Trinity Equine Counseling
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lord God, You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for Your eyes are open to all the ways of men..." Jer 32.19
Marriage
Continuing in our daily walk to please God; our marriages become one fruit of this pursuit. This process of continual learning and growing provides the perfect grounds for Christ-Centered discipleship. During daily trials and tribulations small things like communication, hurt feelings, little or no time spent together, and parenting challenges lead us to take our eyes off the Lord and focus on each other and our problems.
With horses, a couple can work together to get to the root of these problems without focusing on each other. Communication issues are resolved as a team effort is essential to success in Equine-Assisted activities. Couples are taken into a round pen or arena and posed with an Equine challenge; soon realizing that accomplishing the challenge means facing their marriage problems head-on. Each challenge, successful or not, is followed by a period of discussion and prayer.
We walk with the couple through each problem and using the Word of God, disciple them to make God-pleasing choices and encourage them to re-organize their lives to support good choices in the future.
The results of this approach allows Christ to teach the couple, instead of being told what to the problems are. Through Equine-Assisted activities, they discover the crippling issues and work together toward the solutions.
Substance Abuse
Drugs, Alcohol, what stands in the way of peace with God in your life? Do you believe their is no hope? Have you given up? I bet you feel like your addiction is so big you cannot control it, right?
Sometimes trying to maneuver a 1,000 pound horse around can feel like trying to move that addiction our of your life. Facing your addiction means making choices that not only affect your life, but your families, spouse, children and many, many more.
We can take you through Equine-Assisted activities that show you first hand the affect your addiction has in your life. We can help you make life changing decisions and help you continue with Christ-Centered, effective counseling to face the sobering realities to come.
“Mike” came to us as his addictions were tearing apart family, friends ,and put him at risk of loosing his job. Apprehensive and scared, “Mike” worked with Kenny and Pete. His challenge was to keep his addiction from devouring his wife, children, family, job, health etc. Unsuccessful and in tears “Mike” hit the hard wall or reality that is he didn’t get help and start on a path to correcting his problem; he would soon destroy everything he loved. “Mike” went into a rehabilitation program with the support of his family and our prayers.
Anger/Behavioral Issues
How much anger could a ten year old little girl possibly have? Enough to scare her parents and make them desperate for anyone to help. Believe it or not this is the greatest area of need in Equine-Assisted counseling. Young children through the teenage years that have “locked-up” emotionally and have become more than their parents can handle alone.
We counsel at any age; one of the greatest wonders of horses is how children love to be around them! Equine-Assisted activities becomes the key to doors that lock away festering, infected hearts full of anger, hurt, grief, resentment, miss-trust, and abuse. The gentle giant quality of a horse takes each child in an activity where the counselors can hold conversations resolving issues. Parents and guardians are encouraged to watch and participate bringing resolution, hope and growth in a family.
What are the results? We’ve seen miracles! That is the most direct answer. Week after week the children come and work through problems. The smiles, laughter, tears and joy of the parents and children are a delight that cannot be explained. Parents are encouraged in Christ-Centered discipline, unconditional love and hope. The children learn about horses and how to change their behavior; bringing reconciliation to families and hope for the future.
Grief
Grief is often a subject no one likes to talk about. Loosing a loved one, a job, family, facing illness; all these things cause us to make choices in our lives. Most of the time society likes to hush the subject instead of encouraging the grieving process.
Equine-Assisted activities can take grief and allow it to have it’s rightful time in your life. Our favorite is “Buck” or Grandpa. He is our 28 year old Buckskin and his age has opened up doors of ministry to children and adults alike who need to grieve.
“Sarah” and “Sally” were two beautiful little girls, five and six respectively. The came to us as they were facing the loss of their “Pa-Pa” who was also the Dad in their lives. Straight up through the pasture they both skipped on their way to meet “Buck” for the first time. Picking spring flowers for their Nanna (as most little girls do), they couldn’t help but notice how old Buck looked and wondered if he was gong to die soon? Through talking with Kenny, they soon admitted that their Pa-Pa was going to die soon too, and the door was open for them to deal with their grief and be able to move on.
Grief affects us all. Allowing time to deal with it and talk about it makes the way for healing and stronger unity in a family.
Church Issues
This is a new area we have just now began to address, but one that we have seen a need for for many years. Many problems arise due to poor communication within the Body of Christ. Many times we assume something about our Pastor or he assumes something about the congregation or the elders or deacons and this creates problems. I have over the years watched churches go through Pastors and people go through churches primarily due to communication problems. Other issues we address are helping people get a true Biblical understanding of God's kind of Love and dying to self and allowing Christ to rule and reign within our lives on a daily basis. If you have any questions about how we can help you or your church please contact us.
The Body Fitly Joined Together
… The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:16
Why did Paul say this, but the he was thinking of you and I, but not only you and I, but those we are wishing to reach as the Body of Christ. As a Hospice Chaplain one of the main reasons I hear people say they quit attending church or leave the church is that they, the church, fight among themselves and are no different from the world. There are many reasons why this happens, but here are few more:
Poor communication
Assumptions
Lack of understanding of “True Biblical Love”
Not dying to self and allowing the life of Christ to govern our lives
These are just a few…
We at Trinity Equine Counseling would like to help you and the Body of Christ you are apart of grow in these areas. Our Goal is to see the Body of Christ working together as a witness for Christ in the world as we seek to glorify Jesus!
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst sent Me. John 17:20-21
I ask you to answer yourself honestly,
Do you need help in one or more of these areas?
Does your church need help in one or more of these areas?
Whether you realize it or not the community that you live in needs you to be everything you can be for Christ. In a world that is ever changing people need something solid and absolute to hold on to and Jesus Christ is that something. Can you as a Body, give this support to them?
