All Christians

Welcome to 2019. A new year, a fresh start. And for Christian bloggers, it seems it is a time to put down those who enjoy coming up with New Years Resolutions. In fact, Gospel Coalition has five articles on their site basically renaming resolutions. Not only do we encourage New Years’ Resolutions, but we want to help you with how to make the best of them with great tips from best counseling practices. (Note: I’m a fan of Gospel Coalition, I know several writers there. Just seems like lazy writing on the topic.)

If you have already made some, but they already seem to not be working, no worries, we can fix them as you go. If you haven’t but thought about it, it’s not too late.

If you have watched the news for the past 4 years, if you are involved with your local and state communities, or if you are involved in counseling, you know of the opiate epidemic. My experience as a mental health and substance abuse counselor is that many people know some things but few know most of what has been happening. The news is getting this opiate crisis only partially reported, mostly because there is so much happening. Dreamland, authored by Sam Quinones, touches on all that has been happening since the late 20th century.

[Read more…] about Dreamland [Book Review]

You may have heard several conversations about money within the Church. From the necessary “tithe your percentage to the church” sermon, being part of a small group on Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey, sitting in on a budgeting meeting for the ministries when it gets heated, or trying to decide if you are going to pay for that $2 donut and $4 coffee at the newly installed church coffee shop, money is apart of every church.

One thing is true, there is stress in money.

We don’t have enough money, it seems difficult to keep money, and it’s hard to obtain money. The Church even talks about how money is the root of all evil.

But what if there was a way of taking the stress out of money?

[Read more…] about Taking The Stress Out Of Money

Marriage is hard. Think about being in a relationship with someone, them knowing all of your deepest flaws and you knowing theirs. Further, your understanding of family, finances, or sex is different from theirs. You have children, but struggle to keep your own marriage as a priority. Then we throw in disappointment, in-laws, and personal expectations that may not be met. Having a resource to help you understand what you are currently going through in marriage as well as having something before you say ‘I Do’ is huge and having it faith-based is all the more important.

Below, I have shared several resources for people to use, though I will be honest, they all require you to have a mentor couple to work with you. It’s not easy and you should not go it alone.

[Read more…] about Christian Marital and Premarital Curriculum

Working with children and their families in counseling, one conversation that comes up over and over is concerns of the parents, teachers, and other important figures for the children that they are either misusing technology or putting themselves at risk. While you cannot prevent all problems from affecting children, there are several things that parents can do for their family in order to protect them.

Below I have links to several contracts and pledges for the family to go over and sign on how to properly use and expect to work with family members with the internet and smartphones. Further, I have several tips you need to consider as you begin dialogues with your children because a simple contract is not going to prevent harm, but constant vigilance and communication.

[Read more…] about Family Phone And Internet Contracts

What is shame? What is fear? What is anxiety? Why do we fight? Why do we abuse drugs and alcohol?

I do not think the video below answers all of the questions, but I do think this is a huge piece of the puzzle. And to us as Christians, this shame, fear, guilt, and stress disconnects us from God. It disconnects us from the gifts God has for us.

[Read more…] about The Power of Vulnerability [Video]

People are hurting every day. The story of the Gospel is literally a love letter to those who are broken, hurting, suffering, and without hope. It is in this time that we can find hope in God. It is in this time we find salvation. It is where we can begin to grow.

For the Church, we want to share who God is and develop a reliance on Him.

For counselors, we want to see people find peace and comfort.

What if these two ideas were not at odds, but instead aligned together. I propose that to truly serve a community, it isn’t just an idea to consider, but a necessary part of finding wholeness.

[Read more…] about It Takes A Community To Serve The Hurt [Devotional]

I am a huge fan of educating people when it comes to mental health and substance abuse and the Church may be one of the biggest places that could use some educating on these topics. Opioids, opiates, heroin, and other pain-relieving drugs are a problem in America. Here is some educating on the substances.

[Read more…] about What Is The Opioid Crisis? [Video]

For someone who has never struggled with mental health or been to a counseling session, the process of counseling may be a mystery or some “you go there to get help, they fix you” kind of mentality. Unfortunately, if you have been part of the process, you know this is not the case. The Huffington Post came out with a new article on the topic of mental health that I think both clients of mental health and Church officials/congregation members who have a desire to support people who struggle with mental health should read.

[Read more…] about Mental Health Diagnosis Is A Process

The short answer to this question is: Yes, faith-based addiction recovery programs work and with great success. The long answer is found when answering the question: How do they work and why do they work so well?

I have been the International Director of RU Recovery Ministries for over 16 years and I have witnessed the miracle of changed lives over and over again. It never gets old to see God transform someone’s life from being a hopelessly addicted drug user to a recovered and restored vessel for God. Recovery is possible and Hope is available through faith in Jesus Christ.

[Read more…] about Do Faith-Based Addiction Recovery Programs Work?