scripture never really connects the heart of people's struggles with the glorious, unfolding story of redemption that climaxes in the coming of Jesus. Details of the Bible are disconnected from the details of people's lives when we overlook the redemptive meta-narrative that encompasses them both.
My hope in writing this book is that the music people would hear as we use the Scriptures would be a gospel-rich, kingdom-focused, Christ-centered symphony in their ears, with the result that the alternative (and ultimately false) voices and stories that beguile them are drowned out increasingly to insignificance. May you increasingly know the One to whom the story of Scripture points so that no matter where you are in the Bible, you may consistently help your fellow saints, sufferers, and sinners live out his powerful and redemptive message. (pp. 178-179)

I thought this book was incredible. Dr. Emlet writes in a style that is understandable to the layman, yet sophisticated enough for the professional. I think this book should be in the library of all churches and counseling centers. It is also valuable for the individual who wants to be better at incorporating life and Scripture for application on self and on others. In my opinion, life change can only really happen when Jesus Christ is at the center, and Dr. Emlet keeps Him right where He needs to be. I thank Dr. Emlet for writing such a useful and practical book.

This book was provided by New Growth Press for review purposes.

Reviewed by Andrea Schultz - Ponderings by Andrea - [...]

Have you ever wished you could use the Bible to have real impact on the lives of those you care about? Do you wonder how the `strange' parts of the Bible relate in any way to life today in the 21st century? Do you want to learn how to really minister to people in a significant way by connecting their stories to the Story of the Scriptures? If any of these questions resonate with you, Michael R. Emlet has written a book for you: CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet. Emlet is a counselor and faculty member of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), and like all of their materials, this book has a Christ-centered, Gospel-focused approach to dealing with the sin and suffering that we all face living in fallen world.

In the author's words, here is his purpose for writing the book: "the overall goal of this book is to help you live a biblically rich, Christ-centered life in community with fellow believers. It will equip you to make more sense of the details of the Bible and the details of people's lives. It will equip you to see how the diverse writings of Scripture have a cohesive, kingdom-centered thrust. And it will help you discern life patterns, themes and plotlines that underlie the details of peoples experiences. Ultimately, it should equip you to more carefully read the story of the Bible and the diverse stories of the people you know and to make meaningful connections between the two". (pp. 9).

The book begins by focusing on the challenge of applying Scripture to life. It is easy to take some passages and use them to encourage or challenge someone. Sharing the verse, "Do not be anxious about anything..." (Phil. 4:6) with someone who is struggling with fear, would be an example of this type of passage. But how do you counsel or encourage someone who is struggling with a gambling addiction and bipolar disorder? Or how do you use a passage like the Philistines capturing the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Sam. 4. These are a few of the things Emlet shares to make his point that "sometimes use of Scripture in ministry has the feel of stepping across a ditch (easy!), and sometimes is has the feel of stepping across a canyon (impossible!). The challenge, really, is how to bridge the gap between and ancient biblical text and a present-day life situation. How do we attempt to bride that divide?" (pp. 15). The author's point is made that if you only use the `ditch' passages, you wind up having an abbreviated and diminished Bible and you lose some of the power and depth of the Gospel in people's lives. In light of this, Emlet works hard throughout the book to show that both ditch and canyon passages have power and relevance for us today.

The next section is a clarification of what the Bible is not and what it is. In other words, to know how to use Scripture correctly, we must use it as it was designed to be used. He makes clear that the Bible is not (primarily) a book of do's and dont's, a book of timeless principles for the problems of life, a casebook of characters to imitate or avoid, or a system of doctrines. He then works to clarify what the Bible actually is: "it narrates (and proclaims!) a true and cohesive story: the good news that through Jesus Christ God has entered history to liberate and renew the world from its bondage to sin and suffering." (pp. 41). And in light of this story, Emlet then gives several helpful implications that this truth has on our reading and using the Bible.

In the remainder of the book, he turns to understanding the stories of people and how we connect people's stories to the story of the Bible, and from this he builds a model for using Scripture to help minister to people as saints, sufferers and sinners. He then shows how to apply this model with two hypothetical people, Tom & Natalie, that represent a composite of many of his own counselees over the years. He shows how to apply an Old Testament story to each of their situations, and then how to apply a New Testament passage to each of their situations. Throughout this book, the author encourages people that while using Scripture to help others takes work, he also continually shows how God works amazingly and graciously to help us in this process. By the end of the book, I was encouraged to consider how I could use the model given in this book to help those I encounter, and I was reminded of how God's Word is powerfully able to change hearts and minds by His Spirit.

In summary, CrossTalk is a very helpful book that both reminds the reader the true purpose and use of Scripture, and then gives practical, grace-centered, ways to use Scripture to minister to others. It is an excellent resource for counselors, pastors, or anyone else who wants to be a minister of grace to others. And it is also a great reminder of how to apply the truths of the Word to our own stories as well. I know I will now be recommending it often to others, and I will also frequently be returning to it myself!

Michael Emlet's CrossTalk is a strong work in the field of Gospel-Centered counseling. This work clearly comes from the CCEF, not just from the publishing company, but from the heart-targeted focus. There are seen throughout the text, the influences of C. J. Mahaney in the books gospel-centeredness and Mike Bullmore in illustrating the gospel connections.
Where Emlet's work is unique is the level of hands-on counseling. Emlet takes the book to workbook with simulated dialog and scriptural application. This is the book if the reader is looking for mentoring in the counseling process. While the book uses some awkward vehicles to communicate these such as "ditch" and "canyon" application, it goes a long way to answering the question, what does gospel-centered counseling look like.
- Publius

CrossTalk Where Life and Scripture Meet is written by Dr. Michael R. Emlet counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. CrossTalk is a unique book in that it not only explains why reading the Bible in a Christ-centered way is important, but actually helps the reader to connect the Christ-centered nature of Scripture to one's daily life and ministry.

This book is an important contribution to the conversation on the Christ-centered nature of Scripture, because it major's not on theory, but combines serious scholarship with deep love for God's people. The best part of this book in my opinion is chapter seven where Dr. Emlet proposes how to integrate a Christ-centered reading of Scripture into ministry. He proposes that as we minister the Scriptures we see people as falling into three categories: saint, suffer, and sinner. Under the saint category the author explains that as we minister to one another we should affirm the evidences of grace in a believer's life. In other words we should affirm where we see and have seen the Holy Spirit at work in the believer's life (page 95-96). Under the category of suffer we need to see the "entry gate themes" such as fear, anger, despair, shame, guilt, etc in a person's life (page 98) Under the category of sinner we are seeking to understand the stories, values and beliefs that guiding and leading the person to sinful words, values, and beliefs (page 99). In my opinion thinking through the categories of saint, suffer and sinner is helpful because it is biblical and affirms what God is doing in a person's life, and how to help people grow in areas of weakness in their walk with God.

Reading this book has been very helpful for me especially thinking through how I minister to people in the categories of saint, suffer and sinner. Many times in ministering to others I focused too much on the suffering and sinner aspects and miss out on affirming the saint category. CrossTalk is an important book on a vital topic and will help you to understand not only the Christ-centered nature of Scripture, but also how to live out the Christ-centered nature of Scripture, and minister to others in a way that brings glory to God, and advances the Kingdom of God. I recommend every believer, and especially those who serve as Pastors, counselors or teachers of the Word of God to read CrossTalk in order to learn how Life and Scripture meet together to transform lives for the Gospel.

Title: Servanthood as Worship: The Privilege of Life in a Local Church

Author: Dr. Michael Emlet

Publisher: New Growth Press 2009

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Growth Press book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Crosstalk," by Michael R. Emlet was not what I expected when I picked it up. I thought it would be a book that would link Bible passages to real live situations in a nice pat way. The book is anything but pat.

What I got from the book was a whole lot more. To sum it up, Michael R. Emlet's goal is to, "help you read the Bible and read people in a way that promotes gospel-centered, personally relevant use of Scripture in ministry to others."

Emlet draws a comparison between DITCH and CANYON passages of Scripture. "Sometimes use of Scripture in ministry has the feel of stepping across a ditch (easy!) and sometimes it has the feel of stepping across a canyon (impossible!)" Ditch passages are easy to make the connection whereas Canyon passages require a little more thought. Emlet points out that if we restrict ourselves to only the DITCH passages we end up "ministering with an embarrassingly thinner but supposedly more relevant Bible." (p.16) Restricting ourselves to only DITCH passages also implies that some parts of the Bible are not as relevant as other parts. The challenge of the book is to open ourselves up to the WHOLE counsel of God.

I like the fact that Emlet takes the time to explain exactly what the Bible is and (just as importantly) what it is not. He talks about how the Bible needs to be read front to back as well as back to front (p.52) I found that this approach added a whole new meaning to the concept of context. Emlet points out that to read the Bible in context, it must be read through the lens of Jesus Christ since He is the pivotal point in the whole story.

I also like the way Emlet emphasized the importance of "reading" people wisely in order to accurately convey the power of God's Word into their lives. (p.65) He suggests approaching people in the counseling setting in three different roles: Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners. The big challenge I got from the book is to really try to get the Word of God DEEPLY into people's lives by addressing theses three roles.

The Book is full of examples and two separate case studies that demonstrate effective Biblical Counseling. The book also has a detailed Scripture index in the back. The book is not an easy read since it requires some thought, but it is well worth the effort for those who have a counseling ministry. I wished I had a book like this when I was taking Biblical Counseling in Seminary.

This book was provided by New Growth Press for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book does a fine job of navigating a central key in biblical counseling. Emlet helps us see the grand scheme of God's storyline intersecting the every storyline of our own lives. With ample warning and illustration against proof-text applications, this book faithfully equips counselors to see how the gospel speaks to and remedies life's difficulties.