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In an ancient and far away city there lived two successful and
very competitive merchants who hated one another and were
constantly trying to better the other.

One night a messenger from God visited one of the merchants
and told him that he was instructed to grant him one wish and
one wish only.

There was only one condition attached to the granting of the
wish. Whatever the merchant wished for, his hated competitor
would receive double his wish.

The merchant pondered his decison while the messenger waited
patiently.

After a short time the merchant looked at the angel with a
slight smile on his face and said, " Make me blind in one eye."

Storytelling Tip Don't try to explain the story to your audience. Let the story speak to the listener/reader.

Become a fantastic storyteller: http://www.speakforprofit.com/storytelling.html

There is no mystery to any of us that life is hard for all mankind. The scripture says that “He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45) nkjv. No one escapes the reality that trouble will come to our lives from time to time. Everyone goes through, or will go through something painful at some point in time within their lifetime, but it is how we handle the trouble (on the inside) is what defines the difference between those who become depressed and those who do not. When that heavy (painful) blow hits our way it can be damaging and stunning to our inner core, and it’s hard to “just bounce back” as easily or as quickly as we would like. A loss of a child, a divorce, suffering from a house fire, or years of fighting to survive can lead any of us into a spiraling abyss of sadness that is difficult to pull ourselves out.

However, God did not expect us to navigate through this life here on earth alone. We are required to need one another and build healthy relationships as we visit this world. Can Christians suffer from depression? Yes, however, we don’t have to stay in that sad, dark, and painful place when we have the Most High God residing in our hearts. This is what we do as Christian Counselors; we walk alongside the Counselee in need and assist in pulling them out. We are called to help carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2 nkjv) and to move into a place of freedom and liberation. ONLY GOD CHANGES PEOPLE! So, to except to change and be free from anything without Him is just not real, nor lasting.
Our In-office and Online Christian Counseling Services are very effective because God continues to show up and heal His people. The Christ-centered perspective of Christian counseling services are a unique and powerful form of therapy. Practical counseling techniques are blended with belief and teachings of the Bible. It’s not Bible study and counselees are not required to “know” the Bible to get services. It’s a gentle and professional way of leading people to true inner healing with the Word. All of our Christian counselors are permitted to provide counseling in the state in which they reside and are licensed as per the statutory requirement of their respective state.

This is your chance to seek a permanent solution to any problem which is affecting your work life or personal life. We are just a call away and eager to hear from you. Our Christian counseling services will work hard to help you heal emotionally and bring about a positive change in your life under the guidance of the holy teachings of the Bible.

marriage counseling can give couples the tools they need to better their relationship, to communicate effectively with each other

1. Take inventory of your happiness. As you list each item, evaluate what you do every day to ensure that joy remains solidly in your life. Also list things you do that jeopardize your ability to be happy. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and don't even know it.

2. Be accountable to yourself. Every time you say "just a minute while I finish these e-mails" and you end up missing dinner with your spouse, understand you chose to stay "plugged in" to the business. It doesn't control you...you control your choices.

3. Practice, zen moments. Get centered and put down that electronic device.

4. Laugh at the small stuff that gives you stress. A young lady in shorts, sitting next to me at the airport terminal, was the recent victim of a walk-by sneezing. Another passenger inadvertently spit on her leg in his convulsion. He ambled on oblivious. She, however, quietly dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue. She wiped her leg, careful to shield her actions from others... Except I caught her eye and we both howled with laughter. Bless her heart, she showed class in an awkward situation and exemplified the statement "Stuff happens...deal with it!"

5. Learn to tell people that you are business by saying "NO" with love and affection. Only you know what your priorities and life goals are. Evaluate what others ask you to do, and then determine your response in terms of how it interfaces with your plans.

6. Its time for self-reflection. Sometimes a mirror held up before us can tell us more than what our mind eye chooses to rationalize. It may not be pretty, but at least you will have an honest starting point on which to make your lifestyle decisions.

7. Measure twice, cut once and do it right the first time. Quite frequently I consult with clients who feel like the rats in the race are winning. They are overwhelmed by the volume of work they deal with so they do the same tasks over and over again. My advice is simple - slow down and check twice. Not a bad motto to live by.

8. Are you overconnected? Using email exclusively only broadens the distance between us and our clients. Find ways to make your contact personal. A warm voice over the phone or a quick face to face visit can go a long way to cement a relationship. I've learned that it's the eyes, body language, and tone of voice that speaks volumes – imparting information that e-mail could never provide.

Recently I had a friend who was interested in listing their home for sale and asked me to discuss the difference between having a licensed agent list their home as opposed to listing their home on their own as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO). After our discussion I thought this might be something good to share with others who may benefit from knowing this knowledge.

My goal of this blog is not to scare anyone from selling their home on their own, but to point out the common pitfalls that people fall in and why it’s recommended to thoroughly research your options. The thought of selling your own home appeals to many homeowners as it allows the potential to save thousands of dollars. On the contrary, this can also cost thousands of dollars if not done properly. Taking on the job of selling your own home will lead to taking on a large amount of work and responsibility.

It is obvious that most homeowners choose to sell their own home in an effort to save money. A full service brokerage firm will usually charge 6% of the total sales price as their fee. Therefore if your home were to sell for $600,000 the fee would be $36,000 which is typically split between both the buyer and sellers brokerage firms. This would be the amount a homeowner could save. However if you underestimate the worth of your home, miss file paperwork, leave it on the market for too long, you could lose even more. Also, something to consider is most buyers will be represented by an agent who will request 3-4% when working with a FSBO as they will probably be doing more work than if the seller were represented by a licensed agent. In the end, (if you get full price) your real savings would be $15,000, is this worth any headaches and potential legal problems down the road?

It’s important to calculate how much money you would save without the use of a licensed agent and decide if this would be worth the effort and time you would need to dedicate to the sale of your home. This would involve researching legal issues, necessary contracts, technicalities of contracts, as well as having the knowledge of the real estate market in your area and in general; this is something a licensed agent has already done and should be doing on a daily basis. If you don’t have time to do the research you may want to consider working with a professional.

Marketing your home can seem quite simple. Getting posters, signs, fliers, newspaper and magazine ads are something that is available to everyone. A licensed real estate agent has access to MLS, the Multiple Listing Service, which is a computer database service where agents can share property information across the state or even the country. Real estate professionals have access to MLS. An option is to pay a fee to have your home listed on MLS, however if the home does sell through MLS you will need to pay a fee to the buyers brokerage firm.

In addition to MLS, licensed agents will know how to properly market your property. The best chance to sell your home is in the first 60 days of listing the property for sale. Therefore, it is very important to properly market your property to the potential buyers or the individuals who will bring the buyers. A licensed agent will put together an individual marketing plan for your property.

Selling your own home will require you to put the money forward for any sale-related costs, including: appraisal of the home, costs of experts to determine the value of the home, title insurance and title investigators. With a licensed agent, the agency will absorb the costs of marketing and legal fees.

On top of having to pay for the costs of various professionals, you will also be responsible for finding these individuals. A licensed agent will have access to professionals who you can contact. They can also give their feedback on ones they have worked with on previous transactions.

Negotiation is a very important part of selling a home, it is a business transaction and there may be individuals coming in with ridiculously low offers that are not intended to be accepted. A licensed agent can help to ensure you have a strong negotiating platform, especially knowing there is a good chance the buyer has an agent working for them.

Real estate contracts can be long and complicated. Most individuals who are determined to sell their home on their own will need to consult a lawyer to look over any contracts involved. This can be a very costly process. This is an area you want a licensed professional on your side as one word can make all the difference.

Being a homeowner has a potential negative as you may have built an emotional attachment in your home. There is a risk of attaching too much sentimental value to your home and putting value that would not be there for another buyer. A licensed agent will act as a third party, and although they will act in your best interest, they won’t have an emotional attachment to the property.

If you have the time, patience, money and desire to sell your home by yourself, then you may want to consider selling your home as a FSBO. Be aware of what you are getting yourself into first, there is a reason real estate agents exist; buying and selling property is not easy. Overall, you may decide that your time, piece of mind and happiness is worth more than the money you could save. Research your options and choose wisely.

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