13 November 2008

The other day I was thinking about how drastically different my life is now that I working for the church. And how fast it all changed.

True, I was volunteering in the Communications Department, doing web stuff for a couple years before being hired. But it was literally full time psychotherapist one week, full time web director the next.

At first it appeared to be an easy split - like dropping a bad habit and never looking back. Black and white, not messy at all.

But recently two things have happened.

First, I have started thinking more and more about the mental health field. Not because I want to go back, but because it was such a big part of what I did for so long. I miss the science behind it. Working with people and helping them break out of the fog they were in. Helping them see we all have the ability to control our thinking and behaving - regardless what we are feeling.

Secondly, I've come to realize that I never really left the mental health field. Here's why:

• People are still hurting - even in the church.
• On the website we help people find their next step. For many it is to attend Turning Point and begin working on the big issues in their life.
• For others, Starting Point is the next step. Small Groups are formed so people can find authentic community and come out of the shadows.
• Kids can work through their issues at Turning Point ALL STARS.
• Couple can make good decisions prior to marriage at Beyond I Do.
• People can get get out of debt by attending Financial Peace University.
• And there is even help for those exiting the prison system at Prison Transition Aftercare.
• These coupled with the fact that my department is "Obsessive-Compulsive" about excellence and because we use the phrase "brand schizophrenia" a lot...
  

All this and you can't help but see the cross pollination. The training I had wasn't left behind. I simply entered a new field where the same people and the same problems exist.

Only this time we have the ability to give them what they really need - not just pop psychology (although there are numerous concepts from the field of psychology that are true and helpful).

But we get to give them Jesus, His death on the cross, and a community of people hungry for more of what He has to offer.

I know I'm in the right place.