Pastoral Counsel

by Thomas C. Oden

Before "counseling" ever existed, pastors counted on scriptural wisdom to help the hurting. Early writings bring new perspective to this ministry.

Genres: Counselling, Reference

297 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1987

About the author

Thomas C. Oden was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. He remained faculty emeritus until his death. He was the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of Classic Christianity, a revision of his three-volume systematic theology.

Reviews

[Seher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the chance to read and review The Earl's Tempting Ward by Bella Moxie.

At 191 pages this fairly short book has smut for days! There is a lot of survivors guilt on both sides which makes this a little different to other regency romance that I've read, but I really liked how Bella Moxie managed to show real growth on both sides.

[Mary Gallo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoiler alert:
Scottish Highlander man causes trouble and has to work off his sins with a Scottish form of "community service", an alliance wedding with another clan. Of course the hero has to work hard. Of course the hero has a posse that goes with him everywhere because they all promised to help each other. Of course the hero and heroine have never met and dislike each other on sight. Of course the heroine has a non traditional job and dresses in a non traditional manner to reinforce that she is unusual.
I am sorry, I just found this story to be like an alegrabraic equation where there are numbers and letters and instead of solving for "x" or "y", the reader had to solve for "love".
One good thing is that the hero is only 24 years old, so he is not some grizzled 32 year old bachelor that screws any female in sight. I really hate those Scottish romances. That age gap kind of almost saves this story. But the rest of the story just seems to be the same as the others. And this has to be a series because the members of the posse and every married couple came from a previous book in the series.
I want to read the Scottish romance where the average young lady is setting up a stall at a fair and see a youngish man who catches her eye, but she is attracted to the shorter man, who isn't super tall and large, but just average. Why does that never happen? Why cant a pretty lady fall for an attractive man? Why do all the heroes and heroines have to be the prettiest, tallest, brawniest, or bonniest?
This heroine is a thatcher and has to teach the hero how to help her because her clan was attacked and the thach roofed cottages were all burnt. The hero has to help her because him and his posse partied too much and burnt part of the local tavern. So the laird's grandfather, who one the tavern, contracts the alliance wedding and he gets another member of the posse married off. His goal is for them all to be married so they are too busy to party to the point where they set fires (by accident).
I give it 2 stars and recommend reading if you are already invested in this series.

[Mia Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Ayers’ “Enticing the Earl” is the delightful Book 3 in The Arrogant Earls Series. I love reading Ms. Ayers books, while this is an old trope the writing style is deliciously witty, fresh and entertaining.

She’s created such wonderful characters, Oleana the clumsy, inept housekeeper who knows nothing about keeping house, the grumpy Earl who can’t figure out why he’s so smitten with her, his lovely daughter who with the Earl has stolen her heart and a cat named Carrot who’s somehow found a way to the Earl’s heart. Oh there’s the nasty butler and an evil villain which is why Oleana masquerades as housekeeper, Mrs Honeywell.

This is such a charming story, so well written and entertaining. The author’s descriptions are so vibrant and enticing. I loved this heartwarming story with it’s delightful characters, humor, mystery and secrets. Jason was just the hero Oleana needed! Oh and I can’t forget, the cover is absolutely lovely!

Thank you so much Ms. Ayers for this wonderful story of love!

[madtrekkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oleana is a widow and desperate to escape the hell her life has become. Armed with a reference intended for another she is employed by the Earl of Moneith; and with her cat Carrot who has a talent for finding the displeasure of the Earl! Her life is still fraught with difficulty - the light being the Earls daughter of whom she becomes fond of.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this engaging, entertaining and compelling story! I just loved everything about it! Rich description of the people, places, decors and personalities and I was immediately hooked! I loved the relationship between Oleana and Jason of how it develops slowly and steadily, the attraction to each other, friendship, desire and finally love. I loved also the humour of the antics of Carrot! The story is well written, fast paced with lots of chemistry, twists and turns, danger and intrigue. There's an epilogue and a HEA 💓 highly recommended!!

[Cindy C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a outstanding story! Riveting and Suspenseful! I thoroughly enjoy when a book grips you right from the start and takes you on a heart-stopping, sigh worthy journey as in Highland Sky. Kellina and Nash's story unfolds from beginning to end with threads of intrigue, secrets, deceit, a dark secret that could destroy several peoples lives. The story brings back the characters who found a place in your heart but, haven't visited with for a while. Elizabeth Rose has written a story that's filled with characters that weave a story that will hold you attention as their individual personalities become more than just part of the tale they come off the pages and pull you in, with passion, humerous banter and the plot brims with tension building twists and turns. With setting descriptions and action sequences that are wonderfully vivid that brings this story to life.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining, fast-moving read. I adored the clumsy, no-idea-how-to-do-the-job heroine, Oleana-- even if I never figured out how to pronounce her name! There was a lot of humor and a good dose of angst in this one. I wanted more of Elizabeth, the hero's adorable daughter! The tea party with Miss Straw and Carrot the cat was absolutely adorable. I really enjoyed this book, as all the books in this series. Fun to see the Huntleys a couple of times! I received this book as an ARC and it does not affect my review of it.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oleana is in hiding. Working as a housekeeper in an Earl's home, she it totally out of her element as she knows nothing about the job. The butler is trying to have her fired. To his chagrin, her traitor of a cat has taken a liking to the Earl. Add in the attraction between Oleana and Montieth, which given her current position in his household, is totally taboo. Definitely worth the read.
Thank you Kathleen Ayers, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

[Dominique Englebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiery young widow on the run
Fleeing her greedy, grasping in-laws, clumsy Oleana starts working as a (quite inept) housekeeper. She befriends her employer’s daughter, giving her what she needs most: unconditional love instead of cold teaching. Her employer – the earl – is quite antagonistic at first, hardly accepting her and her orange cat named Carrot. This changes when the earl begins to understand that she brings feelings and humanity into their lives.

[Pat Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms Rose does a great job of grabbing your interest immediately. I really got angry at how the H/H had to marry. Made me realize I really don’t want to live in those times! But it a story filled with growth for both of them and the reason their parents died was a shock I didn’t see coming! At times I felt like the dialogue was a little stilted, like it was written by someone else, especially towards the end, but it is , all in all Avery good read!

[Ben Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because David Powlison says any pastor should be able to read it for their benefit in pastoral ministry, especially in pastoral counseling. I think he’s right. If you’re like me, you won’t agree with everything in the book. But this is a great way to get good exposure to the wide swath of pastoral writers in the early church (with many, many good primary source quotations thoughout!). Oden is a good guide to this tradition, too.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are forces trying to force them apart but none can overcome the machinations of a cat! Well, maybe it’s more like nothing can defeat their love and attraction. Lotsa funny and amusing incidents as well as steamy scenes. Enjoyable hours of reading!

I received an ARC of this book and leaving my review voluntarily.

[Jessica Mcmillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best book in the series! I absolutely LOVED Carrot! We need more characters with pets like carrot in books it really adds to the story! I liked how unusual the main heroine is, sometimes change is needed as I quickly tire of the usual sweet and virginal main character. Great book!