In the past two weeks, circumstances in my life indicated that I needed to return to work. For a week I considered rebuilding True Hope Counseling at a new office location, but in the end, God led me down another pathway for work. This pathway will allow me to continue to be a stay-at-home-wife-and-mother while at the same time, using my counseling degree and love for writing to reach other women. I will be writing for a new website that will be launchig in coming weeks, and topics will include everything from parenting to budgeting tips to meal ideas to issues women face such as depression and eating disorders.

With this new direction my life is taking, my heart has realized clearly that the season for True Hope has ended.

I am at peace.

Although I had once dreamed of passing it on to a new director and having the ministry continue, God seems to have other plans. Those plans have included allowing True Hope Counseling to exist for a period of time and then to have it end.

At first I was discouraged about this and felt like in the end, I had failed. But then I went through my "file of roses", re-reading old notes and letters from those whose lives were touched by True Hope Counseling and I knew it wasn't a failure. It was simply a season. God had us in place for a certain time, for certain lives, and now, we are no longer needed in this way.

This has always been God's ministry. He began it. He has the right to say when it is time to end. My job, these past few years, has been to listen closely to His promptings and obey them. And I am doing so now.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported us with prayer and finances. Lives were truly touched in the years True Hope Counseling existed and your stewardship helped make that happen!

Please feel free to stay in touch at: melissa@truehopecounseling.com.

Much love and blessings to all!

Melissa

I was told by a couple of agencies over the past two years, that they would certify or license me if I would give up my private practice and go work for an organization that would provide the needed professional supervision. In each of these conversations I had, I explained that I could not do this, because there was not an organization I could work for that would allow me to have the freedom to counsel from a Christian and Biblical standpoint. (Not to mention, I had just spend the last few years of my life investing time and money into building my own private practice! Something I did before NY state licensure laws, and requirements, went into affect)

I have felt so strongly the past few years that Biblically-based counseling was the only way to offer true hope and freedom for those in bondage, that I just could not give it up, despite the inability to be recoginized by my state and other certifcation boards. Today, that all ended for me!

I still am on sabbatical from the counseling office due to

1. Being a new mom
and
2. No longer having office space due to my husband resigning his Associate Pastor position from the same church in which True Hope Counseling had an office.

Almost every day that I wake up I wonder, "Should I just shut True Hope Counseling down?" and yet, I still sense a "keep it up and running another day" being spoken to my spirit even as I ask this question.

True Hope continues to offer internet based counseling via our website.

Also, just recently my husband joined me for a weekend of pre-marriage counseling, under the umbrella of both his pastoral position and True Hope Counseling. We enjoyed this immensely and hope to do more in the future if possible!

I guess, deep in my heart, there is a longing to find a Christian Counselor who has the energy and vision to continue on with True Hope Counseling as the Director. I would remain in place as the Founder and President, offering supervision, training, and guidance to staff on a part-time basis, which would allow me to still be a full-time mom, but would have the Director be fully in charge of the counseling center as a whole. This would include doing billing, staff meetings on a weekly basis, marketing and public relations, and possibly even carrying their own client load as well.

True Hope Counseling was known in the Binghamton area for offering Christian counseling for children, youth, and eating disorders; something other area Christian counseling centers did not specifically focus on. Recently I was asked, again, if I would be returning to these type of services as they are needed in the area. My heart was torn. I want to get back in the field of counseling, and yet, the larger part of my heart is at home with my daughter during these precious, early years of her life.

I keep feeling a niggling in my heart and mind to pray about the future of True Hope Counseling and I would ask for your continued prayers as well.

Thank you so much!

Melissa J. Carswell, MA, BCCC (sorry, couldn't resist! :)

With entertaining writing, fast-paced dialogue, and realistic type situations, Kristin weaves some heart wrenching life lessons into her second novel in this Spa Girl collection. Included in these lessons are seeing people for who they really are instead of in the illusion of grandeur we have placed them in, in our search for the perfect life ad well as the ensuing need to get all we have and are from Christ Jesus alone. With stark honesty, the book also addresses the need in each woman's heart for her father's unconditional love and approval--and the affects on her life when it is not forthcoming.

In a book full of humor and light hearted banter, Kristin skillfully peels back the oftentimes, hidden layers of a woman's heart through Morgan's story, and the reader comes away, not only entertained, but also asking herself some heart-searching questions about her own life.

A Girl's Best Friend is definitely a book that has earned it's rightful place on my bookshelf of favorite reads!

And what woman is complete without her two best friends to cheer her on every step of the way in her venture to starting her very own business? Morgan and Poppy, the completion to the spa trio, enter the story line with their own individual personalities and way of living that readers will relate to either personally or as they think of their own girlfriends.

She's All That (Spa Girls Series #1) is a book packed with quick-witted humor and a good dose of reality in the life of a real-world career women trying to pursue her dreams! This is the type of book that a woman can come home to at the end of a day, sit down and read, and feel completely valildated in her own life because there it is, in written form, via Lilly's life!

Simply put, live the life they don't have but would like! Be a contagious Christian! Be a person who loves people! Living like that will open doors you never dreamed could be opened! It's as easy as that.

If you have a fear of "evangelism" this is the perfect book for you to read. Not only will it ease your fears, it will also build an incredible excitement in you as you consider that simply living your life with Jesus as the center can be your biggest tool in reaching others for Him!

Kirstin Billerbeck writes with a refreshingly real sense of what it means to be a woman - - and a single woman to boot - - out in the real world. There is not fluffy, non-realistic romance and drama in this series! Instead, the reader is given caustic and dry humor as written from the first person perspective of a single woman who is stuck in the church singles group that she calls "The Reasons", watches her best friend start a family, gets nagged by family about still beng single, and has a job that uses her because, "well, she's single and has the time to give to it."

As a single woman until the age of 30 I related to this book and kept thinking of all my single friends that would love to read it! Married women would love to read it for that matter, as it not only deals with singleness but the realities of being a woman in today's world.

All three books of this series were excellent, captivating, and books I could completely relate to, both past and present. Kristin Billerbeck now has a new fan and an avid one at that!!! Thank heavens for realistic "chick-lit" that hits the nail on the head instead of creating fantasy's the don't really exist for any of us - - unless you're living a Paris Hilton life that is. . .

Because I was so drawn into the love story that Carrie shared, by the time I was brought back around to the main crux of the story of Carrie, David, and three other missionaries being attacked in Mosul Iraq, I was emotionally involved with them and found my heart racing as she continued to speak of the terror and emotional anguish that followed the attack against them.

Carrie is a modern-day hero that rises up out of the ashes of a tragic story. A tragic story, and yet, at the same time, a beautiful story of ultimate love and sacrifice. My heart was deeply touched by this book and I will not soon forget what Carrie had the courage to share with her readers.

In other words, we need to learn to pay close attention to the body signals God created us to have in order to function in a healthy manner. This means eating when hungry, stopping when full. As basic as these principles are, they are the key that I found in 2002 when I began to really pursue freedom from my anorexia and occasional bouts of bulimia.

Gwen has written a book that addresses the phsyical, spiritual, mental, and even emotional dimensions of eating disordered behavior and provides great spiritual insight in how to find freedom. Although the book was originally written for those struggling with over-eating and obesity, it's basic principles are also foundational for those who under-eat and/or purge after eating for the purpose of maintaining a thin body.

This will be the 5th time I have read through this book in six years, and as always, I find it a refreshing and motivational encouragment to take care of my body the way God originally intended for it to be taken care of. This is not to say that I don't stuggle with the old ED mentality on a daily basis but it is to say that reviewing the truths in this book help me fight the battle on a daily basis and go to bed each night saying, "Today I lived in victory! Thank you Lord!"

The beginning part of her program helps a post-partum woman get in touch with muscles that were over-taxed and used during pregnancy and which need to relearn healthy positioning and use. Using simple breathing and stretching techniques Karrie leads the reader into a basic and foundational work-out that is pain free and actually a great stress reliever for a new Mama.

As the post-partum weeks progress Karrie adds more pilates and yoga based exercises into the program so that at 3-6 months post-partum a woman is fully ready to be back to her pre-pregnancy workout.

As a new Mama, I consider this book to be a must-have for any woman about to give birth or who just gave birth and desires to begin getting back in shape!

Research has not only shown that babies are quick to grasp basic signs for things like, "eat, wet, cold, hot, bathroom", but they are also quicker to begin talking at an earlier age if they are taught baby sign. Whereas it was originally believed that by teaching the baby sign language speech development would be delayed, the opposite has proven true.

One of the simplest books I have found to date is Teach Your Baby to Sign: An Illustrated Guide to Simple Sign Language for Babies. Offering a comprehensive list of words infants and young children would need for communication purposes on a daily basis, this book gives clear illustrations of how to do each sign.

While the inital thought may be that this will be a complicated task of having to learn sign language in addition to being involved in the busyness of motherhood, I personally, have already found this to be easier than expected. During the first week of incorporating this into my baby's and my life, I thought about the different things I was doing, such as feeding her or changing her dirty diaper and looked up the signs for that particular activity. I then began implementing them into my speaking with her as I began and accomplshed each of those tasks. I had to look the signs up a few times before I remembered them but within three weeks I had remembered all of them and have been using them ever since. Although my daughter is still too young to use the signs herself I am excited about the day that she will begin using them to tell me what she needs from me! I'm also excited about using this early year base of basic ASL as a foundation for her having a second language later on in life.

Physical healing has been slow for me, but the result of that--having to slow down all of life-has been a great way for me to make sure I soak in every moment of these precious newborn weeks!

As far as True Hope Counseling, in-office counseling has been put on hold indefinitely due to Miracle's birth as well as some current circumstances that make returning to the office difficult. However, the True Hope website continues to run and now that the winter months are setting in, the inquiries are coming in for internet counseling, something I will continue come January 1st.

I am also pursuing a certification course in Christian Adolescent Counseling with the American Association of Christian Counseling starting in January, as a means to continue my education in spite of being out of the office. This is something I can do at my own pace and will help add to my education and credentials once I do return to in-office counseling in the future.

Being a wife and mother is my first calling and passion and yet God continues to move my heart that He has gifted me in the area of counseling and discipleship and He still has a plan for using those gifts in coming years. As a result, I will be using those gifts via the internet for now and via the office in the future as my husband's schedule allows him to stay at home with our precious Miracle.

Until then, I am soaking up every minute here at home wtih our daughter and am happier than I ever dreamed possible!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the ministry--as well as our family!

Blessings to all!
Melissa

Until then, the website will still be up and running, and I will continue to do online and email counseling. This has become more and more popular with the college age bracket, as well as those struggling with eating disorders, and so, I will keep on with it as requests come in.

I will also continue to stay in email contact with past clients as they need it, though office hours will not be available to them during my leave.

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support over the months, and even years! Please be assured that I will be staying in touch regarding the future of True Hope Counseling as God leads! You have all been a blessing and I pray God's blessings on each one of you in return!

Melissa

Presenting both the black world, as well as the white world, Randy has his characters dialogue and even argue in realistic ways, while using the thread to teach crucial lessons of misperceptions and prejudices that exist on both sides.

If you are looking for a book that is thick with small words and has alot to chew on intellectually and spiritually, while at the same time being an enjoyable novel, Dominion is for you!