CCEF Conference Virginia Beach

 

Travel continues in Oct with our church leaders to CCEF (Christian Counseling Education Foundation)'s annual conference in Viriginia Beach. Wes and I had never been but I appreciate that our church sees that the foundations of biblical counseling in the way we listen, interact with others, care and point people to the Gospel is integrated into all our relationships at church, community, family, and friends.  From Local church some of our members are apart of Fieldstone (they have virtual counseling sessions if you live outside of Cleveland!) so they were there as well as Morgan since she works for CCEF. Local Church sent the 3 elders and their wives (and John). We ate a lot of good food and serious conversations but also a lot of laughter! The worship from The Church of Brookhills (our old Birmingham Church) was great and all the speakers shared vulnerability and truth. I particularly liked hearing from Mike Emlet (previous ED physician and now biblical counselor and teacher via CCEF). He discussed how we are embodied souls and the body is integrated into post traumatic events. I wish I could remember everything but I know I like the following points he made:  

1. created bodies- we were created in His image, perfect and sinless 

2. fallen bodies- the fall occurred and then everything including our bodies, mental and physical are susceptible, we will experience pain, anxiety, sadness, hurt in addition to sin 

3. redeemed bodies- we are here right now... in the in between...  even though our earthly bodies are wasting away and still experiencing fallen state while we are on earth (we know this and yet desperately try to maintain them!) our souls are redeemed and we are promised resurrected bodies. 

4. resurrected bodies- our future state in heaven! 

Thanks Mimi and Big for coming up and staying with the kids! I heard it was a nice, low key relaxing weekend! 

I brought back the Nancy Guthrie book for myself "Im Praying For You" and then Levi got his matching version from Nancy on prayer to read with me at night. So sweet

A few days after we got back we had tickets with the Guertins to see King Kaleidoscope in Cleveland. Fun, random Wednesday night. When we came home we found the kids sleeping with all the lights on (Mrs. Pat graciously kept them!).