Muriel Cook - Kitchen Table Counseling: A Practical and Biblical Guide for Women Helping Others

You listen to her heartache, you care, you pray, but you dont know what to do next. This clear, step-by-step book will guide you in helping others deal with painful realities. It doesnt promise any unrealistic quick fixes but instead lays out the path to the freedom of walking in Gods ways.

PAMELA REEVE, professor;
author of Faith Is and Parables of the Vineyard

You are holding a treasure chest full of wisdom, direction, and biblical insight. Cook and Volkhardt have carefully crafted an invaluable guide for every woman who has ever desired to see God bring hope and healing to others. As you turn these pages, be prepared to draw near to the true wonderful Counselor and watch Him transform your heart as well.

ROBIN JONES GUNN, author of the SISTERCHICKS novels and the
CHRISTY MILLER series

Kitchen Table Counseling provides essential principles and tools in a simple readable format. Readers will find themselves empowered to incorporate and utilize these biblical guidelines in their daily lives.

JOSEPH C. ALDRICH, president emeritus,
Multnomah Bible College and Seminary;
author of Lifestyle Evangelism

All believers subscribe to Gods ability to transform lives, but many of us are awkward when called upon to convey to struggling souls the truth we ardently believe. With advice seasoned by years of biblically based ministry, Muriel Cook and her daughter have given us a trustworthy guide that belongs on the ready-reference shelf of every person who desires to help others.

JEANNE HENDRICKS, speaker; author of A Mothers Legacy

To my daughters, Shelly and Milei, whose lives and ministries I deeply respect. And to my spiritual daughters serving Christ around the world who are Kitchen Table Counselors.

MURIEL

For Milei, my sister, my friend. I treasure you.

SHELLY

The Navigators is an international Christian organization. Our mission is to reach, disciple, and equip people to know Christ and to make Him known through successive generations. We envision multitudes of diverse people in the United States and every other nation who have a passionate love for Christ, live a lifestyle of sharing Christs love, and multiply spiritual laborers among those without Christ.

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators. NavPress publications help believers learn biblical truth and apply what they learn to their lives and ministries. Our mission is to stimulate spiritual formation among our readers.

2006 by Muriel Lee Cook and Muriel Michele Volkhardt

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935.
www.navpress.com

NAVPRESS, BRINGING TRUTH TO LIFE, and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

ISBN 1-57683-795-5

Cover design by Brand Navigation, LLC DeAnna Pierce, Bill Chiaravalle, www.brandnavigation.com

Cover photo by Stephen Gardner, Pixelworks Studio, www.shootpw.com

Creative Team: Rachelle Gardner, Arvid Wallen, Liz Heaney, Amy Spencer, Cara Iverson, Pat Reinheimer

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to an individual living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Other versions quoted include the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House, all rights reserved; the Amplified New Testament (AMP), The Lockman Foundation 1954, 1958; the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), COPYRIGHT 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved; and the King James Version (KJV).

Cook, Muriel L.

Kitchen table counseling : a practical and biblical guide for women

helping others / Muriel Cook and Shelly Cook Volkhardt.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-57683-795-5

1. Women--Pastoral counseling of. 2. Women in church work.

I. Volkhardt, Shelly Cook. II. Title.

BV4445.C66 2006

253.082--dc22

2005018768

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 / 10 09 08 07 06

FOR A FREE CATALOG OF NAVPRESS BOOKS & BIBLE STUDIES,
CALL 1-800-366-7788 (USA) OR 1-800-839-4769 (CANADA)

My mom, Muriel Cook, is the most amazing woman I know. I can see her in my minds eye, standing at the end of our street, rice paddies on either side, when she and Daddy were missionaries in Taiwan. Every week she met her Chinese coworker for an afternoon of visiting neighbors. They knocked on every door within walking distance of our home, sharing Christ with whoever would invite them in. Mom taught etiquette to Taiwanese beauty contestants at a local charm school, hosted countless guests, and led Bible studies. My sister, Milei, and I watched her dress for teas with Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, wife of the president, and prepare for events where she and Daddy would lift up the name of Jesus in English and Chinese.

Over and over again I saw Mom rise to the occasion, whether it was roller-skating in a crowd of Chinese partygoers, killing a large, poisonous snake outside our gate, or kneeling in prayer beside her bed. Stamped in my memory are the evenings when my parents sat with the light behind their backs and a hymnbook in their hands, singing my sister and me to sleep. I can still hear Mom harmonizing with my father as they taught us the great doctrines of the church without our even knowing it. She sat vigil over Daddy when he was unconscious and hung between life and death due to Japanese encephalitis B. I saw her trust God during those days and even testify of His goodness to the people who streamed in to comfort her.

Mom has faced enormous trials and challenges and learned who God is. Little did I realize that the principles she was teaching us by her words and example would have such an impact on others.

Even though Mom is not a professional counselor, her days continue to be filled with counseling. Students and women from around the world seek the God-given wisdom she has to share as Counselor-at-Large at Multnomah Bible College (she always makes it clear that her title is not to be confused with Large Counselor). I have heard more than one person tell her, Muriel, Ive been seeing a psychologist, and you have helped me more in one hour than he has in years!

If you were to meet my mother, you would see a beautiful, mature woman. She is a classy dresser, a bright spirit, crazy-in-love with my dad, and profoundly biased about her two daughters. Her gentle and approachable style, combined with her unwavering faith in our beloved Savior and the healing power of truly knowing Him, make others hungry to know Him too.

Many women in her life want to be just like her. That has been my goal too. One of the greatest compliments a person can pay me is to say, You are just like your mother. Of course, its only partially true; I am my own person. However, as I have put her material into written form, I have been surprised that most of the principles I thought were my own are actually what Mom taught me. She is so gifted in sharing truth that she makes you feel as if it was your idea in the first place!