Honestly, it never crossed my mind as something I would want to do as a career. God, however, had other plans.  I received my Master of Science in community and corporate wellness management from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. I loved sports, and so my own desires screamed for anything athletic. It wasn’t until my son was born and I began to read books geared toward psychology that the idea crossed my mind. Everything I read spurred my desire to know more.  I couldn’t get enough. Long story short, after a couple of months, the Lord began to move my will toward his.  My son was four months old when I started my Master of Arts in marriage and family therapy from Liberty University.

“What do I not enjoy?” would have been easier to answer. Counseling and teaching counseling feel like an air that I was made to breathe. It feels natural. I began counseling in 2008, and it has grown on me every year since. What I love most comes down to people; I love joining people in their journey and witnessing the Lord's transformation in their lives. 

I absolutely love working with teenagers and their families.  I mostly work in the areas of trauma recovery (physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual abuse), gender struggles, and the parent-child relationship. I really enjoy working with couples as well. I also enjoy public speaking on counseling topics. 

My favorite type of counseling is my 5-day gospel-centered, trauma recovery counseling intensive sessions. These are an incredible way to focus solely on trauma recovery.  I see more progress in these sessions than in most regular counseling because I meet with clients for 5 hours for 5 days. Then, the counselees have specific homework and exercises they do in the evenings to prepare for the next day. It is highly effective because they are away from their homes, work, and other life distractions for 5 straight days, focusing on nothing else but their recovery. I absolutely love seeing what God does in their lives during this time. 

Goodness, that is a loaded question. First of all, my favorite book is the Word of God.  I spend hours in it daily, and I still believe I don't get enough. I like any book by Ed Welch, Mike Emlet, David Powlison, Herman Bavinck, John Frame, St. Augustine, Darby Strickland, Julie Lowe, Jeremy Pierre, Robert Kellemen, Robert Jones, Eric Johnson, Timothy Keller, Jonathon Holmes…the list could seriously go on and on. One that I try to read every year is The Bruised Reed.

I think the question should be worded, “how do you line up your personal life with your faith?” I say that because my faith is in Christ and his Word. His word is never failing, never ending, and never wrong. I fail often, am finite, and am often wrong.  My way frequently fights against his way. My goal is that my life is in line with my faith. I want what I say and do to align with what I believe to be true. I want to honor Him in everything.

I think it was more of a person than an experience—my dad. My dad’s love for the Lord, his Word, his people, and his undeniable belief in how God’s Word transforms the lives of people when they hear it, believe it, and live it had such an incredible, lifelong impact on not only my personal walk with God but in my desire to bring the Word to people in a very practical way. I originally practiced licensed counseling; however, through something David Powlison said, God wrestled with me to move my will even closer to his. Powlison said in one of his articles that the goal of counseling ought to be to “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable into the likeness of Christ.” I remember thinking, “That is not what I was taught in my master’s program.  That purpose was never even on my radar. That statement ate at me for months. But in the end, I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in biblical counseling and a master of arts in theology.  

“Everything we do makes sense.” We are often confused by the things we do, the words we say, or the desires we have. Yet, when you get down to it and dive deep, how we respond is generally either one of two things: it is either in line with how God designed us to be and live or it is not. The goal isn't judgment but heart transformation.