Do I really need professional christian support? Can't I just pray about it or talk to my pastor?
Absolutely, to both questions! It depends on how much support is needed and to what degree. Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while being a christian makes available Christ's strength to endure any struggle, darkness can still overwhelm our soul and make pressing forward seem almost impossible. Prayer is essential to the discipline of being a christian and it is powerful indeed, yet even Christ needed the company of others who encouraged, listened and walked alongside Him. Talking to a pastor or your pastor is available to anyone who would choose to seek their help. Yet, often pastors are in great demand and may not be available for extended counseling or interventions for issues outside their expertise. Pastors often refer to christian counselors when issues require more support than they can provide. We recommend prayer first, seeking support from your pastor secondly, then christian counseling for issues requiring more detailed attention or confidentiality.
What about medication, does God see it as weak or showing little faith to use it?
It is well established through conventional research that the long-term solution to mental and emotional issues and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication or self medicating. Additionally, there are numerous examples in God's Word of believers asking to be healed from their "thorns in the flesh" who experience not being healed from their burden.
Therefore, it is our belief at to be light that God can heal His people from anything, yet He can also choose not to relieve a believer of their "thorn in the flesh". We believe His Word when it says that "...all things work together for your good..." and we believe in His purposefulness in everything He does. For us, medication is a resource available from God through the accumulated knowledge of modern medicine and He created each of us for "...a time such as this...".
Hence, medication has its place in christian counseling but not at the expense of faith and prayer. It is likened to a cast on a broken arm, it does not do the healing but permits the healing to take place. God desires for us to ask anything in faith, believing that He has the power to heal, but He also asks that He be in control of our lives. So, it is paramount to see our requests to God through His will for our lives. Using medication as prescribed is not showing little faith, in fact, it is an act of showing faith. Believing that He will work all things together for our good.
Do you take insurance, and how does that work?
Does what we talk about remain confidential?
Definitely not! We are instructed by God not to fall prey to the temptation to judge others, not doing so is VERY important to us. We don't like it when others judge us, so we're not going to do to you what we abhor. We all need someone we can tell anything to and not be judged...we are here to be that 'someone' for you!
How is to be light different from what traditional counseling provides?
It can be difficult to conceptualize what we do, but it is not 'traditional mental health counseling'. The ministry is christian living into real world experience and therefore most closely related to religious practice more than anything else. We are consultants and christian life coaches to Christians struggling with real life issues that interfere with their ability to live as Christians. Our work is well informed by traditional practice but does not engage as a mental health practice. We work with Christians in a discipleship format to understand relationships, emotions and the realities of living as Christian in this time period of history. We work with many different denominations, churches, christian schools and pastors throughout Indiana and nation wide. If a purely mental health issue seems to be the central struggle, then we act as facilitators on behalf of the client and refer to a doctor for medication evaluation and/or a specialized treatment professional, like a psychiatrist, social worker, psychologist etc.
Absolutely, to both questions! It depends on how much support is needed and to what degree. Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while being a christian makes available Christ's strength to endure any struggle, darkness can still overwhelm our soul and make pressing forward seem almost impossible. Prayer is essential to the discipline of being a christian and it is powerful indeed, yet even Christ needed the company of others who encouraged, listened and walked alongside Him. Talking to a pastor or your pastor is available to anyone who would choose to seek their help. Yet, often pastors are in great demand and may not be available for extended counseling or interventions for issues outside their expertise. Pastors often refer to christian counselors when issues require more support than they can provide. We recommend prayer first, seeking support from your pastor secondly, then christian counseling for issues requiring more detailed attention or confidentiality.
What about medication, does God see it as weak or showing little faith to use it?
It is well established through conventional research that the long-term solution to mental and emotional issues and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication or self medicating. Additionally, there are numerous examples in God's Word of believers asking to be healed from their "thorns in the flesh" who experience not being healed from their burden.
Therefore, it is our belief at to be light that God can heal His people from anything, yet He can also choose not to relieve a believer of their "thorn in the flesh". We believe His Word when it says that "...all things work together for your good..." and we believe in His purposefulness in everything He does. For us, medication is a resource available from God through the accumulated knowledge of modern medicine and He created each of us for "...a time such as this...".
Hence, medication has its place in christian counseling but not at the expense of faith and prayer. It is likened to a cast on a broken arm, it does not do the healing but permits the healing to take place. God desires for us to ask anything in faith, believing that He has the power to heal, but He also asks that He be in control of our lives. So, it is paramount to see our requests to God through His will for our lives. Using medication as prescribed is not showing little faith, in fact, it is an act of showing faith. Believing that He will work all things together for our good.
Do you take insurance, and how does that work?
See 'fees and payments' from the menu.
See 'privacy and confidentiality' from the menu.
I live out of the area, is there a way for me to get support?
Sure! We can accommodate those out of state or out of Northwest Indiana via video chat. You just need access to a web cam and audio.
Honestly, my relationship with God is not very strong, isn't christian support just going to be one big guilt trip? Definitely not! We are instructed by God not to fall prey to the temptation to judge others, not doing so is VERY important to us. We don't like it when others judge us, so we're not going to do to you what we abhor. We all need someone we can tell anything to and not be judged...we are here to be that 'someone' for you!
It can be difficult to conceptualize what we do, but it is not 'traditional mental health counseling'. The ministry is christian living into real world experience and therefore most closely related to religious practice more than anything else. We are consultants and christian life coaches to Christians struggling with real life issues that interfere with their ability to live as Christians. Our work is well informed by traditional practice but does not engage as a mental health practice. We work with Christians in a discipleship format to understand relationships, emotions and the realities of living as Christian in this time period of history. We work with many different denominations, churches, christian schools and pastors throughout Indiana and nation wide. If a purely mental health issue seems to be the central struggle, then we act as facilitators on behalf of the client and refer to a doctor for medication evaluation and/or a specialized treatment professional, like a psychiatrist, social worker, psychologist etc.
