A Trodden Way

There’s a lot of joy being spread around here at the Bennett home.  What a perfect time of year for good news!  Charles and I are now grandparents and are thrilled to announce the birth of Miria Delaney Bennett born to Josh and Megan. 

I graduated on Saturday and it was such a joy to have my loved ones there to witness that and to celebrate afterwards.  Their prayers and support are what made the difference for me!

Ike has a lovely young Christian lady Miss Lauren which he is calling his “girlfriend”. Ike is a flight instructor and goes to college too. He’s the pilot in the family.

Zach is working hard and he and Brit are still loving and supporting one another in life’s adventures.

Brenton is Ike’s roommate!  God is blessing and growing that very special brotherly bond.  Brent is in the beginning stages of planning a trip around the world.  No seriously.  He is the sailor in the family!

Olivia brings great delight to the Christmas season and she has done the same for my graduation.  She has announced to everyone she knows and even those she has just met, “My mom just graduated!  Now she’ll be home for me when I get off the bus!”

The final crunch time to graduation was by far some of the most stressful for me.  Charles was a rock, even when I was crashing upon him like a wave.  So having all of this come to an end at a time of year when I like to look heavenward in thankfulness and joyful anticipation for Christ’s return makes it all seem like just a spec on the horizon which has now passed me by.  Perspective, it’s all about perspective. 

So now what’s on the horizon?  I would love to sit and spill the beans, but I have Christmas cards to mail and gifts to wrap and put under the tree (Not to mention goodies to munch on hand made by Terry).  Be on the look out though for new directions beginning with the new year. God is working and moving and Charles and I are so blessed to be part of His plan.

The last few years have been ones of much toil and some tribulations.  However, as always God in His mercy has been faithful to this servant every single step of the way along this trodden way.  I confess,  I have not been as faithful to Him during this time of “mind/ heart expansion” as He has been to me.  However, this He knows, and He also knows how humbly grateful I am for the opportunity that He has afforded me to forge onto a new path.

This path began when through my experience at The Geneva School I found myself listening to others and desiring to be helpful in God’s way.  I had hoped to be a chaplain but that would have required changing my denomination in order to pursue that.  Somehow that seemed like selling out my beliefs!  So with the encouragement of a friend I embarked on the path of  counseling and prayed that God would show me how to use it for His glory. 

On Decmber 13th I will be graduating from the Master’s program for Marriage and Family Counseling.  Even though I have come to the end of this journey with my friends and professors at Stetson University, I am embarking on another road which I pray is now and will forever be for His Name’s sake.  I will continue on with my learning until God calls me home, but now (and again) it will be in His Word.  Through the Biblical Counseling Institute I will become certified in Nouthetic counseling which I intend to base a private practice on in the Spring. 

Charles has been a great help to me as I flesh out all the details and mull over all the possibilites for helping the people of God in times that seem so despairing. Counseling within the church has become a thing of the past.  So where are all of God’s people going? Unfortunately they are finding themselves in a small room with someone who does not value God’s word much less God.  This breaks my heart!  It is this combination of passions, for people and for God’s Infallible Word, that has ignited my heart for Biblical Counseling. Grief counseling will continue to be a specific area of specialty for me.  I hope to reach out to the community at large through their programs to be a light for Christ in the process of grieving.

Olivia too will be graduating this year from Deland High School!  We have begun to look into various opportunites for her to continue to grow and prosper within our family and community as well.  Please keep all of us in your prayers as we endeavor to make wise choices for our sweet Livvy.  She very much desires to be active and there is a possibility for some continued education through our local college as well as extracurricular activities that she enjoys (bowling, art and music).  Relationships mean so much to Livvy and  so we will continue to seek ways that she can grow in this area as well.

I am so proud of all of my children who exercised their right to vote today!!!  Yeah Brenton, Isaac and Olivia you kids are awesome!