Hello Family! Parts of this post have been sitting in the draft folder of my website for two and a half years. WOW, but I believe that me being able to finish it is ultimately strategic. So, here we go! In January of 2016, I started a journey to become a Certified Biblical Counselor. I, honestly, didn’t know what was going to come out of it, but I knew that I needed it. My Pastor and Leading Lady, along with other members of the “PRAISEDOME”, took the same course in the Fall Semester of 2015. Seeing them graduate and talk about how amazing the class and the instructor was at their graduation made me want to take it, but I wouldn’t have  the deposit by the due date to sign up. So, I just kind of put it in my mind that it was something that was going to have to wait, along with the other goals I will embark upon. But, I fooled around and just said the words, “I’m interested”, and the person I told, who has been purposely placed in my life, said, “I’ll pay your deposit.” That was really all I needed to hear to lead me to believe this was something I had to do.

Dr. Rhonda Sneed, founder and CEO of Restoring Souls Outreach Center and AMAZING woman of God was our instructor. She told us two things the first Monday night of class, as she tells everyone who even considers being apart. Number one, “Get ready, because all hell is about to break loose.” Number two, “Before you become a counselor, you have to be the counselee.” I must say, live and in color, she was absolutely correct. Those 15 weeks changed my entire life. There were days I didn’t know how I was going to pay the rest of the tuition and still take care of things at the house and days I had no money to get food or gas to get to class, but God always made a way, literally. Some people in the class I knew and some I didn’t, but we truly became a family and even apart of an even bigger family as a graduating class. Then, on top of that, I was coming to class every week feeling like I was laying on a couch spilling any and all of my beans to a counselor, who gave me spiritual and natural ways to deal with all these different issues and feelings I was dealing with. Some of these issues and feelings, I didn’t even know I had. One week, I’ll never forget, we discussed bitterness and anger. At this particular time, I was going through very secretly, but, also, on the forefront. I didn’t realize I was either of these things until God lead her to call it for what it was, at the same time giving the lesson. She not only taught every lesson with examples of her own and others she have come in contact with experiences but, most importantly, God’s Word. I grew up knowing that everything I needed was in there, but I never truly studied for myself. I would go off what people told me was in there. But with the help of this class, along with our weekly 3D Biblical Studies at my church, I started to strive to find exactly what I needed for myself or what I needed to help someone else in that moment and in times to come.

Since graduation, and, even before then, I have been wondering what to do next. For the longest time, I wondered, was I taking the class just to say I finished something or am I going to really do something with this certificate. I have been known to, more often than usual, procrastinate and leave endeavors unfinished. So, then, I wondered am I going to class faithfully every Monday because someone invested in me and I don’t want to let them down, or am I actually going to take what I have learned and apply it to my life and  help someone else. All of these things I thought about were indeed true, but the key is talking to God and hearing from Him what my next assignment is. As the world knows, I went through a great deal in the past four years, mostly good, but I had some downs.  However, I believe in my heart I went through, and yet and still, go through, not only to help others get through, but for God to show Himself mighty in me and get glory out of my life. This class ultimately changed my life forever and ignited an even bigger desire to become a better woman, one day, a wife, and, most of all, an outstanding mother. 

You, too, can become apart of the family of Biblical Counselors and get the tools to correctly help in more ways than one through God’s Word. Classes start in 3 weeks. What are you waiting for? What do you have to lose? The attached flyer will speak for itself and I know others who can attest to this class changing their perspective on counseling within the four walls of a church building and even outside those same walls. Be Blessed.