When is it NOT okay to say “God is Good”?

People of faith often know the right thing but still end up saying the wrong thing. Commonly, bumper sticker phrases like “It must be God’s will,” “Everything will work out,” and “I’m sure it’s for the best” pepper our conversations with people struggling. I would like to think that we know better than to say this, but somehow fall into meaningless aphorisms when we under pressure to give a word of wisdom.

A good example of this is the bumper sticker phrase “God is Good, All the Time.” Rather than get into the question of whether God IS indeed always good (from our perspective), let’s consider if there are times when the phrase is not useful in conversation. Try the following Blog Post for this question:

The preacher shouted out, “GOD IS GOOD!” And the congregation responded, “ALL THE TIME!” At which point the choir picked up it’s cue:

God is good all the time
He put a song of praise in this heart of mine
God is good all the time
Through the darkest night, His light will shine
God is good, God is good all the time

But Christians have developed the bad habit of saying “God is good” in a way that suggests that sometimes God is not good. This is because, whether we like it or not, some elements of the prosperity gospel has seeped into the wider Christian subculture.

The rest of the article is HERE

Article on Crisis Care with Theological Perspective

Based on a recent staff meeting at Bukal Life Care, it was decided that we would use our website (www.bukallife.org) for useful organizational information (as well as our Facebook Group). We would use our Blog here for useful information in the areas of Life Care, Chaplaincy, CPE, and so forth. With that in mind, attached is a recent article on Crisis Care. The article is actually in “Bukal Life Journal” (2012 edition). The entire e-journal is located HERE.

William & Viola Farrell Symposia, Oct 2012

This October we had our 2nd annual symposium on Pastoral Care & Counseling, led by Dr. Cesar Espineda. This year we decided to have several small seminars rather than one big seminar. Thus we had
-Central Philippines University, Iloilo.
-Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary, Baguio City
-University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City
-Central Methodist Church, Manila
The groups ranged from 30-60 attendants.Additionally, Doc Cesar was able to meet with various chapters of the CPSP-Philippines. He was vital in getting these chapters jump-started. Exciting things are happening, and we are looking forward to this new chapter in pastoral supervision and chaplaincy in the Philippines.

Photos at the top:
Left: Dr. Espineda with Dr. Sim Dang-Awan, President of BOT of Bukal Life Care.
Middle: Seminar at CPU in Iloilo
Right: At Seminar in Baguio City.

Bukal Life Care Membership

Greetings. The Board of Trustees of Bukal Life Care & Training Center has set up a membership roll for people directly (in directly) connected to us (and I suppose for those that want to have some connection with us). There is no cost for membership. It is, however, expressing a desire to grow in “pastoral care” and “pastoral counseling.” We hope to be able to grow together, and utilize each others’ strengths for mutual edification. If you are interested, attached is the membership form. Just fill it out and email to info@bukallife.org. Or you can send it to my personal email address bob2046@yahoo.com. Or you can print it off and give it to one of our staff. We are flexible.

To get the form, click on THIS FORM

Bukal Life Care Journal 2012… Done and Ready for Download.

“Bukal Life Care Journal (2012)”   is done. It is available for downloading. Click on the Cover or the Journal body below. The theme is “Mending the Hurts” and has a variety of articles on psychology and spirituality.

Cover of Journal

Bukal Life Care Journal

Organizational Change

We had our Board of Trustees meeting on Oct 6th. It was a good meeting with considerable discussion. Some changes will be reported down the line. However, our first major change is related to our name.

We are formally changing our name from Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center to Bukal Life Care & Training Center.

There are two major reasons for this. First, the Philippines has changed the law in an attempt to regulate the use of the terms “counseling,” “counselor,” and “counseling center.” Although we have internationally certified counselors and Philippine registered counselors, it seems preferable to avoid the terms generally. Second, we want to change our name to be more in line with our main areas of ministry. These are:

LIFE CARE:  pastoral care, life coaching, social ministry, member care, social ministry,       and

TRAINING:  training in Clinical Pastoral Education/Training, Crisis Chaplaincy, pastoral care, parenting, and other seminars.

In the next few weeks we will be changing our work to be in line with the new name and mission.

Bukal Life Journal 2012

The 2012 Edition of Bukal Life Journal is completed, and ready for printing. Some print copies will be available for purchase (price to be determined). Others will be available in electronic form for seminar ticket holders this October. The main articles are:

“BUD-LIFE!!!” by Dr. Cesar G. Espineda. Dr. Espineda is a Diplomate with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotharapy and is working Bukal Life and CPSP-Philippines in developing its Clinical.

“The Vicissitudes of Spirituality” by Dr. Raymond J. Lawrence. Dr. Lawrence is the General Secretary of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy.

“God and Human Suffering” by Sr. Patricia Martinez. Sister Pat is a member of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICM). She is also on the Board of Trustees of Bukal Life.

“Divine Intervention: The Flight of Elijah in the Context of Crisis Care” by Dr. Robert H. Munson. Dr. Munson is the Administrator of Bukal Life.

“A Psycho-Spiritual Journey” by Jehny M. Pedazo. Jehny is the Counseling Coordinator of Bukal Life.

“Where I am Now: A Personal Reflection in Clinical Pastoral Education” by B.D. B.D. is a 4-unit graduate of the CPE program at Bukal LIfe.

Additionally there are some shorter testimonies and photos.