We outlawed slavery years ago but it has not been abolished. You may be a part of it. And in the midst of that, you may be enslaved in your own way. Recently, our church had a special Sunday school series where we looked at issues in our community and the ministries that are addressing those issues. We called it “Heart of Mercy month” because our goal was to see God's heart for the issues and what He is doing about them so that our hearts would be brought in line with His and

“You have never met a boring person. If you think you have, either you weren't listening or they were lying.” This is a quote from one of my former counseling professors, and I believe it is a profoundly true statement. God is the ultimate storyteller. He tells His story not only in the pages of Scripture, but also in our lives. And God doesn't tell boring stories. The themes of God's Big Story (and by that I mean the story of Scripture which tells us the true story of the wh

Last week I talked about how I benefit from couples counseling right along with my clients as I'm reminded of important relationship principles, and as my appreciation for my own marriage grows. But this phenomenon is not limited to couples counseling. Being a counselor provides constant opportunity and motivation to pursue my own personal growth in several ways. First of all, as a counselor, dealing with my own issues is a prerequisite to being able to offer good care. This

The other day, when I arrived home after a counseling session, I said to my wife Jessi, “Babe, you know what I love about counseling? Well, I love a lot of things about counseling, but the thing I was just thinking about is...” Before I could finish my sentence, the idea for a new blog series was born! Out of all the types of counseling, couples counseling is probably my favorite. And when it comes to couples counseling, I have a special love for working with engaged couples