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CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet
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 our twenty-first century problems? In CrossTalk: Where Life and 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. You will learn to understand people and God's Word in ways that promote gospel-centered, rich conversations that help you and those you know grow in love for God and others. This book will make the whole Bible come alive to you. Instead of platitudes, you can offer a cup of living water to those who are struggling in this broken world.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
167 people are currently reading
1226 people want to read
About the author
Michael R. Emlet
17 books26 followersMichael 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 & Educational Foundation (CCEF).
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November 2, 2023I feel like I've read this same book 4 times this semester
January 24, 2021
I 100% recommended this book. It has been very helpful in my life in learning how to interpret and use scripture.
January 15, 2025
It's essential to evaluate and review books based on their reasoning, purpose, and role. This particular book serves as an introductory text on biblical counseling, designed to guide individuals as they begin their training in this field.
Given its background and intent, I believe it is an excellent resource to share with anyone embarking on the journey of biblical counseling.
However, I wish there were a shorter, standalone work that focused specifically on the hermeneutical principles underlying much of the methodology presented in this book. Michael Emlet effectively teaches sound hermeneutical principles that are crucial for applying Scripture to others, and I think many Christians would greatly benefit from understanding these concepts separately from the counseling aspect of the book.
Given its background and intent, I believe it is an excellent resource to share with anyone embarking on the journey of biblical counseling.
However, I wish there were a shorter, standalone work that focused specifically on the hermeneutical principles underlying much of the methodology presented in this book. Michael Emlet effectively teaches sound hermeneutical principles that are crucial for applying Scripture to others, and I think many Christians would greatly benefit from understanding these concepts separately from the counseling aspect of the book.
January 14, 2025
I’m not sure this is a “go-to” counseling book, but there were some helpful points.
Every Christian is simultaneously a saint, sinner, and sufferer.
Have counselors camp out in a passage before hand and give them questions to think through.
We interpret people and texts during counseling - we have to do both.
Good read? Eh, adequate read.
Every Christian is simultaneously a saint, sinner, and sufferer.
Have counselors camp out in a passage before hand and give them questions to think through.
We interpret people and texts during counseling - we have to do both.
Good read? Eh, adequate read.
April 16, 2025
Easy read and very helpful and I appreciated all of the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I suspect that this book will remain a good resource with its questions and appendices on connecting Scripture to our lives and the lives of those around us
May 1, 2024
(3.5/5) Helpful in some ways and redundant in others.
April 6, 2023
If you are a Christian therapist I would recommend giving this book a read (or at least a skim). I will not be reading it again, but there are many good questions to ask a client or even to use in your own quiet time with God. The resource in the index of the book is worth the purchase alone!
May 17, 2013
Helpful book in applying Scriptures to everyday situations. Emlet's definitions of canyon and ditch passages was good. A ditch passage is one that immediately seems to apply to the given situation, whereas a canyon passage may not first seem applicable. Emlet does a good job in showing all scripture is applicable. His case studies are helpful as he takes two complete different situations, but applies the same scriptures to both cases. He chooses one passage from the Old Testament, and one from he New Testament. What is great to see is he does not just cherry pick easy passages, but instead chooses passages that are more difficult. This book is excellent for those that council others regularly. It is also good for those that need o better apply scriptures to their lives.
October 1, 2015
This book gets down to how we use Scripture to counsel people. Elmer helps the reader to get past the "read these 2 verses and call me in the morning" approach. He helps the reader see how to unveil God's redemptive story and helps us to assist others to find their place in God's story about his own Son.
November 17, 2024
Read for CCEF class. Helpful.
May 3, 2013
Application of Scripture to everyday life is truly where the proverbial rubber meets the road. If God’s Word is not something that finds its way into the day to day happenings of our lives, then it is nothing more than a good book that has not penetrated to the very depths of our being. As believers, we need to fully understand that God’s Word is more than just words. It is the God-breathed, Christ focused, Holy Spirit applied manual for life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 saliently reminds us “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Apostle Paul is clearly stating the Word of God is useful for every part of life regardless of the situation. So what does that really mean and how can we better understand God’s Word in that manner? Dr. Michael Emlet, in his book CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet, attempts to answer that very question.
Arguably, most believers are very adept at using certain Scriptures in their spiritual repertoire to address certain situations in life. For example, if someone is facing a bout with anxiety, what better passage of Scripture to quote than Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Seems simple enough doesn’t it? Use the concordance the bible publisher provided and you can have answers to all of life’s questions. What about, however, situations that can aptly be described as “gray areas” such as the examples Dr. Emlet provides of infertility or someone suffering from a bi-polar disorder? Does the concordance provide anything useful for those topics?
Dr. Emlet describes passages such as Philippians 4:6-7 as a ditch passage. Now that does not mean such a verse should be thrown out. Portraying such a pericope as a ditch passage simply means that just as a ditch is relatively easy to step across, so also are the typical passages used to address life issues easy to use for those common situations we face. On the other hand, when attempting to address something such as infertility, finding an applicable verse or passage of Scripture can seem like “stepping across a canyon.” Emlet avers it is vitally important for the believer to become adept at not only using ditch passages, but to also learn how to use the entirety of Scripture by becoming trained in bridging the gap “between an ancient biblical text and a present-day life situation.” This approach is what other scholars such as J. Daniel Hays have labeled as “Crossing the Principalizing Bridge” or applying any test of Scripture to the realities of everyday life.
Understanding what Scripture is and what it is not is a first step in the process of properly exegeting and applying its truths. Emlet rightly notes the tendency for people to see Scripture as a list of do’s and don’ts. While there certainly are many rules for godly living contained throughout God’s Word, understanding Scripture as nothing more than an unending list of laws and commandments tends to leave out the necessity to understand and apply the historical and prophetic books, large sections of Scripture that are often overlooked. Emlet rightly states “while we must take the commands of Scripture seriously, we can never reduce the Bible to a series of “naked” exhortations and prohibitions. Those directives come to us clothed in redemptive garb.” It is also important to understand the need to avoid taking a situation out of its biblical context and applying that as law for every situation in life. Emlet provides the example of using Joshua 1:9 to provide encouragement to someone facing a new or challenging situation in life. While that may be a valid approach, it is also important to understand the context of Joshua 1:9 within the broader scope of Scripture. Thus, Emlet promotes the use of the redemptive-historical approach to interpreting Scripture stating that idea places the concepts, characters, and events found in Scripture “in a gospel-centered, relational framework.” Given the entirety of Scripture points to Jesus and how we should relate to God and others, this is certainly a completely valid approach to exegeting and applying the truths of Scripture in a consistent framework.
Emlet builds on this redemptive-historical approach by noting the overall story found in Scripture. He aptly notes “the Bible tells a true tale from God’s perspective through the individual voices of the human authors…The Bible is not an exhaustive history of the world, but it narrates, in a progressive way over time, the story of God’s actions and what they mean for the people of God…This is no documentary. Rather, God reveals himself to restore relationship with his people. He enters history to rescue his creation and then proclaims that fact through the many writers of Scripture.” This statement accurately encapsulates the entire framework and purpose of Scripture. Understanding this “plotline” with Jesus as the focal point for the entire story presented in the pages of Scripture, properly focuses the reader on the fundamental truth of Scripture, namely God’s grace extended towards his creation through the redemption offered through the cross. When Scripture is understand in this manner, we can, as Emlet accurately states, realize “We are not merely listening in to a conversation God had with his people several thousand years ago, trying to extract some benefit for our own lives. We are part of the same story line. We are included in God’s great rescue operation.” This is indeed what Scripture is all about and comprehending that basic truth will greatly assist the believer in applying God’s Word to their current issues and situations.
I truly appreciated Emlet’s exhortation to read Scripture back to front, and front to back. This is not a declaration to just read all of Scripture although that is certainly included in that concept. In reality, what Emlet is proposing is the necessity to view Scripture in light of the Messiah. Since all of Scripture points to Jesus, it is a necessity to read the entirety of Scripture in light of that fact. Furthermore, for those who view the Old Testament as a product of a by-gone era, Emlet challenges those who take that route to take a different tact. He notes “reading front to back guards us from oversimplifying the plotline of Scripture.” All of the little details along the way, from Genesis to Revelation, are of equal importance. Nothing should be overlooked or viewed as unimportant to what God is revealing in His word to His people. Yes, this means reading through those seemingly monotonous lists of names in the book of Numbers and reading through the Levitical laws. It means not skipping over Acts in order to get to the Pauline letters. All of Scripture is profitable, a point Emlet consistently drives home and rightly so.
As believers, it is essential to understand we live in community. No man is an island to himself as the old saying goes. Thus, when applying Scripture to our own lives and when praying for or talking with someone who is going through a rough patch in life, it is important to understand people, their worldviews, and how those worldviews impact how the people all around us view life. Emlet proposes the concept that people can be divided into three categories: saints, sufferers, and sinners. Saints are those people chosen by God from before the foundation of the world. They are people who are in relationship with their Creator, albeit at different stages given the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God’s people through the process of sanctification at different speeds. Saints are also sufferers. How so? Jesus, in John 16:33 declared “In this world you will have trouble.” Thankfully that is not the end of the story. Jesus goes on to note “But take heart! I have overcome the world." Finally, there is the category of sinner. Emlet notes “every page of the Bible is addressed implicitly to sinners” given that we all have fallen short of the glory of God as noted in Romans 3:23. So how does this all play out in the grand scheme of Scripture then? All of Scripture declares what Emlet describes as a story where “God’s redemptive words confirm our identity as the chosen people of God, console and comfort his afflicted people, and confront the ways we turn away from his character and redemptive work.” This is an excellent way of encapsulating the overall them of Scripture.
In order to connect this story of saints, sufferers, and sinners to everyday life, Emlet provides a model that can be applied for those in ministry as well as the layman who encounters situations in their own life or in the life of those around them where the truths of Scripture need to be spoken to. Emlet provides a series of questions that can be asked in order to understand the issue at hand facing the saint, sufferer or sinner. Each question returns to the fundamental idea presented throughout this book of the need to understand Scripture as God’s redemptive efforts through the cross with Jesus as the focus of everything.
CrossTalk is a much needed text for today’s believer. Far too many people flail around trying to apply Scripture in ways quite frankly it was not intended to be applied. They often forget the entire biblical drama is Christocentric, or Christ centered. Reading Scripture and applying its timeless truths is not for the faint of heart. Only by relying on the work of the Holy Spirit who will illuminate its truths to us for personal application and to also reach out to those around us, many of whom are hurting, can we properly meet life & Scripture. CrossTalk is a valuable resource for the scholar, church leader, and layman to properly exegete and apply God’s Word ot every area of their life.
I received this book for free from New Growth Press for this review. 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.”
Arguably, most believers are very adept at using certain Scriptures in their spiritual repertoire to address certain situations in life. For example, if someone is facing a bout with anxiety, what better passage of Scripture to quote than Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Seems simple enough doesn’t it? Use the concordance the bible publisher provided and you can have answers to all of life’s questions. What about, however, situations that can aptly be described as “gray areas” such as the examples Dr. Emlet provides of infertility or someone suffering from a bi-polar disorder? Does the concordance provide anything useful for those topics?
Dr. Emlet describes passages such as Philippians 4:6-7 as a ditch passage. Now that does not mean such a verse should be thrown out. Portraying such a pericope as a ditch passage simply means that just as a ditch is relatively easy to step across, so also are the typical passages used to address life issues easy to use for those common situations we face. On the other hand, when attempting to address something such as infertility, finding an applicable verse or passage of Scripture can seem like “stepping across a canyon.” Emlet avers it is vitally important for the believer to become adept at not only using ditch passages, but to also learn how to use the entirety of Scripture by becoming trained in bridging the gap “between an ancient biblical text and a present-day life situation.” This approach is what other scholars such as J. Daniel Hays have labeled as “Crossing the Principalizing Bridge” or applying any test of Scripture to the realities of everyday life.
Understanding what Scripture is and what it is not is a first step in the process of properly exegeting and applying its truths. Emlet rightly notes the tendency for people to see Scripture as a list of do’s and don’ts. While there certainly are many rules for godly living contained throughout God’s Word, understanding Scripture as nothing more than an unending list of laws and commandments tends to leave out the necessity to understand and apply the historical and prophetic books, large sections of Scripture that are often overlooked. Emlet rightly states “while we must take the commands of Scripture seriously, we can never reduce the Bible to a series of “naked” exhortations and prohibitions. Those directives come to us clothed in redemptive garb.” It is also important to understand the need to avoid taking a situation out of its biblical context and applying that as law for every situation in life. Emlet provides the example of using Joshua 1:9 to provide encouragement to someone facing a new or challenging situation in life. While that may be a valid approach, it is also important to understand the context of Joshua 1:9 within the broader scope of Scripture. Thus, Emlet promotes the use of the redemptive-historical approach to interpreting Scripture stating that idea places the concepts, characters, and events found in Scripture “in a gospel-centered, relational framework.” Given the entirety of Scripture points to Jesus and how we should relate to God and others, this is certainly a completely valid approach to exegeting and applying the truths of Scripture in a consistent framework.
Emlet builds on this redemptive-historical approach by noting the overall story found in Scripture. He aptly notes “the Bible tells a true tale from God’s perspective through the individual voices of the human authors…The Bible is not an exhaustive history of the world, but it narrates, in a progressive way over time, the story of God’s actions and what they mean for the people of God…This is no documentary. Rather, God reveals himself to restore relationship with his people. He enters history to rescue his creation and then proclaims that fact through the many writers of Scripture.” This statement accurately encapsulates the entire framework and purpose of Scripture. Understanding this “plotline” with Jesus as the focal point for the entire story presented in the pages of Scripture, properly focuses the reader on the fundamental truth of Scripture, namely God’s grace extended towards his creation through the redemption offered through the cross. When Scripture is understand in this manner, we can, as Emlet accurately states, realize “We are not merely listening in to a conversation God had with his people several thousand years ago, trying to extract some benefit for our own lives. We are part of the same story line. We are included in God’s great rescue operation.” This is indeed what Scripture is all about and comprehending that basic truth will greatly assist the believer in applying God’s Word to their current issues and situations.
I truly appreciated Emlet’s exhortation to read Scripture back to front, and front to back. This is not a declaration to just read all of Scripture although that is certainly included in that concept. In reality, what Emlet is proposing is the necessity to view Scripture in light of the Messiah. Since all of Scripture points to Jesus, it is a necessity to read the entirety of Scripture in light of that fact. Furthermore, for those who view the Old Testament as a product of a by-gone era, Emlet challenges those who take that route to take a different tact. He notes “reading front to back guards us from oversimplifying the plotline of Scripture.” All of the little details along the way, from Genesis to Revelation, are of equal importance. Nothing should be overlooked or viewed as unimportant to what God is revealing in His word to His people. Yes, this means reading through those seemingly monotonous lists of names in the book of Numbers and reading through the Levitical laws. It means not skipping over Acts in order to get to the Pauline letters. All of Scripture is profitable, a point Emlet consistently drives home and rightly so.
As believers, it is essential to understand we live in community. No man is an island to himself as the old saying goes. Thus, when applying Scripture to our own lives and when praying for or talking with someone who is going through a rough patch in life, it is important to understand people, their worldviews, and how those worldviews impact how the people all around us view life. Emlet proposes the concept that people can be divided into three categories: saints, sufferers, and sinners. Saints are those people chosen by God from before the foundation of the world. They are people who are in relationship with their Creator, albeit at different stages given the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God’s people through the process of sanctification at different speeds. Saints are also sufferers. How so? Jesus, in John 16:33 declared “In this world you will have trouble.” Thankfully that is not the end of the story. Jesus goes on to note “But take heart! I have overcome the world." Finally, there is the category of sinner. Emlet notes “every page of the Bible is addressed implicitly to sinners” given that we all have fallen short of the glory of God as noted in Romans 3:23. So how does this all play out in the grand scheme of Scripture then? All of Scripture declares what Emlet describes as a story where “God’s redemptive words confirm our identity as the chosen people of God, console and comfort his afflicted people, and confront the ways we turn away from his character and redemptive work.” This is an excellent way of encapsulating the overall them of Scripture.
In order to connect this story of saints, sufferers, and sinners to everyday life, Emlet provides a model that can be applied for those in ministry as well as the layman who encounters situations in their own life or in the life of those around them where the truths of Scripture need to be spoken to. Emlet provides a series of questions that can be asked in order to understand the issue at hand facing the saint, sufferer or sinner. Each question returns to the fundamental idea presented throughout this book of the need to understand Scripture as God’s redemptive efforts through the cross with Jesus as the focus of everything.
CrossTalk is a much needed text for today’s believer. Far too many people flail around trying to apply Scripture in ways quite frankly it was not intended to be applied. They often forget the entire biblical drama is Christocentric, or Christ centered. Reading Scripture and applying its timeless truths is not for the faint of heart. Only by relying on the work of the Holy Spirit who will illuminate its truths to us for personal application and to also reach out to those around us, many of whom are hurting, can we properly meet life & Scripture. CrossTalk is a valuable resource for the scholar, church leader, and layman to properly exegete and apply God’s Word ot every area of their life.
I received this book for free from New Growth Press for this review. 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.”
February 19, 2017
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!
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!
January 31, 2021
This book is written for those pursuing a biblical counseling profession/ministry. Michael Ehret's connection of scripture to the counselee being sinner, sufferer, and saint was a helpful way to think more comprehensively about each person. He does a thorough job showing a variety of ways to connect scripture to a person's life, moving past what he calls ditch verses, those that seem obvious to address the circumstance, to canyon passages, those that most wouldn't typically think of when counseling that particular situation. He emphasizes the importance of understanding context and of seeing everything with a gospel lens. The most helpful part to me was simply Ehret continually pointing out for those who want to connect scripture in counseling that there's no substitute for personal meditation in the word.
March 21, 2017
This is a very helpful tool in teaching us how to read the Bible comprehensively, not as a bunch of laws, Old and New. I can't express how important this is in our culture where we have such an influence of legalism from pseudo-Christianity. It really opened my eyes to not just how I read the Bible, but try to apply it as practical or propositional rules. He reveals how much we want to use scripture to enforce social norms or expectations.
Instead, the author is training us to see our lives in the context of scripture and respond to the reality of the kingdom rather than transposing scripture as practical advice for our own context. This is even more important recognizing our presuppositions and expectations when we advise others. It will take the reader a couple readings to learn how to make this a habit, but I think it is a valuable tool for being able to let truth of scripture be most effective.
Instead, the author is training us to see our lives in the context of scripture and respond to the reality of the kingdom rather than transposing scripture as practical advice for our own context. This is even more important recognizing our presuppositions and expectations when we advise others. It will take the reader a couple readings to learn how to make this a habit, but I think it is a valuable tool for being able to let truth of scripture be most effective.
September 13, 2021
Great introduction for how to bring the Bible to bear on the challenges of counseling/discipling.
Extended examples with dialogue to help pastors and Christians counsel one another from the rich variety of Scriptures connecting it to the redeeming work of Christ and to the specifics of peoples lives.
A great starting point and pairs well with something like Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands. Particularly helped by the categories- saints, sufferers, and sinners.
Extended examples with dialogue to help pastors and Christians counsel one another from the rich variety of Scriptures connecting it to the redeeming work of Christ and to the specifics of peoples lives.
A great starting point and pairs well with something like Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands. Particularly helped by the categories- saints, sufferers, and sinners.
January 16, 2025
Very useful, practical, and easy to follow. This will be useful for me in my ministry. How does the scripture you’re going through help see your brother and sister God’s overall redemptive plan? How does scripture apply to them as a saint, sufferer, and saint? How do they become more like Jesus from scriptures even in the Old Testament, and are they looking forward to the returning of Christ? These are all great questions that the book covers.
March 31, 2025
super helpful staff reading book.
gave lots of good practical tips that anyone in ministry could benefit from. some parts were scattered, long winded, or just harder for me to follow but the discussion questions are definitely things I want to go back to and think about!
gave lots of good practical tips that anyone in ministry could benefit from. some parts were scattered, long winded, or just harder for me to follow but the discussion questions are definitely things I want to go back to and think about!
April 6, 2017
Excellent, very practical book on connecting scripture with life. This is one I will be keeping on an accessible shelf for future reference.
February 25, 2019
Will read again...and again. So thankful for Dr. Emlet's simplicity in real-life application of interpretation and how that relates to others as sinners, sufferers, and saints.
November 14, 2023
A wonderful, practical, encouraging book. 10/10 recommend to anyone who seeks to care for/minister to others. Wish I had read this book as I first started working in ministry. Mike Emlet’s writing style is so easy to read while remaining insightful and challenging in his content. Reading this book felt like sitting down with an older person from church and just taking in wisdom.
March 25, 2022
AMAZING. This is an excellent book for anyone who is seeking to use scripture to encourage their friends in order to bring those people deeper into a relationship with God. Not only does it offer a strategic way to study the passages you are already reading, it also provides a lens through which you can understand people better. He gives practical examples and questions to teach you how to do this as well.
June 17, 2019
Great book.
Many times, the only parts of Scripture we treat as having anything to say to the hardships and trials people are enduring are the Psalms and the epistles. Emlet demonstrates how all of Scripture is useful for encouraging and correcting in counseling contexts.
This book helps bridge the mental gap many Christians have between biblical theology that set outs to understand the whole storyline and shape of Christian and applying Scripture to our everyday challenges, heartaches and struggles.
Many times, the only parts of Scripture we treat as having anything to say to the hardships and trials people are enduring are the Psalms and the epistles. Emlet demonstrates how all of Scripture is useful for encouraging and correcting in counseling contexts.
This book helps bridge the mental gap many Christians have between biblical theology that set outs to understand the whole storyline and shape of Christian and applying Scripture to our everyday challenges, heartaches and struggles.
October 9, 2014
A nice and enjoyable book on how to better incorporate the teachings of the Bible into modern day usages.
February 13, 2018
A helpful book. Read in 2014 and 2018.
September 11, 2020
This book is really helpful. I feel like this initial read was a flyover. If I'm going to be doing much counseling, I'll be looking at it again.
January 17, 2018
A diamond in the rough. I got this book because it was a cheap e-book, but I am very pleased with its content. It is essentially a counseling book, but it is all about bringing a redemptive-historical reading of Scripture to bear upon people's lives personally.
Redemptive-historical or application? Both! And the book shows how.
Breakdown:
Introduction- What the book is about. "This book can help you read the Bible and 'read' people in a way that promotes gospel-centered, personally relevant use of Scripture in ministry to others."
Chapter 1. Connecting the Bible to Life- How to do Biblical application right.
Chapter 2. What the Bible Is Not (Primarily)- Wrong approaches to Scripture (just a bunch of rules, timeless principles, character imitation, systematic theology)
Chapter 3. What the Bible Is- The Bible is God's story of rescuing us from sin through Jesus Christ.
Chapter 4. Implications for Reading and Using the Bible- Principles for reading the Bible well (in light of the Redemptive-historical nature of Scripture).
Chapter 5. What’s Your Story?- Brings in the counseling component, and 'reading' people. We all live in stories with plots of one kind or another. Ministry is about helping people to live in the right plot (the Biblical one).
Chapter 6. Connecting the Stories- Connecting the Biblical story to the story's of people.
Chapter 7. An In-Depth Look at the Model- Getting into the 'how-to' of counseling in light of redemptive-history
CHAPTERS 8-10 are test cases of what this kind of counseling looks like.
Chapter 8. Introducing Tom and Natalie
Chapter 9. Tom, Natalie, and the Old Testament
Chapter 10. Tom, Natalie, and the New Testament
Chapter 11. Niagara Falls or a Cup of Cold Water in Jesus’ Name?- Answering objections and questions.
The book is very good. I'm ambivalent about this approach as a counseling style; I personally think counseling can be much more piecemeal and less methodical than this. However, as a homiletical approach, I think Emlet shows a very good way to open the word of God.
Redemptive-historical or application? Both! And the book shows how.
Breakdown:
Introduction- What the book is about. "This book can help you read the Bible and 'read' people in a way that promotes gospel-centered, personally relevant use of Scripture in ministry to others."
Chapter 1. Connecting the Bible to Life- How to do Biblical application right.
Chapter 2. What the Bible Is Not (Primarily)- Wrong approaches to Scripture (just a bunch of rules, timeless principles, character imitation, systematic theology)
Chapter 3. What the Bible Is- The Bible is God's story of rescuing us from sin through Jesus Christ.
Chapter 4. Implications for Reading and Using the Bible- Principles for reading the Bible well (in light of the Redemptive-historical nature of Scripture).
Chapter 5. What’s Your Story?- Brings in the counseling component, and 'reading' people. We all live in stories with plots of one kind or another. Ministry is about helping people to live in the right plot (the Biblical one).
Chapter 6. Connecting the Stories- Connecting the Biblical story to the story's of people.
Chapter 7. An In-Depth Look at the Model- Getting into the 'how-to' of counseling in light of redemptive-history
CHAPTERS 8-10 are test cases of what this kind of counseling looks like.
Chapter 8. Introducing Tom and Natalie
Chapter 9. Tom, Natalie, and the Old Testament
Chapter 10. Tom, Natalie, and the New Testament
Chapter 11. Niagara Falls or a Cup of Cold Water in Jesus’ Name?- Answering objections and questions.
The book is very good. I'm ambivalent about this approach as a counseling style; I personally think counseling can be much more piecemeal and less methodical than this. However, as a homiletical approach, I think Emlet shows a very good way to open the word of God.
April 19, 2025
How does the Bible intersect with our everyday life? This is the question that Emlet sets out to answer in CrossTalk. His principal interest is in how counselors (consider both professionally trained individuals as well as general church members with a heart for counseling others) use the Bible in a meaningful way to help struggling Christians find hope in Christ and overcome the difficult circumstances of life. To quote Emlet, “But my main focus is “microethics” – how we use Scripture to meaningfully intersect with a particular person’s life as we minister to him or her…Consider this book a hybrid of sorts, a resource to help you understand both people and the Bible more thoroughly.” So, Emlet strives to help readers learn how to better “read” the Bible and people for the purpose of effective ministry of the Word.
The biggest strength of this book is Emlet’s explanation and application of understanding people as “sinners”, “saints”, and “suffers.” Emlet explains these categories and provides examples of how to think within these frameworks while interacting with individuals. From these categories, Emlet demonstrates how to consider how the Bible speaks to a particular person, in their particular context, regarding their unique issue as a sinner, saint, and sufferer. Emlet even goes so far as to give case study examples of how he would counsel people using these categories.
Overall, this is an easy-to-read and accessible introduction to the personal ministry of the Word to others (Biblical Counseling). Whether you are a current counselor, aspiring to be one, or a Christian who wants to be better equipped to use the Bible in powerful ways to help other church members, this book would be a helpful introduction to that process. It would also serve as a valuable resource for pastors and counselors seeking to equip other lay Christians for the task of ministry of the Word.
The biggest strength of this book is Emlet’s explanation and application of understanding people as “sinners”, “saints”, and “suffers.” Emlet explains these categories and provides examples of how to think within these frameworks while interacting with individuals. From these categories, Emlet demonstrates how to consider how the Bible speaks to a particular person, in their particular context, regarding their unique issue as a sinner, saint, and sufferer. Emlet even goes so far as to give case study examples of how he would counsel people using these categories.
Overall, this is an easy-to-read and accessible introduction to the personal ministry of the Word to others (Biblical Counseling). Whether you are a current counselor, aspiring to be one, or a Christian who wants to be better equipped to use the Bible in powerful ways to help other church members, this book would be a helpful introduction to that process. It would also serve as a valuable resource for pastors and counselors seeking to equip other lay Christians for the task of ministry of the Word.
December 9, 2019
Emlet has brought together in a skilled and nuanced way several key factors in biblical interpretation and application:
1. The ability to read a text in its redemptive-historical framework, understanding it’s literary genre, initial purpose and initial readers.
2. The way to interpret that passage in light of Jesus work of saving grace.
3. How to then apply that passage today in ways that both do justice to the original purpose of the text, and also make it ‘living and active’ for today reader.
For some this will be a completely new concept and well worth the time to explore and learn.
For others, this is an approach they already will take seriously. Even they will be reminded and challenged again of how important it it’s to do this well. That is, accurately: actually getting to the heart of what the bible passage meant for those readers, how it is fulfilled in Christ and what that means now. But also how we talk to people about the bible in ways that are natural, encouraging and challenging. How we really bring God’s word to bear appropriately in people’s lives today.
If you want to get the most of this book, you will have to do some work alongside it. Emlet has put a lot of thought into how to guide the reader along the process of learning, and so the explanations, exercises and questions at the end of every chapter will assist greatly for those that invest the time.
A very helpful book that takes seriously the claim that the bible contains everything we need for life and salvation. By encouraging the reader to take the bible seriously and properly use it in a redemptive-historical way, Emlet paves the way for those who minister the word to do so in ways that are accurate, sensitive, and truly founded on Christ and his gospel.
1. The ability to read a text in its redemptive-historical framework, understanding it’s literary genre, initial purpose and initial readers.
2. The way to interpret that passage in light of Jesus work of saving grace.
3. How to then apply that passage today in ways that both do justice to the original purpose of the text, and also make it ‘living and active’ for today reader.
For some this will be a completely new concept and well worth the time to explore and learn.
For others, this is an approach they already will take seriously. Even they will be reminded and challenged again of how important it it’s to do this well. That is, accurately: actually getting to the heart of what the bible passage meant for those readers, how it is fulfilled in Christ and what that means now. But also how we talk to people about the bible in ways that are natural, encouraging and challenging. How we really bring God’s word to bear appropriately in people’s lives today.
If you want to get the most of this book, you will have to do some work alongside it. Emlet has put a lot of thought into how to guide the reader along the process of learning, and so the explanations, exercises and questions at the end of every chapter will assist greatly for those that invest the time.
A very helpful book that takes seriously the claim that the bible contains everything we need for life and salvation. By encouraging the reader to take the bible seriously and properly use it in a redemptive-historical way, Emlet paves the way for those who minister the word to do so in ways that are accurate, sensitive, and truly founded on Christ and his gospel.
May 23, 2020
This book is about connecting life to Scripture and Scripture to life.
Its focus is on bridging the gap between understanding Scripture/people and applying Scripture to people.
Moving from Scripture to "relevant life-giving" words is very difficult. And moving from the "lives of people" to "relevant-Scripture" is very difficult. I would say it is the most difficult part of Bible Study.
Exegesis is much easier. Greek is much easier. Systematic Theology is much, much easier. Preaching is easier. But, after having exegeted Scripture and understood a person's life and problems, to then speak powerfully and profoundly into their lives is quite challenging!
In order to help us do that better, Emlet invites us to understand Scripture within the context of redemptive history and invites us to understand people in light of their story and their identity as simultaneously sinners, saints, and sufferers. In doing so, he helps us bridge the gap between Scripture and life.
Its focus is on bridging the gap between understanding Scripture/people and applying Scripture to people.
Moving from Scripture to "relevant life-giving" words is very difficult. And moving from the "lives of people" to "relevant-Scripture" is very difficult. I would say it is the most difficult part of Bible Study.
Exegesis is much easier. Greek is much easier. Systematic Theology is much, much easier. Preaching is easier. But, after having exegeted Scripture and understood a person's life and problems, to then speak powerfully and profoundly into their lives is quite challenging!
In order to help us do that better, Emlet invites us to understand Scripture within the context of redemptive history and invites us to understand people in light of their story and their identity as simultaneously sinners, saints, and sufferers. In doing so, he helps us bridge the gap between Scripture and life.
June 5, 2023
Another good primer for learning Biblical Counseling. "The goal of this book is to help you live a biblically rich, Christ-centered life in community with fellow believers."
Emlet shares how to connect the Bible to life by learning how to connect a person's story and see it in the historical-redemptive, Gospel-centered storyline of the Bible. Big words but he has good exercises and examples how to start doing that.
He has good overview principles for studying and interpreting the Bible and he shares how to look at a person's story through the grid of Saint, Sufferer, Sinner. Putting together a worksheet with his good questions in the appendix, helps one to get a practical idea and start to offer some help as the Holy Spirit enables, using His Word.
I started this book last year and left it mid-way. Coming back to it a year later as I continue studying, I find that it makes more sense to me.
Emlet shares how to connect the Bible to life by learning how to connect a person's story and see it in the historical-redemptive, Gospel-centered storyline of the Bible. Big words but he has good exercises and examples how to start doing that.
He has good overview principles for studying and interpreting the Bible and he shares how to look at a person's story through the grid of Saint, Sufferer, Sinner. Putting together a worksheet with his good questions in the appendix, helps one to get a practical idea and start to offer some help as the Holy Spirit enables, using His Word.
I started this book last year and left it mid-way. Coming back to it a year later as I continue studying, I find that it makes more sense to me.
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