This is my life. This is what God taught me. Counseling from God’s Word

Its easy to look at some one and think you know where they are in their walk with Christ. It’s easy to look at the surface and think that you know what is underneath but that is not always true.  We can’t always tell what is going on at the heart level of a person.  At first glance we may not be able to see change in a person.  When you look at a flower that’s been planted you can’t see the roots that are under the surface.  You can’t necessarily see how deeply grounded it is.  And unless you planted the flowe you cannot always see the progress it has made in growing.  You can’t see where it has been or how far it has come from.  That’s how it is when we look at a person’s life.  We cannot know the struggles they are going through or have been through.  We cannot see their roots.  We cannot see what is below the surface.  We cannot necessarily see how God is changing them and making them more like Christ.  We cannot see or know...

Sometimes it seems my life is a never ending series of events that want to knock me down.  Then there are times when I can clearly see God at work in my life.  There are times when things get so hard that I just want to give up sometimes.  I can be a bit dramatic haha.  But maybe it is health problems or I just feel like school is overwhelming me or maybe that the devil is attacking my mind and trying to discourage me.  There are times I might not be good enough or maybe that I am mistaken in what I believe God is calling me to do and that there are others who can do it much better than me.  There are times when I wonder why I came to seminary and think maybe I should just give up and quit but God provides more grace.  Just when I think I cannot handle it anymore He provides Grace after Grace. I heard about this song from my friend Elisabeth but it’s been one of my life songs lately.  The song is called after the storm and the chorus goes like t...

I have been on quite the journey finishing my degree st Southwestern and I am thankful for every bit of it.  I am thankful for how it has grown me and challenged me and has prepared me for what God wants me to be.  When I first came to Southwestern I wanted to do music or missions-I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  I remember meeting Dr. Catanzaro and introducing myself to him never knowing what impact he would have on my life or that I would be able to take classes with him.  I’m thankful today for Dr. Babler.  I’m thankful for his family and how they have loved and cared for me. I’m thankful that a few years ago he invited me to have thanksgiving with their family and that they invited me today to have Thanksgiving with their family. I’m thankful for the way they have included me as part of their family when my family is so far away.  I’m thankful for how they have lived life with me, how they are so real and genuine, and how I have had the opportunity t...

I wanted to write about this topic again because it’s something that I’ve been thinking about.  It’s so easy to live your life in fear, worrying about what people will think or if they will reject you.  You know that moment when you are talking to somebody and you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to say something to them but you don’t because you are afraid they won’t like you or you are afraid they will reject you.  Jesus came here and was rejected by His own! Jesus was rejected and He still came anyways! If He was rejected why do we think we will not be rejected? 10  “Blessed are those who have been  persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for  theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11  “Blessed are you when  people   insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.   12  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for  in the same way they persecuted the prophets who we...

If you look at the news and what is going on in the world and how more and more people are rejecting God and His truths it can seem like things are going crazy.  Sometimes it can seem when you are going through hard times or when God doesn’t give you what you want or are praying for (whether it be marriage or somebody else it can be hard to see and understand what God is doing.  No matter what we are going through though God is still good!  He still holds us and our future in His Hands! One song that my mentor Mary Kaye sang and introduced to me is called “Trust His heart.” Here are some of the lyrics I’ve been thinking about lately. “When you don’t understand, when you can’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand trust His heart!” “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. I’m all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 6 

Anybody who knows me knows that I believe in counseling from the Word of God.  I believe that the hope for our problems can come from Jesus alone and that His Word has the answers to what we are going through.  Tonight I had a counseling session where I was thrown back and I wasn't sure what to do.  I felt like I was too young to help the woman I was asked to help.  I felt like I didn't have the experience or know what it was I needed to say or even if I did know what to say I wasn't sure if I should say it. Tonight my friend Elisabeth Palmer introduced me to this song called One Awkward Moment by Casting Crowns.  At first I didn't really understand what it was about and then I looked up the lyrics.  It is a powerful song that really helped me to think. To me the first part of this song is talking about a girl who got lost somewhere along the way.  She feels all alone and she needs someone to help her but she's never going to ask. She'...