CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet

We all want to be loved, accepted, and approved of by others. But when that desire becomes something we need in order to be okay, it can begin to shape our relationships, decisions, and even our obedience to God. In this episode, Gunner Gundersen sits down with Ed Welch and Mike Emlet to revisit Ed's influential book, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man.

Ed shares the story behind the book and how his exploration of the codependency movement led him to discover the rich ways Scripture speaks to our longing for approval. Together, they reflect on personal experiences with people-pleasing, consider how our desires can become demands, and explore how the fear of man shows up in everyday relationships. They also discuss practical questions that help uncover what we're looking for from others and how we can grow in love. Ultimately, the way forward isn't simply greater self-awareness, but a deeper knowledge of Christ—one that turns our attention from ourselves and others toward the beauty and greatness of God.

Mentioned in this episode:
- When Divorce is Mercy | book my Michael Gembola and Darby Strickland
- When People are Big and God is Small | book by Ed Welch

When work feels repetitive, fruitless, or disconnected from our gifts, it's easy to wonder whether it really matters. In this episode, Gunner Gundersen talks with CCEF colleagues Lauren Whitman, Darby Strickland, and Todd Stryd about why even good work can feel meaningless. They explore how the brokenness of work, cultural expectations, and the temptation to find our identity in our jobs can shape our experience of our daily responsibilities.

Scripture offers a different perspective: Work is a good gift from God, an opportunity to love our neighbors, and a place to serve the Lord—even when our efforts go unnoticed or produce little visible fruit. The conversation considers how to discern whether it's time for a job change, how to seek wise counsel and grow in self-understanding, and how to encourage loved ones who are struggling at work. Through the mundane and the difficult, God sees our labor, and in Christ, our work is not in vain.

Comparison and envy are such ordinary parts of human experience that we often barely notice them. But what do they reveal about our hearts, and how do they affect our relationships with God and others? In this episode, Gunner Gundersen is joined by Ed Welch and Aaron Sironi to explore how envy takes root in the things we value, from recognition and influence to relationships and abilities. They consider how social media can fuel comparison, how envy undermines love and contentment, and how it can expose our doubts about God's generosity.

Rather than simply telling ourselves to stop comparing, we need something more profound: a renewed vision of Christ and all we have received in him. Through Scripture, gratitude, and a growing appreciation of God's character, we can learn to loosen the grip of envy, celebrate the gifts of others, and find our worth in Christ.

How should biblical counselors engage secular psychology and the many other voices seeking to understand human desires and motivations? In this final episode of our seven-part series on CCEF's distinctives, Gunner Gundersen is joined by Jonathan Holmes, Dr. Mike Emlet, and Dr. Todd Stryd to explore CCEF's seventh distinctive: "Biblical counseling engages with the voices around us." They discuss how biblical counselors can neither simply embrace nor dismiss other perspectives, but instead engage them charitably and critically.

The conversation explores what it means to reframe, translate, and be provoked by observations from secular psychology and other sources, always interpreting and refining them through the question, "Who is the Lord, and what does he say?" The group considers practical examples from OCD treatment and trauma, as well as how this approach shapes pastoral care in the local church. Throughout, they emphasize that Christians don't need to be fearful of other voices or diagnoses. Instead, we can listen with curiosity, bring the richness of Scripture to people's experiences, and minister as fellow saints, sufferers, and sinners.

Mentioned in this episode:
- Explore or purchase our new course: Theology and Secular Psychology at ccef.org/school
- Learn more about our beliefs and distinctives at ccef.org/about
- Cure of Souls and the Modern Psychotherapies | Article by Dr. David Powlison
- Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others as God Loves Us | Book by Dr. Mike Emlet

What makes the local church the natural home for biblical counseling?

In part 6 of our 7-part series on CCEF's distinctives, Gunner Gundersen is joined by Jonathan Holmes and Ed Welch to discuss why care and counsel are pastoral and at home in the church. Together they explore the beauty of face-to-face ministry—the calling of every Christian, and the unique role of parachurch organizations in serving the local church.

Along the way, they reflect on stories of faithful ministry, the ordinary conversations God uses to bring change, and the vision of a church where every member participates in caring for one another.

Mentioned in this episode:

- Explore CCEF books at ccef.org/book
- Learn more about our beliefs and distinctives at ccef.org/about
- Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands | Book by Paul David Tripp
- Side by Side | Book by Ed Welch