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Understanding God’s Peace: Bible Verses about Peace

Understanding God’s Peace: Bible Verses about Peace

By Caitlin Mallery|May 5th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

There is a myriad of Bible verses about peace, elegantly scripted onto home decor, or scrolling through social media. Surrounded by flower vines the peace of God seems to give the idea that peace is equal to beauty and elegance. Bible Verses about Peace Reading around the flowery verses and understanding the context is always crucial. It informs our thinking and understanding of the concept of peace. Today we will look at two oft-quoted verses about peace a little more deeply. Jeremiah 29:11 A favorite verse for graduations and other seasons of transition or hardship is, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ – declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) The story behind the words: Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet was writing a letter to the exiled Jews in Babylon. A letter that was meant to remind them of the ways they had forgotten God, and so must endure the exile from their homeland. Let’s look at a few more verses: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” – Jeremiah 29:4-5,7, NIV Rather than pine for what they have lost, the Jews are encouraged to live a full life where they are. It is the ultimate encouragement to bloom where you are planted. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and [...]

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How to Stop Worrying: Techniques to Calm Your Worried Mind

How to Stop Worrying: Techniques to Calm Your Worried Mind

By Wylie Christian Counseling|February 24th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling|

Occasional worry is a normal part of life. It is a natural human response to uncertainty and can be beneficial when it pushes you to find a solution and spurs you to action. Chronic worry, on the other hand, can severely impact your mental and physical well-being. It is a mental habit that can be paralyzing and drain your emotional energy. You need to stop worrying. The good news is that chronic worry is a habit that can be broken. You can learn how to view your circumstances from a more balanced, less fearful perspective, and train your brain to stay calm. Worry pretends to be necessary, but serves no useful purpose. – Eckhart Tolle Common triggers that cause people to worry. There are a variety of things that can lead to worry. Understanding what they are in your life will help you address them. Common triggers include: Major life changes Financial challenges Conflict within relationships Stress at work Health issues Too many commitments or responsibilities Lack of time Techniques that can help you stop worrying. Discover the root of your fears . Before you can learn how to stop worrying, you need to reflect on what is causing you to do it. Dive into why you worry about the things that you do and what triggers it. Identifying what is at the core of your anxious thoughts can help you find more effective ways to manage them. Fact check your thoughts. Rather than fixating your thoughts on “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios, rethink your fears. Remind yourself that thoughts are not facts. Ask yourself how realistic your fears are. Is there evidence to back them up? How likely is it that what you are worrying about will occur? Do some deep breathing. Worry can cause your breathing to [...]

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How to Improve Your Self-Esteem and Love Yourself

How to Improve Your Self-Esteem and Love Yourself

By Kate Motaung|February 8th, 2023|Christian Counseling For Teens, Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

Some people believe it is impossible for you to improve your self-esteem. However, if you make positive, intentional choices, you can discover a newfound confidence in who you are. Characteristics of confidence A person has confidence when they believe that the course of action they have selected is the best one and that they can carry it out effectively. Confidence is sometimes referred to as self-confidence when describing it as a personality feature. People’s attitudes and views about their capacities and talents are described by this phrase. People with high degrees of self-assurance may believe they will succeed in their goals and continue to feel in charge of their lives. People who are confident in themselves typically have faith in their skills, authority, and discernment. They might feel more confident than persons with low self-confidence in their capacity to carry out a variety of life responsibilities well, feeling less anxious and self-conscious. One-time feelings of confidence are also possible. For instance, a woman preparing to speak might be sure that it would go well despite struggling at other times. However, people might also have confidence in most aspects of their lives as a broad personality feature. People with high levels of self-assurance will feel at ease thinking that other people are just like them, that they can perform well at work, and that they can handle the rigors of daily life. People with strong self-confidence tend to be happier than those with less self-confidence because high self-confidence is connected with high self-esteem. A person who has confidence in others believes that other people will do a good job at what they do, fulfill their obligations, or keep their word. While one’s interaction with another person can have an impact on one’s general opinion of others, self-confidence can also have [...]

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Will I Ever Get Married? Considerations for Navigating Purpose and Partnership

Will I Ever Get Married? Considerations for Navigating Purpose and Partnership

By Kate Motaung|January 13th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Few questions burn a place in the human heart besides knowing the purpose and having meaning in our lives. Discovering our life’s call is one of the most pressing mysteries that our souls seek. Learning how to walk in that purpose unlocks answers as well as more questions. For single believers, connecting with the right partner serves to advance God’s plans for His kingdom and our lives whether they ever get married or not. As we walk with the Lord, the questions of purpose and partner may tug at our consciousness as family and friends’ weddings and dates may have come and gone with no spouse for us. Agitation pokes at our peace, bringing with it a longing for our own match among the millions. There may be legitimate circumstances that have deferred our hope of getting married such as extended schooling, focus on a career, or what seems like a wilderness when it comes to available, eligible partners. When marriage and the milestones we’d hoped for seem to be on a long delivery, it causes us to question if we will ever get married. It’s no surprise that the enemy tries to insert wedges into the cracks of our mental and emotional weariness. During waiting seasons, his suggestions accuse God of withholding good from us and persecuting us for not being further along in our relationship goals. It can be demoralizing when a fizzled or non-existent dating experience leaves us with fewer prospects and less inspiration than when we began. It erodes our esteem, making us feel undesirable. It frustrates us, leaving us anxious that the very thing we desire will continue to elude us. Like Adam and Eve, we may be tempted to take our heart matters into our own hands when we feel as if God [...]

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How Maternal Mental Health Impacts a Child

How Maternal Mental Health Impacts a Child

By Kate Motaung|January 11th, 2023|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Women’s Issues|

Maternal mental health was not always on the minds of many of the people who provide behavioral health services in our country as an issue that needed to be addressed. The worldview has shifted by the year 2020, and the mental health of mothers (and parents in general, more generally) is becoming increasingly important to the community working in behavioral health. Women who are pregnant, new mothers, or experienced mothers are having their mental health disorders investigated by a growing number of healthcare providers, who are also investigating how the mothers’ mental health affects that of their children. According to the World Health Organization, approximately ten percent of women who are pregnant and thirteen percent of women who have recently given birth experience a mental disorder, the most common of which is depression. This results in an inability to properly function and affects the growth and development of their children. The following is a list of some of the most common types and causes of maternal mental health disorders, as well as how the management of one or more of those disorders can affect a child. Mental health disorders commonly observed in mothers. Depression /postpartum depression. Most mothers around the world struggle with depression, making it the most prevalent mental health problem related to motherhood. Although many mothers will suffer from depression at some point in their lives, postpartum depression is the form that affects new mothers more frequently than any other. After giving birth, up to eighty percent of women will experience postpartum depression in some form or another. Weepiness, impatience, irritability, restlessness, fatigue, insomnia, sadness, intrusive thoughts, or an inability to stay focused are some of the symptoms of this maternal mental health disorder. Anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are yet another typical problem with a parent’s mental [...]

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Helpful Stress Management Activities

Helpful Stress Management Activities

By Melissa Plantz|January 5th, 2023|Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development, Spiritual Development|

Life is hectic: responsibilities, bills, debts, family, work. Most people do their best but find little time to let go. Their minds are constantly spinning with problems and worries. When this happens, we must take control by engaging in stress management activities. The Trouble with Chronic Stress Chronic stress can lead to many problems, such as inflammation, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, higher levels of cortisol, insomnia, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Stress affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally. When the body stays in a constant state of distress, it can weaken the heart and blood vessels, leading to heart attack or stroke. As your eating patterns change, you are at risk for eating disorders, diabetes, and obesity. You may notice joint pain, body aches, and headaches. Your mental health also takes a hit with chronic stress. You can develop a mental health condition such as: Anxiety Depression Panic disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Binge-eating, anorexia, or bulimia Poor body image Social anxiety Night terrors Trouble with concentration Dementia or Alzheimer’s Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder This is why practicing stress management activities is crucial to your health. Do not think of these activities as selfish or things you do when you want to feel luxurious. These are not luxury tasks, but necessities. You need to stay healthy. God took a day off to rest and commanded us to rest at least once a week. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. – Genesis 2:2, NIV Stress Management Activities You Can Do Now It does not take a great deal of time or money to destress. You can incorporate little stress management activities into your day and week. Most [...]

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How Bird and Birdsong Encounters Improve Mental Health

How Bird and Birdsong Encounters Improve Mental Health

By Kate Motaung|November 17th, 2022|Featured, Individual Counseling|

According to research, trips to areas rich in avian life could be recommended by psychiatrists to patients looking to improve their mental health. According to the findings of some researchers, the simple act of observing birds or enjoying birdsong encounters can have a positive impact on one’s mental health. Why is hearing birds sing so soothing? The idea was that when there are dangerous predators nearby, birds will stop singing, indicating safety for our subconscious. People have felt at ease and peace when they hear birds sing for thousands of years due to this association with safety. The researchers hypothesized that exposure to nature and birdsong might be an excellent treatment for a variety of mental illnesses. But it comes as no surprise. There are many excellent examples of how nature has a positive impact on health in the medical literature. Dr. Eleanor Ratcliffe, an environmental psychologist at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, is an expert on the psychological effects of birdsong. People she polled for earlier research believed that birdsong helped them concentrate and unwind. However, their perception of these advantages was influenced by previous outdoor experiences involving a specific birdsong. They responded more favorably to a birdsong if they had previously heard it while enjoying time outside. For instance, some bird songs brought back memories of childhood nature hikes. Harder bird calls, like those of corvids like magpies, were perceived as distracting as opposed to calming and concentrating. The benefits of birdsong were more frequently cited by people who said they felt a stronger connection to nature. More recent studies by Dr. Ratcliffe have shown that more people are calmed by birdsong that is softer, more complex, and melodic or harmonic. This effect was stronger the more frequently birds sang in a recording that [...]

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Staying Healthy During the Grieving Process

Staying Healthy During the Grieving Process

By Cyndi Kay Green|August 8th, 2022|Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling|

God designed our bodies with beauty and intricacy. A delicate balance between flesh and spirit that is held together with His spirit and love. There are times when this balance becomes off kilter. One of them is during the grieving process after the loss of a loved one. Grief affects every part of our being. Our delicate bodies become ravaged with heartache. It is in this heartache that we lose touch with taking care of ourselves. Staying healthy during the grieving process requires us to focus on something other than the pain in our being. The onset of anxiety during the grieving process One of the first things we will experience during the loss of a loved one is anxiety. Even people who do not battle anxiety will face some form of it during this difficult time. The battle with anxiety comes from fear. During the emotional stress of losing a loved one, fear comes in the thoughts of “what will my life be like without this person?” Our flesh has a hard time understanding any reason for someone dying. Death is an event that most people fear. To overcome this fear we have to remember what God’s word tells us about fear, death, and His goodness. I sought the LORD, and He answered me And rescued me from all my fears. – Psalm 34:4, NASB When we turn our focus on Christ and His grace, we can overcome the engulfing manifestation that anxiety brings during heartache. Even though grief is hard we can choose to process it positively. It may not seem like it when we are in the middle of the devastation, but it is doable. It is a matter of renewing our minds just as Paul instructed in Romans 12:2. Unhealthy food choices It’s so easy [...]

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3 Resources for How to Deal with Anger

3 Resources for How to Deal with Anger

By Brooke Turbyfill|July 28th, 2022|Anger Issues, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Anger pops up in a variety of situations. It may be something external – sitting in a traffic jam or hearing that your favorite team lost the game in overtime. But often, anger is rooted in something deeper. Getting to the root of that emotion and figuring out how to deal with anger should be done with trusted tools and trained counselors. How to Deal with Anger: 3 Tips The first step is awareness. If someone has ever pointed out that you tend to respond to negative situations in anger, it’s certainly worth paying attention to. Asking yourself some questions may help. Do I frequently regret something I have done or said in a time of anger? Are those closest to me fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing because of how I might react? Do I typically give the “cold shoulder” to someone that has hurt me in the past? Have I refrained from bonding or held back love to show – in a not-so-obvious way – that I am angry with someone? Have I lashed out on more than one occasion with words or physical aggression toward someone because of angry feelings? If you’ve answered yes to any of these, it could be a worthwhile time to examine the depth of your anger. The anger issues may stem from several roots. One way your anger may come out is by punishing yourself. If you get upset with yourself when your very high standards have been broken – by you – then this may be why. It is hard to let go of anger toward yourself, hard to not talk negatively to yourself in your mind, and hard to not berate your choices even if you know that perfection isn’t the ideal. Other exhibits of anger include [...]

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Faith Over Fear: Putting Faith into Practice to Overcome Worry

Faith Over Fear: Putting Faith into Practice to Overcome Worry

By Kate Motaung|July 13th, 2022|Anxiety, Featured, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Heroes of Faith” chapter of the Bible. Throughout history, men have done the impossible by faith. “The just shall live by faith” states Hebrews 10:38 (NKJV), and this chapter proves that faith over fear can conquer any circumstance and overcome worry. What have you found your circumstance to be? Is it the uncertainty of a diagnosis? Is it the lack of a steady income? Is it an unfaithful spouse? Is it an estranged father or mother? Did a child take a path that you did not approve of? Whatever you’re facing, this chapter reminds us that through faith, we can face the impossible. With God’s help and through prayer, we can reach what feels unattainable. True biblical faith is not an emotional “hope so;” it is a real conviction based on the Word of God. Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Other versions of this verse use words like “confidence” (NIV), “certainty” (NASB), “reality” (CSB), and “substance” (NKJV) instead of “assurance.” So, when the Holy Spirit gives a man faith through the Word, the very presence of that faith in his heart is all the assurance and evidence he needs to overcome worry. It has been said that faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen. Through faith, men see what others cannot see. When there is true faith in the heart, God bears witness to that heart by His Spirit. By faith, Noah saw coming judgment, Abraham saw a future city, Joseph saw the exodus from Egypt, Moses saw God. By faith they saw the invisible, chose the imperishable, and did the impossible. Faith over fear accomplishes things because there’s power [...]

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