Let me introduce myself. I am Heather Vaughn and am privileged to join the team of counselors at Redeemer Counseling. I love that this Center was founded on the theme of redemption or the restoration of something valuable. Redemption is the rescue from ruins or the idea of something buried, lost or dead being brought back to life. It is amazing the way meaning and beauty can be excavated from confusion and pain. How can the stories of our lives be so paradoxical?

The day I had both looked forward to and dreaded had finally arrived; my youngest child was going to kindergarten. She seemed a little anxious but mostly excited to get on with the grand adventure she had watched her older brothers and sisters experience from the safe confines of home. I had rehearsed in my mind a hundred times how I would act if she cried, if she panicked, or if she simply froze in place. A lovely little speech about how proud and confident of her I felt was firmly set in my plan for saying good-bye once I had delivered her to her school room.

Gaye Butler, M.A. joined our team of counselors this summer after graduating with her Master’s of Arts in Counseling degree from Reformed Theological Seminary. I recently had a chance to ask her some questions regarding her experience as a student and about her life overall. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with Gaye at our Winter Springs office, call our office at (407) 405-7677.

ast month we looked at the truth about our bodies and our true image from God’s perspective: We are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) God knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13) Yet how do we live this out? We live in a culture obsessed with thinness and body perfection. Models are starved, digitally enhanced and then sold to us as the epitome of beauty. When women get together it is not only the norm but also an expectation to talk about their need to lose weight, tone up, or eat cleaner.

Body Image is defined as an individual’s perceptions, feelings and attitudes toward his/her own body. Psalm 139:14 says, I am fearfully and wonderfully made–my soul knows it very well. Apparently David recognizes the brilliance of his Creator and praises his works. His perceptions of, feelings for and attitudes toward his body reflect this.

We are excited Amy Shiver has joined our team of talented professionals. Recently, I had a chance to sit down with Amy to hear more about her heart for counseling.

The hike promised amazing views of the Maine coastline. That sounded good to me! To get to the trail we first crossed a beautiful beach cove, took some pictures and stepped on the trail heading up. My husband, Dave and I were on vacation last week celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and Acadia National Park was one of our stops. We have hiked many mountain trails over the years. Usually I enjoy the process of getting to the intended view, but this time I just wanted to get there! The trail was labeled moderate, and I guess the other side was–but not the side we started on. There was a lot of climbing and heaving yourself up rocks. It has been a few years since I have hiked even a small mountain trail, and my 50-year-old joints were complaining.

This week, millions of Americans will feel the pinch of the IRS on April 15th, if they haven’t already, while several politicians are slated to join the 2016 campaign field. No doubt both topics will come up at the water cooler in passing small talk, despite the old adage which says it’s impolite to talk about sex, politics and money. I often have sensed the awkward tension surrounding these culturally taboo topics.

Our cupboards were bare. I had just fed Hannah the heel on a loaf of bread with a small smidgen of peanut butter scraped from the bottom of the jar. I was avoiding it…a trip to Costco. We were on the brink of nap time so I knew the risks as I loaded Norah (7 months old) into the carrier and Hannah (age 2) in the large section of the cart. “I’ll just run in and out in 30 minutes,” I said to myself as I gently tried to calm the part of myself that was overtaken by anxiety.

I’ve never been a man. That’s a pretty indisputable fact. I have found myself wondering often, though, what it is like to live in a man’s skin. I used to make gross assumptions based on cultural stereotypes and snide remarks from angry women, but I have come to realize those are pretty poor representations of men. Actually, seeing all men the same is a pretty poor representation. I would never tell someone to base their understanding of all women just by knowing me – that would be ludicrous!

I didn’t grow up in a liturgical church, so a few years ago when friends started talking about Advent, I felt a little lost. Little did I know, I was already on a journey that would put me right in a church that is highly liturgical–in the Anglican tradition. That in itself is a story for another day, but the point is that the church calendar has been gaining a lot of significance in my life.

My work hours have changed this fall. Instead of a random part-time schedule set by me, I am working full-time, Monday through Friday. This has changed my weekend experience significantly! I have found that physically I am not too worn out, but rather, mentally and emotionally I am depleted.

Last week, my brother sent me an email with a link to a sermon by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. It may not seem odd that a brother would email his sister a sermon, but it may strike some people that the sermon was about sex or, more specifically about “Love and Lust” referencing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:27-30. To provide a little context: my brother and I are five years apart in age and we are both single. Over the past year or so, we have begun to open up to each other about the differences in being single as male and female, and in different stages of life. He had gleaned a lot from this sermon, so he shared it with me in hopes that I would be able to benefit as well.

It is quite amazing how even happy couples can sometimes see things so differently. I was reminded of this just the other day, when my husband and I were selecting paint for the living room of our new home. Or perhaps I should say trying to select paint.

I’m behind the times. Hashtags aren’t a natural part of my vocabulary and I don’t typically peruse “trending topics” in my social media newsfeed, yet recently I stumbled upon a mother’s heartfelt letter as I clicked my way through a shared article on Facebook.

This month Sarah Born joined our team after graduating from Reformed Theological Seminary. She lives in the Lake Nona area and has a heart to provide soul care in this growing area of Central Florida. I had a chance to ask her a few questions so you can get to know her more.

I have never met anyone who did not find C.S. Lewis to be one of the most prolific writers to span generations. Even if you don’t agree with him, he will make you think, laugh, cry, and ponder the very essence of who we are and what we were meant to do, both in this world and in the next. Lewis’ quote comparing us as humans to ignorant children slapping together mud pies is one of my favorites, and it also describes, in a nutshell, my beliefs about counseling. The main reason I am so passionate about what I do is that I have experienced healing and redemption through counseling as well.