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http://www.newbeginningspa.com/

New Beginnings Christian Counseling, 1001 South 1st Street, Altoona, PA (2026)

01/15/2026

“Everything That Can’t Be Bought”

Scripture (Matthew 5:5, The Message):
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”

The Big Idea

Contentment isn’t settling. It’s resting. It’s the quiet confidence that says, “I don’t need to audition for my own life.” And Jesus—being Jesus—calls that place blessed.

The world trains us to live in “more mode.” More achievements, more followers, more money, more upgrades, more proof. But “more mode” has a dark side: it keeps moving the finish line. You finally get what you thought you needed… and the next thing immediately starts flashing like a neon sign.

Jesus offers a different kind of wealth: the kind you can’t Venmo, can’t finance, can’t hustle into existence.

When you’re content with who you are—no more, no less—you stop trying to buy your identity with performance. You stop renting your worth from other people’s approval. You stop treating your life like a résumé.

And that’s when you become “owners” of the priceless stuff:

peace that doesn’t collapse when plans change

joy that isn’t dependent on circumstances cooperating

freedom from comparison (the thief with excellent marketing)

dignity that doesn’t fluctuate with opinions

love you don’t have to earn

belonging that doesn’t require pretending

The wild part? These are the things everyone wants most… and they’re the things you can’t purchase.

Reflection

Ask yourself gently—but honestly:

Where am I trying to prove I’m enough?

Maybe it’s in how you look. Maybe it’s how much you do. Maybe it’s being the responsible one, the successful one, the strong one, the “fine” one.

But Jesus’ blessing isn’t aimed at the version of you that’s constantly edited and over-functioning. It’s aimed at the real you. The you that God already knows. The you God already chose.

Contentment doesn’t mean you won’t grow. It means you stop growing out of self-rejection. You grow from being loved.

A Practice for Today: “No More, No Less”

Take one minute today and pray this slowly:

“Lord, I release the version of me I’m trying to manufacture.
I receive who You say I am.
Teach me to live as myself—no more, no less.
Give me the kind of riches that can’t be bought. Amen.”

Then do one small, stubborn act of contentment:

Don’t compare yourself today (when it pops up, bless the other person and return to your lane).

Say no to something that’s fueled by people-pleasing.

Say yes to something that restores your soul.

Speak to yourself like someone God actually delights in. (Revolutionary, I know.)

01/01/2026

Held, Not Hurried

“So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”

The calendar flips, and immediately the pressure shows up—new goals, new expectations, new versions of ourselves we’re supposed to unveil by February. The world treats January like a performance review. Improve faster. Shine brighter. Hustle harder.

Scripture gently interrupts all that noise.

Be content with who you are.
Not complacent. Not stuck. Just grounded. God is not surprised by where you are standing as 2026 begins. You don’t need to exaggerate your strength or hide your limits. You are already fully seen—and fully held.

God’s strong hand is on you.
That means your life is not balanced on timing, algorithms, or approval. Promotion—growth, fruit, influence, change—belongs to God’s calendar, not your anxiety. The hand that formed the universe is not rushing, and it is not weak. Waiting under God’s hand is not stagnation; it’s safety.

Live carefree before God.
Carefree doesn’t mean careless. It means you are no longer the primary manager of your own future. You still show up. You still work. You still hope. But you stop gripping outcomes like they’re fragile glass. God is most careful with you—more careful than you could ever be with yourself.

As 2026 begins, this is the invitation:
Lower your shoulders. Breathe. Release the illusion that everything depends on you. Walk forward without pretending, striving, or rushing ahead of grace.

You are not late.
You are not overlooked.
You are not alone.

The same God who carried you here will carry you through. And when it’s time to rise, you won’t have to force it—His hand will lift you.

Prayer
God, as this new year begins, quiet my need to impress, rush, or control. Help me trust Your timing and rest under Your strong hand. Teach me to live lightly, confidently, and honestly before You, knowing You are careful with every detail of my life. Amen.

2026 doesn’t need a reinvented you. It needs a rooted you—steady, open-handed, and walking forward with God instead of racing ahead of Him.

12/26/2025

Gratitude Wins!

Gratitude isn’t polite manners for God; it’s clear vision. When Jesus healed ten people with leprosy, only one came back to say thank you. Jesus noticed. Not because He needed affirmation, but because gratitude reveals awareness. The grateful one didn’t just get healed—he noticed who had healed him.

Jesus constantly ties gratitude to abundance. He gives thanks before multiplying loaves. He gives thanks before breaking bread that points to the cross. Gratitude, in His hands, is never the end of the story—it’s the ignition switch. It shifts us from scarcity-thinking (“Is this enough?”) to trust (“You are enough”).

Gratitude also anchors us when life is heavy. Jesus didn’t deny suffering; He stepped straight into it. Yet even on the road to the cross, His life was marked by thanksgiving and trust in the Father. Gratitude doesn’t erase pain—it refuses to let pain have the final word.

Today, gratitude is a quiet rebellion against despair. It says: God is present here. Not just in the blessings, but in the waiting, the healing-in-progress, the unanswered-yet prayers. When we give thanks, we align our hearts with Jesus’ way of seeing the world—eyes open, hands open, hope intact.

Practice gratitude today not as a checklist, but as communion. Thank Him for who He is before thanking Him for what He gives. Grace grows best in thankful soil.

Gratitude doesn’t shrink problems, but it enlarges Christ—and that changes the scale of everything.

11/12/2025

Dying to Live

What we (The Church) so often miss in the rhythm of our daily lives is the point of living itself. The whole reason we exist—born into this fragile world, walking its dusty paths—is to die. Not merely a physical death, but a daily dying to the flesh.
Each day invites us to crucify the parts of us that cling to selfishness, pride, and sin, so that something eternal can grow in its place. We are being shaped, refined, and re-formed into spiritual beings fit for eternity in the presence of a Holy God.
Because the point of dying—the true purpose of shedding this flesh—is to live forever with Jesus in the Spirit. But here’s the hard truth: I cannot live forever unless I first die.

This life is our training ground for eternity. It’s where we peel away the layers of spiritual junk we were born with, the baggage we’ve picked up along the way, and even the burdens that have found us uninvited. Like shedding excess weight, we are meant to lose what weighs us down. But dying hurts. It’s uncomfortable. It’s a daily walk of choice—living for Jesus or for something else.
We all live for something. For ourselves, our family, our job, our money, our power. We all serve someone or something—whether we realize it or not. And when we die, we don’t suddenly change direction. Those who have spent their lives chasing the flesh will carry it into eternity; those who have surrendered it daily will rise strong and fit for glory.

Each day is a step. We walk toward God or away from Him. But make no mistake—we are walking. And every small death along the way is not loss, but preparation for the life that never ends.
Lord prepare us to walk with you, help us as we try daily to shed the flesh and live for you!

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
~1 Peter 2:9 ESV

10/30/2025

So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
~Ps 73:16-20

This passage from Psalm 73 is Asaph’s honest wrestling match with a timeless frustration: why do people who seem to live without regard for God often look like they’re thriving, while those who seek to live rightly face hardship? It’s the ancient version of “Why do the jerks get promotions?”

When Asaph steps into “the sanctuary of God,” his perspective shifts. The sanctuary represents a place of divine clarity—where temporary success is seen for what it is: temporary. The “slippery path” image is sharp and poetic; it means the apparent stability of the wicked is an illusion. Their foundations are slick with self-deception and pride. The fall isn’t just sudden—it’s inevitable.

The most cutting line might be verse 20: God laughs at their silly ideas. The laughter isn’t cruel; it’s the cosmic reminder that human arrogance is absurd when set against eternal reality. The “dream” metaphor seals it—evil’s power feels real until God’s truth wakes the world up.

Reflection:
Faith doesn’t mean pretending evil doesn’t prosper—it means trusting that prosperity is short-lived compared to eternity. When we enter God’s presence (through prayer, reflection, worship), our envy turns into pity, and our anger turns into peace.

Takeaway thought:
Don’t measure your life against the temporary shine of others. The sanctuary reveals what success really looks like: standing steady when the ground beneath others gives way.

10/27/2025

“Peace That Holds When Life Doesn’t”

Sometimes life feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and prayer. The world tells us to push harder, perform better, stay strong. But Scripture whispers something different — “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Stillness doesn’t mean quitting. It means trusting that God is still working when we can’t fix what’s broken. He never asked us to carry what only He can heal.

When anxiety builds and control slips through your fingers, take one deep breath and remember: peace isn’t the absence of chaos; it’s the presence of Christ in the middle of it.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” – Isaiah 26:3

Breathe. Pray. Let go of the things that were never yours to hold.

10/24/2025

“Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”
~Luke 22:31

“I’ve Prayed for You” — A Devotion on Luke 22:31–32

Jesus isn’t sugarcoating it. He tells Simon (Peter), “Satan’s coming for you.” That’s not exactly the comforting word anyone wants to hear at dinner. But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. He says, “I’ve prayed for you.” He acknowledges the battle and assures Peter, he won’t be alone. That’s the heart of Christ—truth and intercession hand in hand.

Notice, too, that Jesus doesn’t pray for Peter to avoid the trial. He prays that Peter’s faith won’t fail during it. That’s different. It means Jesus sees value in the testing—the sifting—because it reveals what’s real and burns off what’s not. Just as chaff is separated from wheat, testing separates pretense from genuine faith.

Peter, of course, fails spectacularly. He denies Jesus three times. But the story doesn’t end in shame. Jesus had already seen beyond Peter’s stumble to his restoration: “When you have come through, strengthen your companions.” The failure wasn’t final—it was formative. The man who wept bitterly would become the man who led boldly.

This is grace in motion: Jesus prays, Peter falls, Jesus restores, Peter strengthens others. That’s the gospel’s rhythm—mercy turns personal wreckage into ministry fuel.

So, when you’re in your own season of sifting—when the world shakes you, your confidence falters, and your faith feels like a flickering flame—remember that the same Jesus who prayed for Peter is interceding for you (Romans 8:34). Not that you’d escape the struggle, but that your faith would outlast it. And when you come through, your story becomes someone else’s lifeline.

The sifting feels brutal, but it’s also the threshing floor where courage and compassion are born. The question isn’t “Will I fail?”—it’s “Who will I become after grace lifts me up again?”

10/21/2025

Give your burdens to the LORD,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

But you, O God, will send the wicked
down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
but I am trusting you to save me.
~Ps 55:22-23

This psalm strikes at a truth that’s both comforting and unsettling: trust is a choice, and so is surrender.

When David says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you,” he isn’t painting a serene, postcard version of faith. He’s writing as someone chased by betrayal, weighed down by injustice, and yet somehow still believing that God’s care isn’t a fragile promise—it’s a force that holds reality together. The idea of “giving” your burdens isn’t passive resignation; it’s active release. It’s saying, “This isn’t mine to carry anymore,” and placing it in the hands that have never once dropped what they’ve held!

Then the tone shifts: “But you, O God, will send the wicked down to the pit of destruction.” It’s a reminder that God’s justice isn’t theoretical—it’s eventual truth. Evil has an expiration date. Yet David doesn’t end on vengeance; he ends on trust: “I am trusting you to save me.” It’s as if he’s saying, “Let God handle the reckoning—I’ll handle the trusting.”

What a beautiful way to live life--in the trusting arms of our Mighty Warrior Jesus Christ, The Lord of all!
Letting go doesn’t mean ignoring what’s wrong—it means believing that divine care is stronger than human chaos.

Let's thank God today that He gives us victory over our enemies!

10/17/2025

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.
~ Psalm 50:14–15

Gratitude is a perspective and a lifestyle. It’s a state of the heart that allows us to genuinely connect with God. True thankfulness isn’t a polite nod toward blessings — it’s a deliberate act of worship. It says, “God, I trust You even when I don’t get what You’re doing.”

When life gets heavy, gratitude becomes costly. It’s easier to complain, easier to fear, easier to demand answers. But the psalm reminds us that thankfulness itself is a sacrifice. It’s what we lay on the altar when joy feels out of reach. That’s when it’s most powerful.

God doesn’t need our perfect performance — He desires our faithful hearts. When we keep our vows we prove that our faith is not based on circumstance but on covenant.

And then comes the promise: “Call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you.” God doesn’t ignore gratitude; He responds to it. A thankful heart attracts divine intervention. When we remember His goodness, we invite His strength.

So today, let gratitude be your worship, not your reaction. Offer thanks before the breakthrough, praise before the rescue, and faith before the answer. The result? God gets the glory, and you get the peace that comes from trusting Him completely.

10/16/2025

Psalm 46:10–11 says,
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Knowing Beyond Knowing

“Know that I am God.” That word know means more than intellectual agreement — it’s experiential, intimate awareness. It’s trusting Him when logic says panic. It’s the kind of knowing that comes from seeing His faithfulness again and again until you stop flinching at the future.

When life spins and your thoughts chase each other like hamsters on espresso, this verse calls you to remember: God is not in crisis. He’s not pacing heaven wringing His hands. He reigns, unshaken, and His calm is stronger than your storm.

New Beginnings Christian Counseling

01/15/2026

01/01/2026

12/26/2025

11/12/2025

10/30/2025

10/27/2025

10/24/2025

10/21/2025

10/17/2025

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Monday	12pm - 7pm
Tuesday	12pm - 7:30pm
Wednesday	11am - 7pm
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