I grew up in a home where we attended church every week and remember my grandfather being a strong influence in my life with reading Bible stories, praying and memorizing scripture.  This example and foundation played a big part in the decision I made in my late teen years to attend a Bible college.  This college built on the spiritual foundation and gave me the tools to lead me through my own spiritual journey in my marriage, with our children and even now.  As I counsel, several scriptures or Bible stories often come to mind that I incorporate into sessions when appropriate.  Two scriptures I like are Philippians 4:8 and Romans 12:2.  Both speak of our minds: Philippians reminds us to be in charge of our thoughts, what we think about, and Romans refers to the “renewing” of our minds.  The Bible talked about the ability of our minds to be renewed long before contemporary neurologists and psychology began talking about “neurogenesis,” the ability of our minds to be rewired in how we think and act.  In addition, in many places scripture tells us “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) as well as the importance of meditating on God’s law (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2).  Once again, God’s word encourages this practice long before psychologists and others began talking about mindfulness and meditation.  My counseling is directed by spiritual principles even when I utilize contemporary counseling theory and practices.