Gary’s Story
Growing up in the rural Midwest, my mother took my three brothers and I to church several times a week where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, being baptized into His death, burial and resurrection. I loved being active in sports, with friends and being active in our church. God provided opportunities to learn and feel loved by Him, leading me to worship and obey Him in a childlike faith. Yet I never felt good enough, inadequate at best and judging others who let me down. As I entered adolescence, being instructed by my parents and ministers to “ always be good”, I felt unloved and swallowed my hurt, anger and fear. In time I portrayed being good on the outside while coping inwardly through secret sins in order to control my sense of feeling loved.
Through high school and college, God worked in me and through life events to trust Him more; meeting my wife in Bible college then serving Him in ministry together, while raising a family. Though, being good and seen as good was important to me, which eventually led me to physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. God demonstrated His love to help me face my past, trust Him in my brokenness, while in the midst of leaving the ministry and my family for a time. Even though I felt lost and confused, He made His presence known to me. He enabled me to make spiritual, relational and ministry changes, purifying my motives and conforming me more into His image while reuniting me to my family.
Gary’s Story as a Professional Counselor
I followed my brother to Bible College and then into vocational ministry (youth pastor), believing God led me to serve Him no matter as a paid minister, a professional counselor in public settings or a mixture of both. As a youth pastor, I was privileged by God to see Him work in and through people, though sensing a greater need to counsel people with broken lives and relationships. My brokenness of feeling inadequate and codependent tendencies, I never thought I could counsel people. Yet God continually pointed me to see people’s need for help and opportunities for me to learn professionally, how to help.
By His grace, I attended graduate school, obtained a masters degree in psychology and became a licensed as a professional counselor (LPC). Prior to graduating, God led me to Dr. Daniel Wilkinson, an LPC in St. Louis, MO, who counseled in a church office and developed a Biblical method to counsel. Dr. Wilkinson graciously accepted to counsel and teach me Cognitive Biblical Therapy (CBT), while supervising me for licensure as I counseled in several different churches. Over the next 14 years, I counseled on contract or on staff with various churches, assisted Dr. Wilkinson in promotion of CBT and setting up church counseling offices (first six years until Dr. Wilkinson’s passing to His heavenly reward). The last 8 years in church based counseling, I primarily focused on the development and implementation of a counseling ministry which involved not only counseling those in need, but also teaching, discipling and training Christians to help them selves and others.
I share my story …
to encourage and challenge you to follow God’s lead to help people who struggle and seek transformation through God’s Word. It’s worth it!
How does God use common, broken believers?
Read …
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Under Construction.
Under Construction.
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Under Construction.
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Under Construction.
Come with me to follow His leading by …
Seeing those in need.
Asking God if you are his desire to help others in need.
Taking one step towards His mission for you.