Our approach to counseling and personal ministry is often lopsided—we treat people as minds to be taught or problems to be fixed, moving too quickly toward applying biblical solutions without taking the time to love people well and understand their experiences and hurts.
The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life provides a comprehensive view of how the heart works and how Christ redeems it. Pierre’s faith-centered understanding of people combines with a Word-centered methodology to give readers a practical way to help others better understand their tough experiences and who they are in light of who Jesus is. Pierre guides readers through four key activities—reading, reflecting, relating, and renewing—that will consistently position them to understand everyday human experiences in light of Scripture.
Pierre exposes the false dichotomy between the spiritual and seemingly unspiritual parts of the human experience, showing how every thought, feeling, and choice actually expresses the spiritual activity of the heart. He shows how faith in Christ is the means by which the heart begins to respond differently. Faith is not only the entry point for heart change, but also an expression of our everyday, ongoing need for Christ.
Pierre’s holistic view of counseling—forged by his experiences as a counselor, pastor, and seminary professor—equips readers to understand how everyday beliefs, desires, and commitments shape how we respond to life’s biggest struggles and how an active relationship of trust in God is the foundation for lifelong change.
Author
Jeremy Pierre, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling and Dean of Students at Southern Seminary. He is also a pastor at Clifton Baptist Church. He is coauthor of The Pastor and Counseling. He and his wife Sarah raise their five children in Louisville, Kentucky.
"Scripture commands us to pay careful attention not only to our actions but also to our hearts. Yet, as many Christians know, the fight against indwelling sin can be one of the most challenging and exhausting aspects of the Christian life. In this book, Jeremy Pierre shows us how to deal with our hearts according to the truths of the Gospel. This book, firmly committed to the sufficiency and authority of Scripture, is a needed resource for the church."
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"In The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life, Jeremy Pierre wonderfully describes how a heart with dynamic faith will so value things that God finds valuable that God becomes the 'control desire' in human experience, emotion, and choice. This insight provides not simply an understanding of human motivation but a profoundly helpful tool for transformative Christian counseling."
Bryan Chapell, Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church; author, Holiness by Grace and Christ-Centered Preaching
"I am delighted to see this book in print. Jeremy Pierre has ministered to me as a friend and colleague much more than he realizes. Now, through this book, many others can see why he is so appreciated by his students, seminary associates, and fellow church members. In these pages pastors, counselors, caretakers, and just about anyone who works with people will find help to better understand the heart and experience of the person in front of them, and thereby be more fully equipped to minister Christ to that person."
Donald S. Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Praying the Bible
"There is nothing more important in counseling and Christian growth than understanding what God's Word says about the heart. That is why I am excited and thankful for Jeremy Pierre's new book. He thoroughly unpacks what Scripture says about the heart and then brings to light how we can practically fulfill this instruction in our counseling and in our everyday life. I highly recommend it and look forward to using this volume in many aspects of local church ministry."
Steve Viars, Senior Pastor, Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana
"Thoughts. Emotions. Choices. All three are important aspects of human experience. Overlook one or more aspects, and ministry to struggling people will be truncated at its best and dangerous at its worst. In this well-organized resource, Jeremy Pierre paints a three-dimensional picture of our hearts in relation to God, self, others, and the circumstances of life. In so doing he gives pastors, counselors, and other leaders a helpful, Christ-centered framework for wise and balanced ministry."
Michael R. Emlet, Faculty and Counselor, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF); author of CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet
"Christians are privileged today to have access to many books that are true and helpful. But every now and then a book comes along that is truly brilliant. The Dynamic Heart is such a book. Dr. Pierre expertly weds a theology of the soul and an explanation of the practice of personal care to create one of the most important books ever written in the biblical counseling movement. Every student and practitioner of counseling needs to become familiar with the concepts in this book."
Heath Lambert, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church Jacksonville, Florida; Executive Director, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors
"In this illuminating work, Pierre shines a light on our hearts so that we have a more profound understanding of both others and ourselves. Still, this book is not fundamentally about human beings but about human beings in relationship with God. As a master teacher, Pierre helps us think through what it means practically for God to be the Lord of our hearts and the Lord of our lives. What a delight to read a book that is written so clearly, and the illustrations and anecdotes bring home wonderfully the message of the book. At the same time, Pierre is faithful biblically and theologically. Counselors, pastors, and, yes, all Christians will want to read this book."
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Associate Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky
"Jeremy Pierre's masterful piece, The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life, offers a theologically robust, intellectually rich, and conceptually accessible model of human psychology that is thoroughly biblical in nature. This book offers both counselor and counselee a comprehensive assessment of the inner dynamics at play upon the human experience while providing, thoughtful, practical wisdom in applying scriptural truth to that aspect of our humanity known most deeply by God alone—the heart. A genuinely enlightening read."
Jeremy Lelek, President, Association of Biblical Counselors
"Dysfunction occurs when a heart's worship design is directed away from God and toward self, says Pierre. This book is packed with biblical wisdom, keen observations, pastoral sensitivity and understanding, and practical applications into very complex issues in order to help the counselor and counselee move from the fallen dynamics of the heart to the joyful experience of the redeemed soul. Definitely, it is the best I have seen in this field."
Miguel Núñez, Senior Pastor International Baptist Church of Santo Domingo; President, Wisdom & Integrity Ministries
"What a load of wisdom—biblical, theological, psychological, and relational—is contained within this book! It may be the most comprehensive treatment of the human heart written by a Christian counselor in our day. Evident throughout is the guidance of a thoughtful, godly, caring, and open-hearted Christian, guided himself by deep biblical convictions. It will be widely recognized as an outstanding contribution to biblical counseling literature."
Eric L. Johnson, Lawrence and Charlotte Hoover Professor of Pastoral Care, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"If we understand other people accurately we will be nearly overwhelmed by the complexity of their lives—Dr. Pierre wants us to get close to the brink as a way to walk humbly with those we help. But then, like an experienced pastor-teacher, he takes us into sound doctrine and actually equips us to know and help with wisdom and love."
Edward T. Welch, CCEF faculty; psychologist; best-selling author
"Jeremy Pierre understands that in order to shepherd the flock, the pastor must also be a doctor of souls. In this book he provides biblical knowledge, shows how to make a proper diagnosis, and sharpens our skills in prescribing the remedy Scripture provides. It is a must-read for all involved in pastoral care. I recommend it with unreserved enthusiasm."
Alistair Begg, Senior Minister, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
"We've all had this thought many times, no doubt: How profoundly helpful it would be to understand better why people (including you) do, and say, and act, and feel, the way we do. Even better, how liberating it would be to see what can be done to help people (including you) change and grow in human wholeness and Christlikeness. Jeremy Pierre's The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life provides such perspective, and I can guarantee every reader that they will benefit greatly in self-understanding from reading this profound, biblical, sane, and insightful book. One will find here a theology of the heart, a theology of human experience, and a theology of counseling that is revolutionary. For your own heart's sake, and for the benefit of others you have the privilege to help in their growth, I strongly encourage a careful reading of this excellent primer on the human heart."
Bruce A. Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"This book explores the deepest recesses of the human heart. Why do we love what we do? Why do we choose what we do? Why can't we seem to change? From other guides, such an exploration could be depressing and scary or abstract and irrelevant. This book is different. Drawing from a deep grasp of the gospel and years of experience with people, Jeremy Pierre presents a wise, hopeful, joyful map for change. Read this, and march on toward renewal."
Russell Moore, President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
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