Our Founder
Meet Randy Powell, Founder of Journeys Counseling Ministry. The interview below shows Powell’s passion for helping people and inspiration for Journeys Counseling.
What led you to founding Journeys Counseling Ministry?
Before I began Journeys, I was the Director of Counseling at Vanguard University and a Singles Pastor for a local church. I realized that with ministry, the message can’t be individualized, but with counseling, the process can be personalized and more intimate. Journeys Counseling was started to do ministry in a personalized format. I enjoy being a part of the journey with each person as they walk with Jesus.
What inspired your passion for helping people?
My passion has always been to help others by teaching and guiding them. At age four, I climbed a tree one day and “preached” my Sunday School lesson to the neighborhood kids. I embraced this passion for caring for others by advancing my studies in pastoral care and psychology. As a life-long learner I know I will discover new ways to help others until the Lord calls me home. I believe when you embrace the passions God has for you, you find your purpose.
When was a time you felt God spoke or directed you to act?
There are many times God has spoken to me or gently directed me. One very powerful situation was while at Vanguard I sensed “someone needs you.” I did not know where to begin so I went out driving the campus aimlessly. I saw a student I knew getting in her car. She looked upset so I went up to her and asked how she was doing. She said she planned to kill herself that night. What a privilege to be available for one of God's children who was in great need.
What’s the importance of soul care?
When our soul is undernourished, we tend to give more power to things of this world. This often leads to more anxiety, more depression, and a lack of wisdom. When we attend to our soul, the eternal part of our being, we receive the peace that Jesus gives to us. We are practicing healthy psychological processes when we nourish our soul. Like the Apostle Paul, we can learn contentment and receive the peace only Jesus can give when we practice spiritual disciplines and are attentive to our mental health.
How do we balance the paradoxes of faith?
We’re in this world, not of this world. As Christians, we acknowledge both our eternal self (our soul) and our finite self (our bodies). We want to embrace this dual reality and care for our soul and our body with respect, and awe as they are gifts from God. It is more obvious to attend only to the finite body, but this leaves us in need. When we exercise faith and learn to fully embrace both soul and body and begin to find purpose, peace, and contentment. Our privilege at Journeys is to help people balance living well in this world with the knowledge that we are not of this world