Author: trotters41

The Client {a poem}

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The client,

Courageous,

Opens the room, not knowing what lies beyond, trusting that hope is somewhere in the darkness.

In session, the client sometimes knows where he’s going and goes there striding. In session, the client sometimes discovers where she’s been and falls to her knees.

Other times, the tears just fall and the Kleenex box empties and the minutes run out. Next week is obscenely far away.

The client,

A person with a story,

Desperate

Longs for relief of long buried pain or grief or silence. Who will bear witness? Who will see this?

Unbearable history, yet borne.

Unspeakable pain, yet screamed.

Unwitnessed trauma, yet seen by many.

The client,

Resolute

Slowly turns into the pain and finds a heart filled with compassion and curiosity and kindness. There is mercy here, and light.

There is a future.

The client,

Courageous,

Opens the room.

Loving Someone with Anxiety (or ADHD or Autism)

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These three books have been very helpful for a bunch of clients, and if you feel like one might fit your situation, check it out. They seem to do a pretty good job of validating the spouse’s experience, while also giving hope and compassion and ideas for moving forward. Find the books on Amazon here:

Anxiety

Autism/Asperger’s

ADHD

*affiliate links

NOTE: Asperger’s is no longer the correct technical term for that end of the autism spectrum, although some people with Autism Spectrum Disorder still prefer it. This particular book is several years old.

The Anxious Generation and Doing Life with Your Adult Children (book recs)

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by Jonathan

This is such an important book for parents, churches, schools, and communities.

Haidt talks about the four foundational harms of the phone-based childhood:

1. Social deprivation

2. Sleep deprivation

3. Attention fragmentation

4. Addiction

On Amazon here.

“When I went looking for resources, I was surprised to discover that, compared with the literature available for the early years of parenting, there is relatively little available about the challenges of parenting an adult child. Yet we will spend more time as a parent of an adult child than we will as the parent of a young child and adolescent.” — Jim Burns

I first heard of this book a couple of years ago and LOVED the title. Well, I just got around to reading it and I think I will be recommending it regularly. It’s simple, straightforward, and not too serious. Check it out…

On Amazon here.

*Affiliate links

The End of All Things – a new song for Easter

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I am so excited to share this new Easter song with you all. It’s based on a poem that originally appeared at A Life Overseas about five years ago. It is my hope that it might be a deep encouragement to you, wherever you are, on this Holy Saturday.

— Jonathan Trotter

Listen to the full song on YouTube.

The End of All Things

By Caleb Paxton and Jonathan Trotter

Darkness and grief

Shadow and death

The hope that had been

Hangs low without breath

–

Weak and alone, absorbing our pain

The one who was Love endures for my gain

–

“Forgive them,” he prays,

“Jews, Romans, all”

Redeeming us there from our sin and the fall

–

“It’s finished!” he cries

“For my daughters and sons”

Death lay before him but the work it is done

–

Hallelujah! The kingdom has come

Death could not hold all the life of the Son

Hallelujah here and now at the end we’ve begun

–

Three quiet days come and go without Word

The King is nowhere and faith seems absurd

–

Behind the scenes now the love of God stirs

And the plan before time finds its time and occurs

–

The broken world groans

The stone starts to move

The Lamb that was slain

Roars out of the tomb!

–

Hallelujah! The kingdom has come

Death could not hold all the life of the Son

Hallelujah here and now at the end we’ve begun

–

Hallelujah! The kingdom has come

Life is before us, the victory is won

Hallelujah here and now at the end we’ve begun

When Counseling Missionaries, Please Remember these Six Things

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I’m so excited that Remnant Counselor Collective launches today and includes an article of mine aimed at helping counselors care for missionaries. It’s about the six things a counselor should remember when counseling missionaries:

1. Don’t try to keep them on the field or get them off the field

2. Remember, they’re people too

3. Get comfortable with grief, because there’s probably a lot of it

4. Be careful with spirituality

5. Always assess for trauma and secondary trauma

6. Remember the basics

Read the full article here: https://www.remnantcounselorcollective.com/…/when.

— Jonathan T.