N
Nocturnal_Principal_X
Guest
Well, I have finally reached 1000 posts and like the wonderful Brutus/HisCatalyst I’m going to give my testimony when I reach 1000. So here it is below:
I believe that my life is a living example of God’s grace and power, and perhaps even a miracle. On December 17, 1981 I was born without a right ventricle. As a result I had three open-heart surgeries, which included two BT shunts (the development of the BT shunt is talked about in the HBO film Something The Lord Made- http://www.hbo.com/films/stlm), and finally a Fontan operation (http://www.fontanoperation.com/fontan.htm). The years that followed my operation were relatively normal.
Toward the end of my middle school years I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. Through various experiences in both high school and college I have come to believe that God has called me to serve Him by becoming a Christian Counselor. In the following paragraphs I will briefly tell you about the call and walk that has brought me to that decision.
During my high school years, I dealt with deep depression and thoughts of suicide. Brought on by various reasons such as my parents marriage difficulties and my low opinion of myself. Thankfully, I believe the Holy Spirit encouraged me to hold on and that better days were coming. As the years passed, I slowly began to rely more on the Lord and I shifted my focus away from myself and toward serving Him. When I was a senior in high school my mother passed away following a routine surgery. Surprisingly, instead of becoming angry and drifting away from God I drew closer and became more reliant on Him.
In my first year at Georgia Perimeter College, a member of The International Church of Christ approached me. I attended several Bible studies and church services. After doing some research, I discovered there seems to be intensive and unreasonable involvement and control over the members of that denomination. Because of that, I stopped attending their church services and Bible studies. This experience with the Church of Christ, along with my mother’s death, motivated me to study the scriptures in more depth to learn what being a follower of Christ is truly about.
After receiving my Associate Degree in Psychology from Georgia Perimeter, I transferred to Brewton-Parker College to continue working toward a Bachelor’s Degree. The combination of my new drive to study scripture and my desire to serve God caused me at one time to consider becoming a pastor of a church. However, after much prayer and several experiences at Brewton-Parker, I slowly began to feel God calling me to serve him on more of an individual basis rather than in preaching.
After much thought, it seems quite clear to me that God has allowed me to experience many troubles in my life to equip me with the various skills and knowledge necessary to minister to individuals by helping them deal with mental and emotional problems such as depression. Along with thoughts about my own personal life, I have been influenced by many conversations, suggestions, and experiences I have had with Brewton-Parker professors and fellow students.
After graduation from Brewton-Parker, I intend to enter seminary to obtain a Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling. I hope to either work in a local church or serve as a chaplain at a hospital. Because I was born with congenital heart defects that may eventually require a heart transplant, I hope and pray that God will allow me to work at a place that provides appropriate medical insurance in view of my condition.
My overall objective in being a Christian Counselor is to teach individuals how to deal with life's situations and tribulations, by applying biblical principles and seeking God's help through prayer. It is my strong belief that psychology is only truly beneficial when applied from a biblical standpoint, and in order to help individuals God must heal the heart and soul, not just the mind.
In preparation for seminary, I have been studying and discussing the Bible for the past two years with my friends, college professors, and several pastors and Christian workers. Along with this biblical study, I recently completed a youth ministry internship at Hope Community Fellowship, a church that my sister and brother-in-law attend. Additional preparation included the reading of various theological books such as Table Talk for Martin Luther, Kingdom of the Cults, and the Handbook of Christian Apologetics.
Upon completion of Kingdom of the Cults and Handbook of Christian Apologetics I was convicted to study the Bible even more intensely and to learn about other faiths in order to share my Christian faith more effectively both in my career and personal witness to others.
(Note: Parts of this testimony are being used for an application for seminary where I hope to gain a Master’s degree in Biblical Counselingâ€â€at this point I am strongly considering Southeastern Theological Seminary for such a degree.)
I believe that my life is a living example of God’s grace and power, and perhaps even a miracle. On December 17, 1981 I was born without a right ventricle. As a result I had three open-heart surgeries, which included two BT shunts (the development of the BT shunt is talked about in the HBO film Something The Lord Made- http://www.hbo.com/films/stlm), and finally a Fontan operation (http://www.fontanoperation.com/fontan.htm). The years that followed my operation were relatively normal.
Toward the end of my middle school years I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. Through various experiences in both high school and college I have come to believe that God has called me to serve Him by becoming a Christian Counselor. In the following paragraphs I will briefly tell you about the call and walk that has brought me to that decision.
During my high school years, I dealt with deep depression and thoughts of suicide. Brought on by various reasons such as my parents marriage difficulties and my low opinion of myself. Thankfully, I believe the Holy Spirit encouraged me to hold on and that better days were coming. As the years passed, I slowly began to rely more on the Lord and I shifted my focus away from myself and toward serving Him. When I was a senior in high school my mother passed away following a routine surgery. Surprisingly, instead of becoming angry and drifting away from God I drew closer and became more reliant on Him.
In my first year at Georgia Perimeter College, a member of The International Church of Christ approached me. I attended several Bible studies and church services. After doing some research, I discovered there seems to be intensive and unreasonable involvement and control over the members of that denomination. Because of that, I stopped attending their church services and Bible studies. This experience with the Church of Christ, along with my mother’s death, motivated me to study the scriptures in more depth to learn what being a follower of Christ is truly about.
After receiving my Associate Degree in Psychology from Georgia Perimeter, I transferred to Brewton-Parker College to continue working toward a Bachelor’s Degree. The combination of my new drive to study scripture and my desire to serve God caused me at one time to consider becoming a pastor of a church. However, after much prayer and several experiences at Brewton-Parker, I slowly began to feel God calling me to serve him on more of an individual basis rather than in preaching.
After much thought, it seems quite clear to me that God has allowed me to experience many troubles in my life to equip me with the various skills and knowledge necessary to minister to individuals by helping them deal with mental and emotional problems such as depression. Along with thoughts about my own personal life, I have been influenced by many conversations, suggestions, and experiences I have had with Brewton-Parker professors and fellow students.
After graduation from Brewton-Parker, I intend to enter seminary to obtain a Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling. I hope to either work in a local church or serve as a chaplain at a hospital. Because I was born with congenital heart defects that may eventually require a heart transplant, I hope and pray that God will allow me to work at a place that provides appropriate medical insurance in view of my condition.
My overall objective in being a Christian Counselor is to teach individuals how to deal with life's situations and tribulations, by applying biblical principles and seeking God's help through prayer. It is my strong belief that psychology is only truly beneficial when applied from a biblical standpoint, and in order to help individuals God must heal the heart and soul, not just the mind.
In preparation for seminary, I have been studying and discussing the Bible for the past two years with my friends, college professors, and several pastors and Christian workers. Along with this biblical study, I recently completed a youth ministry internship at Hope Community Fellowship, a church that my sister and brother-in-law attend. Additional preparation included the reading of various theological books such as Table Talk for Martin Luther, Kingdom of the Cults, and the Handbook of Christian Apologetics.
Upon completion of Kingdom of the Cults and Handbook of Christian Apologetics I was convicted to study the Bible even more intensely and to learn about other faiths in order to share my Christian faith more effectively both in my career and personal witness to others.
(Note: Parts of this testimony are being used for an application for seminary where I hope to gain a Master’s degree in Biblical Counselingâ€â€at this point I am strongly considering Southeastern Theological Seminary for such a degree.)
