I have sort of plugged this book before! But I do so again in the hope that you'll get hold of it and read it carefully.
How often is it that someone shares their struggles with you and all you can offer is an aimless platitudinous truism? Don't you just hate it when someone does that to you? Banal generalised truth that is about as much use as a tube map in the Sahara.
"We will listen for a problem word (adultery, doubt, fear, lust, greed..) and then fire away until we have said everything we know about the bible's view on the topic. Not only does this do violence to the way God wants his word to be used, it completely misses the heart struggles of the person with the problem"

Tripp helps us to see we don't have to be so poor at ministering to others. We can have responses that are shaped by compassionate biblical thinking.
I'm learning. Thanks Mr Tripp.