Affordable Christian Counselling

2024-09-27T12:56:14-06:00Categories: Announcements, Promotions|Tags: , |

The decision to pursue counselling can often feel overwhelming. Besides setting aside the time and emotional investment it takes to get started, the financial cost can also be a deterrent. There is a lot to consider when looking for a counsellor who is the right fit for you. We understand! For a limited time we are pleased to be offering low fee or no fee counselling services, provided by our Master's-level counselling students who are completing their practicum training in the Master of Arts in Clinical Pastoral Counselling program. Sessions are available in-person (depending on your location) or online. With the [...]

Course Spotlight: Marriage & Family Counselling

2024-04-13T15:41:08-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

Help build the health of the church in a skilled and understanding way! Join Dr. Thorlakson in June for this one-week modular course. Available on campus or live-stream. This course is an introduction to theory and practice in marriage and family counselling, with special focus on attachment and systems theories. Relational patterns and significant stressors that affect children, youth, couples, and families are examined, including the issues of intimate partner and domestic violence. Counselling theories and approaches to support the well-being of children, youth, marriages, and families are explored. The Course June [...]

Glimpses and Glimmers of God’s Goodness

2023-12-22T12:21:23-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

As Pentecostals, we believe for the big answers to prayer – the dramatic conversion of a "big sinner", the miraculous healing of someone on their death bed, a lame person walking, or an unexpected gift of a significant cash blessing. These are all legitimate expectations but have we focused so much on the hope for the big answers to prayer or the big miracles that we don't notice the glimpses of God's goodness? A recent Facebook meme talked about "glimmers": Glimmers are those micro moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace or gratitude. Once [...]

Searching for Sunshine Part 2

2023-06-02T14:59:51-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

Facing the Darkness of Grief and Loss Continued from Searching for Sunshine, Part I Heart hurting? Missing someone you love? Last time I shared the story of Gerald, a man who lost the people he loved most in this world to a terrible accident. He gave us a courageous charge in the face of loss: head into the darkness until you reach the sunshine – it's there – on the other side of the deep, dark valley of grief. Keep going. Oh, and don't forget to hold tightly to the hand of Jesus – He [...]

Searching for Sunshine

2023-03-02T14:26:47-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

Facing the Darkness of Grief and Loss If you've lived very long in this world, you have likely experienced the searing pain of loss and the resulting blanket of grief that descends with it. Some losses are minor and come to us through annoying circumstances: losing our keys, misplacing our phone, etc. Other losses are life-altering and strike deep in our hearts: a beloved pet needing to be put down, the end of a love relationship, or the death of a loved one. These types of losses can leave us reeling and wondering if we will ever feel [...]

It’s Good For You

2022-02-01T17:31:18-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

Think of the last time you had a really, really good laugh. Proverbs 17:22 says a merry heart is good medicine. Is this merely a "spoon full of sugar", or is there actual scientific evidence to support this metaphor? Why, yes! Otherwise this would be a very short article. Recent research demonstrates that when we laugh, our immune system is strengthened, our mood is boosted, pain levels diminish, and stress levels decrease. 1 Sounds like good medicine to me! Here are just a few more of the positive benefits of having a good belly laugh: [...]

Caring for Our Kids

2023-03-08T15:20:05-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , , |

Working with youth and young kids is a huge privilege as well as an increasingly challenging task. Pastors and children's ministry leaders have a lot on their plates these days, and many feel ill-equipped to effectively address the needs of the young people they minister to, particularly in the area of mental health. Mental health challenges affect everyone, and young people are hardly exempt. According to Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.1 Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance [...]

Lifting the Burden

2023-03-08T15:21:39-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , , |

The Canadian Mental Health Association is observing Mental Health Week in Saskatchewan. The subject of mental health is tough but timely, and likely one you've already heard much about or have direct experience with. With all the helpful and informative initiatives encouraging us to speak openly about our struggles and seek support, the reality is, there is still just so much struggle. And, unfortunately, it is not going away anytime soon. It's also worth noting that Christ-followers are not immune or exempt from depression, anxiety, worry, or any other mental or emotional health issues either. [...]

Peace Amidst Violence

2023-03-02T14:35:44-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

We make a lot of choices, some important, some not so serious. Still other choices will shape our stories in profound, irrevocable ways. There is a famous story of an early Anabaptist reformer named Dirk Willems. During the time of the Reformation, many Anabaptists were persecuted for their theological convictions that differed from the state churches around them. Dirk, arrested and imprisoned in the Netherlands, managed to escape. While fleeing across the ice with his captors in pursuit, Dirk realized that one of his captors had fallen through the ice into the frigid water.1 What choice would he make? [...]

Peace Amidst Violence Part II

2023-03-02T14:36:35-06:00Categories: Articles|Tags: , |

Continued from > Peace Amidst Violence, Part I "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You [...]

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