I have seen God shepherd, shape, and forge me through great challenges and sufferings. As a result, I desire to help people find healing and hope through the work of Christ in their lives. I consider it an honour to be of help to those who are in need of support.

In some unique ways, God has led me to become a counsellor through the example of others that God has used to speak into my life. God has counselled and developed me through experiences in marriage, parenting, operational leadership, pastoral ministry, and biblical counselling. I deeply value the diverse people God has sent into my life to teach and counsel me on a personal level, while also recognizing the important role that mentors and colleagues in the business and nonprofit sectors have had in influencing me professionally.

I have a front row seat in experiencing God bringing His redemption in Jesus to establish a foundation of hope in a counsellee’s life. It is exciting to see God’s supernatural intervention delivering people from brokenness, comforting in suffering, and healing hearts to thrive in whatever context the counsellee finds themselves. In these moments, I enjoy serving others as they learn to trust God, love His design as best, and navigate life forward for God’s glory and their good.

The Bible gives me God’s design, care, and redemption for my body and soul in Christ. The following statement calls me to re-frame my life, relationships, activities, and commitments in a way that fortifies a biblically-wise foundation: “Out of a positive response to God’s saving grace at work in me, I will seek to train my body and soul to respect God’s design and live for His glory by His grace that continues to work in me.” I will often go back to this to consider different elements to help me evaluate, cultivate, and pursue a healthy spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being.

In addition to what I’ve already mentioned in my main profile above, I will highlight my approach with two additional interests.

I approach each person holistically, taking into account their growth on the inside and out. The counselling, coaching, and mentoring for each person will be at a speed that works for their particular situation. The following additional areas may use a variety of assessments to help people live lives that honour God both personally and professionally:

• As a business leader and ministry leader, career counselling and coaching for those starting out, shifting vocational paths, and burnout
• As a certified personal trainer, fitness counselling and coaching for men, women, and athletes cultivating healthy stewardship of body and soul

I often wake up in the morning and get onto the floor in a posture of worship, saying, “You are God and I am not. Lead me and guide me for your name sake (Ps. 31:3).” This simple prayer communicates a confessional vision of reality and orients my perspective for that day.

Over the years, I have learned from God’s counsel in the Bible and mentors that a disciple of Jesus matures and cultivates resilience through training in spiritual disciplines, in reorienting the heart’s desires, and in pursuing community relationships congruent with God’s revelation. The ongoing pursuit and practice is not to earn God’s favour or to twist His arm for a blessing but is to rely on Jesus Christ’s finished work of redemption and the ongoing experience of that redemption in my experiences today. The endgame is not checking off boxes of spiritual activity but engaging well-worn pathways of God’s means of grace to shape, shepherd, comfort, and call us to live in faithfulness to Jesus Christ.

Tim Chester’s words ring in my ear: “Jesus is the perfect person, the true image of God, the glory of the Father. God’s agenda for change is for us to become like Jesus…the secret of gospel change is being convinced that Jesus is the good life and the fountain of all joy. Any alternative we might choose would be the letdown.”

I enjoy spending time with my wife and catching up with friends and family over coffee. You may often find me soaking in a well-written book and taking a course that stokes my curiosity. Also, you could join me for a CrossFit class to stay in shape and remain connected to the community. I serve on the board of the Ontario Functional Fitness Sports Association.

The teachers I have learned from in the classroom, like David Powlison, Paul Tripp, Ed Welch, Jeremy Pierre, Jim Newheiser, Eamon and Kathryn Wilson, and David Robinson to name a few, have helped shape my approach to counselling.

I have also learned from the example of Christian businessmen who mentored me to live an active faith in the workplace. They demonstrated what it means to challenge and correct, encourage and support, and model and develop themselves. They brought accountability to care for people, to pursue productivity, to implement plans, and to manage operations in a way that honoured God. I will be forever grateful for these men.

My own life experiences of suffering and brokenness where God’s redemption, grace, and faithfulness brought healing, hope, and restoration have been invaluable. It’s been in these moments I’ve asked, “What difference does it make if I’m a Christian?” In those days, months, and years that followed, God reinforced over and over again that He alone – His Word and His redemption in Jesus – frames up reality and gives authentic hope for today and into the future.

I have learned from Proverbs that “wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out… (Pr. 1:20-21).” It’s taken a long time for me to realize that handling stress today with wisdom is forged over time, a time that gives me the opportunity to listen to God through His Word and to experience His Spirit’s formation in my heart. God goes on in Proverbs to say, “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you (Pr. 1:23).” God’s design, ways, and counsel for how to live are the best thing for me!

One reason I have not handled stress well in the past is because I was running a race for which I had not been training (1Cor. 9:22-27). God wants me to go through various trials to test my worldview and faith in Him, so that if I look to Him in those moments He will cultivate resilience and steadfastness of soul (Jm. 1:2-3). Otherwise, if I give a token nod or ignore God’s wisdom-training today, there will be a time I call to God, but He will not answer (Pr. 1:28). Wisdom is forged over time and not through impromptu demands for help! God will answer those spontaneous prayers but in ways that call us to trust Him, follow Him, and rest in His timing (Ps. 46:1).

Then, when I experience diverse intensities of stress in the future, the spiritual fitness of my inner person engages those moments more like Jesus. His character, that has been forged over time, more readily trusts God, submits to His will, and takes faithful steps forward in my experience.

My dad wrote this verse in my Bible many years ago. I believe the simplicity and clarity that God’s Word provides will ground the counsellee in reality.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Pr. 3:5-6).”

In knowing our condition of soul with all our self-will, selfish desires, and self-centred thinking, God gives us a compass that points true north. He calls us to humility, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil (Pr. 3:7).”

Why? God truly wants us to experience life by His design for His glory and our good. He counsels us with amazing results that impact our moments, days, and years when saying, “It will be healing to your flesh, and refreshment to your bones (Pr. 3:8).”

If there was one piece of advice, I would encourage a counsellee to start today praying these truths of God in your circumstances and begin practicing an honest examination of what your heart is trusting most.