Lasting Peace Counseling

12/07/2025

Be leery of quick fixes to anything. There are no shortcuts to being whole. None.

The road to freedom is narrow my friends, if it were easy, we would all be doing it. Healing takes time, healing requires bringing to the light what has been hidden for years, healing mandates vulnerability and exposure in allowing others to care for you. I know this can be scary. But I also know, it brings everlasting peace.

If this retreat or therapy have caught your eye more than once, God might be calling you to come and rest. Come and be restored in Him, renewed in Him and gain peace that the world and quick fixes will never provide.

Book here:

Are you weary from emotional pain or past trauma? Do you long to finally feel safe, seen, and restored? Join us for a sacred EMDR retreat designed to bring your soul into complete rest. In the quiet beauty of nature, you’ll find space to breathe, gently process your pain, and rediscover the peace ...

11/19/2025

The things that seem bothersome, are the things God uses to prepare you for a life of abundance.

Your argumentative teen is a call to strengthen your patience.

Your unhappy marriage is a call to repair.

Your anxiety is a call to step into faith.

Your depression is a call to take action.

The easy button to do is to ignore these things which can lead to a broken relationship with your children, a fallen apart marriage OR remaining in an abusive marriage, and a life of fear or hopelessness.

He will never let you settle for less. Only Satan does that.

Pay attention to the bothersome things and work towards the call. He will deliver a life you have never expected.

11/10/2025

Groups, groups, groups. Calling all who desire community and connection.

These groups have been created based on what many clients are asking for.

Cannot wait to see you there!

Many groups are billable by insurance companies. Please let me know if you want to discuss those options!

11/07/2025

Our world is full of bad advice on how to heal. I have dedicated years to researching, studying and prayerfully uncovering the truth about what true healing takes. And the truth is, it can only be accomplished well when done at a soul level. We cannot heal by quick fixes or surface talk therapy. We must dig deep and invite God into the grieving areas of our soul. It is biblical AND it is science.

After holding over 5,300 counseling sessions, I have concluded:
We cannot heal alone
We cannot heal what we do not see or allow others to see and
We cannot heal without our creator

If you are tired of being stuck, burnt out on caregiving, ministry or life pressures, crushed by unhealed trauma running your life, this retreat is for you. Rooted in both clinical and biblical wisdom, this retreat will help you find space to breathe, gently process your pain, and rediscover the peace God always intended for you.

What you will get: A peaceful sanctuary where trauma meets grace, and healing begins from the inside out.

Click on the link below to read more and register. As always, please let me know if you have questions!

Are you weary from emotional pain or past trauma? Do you long to finally feel safe, seen, and restored? Join us for a sacred EMDR retreat designed to bring your soul into complete rest. In the quiet beauty of nature, you’ll find space to breathe, gently process your pain, and rediscover the peace ...

10/25/2025

The biggest issue couples say they experience in marriage is communication. Healthy marriages use communication that contain an even amount of work talk AND heart talk.

Too much heart talk leads to an emotional tsunami resulting in nothing accomplished. Too much work talk and we become emotionally distant from one another.

In part 1 of communication, we practice in session heart talk. If you’re struggling to do heart talk, here is a quick PDF to guide you. While it may seem corny.. if you’re feeling misunderstood, unheard or neglected by your spouse, chances are, heart talk is missing.

To give it a try:

1) first ensure both yours and your spouse’s heart is prepared.

2)Ask your spouse when a good time would be to express your emotions. This will mentally prepare them as well so they are ready to receive what you are about to say.

3) honor what they say. If it’s not a good time, schedule a time when it will be.

4) follow through

Hundreds of these moments is what leads to trust, safety and intimacy.
And keep in mind, trust and safety need to be present before intimacy will ever come.

Praying for your marriages ❤️❤️

10/20/2025

Your brain and body respond the same way whether hurtful words come from someone else or from you.

Imagine having a best friend who told you how dumb, worthless, or ugly you are daily. These verbal assaults tell the brain a threat is occurring. The brain then sends the body into overdrive with hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and other toxic stress to get your body ready to survive this perceived threat. I’m sure by now, you are all well versed on how terrible this is for your immune system, hormone health, and nervous system as a whole.

It is no different when you speak to yourself this way. It’s worse than having a friend belittle you daily, it’s someone belittling you hourly, maybe even minute by minute.

You might not even notice you are doing this to yourself. But I am certain you are aware of how it is making you feel.

Practice paying attention to your self talk. Try repairing it with a little more gentleness. Take it a step further and ask where these thoughts are coming from. When did they start? It is most likely from a younger time in your life. What would younger you need in order to bring you relief today?

10/13/2025

Why do we suffer? Why does God allow it?

This is the question I get asked often. It is one I have been working on to answer for years. I don't have the perfect answer, we are not meant to know everything perfectly. That is part of the mystery of God.

But in my own searching, suffering happens to grow, to strengthen and become refined. It occurs so we can be molded into something new, better and more extravagant than we could ever imagine. I know that is hard to believe when you are in the middle of it. I get it, because I have been there myself many, many times. I have also come out of it, with new eyes and sharper wisdom.

When we are at the end of our rope, when we have nothing else to cling to, when the alcohol, the food, the shopping, the smoking, the p**n, the one night stands, or the scrolling does not fulfill us (because it never will), we have NO choice but to turn to God. He meets us there. In all his glory and love, He is there. And that my dear friends, makes every single tear worth it.

Do not waste your pain, look for what God is trying to show you.

10/10/2025

World Mental Health Day.

When you are in the midst of trauma, turmoil, mental illness, or suffering, please know:

1. What you are feeling makes sense given what you have went through. Of course you feel this way.
2. It will be okay. Everything is eventually going to be okay. This pain will not last forever.
3. Your brain is malleable (which means it's moldable and changeable no matter your age) and CAN heal. It wants to heal.
4. There are tools to help you feel better.
5. Give yourself compassion, time, and space.
6. Reach out to others who will not take from you but will pour life into you.
7. Get professional help if needed. It is available for a reason!
8. This storm you are going through has purpose (you might never see it on this side of heaven, but you are being strengthened for something more.)

10/09/2025

There is NOTHING you can do to earn God's love. Nothing. No amount of hard work, perfectionism, or good deeds are going to earn you a spot in his heart. He just gives freely. All He is asking you to do is take his hand and accept the love.

There is also NOTHING you can do to take His love away from you. Not your addiction, your lies, your mistakes, your failures, your shortcomings, none of it. He loves you anyway.

This might be a hard concept for you if you grew up in an environment where love was conditional. Maybe you had to be on your best behavior or shove down your feelings to receive love and nurturing. But I am here to tell you, God is right here, his arms stretched out wanting nothing more than to embrace you, imperfections and all.

He is a God of love, a God of gentleness and a lowly heart. I think we forget this sometimes when we feel the pressure at school, in our jobs and even Church to do more, be more, earn more. He doesn't want you to do more, He wants you to know him. He wants to be in relationship with you. All you have to do is "Come" (check out Matthew 11:28-29).

10/08/2025

Has anyone ever asked you the question, "How is your soul?"

I was asked this for the first time a few months ago and it actually shook me. There was something about it that went beyond the usual "how are you?" It reached deeper than our typical surface level feelings of the day into the depths of my being.

And the truth was, it was NOT well with my soul. But until someone asked me, I had been ignoring it.

So often we go through our days making physical choices (thats not good for my body, thats not good for my skin, thats not good for my back etc). But do we stop to consider, is this choice I am about to make good for my soul? Is this show, this scrolling on my phone, this book, this decision, this person, this conversation good for my soul?

This is my challenge each day since that question was first asked, to consider my soul when engaging in anything. So I ask each of you, how is YOUR soul today? Praying we all make soul conscious choices today and every day.

Ps.. this quiet time and view in the morning are EXCELLENT for the soul ❤️

10/07/2025

Marriage. The most sacred relationship we have, yet sometimes the hardest one to navigate.

I am looking at leading marriage workshops to either enhance or create:

Communication
Connection
Respect
Honor
Encouragement

Are you or someone you known interested?!