An Overdue Update

Summer break lead to an unintentional break from Voxtroplis.  Ooops!  With no real job, no school yet, you’d think that updates would be a welcomed task, but I just couldn’t think of anything worth updating.  I take that back, I went to Camargo, Mexico as part of a team from Mosaic, Arlington.  I haven’t put the pictures on Flikr yet, or I’d link them here (added to the “to do” list). 

My second week as a grad student is nearly finished, and I really enjoy it.  At the last minute, I switched my degree from Master of Divinity to a Masters in Marriage in Family Counseling.  Weird, I know.  I’ve been praying about the switch for nearly a year.  My heart is burdened for hurting people, and I desire the capability to help them make healthy life changes (and hopefully some spiritual ones as well).  On the Divinity track, I have no doubt I would learn things that caused me to sit in awe of God.  But much of the information I would have filed in the “probably-won’t-need-to-know-this-after-the-final” section.  With the counseling classes though, nearly every aspect of the discussion will be pertinent at some point or another. 

 Within the counseling classes, I’m somewhat of an abnormality in that I want to work in a secular counseling center.  Most students want to be on-staff counselors for churches.  This is not a bad thing by any means.  I fully intend to support the pastoral staff and lend my training to the local church; I just don’t want to make my living off them.  I want to have the freedom to volunteer serve the music, youth, etc., even if the church can’t give me a salary.  This allows me to do two major things:

1) Serve in a church without being a financial burden.

2) Be in the “secular” workplace to love people and shine the light of Christ.  In a non-Christian counseling center, I will work with people that would never enter a Christian counseling center or church.  THAT is exciting!!  Anyway, the light shines brightest in the dark.

 That’s my update.  I have approximately 2 years of school left.  Then I’ll take a national licensing test and undergo 3000 hours of supervised counseling experience.  These are very exciting times!! 

 More updates on the way.  Stay tuned…