I
am aware of three forces that seriously affect the direction
of my life. The first is the grand theme of reconciliation.
My work as a counselor and psychologist has focused on individual,
couple and family efforts to reconcile the conflicted space
that exists within and between persons. It is particularly
relevant to consider this rift within an individual's soul
with their soul maker. Reconciliation and the related themes
of grace, justice, and forgiveness are the essential themes
of the Christian faith, and of successful relationships.
The second powerful force is the size and complexity of
our world. Spanning oceans and crossing continents, the intricacy
of life is to me, wonderful and awesome. This makes the task
of personal, spiritual, and relational reconciliation and
redemption challenging. The integration of world cultures
encourages research into how counseling/psychology can influence
them, and particularly how Christianity, the religion that
has transcended culture on every continent, can play an active
role in reconciling broken or damaged relationships.
The third force is the unique individuality of every person.
As a counselor/psychologist/professor a respect for human
distinctiveness is a constant reminder to take a humble perspective
on what we can claim to know about people. It also encourages
me to learn of individual needs and concerns.
Currently, I serve as the Director of the Ph.D. Program
in Counselor Education and Supervision. My training and career
path has made stops in public and Christian secondary education,
community mental health, private practice psychotherapy,
and higher education in both public and Christian institutions.
In my work-teaching, research, therapy, and administration--I
want to be thinking of the great influences of culture and
individual need as I attend to the grand theme of reconciliation
and redemption.
The Ph.D. program in Counselor Education lends itself to
those values because of our online format I can work with
students from around the world or right next door to tailor
an educational program that is targeted for their calling
and mission in life.
Finally, as exciting as the things are that I have discussed,
they are not life. They are work. Life is found in attending
to the simple and profound, as in Micah 6:8, to "live justly,
love mercy, and walk humbly with God." These principles of
justice, mercy and humility are presented to me daily in
the little details such as how I love my wife and children,
give respect to those around me with greater, equal and lesser
status than I, and how I seek to show the face of Jesus to
both those who recognize the reflection, and to those who
take it for granted. |
