Biblical Counseling

God's Word in 2 Timothy chapter 3.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

From time to time, we take breaks from our verse-by-verse exposition of the Scripture to help you understand why we do what we do as a church.

In fact, if you go on our website, you can find the category, why we do what we do, found there.

So we've been going through the book of James.

We're at the end of chapter 2, purpose to start into chapter 3 in the coming weeks and looking forward to doing that.

It is most often that we open up to a text and we get right to reading it and we just spend our time in that text.

I often say to the younger guys learning to preach, your goal ought to be to keep people's nose in the book, right?

Keep them focused on the text itself.

However, it's a little difficult to do that when we do these types of sermons because they're a little more survey-oriented.

It's a bit of a step back to try to understand conceptually why we might do what we do.

So I just had you turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and it's just going to sit there in your laps for a little while as we set up a case.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

We are going to look at this passage, but we look at some other passages first before we land in this one as well.

So I want you to know it pains me a little to preach sermons like this.

It's not my favorite way of preaching.

And I also want to give you warning.

It is especially important to be discerning when this type of preaching happens, right?

When the scripture is being used to proof the point rather than the scripture itself and forming the point in its presentation.

So I just want to say that to you.

I'm aware of what is happening, that it's got its danger.

So be discerning this morning as we open up God's word together.

The practice, the why we do what we do that we're going to cover today is the practice of biblical counseling.

And we find this to be of particular importance for us to think together about today for three reasons.

First and most importantly, you will likely need some extra help for a particular reason at some point in your life.

Perhaps more often than you even realize.

And it's important that you know where and how to get the counsel that you need.

Who should be helping you?

How do you know when somebody is giving you information worth listening to?

We live in an age of lots of information.

What should you and shouldn't you listen to?

Second, we are committed to biblical counseling as a church.

We are already committed to this.

We were committed to this in the founding of the church 13 years ago.

It is already practiced here.

It's already a thing that we do in some measure.

Some of you have been beneficiaries of biblical counseling in the life of our church.

But we also hope to see it practiced more.

Thirdly, we have determined as a church to press our efforts forward this year to start a biblical counseling center.

To more formalize that ministry of our church.

This endeavor is going to take a bunch of effort on a number of different fronts.

But the primary one, the primary effort, the thing we're going to need to work the most at is equipping members of our church to provide biblical counseling.

So we're going to be leading a cohort of people through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors training.

So ACBC, if you're here, let's use that term.

ACBC's training.

And we would like for you to prayerfully consider being part of this work.

Prayerfully consider.

Might the Lord use me in this way as I'm laying out this case for you today?

We are hoping to see at least 12 people through the training this year.

If you're at all interested, if you think, sign me up, or you think, maybe I'd like to learn more,

we're going to have an information session following today's gathering in the large meeting room downstairs.

It's going to be short.

We're going to kind of lay out for you what that process looks like and how you can get involved in being trained to be a biblical counselor.

So as you're listening to this, as you're thinking about the case that the Bible makes for biblical counseling,

I want you to think in those terms.

So why do we practice and believe that God would have us further practice biblical counseling?

I hope to sufficiently answer that question for you with three points.

This is one of those sermons that's very difficult to condense.

There's so much I'd like to say and so many ideas I'd like to explore,

but I'm going to try to sufficiently answer that question.

Why?

Why biblical counseling?

Why should we do it?

Why should we do more of it?

The first point is this.

Number one, humans are troubled as a result of sin.

I don't think that anybody would say that we're not,

that there isn't some trouble in the world because of the sinfulness of man.

We have reason to be troubled generally.

There has been a curse placed on the world.

The brokenness of the place in which we live goes back to the fall.

Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

We can read in verse 16 and following.

God says to the woman,

And to Adam he said,

Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree which I commanded you,

you shall not eat of it.

Cursed is the ground because of you.

In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground.

For out of it you were taken, for you are dust.

And to dust you shall return.

So we can see in these few verses,

outward trouble, pain in childbearing,

pain in provision,

work became labor.

And we see in this text,

death.

Death is now part.

And all of the aches and pains and things that happen taking us to that place

is generally part of the fall.

We also see in that curse,

inward trouble.

Relational turmoil that's rooted in desire.

It's going to be problems in our relationship because of original sin.

But we also have specific troubles because of sin.

We are part of that sin nature.

We received it.

We are also willingly sinful.

And it causes trouble in our world.

A single Bible example of this,

James chapter 4, verse 1 and following.

James 4:1

James writes,

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

Is it not this,

that your passions are at war within you?

You desire and do not have,

so you murder.

You covet and cannot obtain,

so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have,

because you do not ask.

You ask and do not receive,

because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.

You adulterous people,

do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Therefore,

whoever wishes to be a friend of the world

makes himself an enemy of God.

So we are naturally idolatrous people.

We are naturally seeking satisfaction in a place that it cannot be found.

We are trading our God for something paltry,

something not worthy of our worship.

And this causes all kinds of trouble,

relational trouble and otherwise.

We feel it.

We have felt it this week.

We have likely felt it this morning.

If it doesn't hurt for you to roll out of bed yet,

brace yourself.

It's coming.

Young people,

on the morning of your 30th birthday.

It's coming.

Our bodies are falling apart.

We are,

apart from the grace of God,

wretched inside.

And all people,

rightly,

wish to be freed

from their troubles.

We all want ease.

We all want to be carefree.

We want to be set free

from the troubles of this life.

God's people know.

We have a theology for this.

We understand

the nature of the world in which we live.

And

we also know that one day

we will be fully and finally

freed

from our troubles.

Wonderful

truth.

A wonderful thing

to reflect on

together.

We sing often

a song together

on the Lord's Day

called

On Jordan's Stormy Banks

I Stand.

Which picks up

that typology

of God's people,

Israel,

waiting to cross over

into the promised land.

And it applies it rightly

to

the future reality

that will be delivered

from this world.

Verse 3 says,

No chilling winds

or poisonous breath

can reach that healthful shore

where sickness,

sorrow,

pain,

and death

are felt

and feared.

No more.

And then the chorus goes,

I am bound,

I am bound,

I am bound

for the promised land

and repeats.

Right?

We look forward

to that great day.

But while we await

that day,

is there any

temporal relief

for our troubles?

Right?

Are there instructions?

Is there help

given

to us?

And the answer

is absolutely

yes.

But first,

to understand

where to look

for this relief,

we need to understand

the nature

of our being.

How is it that God

made us,

which brings me

to our next point.

So number two,

humans

are

embodied

souls.

We are

embodied

souls.

We are

dichotomous

creatures.

And dichotomous

actually means

that we can be

divided in two,

which is really

not the best term.

That's why I like

to say instead

embodied souls.

Right?

Because our humanity

is both

our soul

and our body.

We will be

separated from

this body

upon death.

But our final

eternal state,

if we're in Christ,

will be in a

resurrected body.

Right?

Bodily

dwelling

is part of

being

human.

So you've got

the two things,

both body

and soul.

Both important.

Both

God-bearing,

image-bearing

parts of who

we are

as

people.

And I'm going

to juxtapose

that to

trichotomous

being

momentarily.

But I want

to make the

case to you

that we are

two-part

in a whole.

Right?

We are

embodied

souls.

Genesis

Genesis 2:7

chapter 2,

verse 7.

The Lord God

formed the man

of dust

from the ground,

body,

and breathed

into his nostrils

the breath

of life,

soul,

and the man

became a

living creature.

Right?

This is something

that the rest

of the creative

world does not

have a soul.

God-breathed

life.

Right?

So we're both

parts,

body and soul,

and both parts

are affected

by the curse

of sin.

The body,

right?

There are a

myriad number

of ailments

affecting our

bodies.

Right?

Viruses.

Here's a wonderful

example.

Have we all

felt the curse

of viruses

over this

past couple

of years?

You guys know

that just a

couple of weeks

ago,

I was up here

with a sling

on my arm

because I had

an accident

and I,

turns out,

bruised ribs.

So I'm feeling

much better

now,

wonderfully.

Right?

I think

pre-fall,

I just wouldn't

have been stupid

enough to have

the accident.

We would have

avoided it

altogether.

I think my

brain would

have been

sharper than

it was.

Or some

super cool

regenerative

property would

have made

it not painful.

I don't know.

I'm a type

one diabetic.

Right?

My immune

system killed

the part of

my pancreas

that makes

insulin.

So I have

to do it

synthetically.

Right?

I have a

pump and I

do all this

stuff to put

insulin into

my body.

There are

mental disorders.

extreme

examples.

Schizophrenia.

Right?

These are

ailments of

the body.

However,

one day

these bodies

will be no

more and

we will

have new

resurrected

bodies that

will be

devoid of

the corruption

of sin.

In the

meantime,

God has

extended to

us many

common

graces.

Ways that

we can care

for our

failing bodies.

We don't

give up on

our bodies.

We can

exercise.

It's

helpful to

maintaining

health.

We can

eat healthy

food.

Right?

We can

help each

other think

about that,

what that

looks like.

There's

lots of

good natural

things still

that are

good for

our bodies.

There are

also

synthesized

medicines.

Right?

Praise God

for some

of the

discoveries

and the

things that

have happened

and ways

in which

we can

be cared

for.

Our

lives,

by the

grace of

God,

extended.

There's

wisdom to

apply these

types of

remedies.

Just think

of the

grace that

people have

knowledge to

be able to

do the

things that

they are

doing.

This morning,

Jacob Kelly and

David Mewson,

who are physical

therapists,

I've got a

little ache in

my finger that

will not go

away.

And they

gave me some

advice about

my finger.

Right?

Don't need an

MRI.

I just need to do

some things to

my finger to

help it be

better.

Speaking of

fingers,

Sam lopped off a

good portion of

the tip of her

finger a couple

of weeks ago.

And praise

God for the

wisdom to

put antibiotic

on it.

Like we

understand germs

and what

happens with

bacteria in

a cut.

So her

finger's healing

quite nicely.

Right?

So there are

remedies.

Right?

We have ways

in which we

can care for

the troubles

of our body.

But they

don't go away.

Right?

We're just

seeing ourselves

right through

this temporal

dwelling toward

an eternal

dwelling.

But we also

have souls.

Right?

And this

term soul

is referred to

in a bunch

of different

ways in the

scripture.

Genesis 2

calls this

the breath

of life.

Elsewhere

in the

scripture,

this part

of our

being is

called our

spirit.

You can

see 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse 15.

It's called

our hidden

person.

1 Peter 3

and verse 4.

Our inner

self, 2

2 Corinthians 4:16

Corinthians 4,

verse 16.

In other

places, this

part of our

being is

described by

its functioning.

The function

of volition

is called

our will.

John chapter

John 7 · chapter mention

7 and

verse 17.

Cognition

is called

our mind.

Colossians 1

and verse 21.

This should

be distinguished

from our

brain, the

gray matter,

actual physical

gray matter

that resides

between our

ears.

consciousness.

It's the

functioning

that's happening

inside, the

cognition that's

happening between

our brains.

Our moral

sense of

right and

wrong is

called our

conscience.

1 Corinthians 8

and verse 12.

And the

center, like the

seat of our

emotions, is

most often

called our

heart.

John chapter

John 14 · chapter mention

14 and

verse 1.

For our

time frame, this

is a very

brief survey of

these terms.

And I would

gladly talk with

you more about

this, but be

warned, I'm

probably going to

give you

something weighty

to read if

you want to

talk about

this more, but

happy to do

it.

I hope this

morning for

you to see

that these

terms are used

interchangeably

and that there

are so many

terms because

while we are

only two-part

beings, we are

still rather

complex creations.

The Bible uses

so much

different language

to label and

describe our

soul because

it is complex

enough that it

needs to be

observed through

different perspectives

or lenses.

So we're to

love the Lord

our God with

all our heart,

soul,

might,

strength,

all of that.

It's compounding

every ounce of

your being.

It's what's being

communicated there.

Not that we're

made of all

these varied

parts.

We are embodied

souls.

So why would I

spend all this

time, briefly

anyway, making

this case to

you this

morning?

It is because

so many

well-meaning

Christians

consider us to

be trichotomous

three parts.

And they don't

all agree on

what those

trichotomous

three parts

are.

But what it

does is it

regularly opens

the door for

secular psychology

to be an

active part

of the

ministry

of the

church.

The reasoning

goes something

like you

have a body

which should be

cared for by

medical professionals.

You have a

soul that should

be cared for

by pastors,

other Christians.

And you have

a spirit,

sometimes mind,

that should be

cared for by a

psychologist.

Beloved,

this should not

be so.

And I hope to

show you why

with our

concluding point.

So this

point

assumes

that we are

dichotomous

and proves

that we are.

Third point,

the Bible

is sufficient

for the task

of solving

the problems

of our soul.

The Bible

is sufficient

for the task

of solving

the problems

of our soul.

Now hear me

carefully.

It's not

sufficient for

the task

of solving

the problems

of our body

temporally.

Fully and

finally,

yes,

we'll have

new bodies.

But not

temporally.

I would not

make the case

to you this

morning that

I should

stop using

insulin

and just

have faith.

I use

insulin

by faith.

God has

provided it

for me

that I might

have my

being.

I might

do good

works that

he prepared

beforehand

for me

to walk

in.

We're not

making that

case.

And it gets

a little more

complex when

we're talking

about issues

of the mind.

That gets

hard.

It gets

hard to

navigate.

I'm not

saying that

we are

anti-medication.

I would say

we're cautious

when it comes

to psychotropic

medication.

But beloved,

if you have

schizophrenia,

I would

strongly encourage

you to

proceed.

Medical help

is a good

important thing

for that

type of

ailment.

An ailment

of the

body,

which

connects

to a

soul and

also needs

the care

of the

scripture.

So the

Bible is

sufficient for

the task

of solving

the problems

of our

soul.

And this

is the

text.

2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3:14

chapter 3

verse 14

and 17

through 17.

2 Timothy

3, 14

to 17.

17.

17.

Paul

writing to

Timothy,

talking about

people who

have abandoned

the truth,

and then he

says,

but as for

you,

continue in

what you

have learned

and have

firmly

believed,

knowing from

whom you

learned it,

and how from

childhood you

have been

acquainted with

the sacred

writings which

are able to

make you wise

for salvation

through faith

in Christ

Jesus.

all scripture

is breathed

out by God

and profitable

for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training

in righteousness

that the man

of God

may be

complete,

equipped

for every

good

work.

This is our

classic

sufficiency

of scripture

text.

And here it

applies to

the life

of the

follower of

Jesus.

It is

sufficient

for this

task.

Paul says

some striking

things here.

He says

that the

Bible teaches

us what we

need to know

to be

saved.

It makes

us wise

for salvation

through faith

in Christ

Jesus.

Paul says

that elsewhere,

Romans chapter

Romans 10 · chapter mention

10 and

verse 17.

So faith

comes from

hearing and

hearing through

the word

of Christ.

If you

are in

Christ,

if it's

true of

you this

morning that

you have

been justified

before God,

that you've

placed believing

faith in the

person and

work of

Jesus Christ,

you have

done that

because God

worked that

in you by

his word,

power of

the spirit

and his

word.

Faith comes

from hearing

and hearing

random

philosophy,

pop

psychology,

no,

the word

of

Christ.

Paul also

says in

this text

that the

Bible has

God as

its

author.

Carried

along men,

men's pins,

wrote the

text,

but he is

its source.

It was

exhaled by

him.

And because

of this,

it makes

it authoritative.

If God

has spoken

to the

world,

he has a

right to

speak over

his creation.

it's

authoritative.

And because

he is

God,

he cannot

lie.

Therefore,

it's

inerrant,

which means

it does

not

err,

and it's

infallible,

which means

it cannot

err,

praise be

to God.

And because

of all

these things,

then it

is sufficient.

It is

enough.

Life

and godliness,

what we

need to

know to

be in

right

relationship

with our

God,

and to

live lives

that are

honoring to

him,

can be

found in

the Bible,

and it

needs not

be found

anywhere

else.

What a

comfort,

and such

a day

of turmoil.

I have

been reminded

as the

information's

coming at

me,

as fast

as it's

coming at

you,

maybe faster

because some

of you

send information

to me,

I go,

what do we

do?

What do we

do in

such an

age?

And I've

just been

reminded

again,

and again,

and again,

preach the

word.

Just keep

bringing people

back to

the word.

The Bible

is sufficient.

The man

of God

will be

complete,

equipped for

every good

work.

So we

don't need

secular

psychology to

remedy our

spiritual

conditions.

We need

to look

to the

word.

And we

need to

help one

another look

to the

word.

And we

need to

help others,

we need to

help those

outside the

church look

to the

word.

Secular

psychology,

which I have

to talk about

very broadly

right now,

but it's

insufficient for

the task of

helping people.

Secular

psychology is

insufficient for

the task of

helping people.

Did you know

that there are

more than

250 competing

views of

human behavior?

Researchers vying

for their

position to

explain how it

is that man

works.

Secular

psychology,

as practiced

in many

places,

has

unscriptural

presuppositions.

Now,

you might

know somebody

who's a

licensed

counselor,

who's a

Christian.

Don't be

offended by

everything I'm

about to

say.

I have to

speak in

broad

generalities

to have

a conversation

about this.

If they

counsel well,

they do so

because they're

really being

biblical

counselors.

It has

nothing to

do with

the secular

psychology that

they may have

learned in

school.

You could

be a

biblical

counselor in

spite of

your training.

This is a

very possible

thing to

do.

But generally

speaking, it

has unscriptural

presuppositions.

First, it has

an incorrect

view of

man.

Broadly

speaking,

secular

psychology

believes that

man is only

an advanced

animal.

It has

evolved to

be the

most advanced

of creatures.

It's so

complex in

us.

But man

is so much

more than

a cosmic

accident.

We have a

creator and

therefore a

design granted

to us by

this creator.

Way more

than advanced

animals.

Some point

of process

in evolutionary

theory.

Another

incorrect

view of

man,

secular

psychology

holds,

is that

man is

basically

good or

possibly at

worst a

blank slate.

evil.

This is not

what the

Bible teaches.

The Bible teaches

us that man

is evil.

Altogether

evil.

I wrote in my

notes man is

basically evil and

realized that's an

insufficient term,

right?

Altogether evil

apart from the

saving work of

Christ.

So we have a

great problem and

we need a

great helper.

Psalm 51

and verse 5,

Behold,

I was brought

forth in

iniquity and

in sin did

my mother

conceive me,

right?

We are born

with a

sinful nature.

How are we

ever going to

find the right

solution to our

problem if we

don't understand

the problem?

Secular

psychology also

believes that

man is

autonomous,

can change

themselves.

This is not

true.

We need

God's

help.

We need an

outside agent

to work

upon us.

For those of

us in Christ,

that outside

agent becomes

an inside

agent as the

Holy Spirit

indwells us.

Our catechism

question was

about that

this morning.

Jesus said

in John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15

and verse 5,

I am the

vine,

you are the

branches.

Whoever

abides in

me and I

in him,

he it is

that bears

much fruit

for a part

for me,

you can

do

nothing.

Secular

psychology

also

excuses

sin

and denies

personal

responsibility.

There is a

lot of

blame

shifting

that happens

in secular

psychology.

You are a

product of

something.

Your parents,

your teachers,

your society,

a given

circumstance.

Of course you are

acting the way

you are because

again and

again and

again that

blame gets

shifted away.

John writes

in 1 John 1

1 John 1:8

verse 8,

if we say we

have no sin,

we deceive

ourselves and

the truth

is not in

us.

The Bible

never justifies

our sin

as people

who are

victims.

People are

victims of

sin.

This is a

very true

thing,

but sinful

responses to

sin are not

justified in the

scripture.

They never

are,

and we

ought not

counsel people

as if they

are.

Second,

psychology

calls sin

sickness in

this attempt to

excuse it and

to deny personal

responsibility.

There certainly

is such a

thing as

physical brain

illness.

I don't want to

minimize that

point,

but the Bible

does not allow

for these maladies

to become

excusers of

sinful activity.

right?

When you

think about

the logic

of it,

every time I

get angry at

somebody,

I can simply

say,

well,

that's my

personality.

I've got a

propensity for

that kind of

thing,

right?

The scripture

would say,

well,

of course you

do,

because you're

sinful,

and you're

in need of

grace,

and you

deny that

impulse in

you and

respond

righteously.

So it

tends to

call sin

sickness,

and secular

psychology has

no fixed

moral values,

right?

a system

that largely

denies a

creator,

therefore leaves

morality to

our own

definition.

As long as

we feel

positive,

we're feeling

good about the

things we're

doing,

the decisions

that we're

making,

then our

behavior,

whatever it

may be,

becomes

justifiable.

There's no

standard that

we're meant

to aim at

for our

high and

ultimate

good.

good.

So secular

psychology is

not sufficient

to the

task to

help people

change.

It is

possible for

a secular

psychologist to

treat symptoms.

It's possible.

Perhaps for a

counselee to

receive some

temporary relief,

but the

primary problem

will still

persist.

It's a sin

nature that

needs the

changing power

of the gospel

of Jesus

Christ.

real change

happens in

relation to

God,

which is why

God's word

must be brought

to bear if

we want to

really help

people with

their spiritual,

with their

soul problems.

2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

again, all

scripture breathed

out by God,

and it is

profitable,

it's good for

the task,

teaching and

reproof and

correction and

training in

a standard

morality,

in righteousness,

that the man

of God may

be complete,

equipped for

every good

work.

So what is

biblical

counseling?

Biblical

counseling is

discipling from

the Bible for

a particular

problem, for

a particular

amount of

time, so

that a

counselee can

honor God

in their

life.

Biblical

counseling is

discipling from

the Bible for

a particular

problem, for

a particular

amount of

time, so

that a

counselee can

honor God

in their

life, right?

It's taking

up the

scripture, and

it's helping

people to

believe it in

a way, it's

empowered by

the Spirit,

that they

actually change.

Romans 12,

2, you may

be familiar

with this

text.

Paul says,

do not be

conformed to

this world, but

be transformed

by your

feelings,

the renewal

of your

mind.

The

things that

you believe

to be

true are

transforming

to who

we are.

So it's

that careful

application,

particular

problem for

a particular

period of

time, but

what does

the scripture

say about

this issue

in your

life, and

how can you

bring it

to bear?

What's the

practical ways

we're going

to work

out these

truths in

your life?

So if you

have a

bulletin,

real quick

on the

back, I

sort of

drew a

river.

This is

what the

scribble is

on the

back of

your page.

This is

an analogy

I picked

up from

Joel Teague

from Faith

Community

Church,

which is

kind of a

sister church

to us,

and a lot

of people

that we

love and

care about

that are

part or

have been

part of

Faith

Community

Church.

This

example

really

resonated

with me

because I

used to

teach

whitewater

kayaking,

so you

kind of

catch that

as we

talk about

this.

So you

have a

river,

and here

in the

river flow,

number one,

what you

would label

this,

whether you

have a pen

or not,

you can

just mentally

think about

it,

the general

activity in

this analogy

of the

church is

discipleship,

right?

Helping

people to

follow Jesus

faithfully,

to look more

like Jesus.

Be disciples

of Jesus

Christ.

Discipleship is

the noun,

and so I

always like

the verb

form of

discipling,

right?

It's the

activity of

helping people

faithfully

follow Jesus,

which should

be everything

a church

does,

what we

exist for.

Everything we

do ought to

be trying to

aim people

at faithfully

following

Jesus.

Jesus.

Just as a

river is

fed by

a tributary,

so that's

the little

thing going

off to

the side

there,

sometimes

this is

going to

happen

preemptively.

So you

could write

in that

blank number

two,

preemptive

discipling,

also most

regularly

called

evangelism,

helping people

see from

the scripture

their great

need of

God.

Therefore,

the solution

to their

problem is

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

bringing about

faith in

them.

So preemptive

discipling

would be

one of the

things we

would do

as a

church,

working to

do biblical

counseling,

evangelizing

people with

problems,

showing them

their greater

need than

temporal

fixes,

their need

of eternal

fixes,

and empowering

for temporal

fixes.

That's

preemptive

discipling.

People come

into the

flow of the

life of a

church,

a healthy

church is

going to

be about

discipling

people in

many,

many varied

ways.

But from

time to

time,

people need

to be

drawn to

quiet

water for

a particular

problem for

a particular

amount of

time.

So that's

a rock in

the middle

of the

river with

some calm

water behind

it,

or a dip

in the

bank with

some calm

water there.

These are

called eddies.

The flow of

the water

slows down.

And as a

whitewater kayak

instructor,

these are the

places that

we taught

skills.

If somebody

wasn't doing

well on

the river,

you've got a

group going

down the

river,

you would

pull somebody

aside and

say,

hey,

come over

here with

me,

and you

would teach

them a

particular

skill before

you return

them back

into the

regular flow