2024 Year End Letter
Dear friends, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! My name is Dr. Brian Mesimer, and I am the new Executive Director of the Christian Counseling Center of First Presbyterian Church. I have been on staff here at the Center since 2015, while most recently...
Happy Holidays: Myth or Reality?
How do you answer that question? Are the holidays a time of rejoicing, gratitude, and giving? Or, are they a time of pressure, stress, and expectations? The holiday season provides a break, a distraction, from the rhythm of life. That break can...
Arch Swings and Psalm 13
When I was a kid, I was both fascinated and intimidated by the giant steel arch-shaped swings that every amusement park seemed to have in the 1990’s. Part of that fascination had to do with how fun and how scary the ride looked. But part of it had to do with the...
Announcement of Dr. Tom Barbian’s Retirement and the Hiring of Dr. Brian Mesimer as the Next Executive Director
We are just leaving spring as summer approaches here in Columbia, and things are changing all around us. This time of year has often been a time change for the Christian Counseling Center as well. It was April 1, 1997 that the ministry of the Christian Counseling...
Happy Holidays: Myth or Reality?
How do you answer that question? Are the holidays a time of rejoicing, gratitude, and giving? Or, are they a time of pressure, stress, and expectations? The holiday season provides a break, a distraction, from the rhythm of life. That break can...
Bullying: Yes, it can happen to your child.
Were you bullied as a child? Statistics suggest that one in four of those reading this article have been. I was. My bullying was at the hands of Mike and his friends. It occurred when I was in the 7th grade, new to the school and he was a year older. I was a shy,...
Surviving Middle School and Middle Schoolers
I was recently talking to a group of parents and I asked the question; “What comes to mind when you think about parenting young adolescents/middle schoolers?” Survival! That was the answer. For many families, this is true. The middle...
Overcoming the Stress of a Pandemic
Article first written for First Presbyterian Church Last week in this column, I wrote about the stress of a pandemic and the idea that resilience is the ability to withstand and bounce back from such stress. Resilience is about coping with and overcoming stress. ...
The Stress of a Pandemic
This article was first written for First Presbyterian Church Greetings from the Christian Counseling Center of First Presbyterian Church. As I write this, I am grateful for technology. Almost 5 weeks ago, when the first recommendations for social distancing...
Fall is in the Air
The following article was published in "First Things" for First Presbyterian Church. It is that time of year. All of the indicators that summer is ending and that fall is quickly approaching are upon us. School is beginning, football is here, the church’s fall...
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