MARITAL COUNSELING

[You're jumping into a story that began with the blog article, "SHE PACKED MY BAGS"]

After a few moments of through-the-door bargaining, I agreed that we would go for marriage counseling.  She let me in.

The next morning, I called a psychologist friend, Gareth Sweatman, who worked for the Youth Guidance Ministry in Pittsburgh;  he agreed to see us a couple of days later. 

I figured that he would straighten Debbie out, and everything would be okay.

However, to my surprise, he spent the whole first hour talking with me and leaving Debbie almost completely out of the session.  I was confused.  Inside, I was screaming, "Gareth, it's not me that's broken - it's her!"

But he didn't see it that way.  Our first session was two hours long;  he pounded me the whole time!  In our subsequent sessions he continued to keep the focus on me and my priorities.  Eventually, I was going to see him alone.

It was a valuable time for us;  for me, in particular.  In my first months in the full-time ministry, I was given the opportunity to learn about appropriate boundaries and priorities in ministry. 

I haven't kept my balance perfectly, but she's never put my bags on the porch again!