Menu
By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Marriage , Wellness
God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10). It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.
To THRIVE in life we need to have: Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy
“that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” I John 1:3
God has called us to be in relationship with Him and with others. The quality of these relationships affects all areas of our lives. In order to live the life we were called to, if we are to thrive in life, we must connect in healthy ways with God and with others. What is the quality of your relationships? If there is some lack there, you can bet it is affecting all other areas of life. In Godly connectedness, we become available to the will and call of God as well as to others we are in relationship with. A commitment to Godly togetherness means we need to be willing to be vulnerable or emotionally naked with God and in healthy relationships with others.
Wow, that sounds scary! Well it certainly is, but remember that we serve a big and compassionate God who wants what is best for us. He wants to meet you where you are and help you each step of the way. Fear is probably the biggest limitation in life. Removing limitations is one of our core concepts in our THRIVE philosophy. As you remove the limitation of fear one step at a time, you will be moving closer and closer to your call to THRIVE in life. When looking at the whole process of overcoming fear and connecting in a vulnerable way it is overwhelming. But taken one step at a time with a patient God, skilled helper, and quality connections it is very doable. With God you CAN do it!
By LeeAnn Trout | Blog , Marriage , Sex/Porn Addiction , Sexual Addiction Recovery
Being caught in sexual sin/ sexual addiction is often a place filled with fear and self -hatred; much what I would imagine the adulterous woman from the Bible felt like.
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. John 8:1-3
They put her in front of the crowd! She had been found out! I envision her fallen, with her head hanging low; unable to look at Jesus or her accusers in the eye. She had to be terrified and embarrassed as she was probably sitting there naked and fully exposed. How vulnerable it is to be caught! She must have been filled with regret, fear and self-hatred. – Much like the men and women that I work with when treating sex addiction
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust…When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” John 8:3-10
I love how Jesus handles this! He shows us exactly how we are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ when they have fallen! He calls off her accusers! The one who has the right and the power to JUDGE, instead reacts with compassion and mercy! In calling off her accusers he takes her out of her SHAME and gives her DIGNITY! She deserves to be stoned but He chooses to love her and restore her.
10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11
He called her out of her sin and asked her to sin no more! If she were filled with shame and condemnation it would have been so difficult for her to turn from her sin. She would have been consumed by it, stuck in it. But with the way Jesus loved her she would be able to walk in freedom.
This is exactly our mission at Grace Wellness Center – Sex Addiction Program! We want to act in the same manner as Jesus did. We want to give you the place to experience restoration, dignity and self-respect again. We want to help shed light on sin to help you out of the darkness. We want Jesus to be your only Judge and to show you the same mercy that He offers. Let us help you to “Go and sin no more!”
Contact Grace Wellness Center and let us walk with you into freedom.
Phone: 724-863-7332
Email: Thrive@thegracewellnesscenter.com
Web: http://www.thegracewellnesscenter.com/sexual-addiction-recovery
By Ron Agostoni | Blog , Marriage , Marriage Counseling
When it comes to your marriage, have you ever felt alone, as if you’re living with a roommate? Have you ever felt stuck and disconnected? Angered because nothing ever changes, and hopeless that nothing will ever change? I think most couples have experienced this within their marriage at some point. Perhaps not in regards to the entire marriage but at least in one area of your marriage.
Everywhere you turn; there are couples that have become good at being roommates. They handle most conflict in the same way, parenting in their own way, finances as they see fit and on and on. While there are no major glitches in their life, there is this little virus that is slowing growing and infiltrating all areas of their life and they do not even notice it. The virus is called isolation and its main purpose is to render your marriage useless. This virus is slowing your marriage down, decreasing the signal strength, and freezing the screen.
Consider this, there’s no doubt that we all have recognized just how inundated our lives have become with technology, we all have our favorite devices whether it’s our phone, tablet, laptop, whatever. It’s also safe to say that we all have experienced these times when our device has simply lost its signal, or dropped a call with only one bar remaining. What about when your screen freezes, and you sit there staring at the same screen, wishing that hitting the back button will fix the problem and erase everything that went wrong.
Well the same thing can happen in marriages as well. There are times when your ability to communicate with your spouse is only at 1 bar. Or perhaps you have felt as if you are stuck in the same spot with little to no hope of fixing the problem. Unsure of how you got there to begin with and wishing you can hit a back button and erase everything that went wrong.
When your favorite device starts acting in this fashion, you know that it does not fix itself. There is that moment when you have to take over and turn the device off for a few seconds, or unplug the device for a minute or two. This reboot is necessary to get your device back to working as it is supposed to. Without the reboot, your device is rendered useless. Has your marriage be rendered useless in regards to performing its main purpose? Do you even know what the main purpose of your marriage is?
In order to fix the device of marriage, it takes intentional behavior and action. Sometimes we need to reboot our marriage. Remember this, how you view your spouse will determine how you love your spouse. If you are looking at your spouse as a problem, a broken device, an irritating person, annoying, nagging or anything else, your love for them will be hindered.
We are called to love as Christ loved the church, Ephesians 5: 22-32. If you view your spouse negatively, you will not be able to love in this manner. Your love will not follow what Christ says love is supposed to look like as found in 1st Corinthians 13. Our love should never give up, never lose faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1st Corinthians 13:7).
Here at Grace Wellness Center we believe in Gods promises, we believe in marriage, we believe in living an abundant life, and our passion is to show you how to practically apply the word of God, along with counseling techniques, so that you find that joy, that passion, and experience that prosperous and abundant life God promises. We have helped many, many couples just like you, couples who were struggling, who were broken, who couldn’t find peace, who felt alone and disconnected. And we can help you. Do not sit there day after day staring at a frozen screen. Call and take that first step to an extraordinary life together.
By LeeAnn Trout | Blog , Counseling , Divorce , Marriage
Statistics surrounding divorce are heartbreaking. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) for every 1,000 people there are 6.8 marriages and for every 1,000 people there are 3.6 divorces. Marriages are constantly breaking up and within those marriages are precious children being faced with difficult life situations. The 2009 American Community Survey indicates that only 47% of children reach the age of 17 in an intact married family. The effects of divorce on children are related to the degree of conflict level within the parents’ relationship. Counseling is encouraged for children of divorce to adapt to their situation and to learn to express emotion and gain proper coping skills. Studies in the area of effect of divorce on children vary greatly. Some research will suggest a lower level of well-being in children of divorced families when compared to intact families, while others suggest that the majority of children can overcome this situation with no difference in well-being. Research can conclude though that the higher conflict divorce, the greater the effects on the children. Stressors such as change in community, friends, or school, a decline in economic status, as well as less time with each parent and an inevitable sense or fear of abandonment lead to diminished functioning or health. Effects can be seen within relationships and interpersonal skills, diminished religious faithfulness, educational achievement, future income, and physical, emotional, and psychological health.
The effects of divorce seem to be life altering in many cases. Children’s adjustment to marital discourse and divorce can be helped through various types of therapy. Group therapy seems to be a leading approach to helping children of divorce, such as Divorce Care. Behavior change theory has been suggested to assist the parents in becoming better models and more peaceful in co-parenting. The use of expressive arts in all therapy is intriguing and has shown to be helpful with children of divorce.
Considering level of conflict amongst the parents is a determining factor on how effected the children are from the divorce, co parenting counseling can reduce the conflict and bring parent’s together to raise the children in a united relationship while remaining separated, all within the best interest of the children. Those attending co-parenting counseling are typically court ordered. However, some parents chose to participate in co parenting in order to ensure a healthy environment for their children. Co parenting counseling gives the parents the opportunity to sort through parenting issues and learn to provide a stable atmosphere for their children rather than taking one another to court to resolve conflicts.
It is imperative for our nation to understand the impact that divorce, especially high conflict divorce, has on children. Many children go through these difficult transitions without appropriate care and will possibly pass to the next generation the legacy of divorce. By providing children with appropriate counseling and entering into co parenting counseling the impact can be minimized.
