Description
If we, and those we counsel, have a relationship with Jesus that consists only in assenting to
certain biblical truths, we are falling significantly short of the alive and interactive relationship
with Jesus that He came to give us???because we have a God who very much wants to be
known, heard, and experienced by us???who wants to walk through life WITH us. Through 29
years in private practice as a psychologist (Sharon Tilley), and 30 years as the Minister of
Discipleship at our local church (James [Jim] Tilley), we have found that those we counsel (or
pastor), like us, desperately need the real Jesus who can enter with them into all of their
struggles???but most do not seem to know how they could learn to hear Him or sense His
presence more personally. Many need deep healing, but they do not know how to walk closely
with our precious Savior. Seeking to have a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ
ourselves has led us to be trained in five, helpful models, five ways of inviting Jesus?۪ presence so
that we might perceive and interact with Him more actively: 1) Russ Harris?۪ Christ-centered
Internal Family Systems, 2) Ed Smith?۪s Theophostic method, 3) Terry Wardle?۪s Formational
Prayer, 4) Mark and Patti Virkler?۪s dialogue journaling (where Sharon has met Jesus every day
for almost 10 years), and 5) Karl Lehman?۪s Immanuel Approach. Sharon has created and will
present a brief take-home of each of these five methods to make it easier for participants to try
themselves, and potentially to send home with appropriate clients to use to guide their time
alone with Jesus. Jim has gone further in praying side-by-side WITH his counselees, being there
and standing by as they invite Jesus to show them whatever He wants to, so Jim will share some
of the experiences he has witnessed where the connection with Jesus is very healing for those
he gets to pray with as a pastor.
Presented by: Sharon Tilley, Ph.D. & James A. Tilley. Ph.D.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Apply the biblical pattern that Jesus desires—an alive, interactive, personal connection with us and our counselees that we can choose to experience—hearing His voice and sensing His presence
- Study five different methods of inviting Jesus’ alive, interactive presence with us: 1) Christ-Centered Internal Family Systems, 2) Theophostic, 3) Formational Prayer, 4) dialogue journaling, and 5) Immanuel Approach
- Explore strategies of how to share one of these methods with our appropriate counselees: for their own individual prayer time OR for prayer time together where you might be there to pray alongside them as they connect with Jesus themselves
