Christian teacher, counselor, and best-selling author, Larry Crabb, has died at the age of 77.

“It is with great sadness and astonishing joy that we tell you of Dr. Larry Crabb’s arrival in Heaven early Sunday morning,” his ministry, Larger Story, announced in a statement yesterday on Facebook.

“Heartache because we already miss him so much, and heartfelt delight because we each have a faint sense of just how much he is now enjoying the great celebration and perfect rest of life in the presence of the Trinity.”

Crabb, who died February 28, pioneered a method of counseling which helped people overcome mental illness by teaching them to reject false beliefs. He based his counseling on the Biblical idea that behavioral problems often result from destructive beliefs.

The most important tool of his counseling was not diagnostic method but authentic friendship, he told Christianity Today in a 2003 interview.

Crabb wrote several best-selling books, including Inside Out, Shattered Dreams: God’s Unexpected Path to Joy, and Effective Biblical Counseling: A Model. He also served as the spiritual director for the American Association of Christian Counselors and as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Colorado Christian University (CCU).

Crabb is survived by his wife, Rachael, his sons Kep and Ken, and five grandchildren.

“We were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dr. Larry Crabb, one of our biggest advocates and friends,” CCU president Dr. Donald W. Sweeting said in an online statement. “He was a leader, an educator, and a spiritual adviser to many in the CCU community for a number of years. He had a passion for Christ-centered, biblically grounded psychology, and for seeing sound Christian counseling transform people’s lives. He will be greatly missed by all of us at Colorado Christian University.”

Crabb played a major role at CCU during his 30 years there. He worked with six university presidents, mentored students, and helped shape the school’s clinical mental health counseling program.

After his death, many people on Twitter recalled how he had impacted their lives.

On Facebook, Christian radio host Bob Lepine recalled a story Crabb once told him.

Crabb’s grandfather Charlie died during the 1917 flu pandemic. As he was dying, Crabb’s grandmother Laura struggled to come to grips with her husband’s passing. On the day he died, Charlie saw his wife crying, sat up, put his arms around her, and with tenderness said: “Laura, Laura, don’t cry. Hush, God is in it.”

“I don’t know what Larry Crabb’s last moments were like,” Lepine said. “But I know he spent his life caring for hurting people and reminding them that even in the hard events of life, God is in it.”

On its website, CCU announced that it will plan an on-campus memorial to honor Crabb sometime after Easter. The university asked people to pray for Crabb’s family.

Jackson Elliott is a Christian journalist trained at Northwestern University. He has worked at The Daily Signal, The Inlander, and The Christian Post, covering topics ranging from D.C. politics to prison ministry. His interests include the Bible, philosophy, theology, Russian literature, and Irish music.