King's Business - 1959-05

Talking it Over by Dr. Clyde M. Narramore

Dr. Narramore, graduate of Columbia University, New York City, is a psychologist and Consultant in Research and Guidance with one of the largest school systems in the United States

their Saviour, for which I praise the Lord. Our club is now in its fourth year. Two of my oldest sons, seven and eight, are “ ushers” and my daughter has the job of putting the flannel fig­ ures on the board while I tell the story. My four-year-old son passes out the Bible verses after club time and also the tracts if there should be such. My sons now have a “Sugar Creek Gang” of their own, and everybody is happy. I have both of your books, HOW TO UNDERSTAND AND INFLU­ ENCE CHILDREN, and YOUNG ONLY ONCE. What a real blessing these books have been to me person­ ally as well as in my Christian work. May God abundantly bless you. Eating With Others QUESTION: I have been reading your page each month in the KING’S BUSINESS magazine. All our family have received a real blessing from your ministry. Now I would like to ask this question: What makes a person, an adult at that, be afraid to eat with other people? Is it best to avoid eating with others or should one do it more often to try to overcome this fear? ANSWER: To most people this phobia seems very strange. But may I assure you that it is not too uncommon. It is one of many phobias that plague many people. Actually we all have some fears, large or small. But in most cases they are not severe enough to interfere with our happiness. These fears do not usually show up until after adolescence. However, their roots usually extend back to early childhood days. To say that there are definite causes for such fears, seems obvious. But this understanding must be clear before a person can overcome them. Each fear must usually be carefully traced, analyzed, and fully discussed before it can be eliminated. But the one who suffers from extreme fears seldom knows what has caused it. Hence, professional help is needed. Through tests and interviews, a psychologist or psychiatrist can assist the client to discover the causes. Then, as mentioned before, through analysis and discussion, the fear will begin to

disappear. That’s the way God has made us .The process of analysis and discussion constitutes the dynamics of therapy and adjustment. Of course, there may be attendant physical and spiritual problems involved too. Since the person you mention is an adult, and evidently a serious prob­ lem, I suggest he contact a Christian psychiatrist or psychologist. With professional help he may be expected to overcome the difficulty. Unsaved Husband QUESTION: My husband is a sailor; we have two small children — a boy and a girl. My husband isn’t a Christian yet. He knows and believes all the truths, but he just hasn’t let Jesus into his heart. I believe he is watching me to see how I act. This is very hard sometimes. Could you please give me some sug­ gestions on how I can lead him to Christ? ANSWE.R: May I suggest five things. (1) Pro)' constantly for him. Several times a day slip off by yourself and ask God to work in his heart. (2) Live an attractive life before him. Naturally, he watches you. If your life is flooded with Christian joy, he will want the same joy you have. This joy, as you know, comes from reading His Word daily and then obeying God. (3) Spend time with him. Without compromising your testimony, arrange many times when you can be with him. It is so difficult to influence a person with whom you spend little or no time. (4) Make sure that the Gospel reach­ es him. You can do this through Christian literature. He may be espe­ cially interested in reading this and other fine magazines. You can also bring the Gospel to him through Christian motion pictures and church attendance. (5) Don’t give up. It may take a while but it will be worth it. Dr. Narramore will be one of the conference speakers during BIOLA Week at Mount Hermon, California/ this summer. The dates are August 9-16. Write directly to the Mount Hermon Conference, Mount Hermon, for reservations.

DR. NARRAMORE

A Happy Christian Home Dear Readers: This letter arrived a few days ago, and it was so refreshing that I thought you would like to see it. CN Dear Dr. Narramore: My husband and I read your page and listen to your radio broadcast. They are always a source of blessing and inspiration to us. I am a mother of five children, the oldest being ten years of age. All of them have professed Christ as their personal Saviour, except the baby, of course. Being a homemaker, I am home most of the week with the children. I have a dear Christian husband who loves the things of the Lord. He works from 4:30 in the afternoon till 4:00 in the morning, so I am left home with the children each night. I love to spend each evening with them. We do not have a television but that’s o.k. with us. We’ve prayed about having one in our home and in our case the Lord has led against it. In its place we have story time for the children. There are so many wonderful Chris­ tian books for boys and girls. My chil­ dren are just thrilled with them. We have Christian magazines for the children and for ourselves as well. The Lord has permitted our Christian record library to grow, which is a great blessing to all of us. I once had a problem with my children regarding their playmates who were living in Christ-rejecting homes. But the Lord took care of that problem in a wonderful way. He led us to have a GOOD NEWS BIBLE CLUB in our home. Our average at­ tendance is 34. By the way, the boys are leading in the attendance contest. Last week three boys trusted Christ as

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