<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Russell Semon Counseling]]></title><description><![CDATA[Russell Semon Counse]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:58:11 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.crossingcultures.care/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[    Held by Grace,                     A Story of God's Patient  Purpose (Introduction)]]></title><description><![CDATA[In my youth, I sensed that God’s will for my life was being made known through a few relationships and friendships. But like many teenagers, the distractions of life clouded my vision and my ability to hear His voice clearly. I had heard others describe with certainty how God had called them to specific areas of service or occupation, and that was not my experience. My sense of calling felt quieter, less defined. I now know that this view of God was shaped more by my misunderstanding than by...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/held-by-grace-a-story-of-god-s-patient-purpose-introduction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695d35811db7a40263483474</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:45:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_e30be3edf30849e6bd1adafcc08b38f2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Anchored]]></title><description><![CDATA[“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” — Lamentations 3:21–22 I don’t think we notice when it happens.There’s no clear decision, no sharp turn — just a quiet drift.  One missed moment of stillness. One small compromise. One week too busy to pray.  And before we know it, we’ve drifted — not away from belief exactly, but away from living  what we believe. Our faith, once steady and near, starts to feel distant. It doesn’t hold us as firmly...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/anchored</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e67428335b984f1adcde76</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:28:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_cdf8bb18f33d43409bddc572d84902b5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Path to Soul Rest - Humility]]></title><description><![CDATA[When stress rises, most of us reach for quick fixes—better time management, healthier habits, or a weekend away. Those things help, but the deeper question isn’t what  we do about stress, it’s who we are  when we face it. Proverbs 4:23 puts it this way: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  Our identity shapes how we respond to pressure more than any strategy ever could. The poet Matthew Arnold observed that people often live “trick’d in disguises, alien...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/the-path-to-soul-rest-humility</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68df1c3b14943fa911105b1c</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:46:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_909d1733b79b4c6cb5d52d0ab7ace3ee~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_849,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Final Chapter — God Wastes Nothing]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I look across the landscape of my life now, one truth stands with quiet clarity: God wastes nothing. Not the seasons that confused me. Not the responsibilities that felt misplaced. Not the years I once labeled delay. Not the weakness that forced me to slow down. What once felt scattered now feels gathered. There were years I believed I was waiting on God. Only later did I see how steadily He was working within me. Even the chapters I would not have chosen were not outside His care. God was...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/final-chapter-god-wastes-nothing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998e5b9658cc00bc0651ff9</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:02:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_d6d0c1ccadb5483ab5b3746d8d41a778~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 9 — When my Faith was Tested]]></title><description><![CDATA[In December 2020, four years into serving in a calling that had finally come full circle, just as life and work had found a steady rhythm, I was diagnosed with cancer. There was no long season of anticipation. No family history. No lingering medical concern. Just a couple of weeks, an unexpected lump under my arm, a few tests — and then a word that instantly summoned my faith. Cancer. My prior reliance on the truth of Psalm 3:5 — “I lay down and slept; I wake again, for the Lord sustained me”...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-9-when-my-faith-was-tested</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998e2d2d0665d05ef54c4bb</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:43:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_46ebfde9b0ce42e6a4792105f0ce6cbe~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 8 - When the Calling Returned-Larger Than I Imagined]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I accepted the full-time position at the church counseling center, I recognized it as the fulfillment of a calling I once believed I had missed. At first, it simply felt like the next faithful step. I was grateful. Aware of the responsibility. Conscious of the long road that had led me there. Then, quietly, a thought settled in me: I am now doing what I once thought I had lost. But it felt different than I imagined years earlier. When I was younger, calling carried urgency. There was...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-8-when-the-calling-returned-larger-than-i-imagined</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998e14cd0665d05ef54c13d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:38:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_d4f3f008e9b549439400c8a5cc99c0a8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 7 - When Staying Costs More Than Leaving]]></title><description><![CDATA[After many years with the State Office of Mental Health, I eventually served as Statewide Workforce Development Director. The work was challenging but meaningful. It had become familiar—steady. It felt like stewardship. Then leadership changed. I was informed that my position would require relocating to Baton Rouge three days a week, moving my domicile there, and absorbing the cost. What looked administrative quickly became deeply personal. Relocating wasn’t just about geography. It meant...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-7-when-staying-costs-more-than-leaving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998dee4d0665d05ef54bbb0</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:32:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_ce27c5d8969941b59fc29e2f27992875~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 6 - Hidden Preparation: Systems, Standards, and Reach]]></title><description><![CDATA[During my early years working with the State, I did not think of what I was learning as spiritual preparation. I thought of it as administration—policies, procedures, funding requirements, compliance standards, program expectations. Necessary work, but not sacred work. Yet God often does His deepest work in our lives in places we might not see or label as holy. I became involved in implementing statewide best-practice models—ACT, DBT, Illness Management and Recovery, and Peer Supports. These...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-6-hidden-preparation-systems-standards-and-reach</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998de17d0665d05ef54b9c4</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:22:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_72c3b511c92c4398b12c5fccf7b51709~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 5: Seventeen Positions in Twenty-Three Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I accepted my first position with the State Office of Mental Health, I didn’t see it as a calling fulfilled. I saw it as employment—necessary, stable, responsible. I had returned home uncertain, carrying the quiet weight of what I believed I had lost. This job felt practical. It felt like the best next step available. What I couldn’t see then was that this decision would unfold into a twenty-three-year journey through seventeen different roles. My early work placed me face-to-face with...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-5-seventeen-positions-in-twenty-three-years</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698842acbabf74b7d0de4329</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:03:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_865204ad25404b00b6f218c039224cd9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 4 - From Letting Go to Looking Forward]]></title><description><![CDATA[After declining the opportunity at Colorado Christian University, I returned home with far more questions than clarity. The door I had believed God opened now felt firmly closed. I didn’t have a new plan—only the quiet resolve to move forward with what was still in front of me. So I did what seemed most responsible and most necessary: I began looking for work in the counseling and behavioral health field. I was uncertain, but I was not without hope. The first position I applied for, I didn’t...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-4-from-letting-go-to-looking-forward</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6988391f2cdf0885c99227a1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 07:48:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_bc37d31f841e4a4db30d600e574f8c6c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_931,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 3 — When Practicality Spoke Louder Than Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[Fear is most convincing when it sounds like wisdom. The joy of acceptance was quickly replaced by calculations—money, responsibility, marriage, reality. Faith wasn’t absent, but fear was louder. I believed God had opened the door. But part of me focused on resources I didn’t have and believed it would be impossible to move forward with the program. In the end, practicality spoke louder than faith. I declined the program. I returned home discouraged, resigned to what I believed would now be my...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-3-when-practicality-spoke-louder-than-faith</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697ea8cd45fce64fde1d3864</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 01:17:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_a6803abea85a4c01b6dd94550c273dc1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_768,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 2 — A Graduate Program That Felt Like God’s Confirmation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes when clarity arrives all at once—it carries more weight than we expect. By the time I completed my Bachelor’s degree, the quiet movement toward counseling felt increasingly clear. My work already reflected what I sensed inwardly: I was being shaped to help others. At the same time, I was reading Larry Crabb and others who integrated psychology and Christian faith. His writing gave language to something I had been sensing but couldn’t yet articulate—counseling as ministry, not merely...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-2-a-graduate-program-that-felt-like-god-s-confirmation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697ea69e6379b93199b3a5b3</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 01:08:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_dae8500370b14fe6861a87a6363002d5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sometimes calling is recognized by others long before it is named by us.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes calling is recognized by others long before it is named by us. For a long time, I didn’t think of myself as “called” to anything in particular. I never had a dramatic moment where God declared my future. What I had instead were small, repeated comments that followed me from my teenage years into adulthood. People would say, “You’re a good listener,” or “You help people think things through,” or “You’re steady—calming to talk to.” At the time, I heard these as observations, not...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/chapter-1-when-others-saw-something-in-me-before-i-did</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696a3fd63e23fce29372a291</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 13:43:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_6cd580648b2c4b189abb8f82d45f2801~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_986,h_655,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Honor Your Mother and Father ?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I find that the phrase “Honor your mother and father”  feels heavy for a lot of young adults. Not because they don’t love their parents—but because that verse has often been used to mean something it was not meant to carry: agreement, obedience, and compliance… even well into adulthood. It leaves many young adults wondering: " If I grow into my own person… if I form my own opinions… if I make decisions my parents don’t agree with… am I dishonoring them?" Some are even told exactly that by...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/honor-your-mother-and-father</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6933304c4f0e700bce2f7514</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:24:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_5c12abb32c964c4bbff285db1fb9c196~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_960,h_616,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[           Stuck or Held ?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I frequently hear people describe their lives with the same phrase: “I feel stuck.”  They watch others moving forward, making plans, hearing from God, living with purpose—and yet they feel like they are just here.  Waiting. Not going anywhere. God doesn’t seem to be answering their heartfelt prayers, and they begin to wonder if something is wrong with them… or if God isn’t listening at all. I’ve heard variations of that sentiment from missionaries, pastors, counselors, parents, young adults,...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/stuck-or-held</link><guid isPermaLink="false">692f1fbc65a8cdd6a8fbbea6</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:29:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_a62fe590829548e0a77648055ab31986~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_683,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[          Leading Quietly]]></title><description><![CDATA[Over the years, I’ve learned that being part of a purpose-driven team can be both incredibly meaningful and incredibly challenging. The work matters so much, and because it matters, people bring passion, conviction, and strong opinions to the table. That passion is great, but it can also create tension. I’ve found myself caught in the middle of disagreements, misunderstandings, and moments where the weight of the organizational or team goals seemed to collide with the realities of human...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/leading-quietly</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691e25f0e76070b60dc4c3cb</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:21:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_53ea90297b0b40bdab5f8d7d42b6a7bf~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_278,h_372,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crossing Cultures -           What Remains?]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I have served those working cross culturally, I’ve learned that when you live and serve cross-culturally, you learn quickly that stability doesn’t come from circumstances.  The language changes. The culture changes. Expressions of emotion, communication in relationships can be completely different from what you once knew. At some point, all of these changes can shake what once was familiar about your own sense of self, your identity.  For many of us, our instinct may be to try harder  —...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/crossing-cultures-what-remains</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69011d2af19af6e46ce132d5</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:58:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_d0a5a6943acc47ef948f8df9770e8d81~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[      The Word Transforms]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 3 prior posts, we’ve reflected on the Word as active and alive, the Word that exposes and penetrates our souls, and the Word that judges and discerns our thoughts and motivations. Before beginning this series, it occurred to me that this verse captures the foundation of Christian counseling. Most of the people I see are self-identified Christians, and their belief in the Word offers a wealth of wisdom from which we can explore healing. The Word of God is both the foundation of my practice...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/the-word-transforms</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f789de32ef022fab10f432</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:34:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_5ae1e4e0301e457c99d032aca2b6b848~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[       The Discerning Word]]></title><description><![CDATA[“For the word of God is alive and active … it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) In pt 2 of this series, we looked at how the Word of God doesn’t just comfort — it cuts, revealing truth that heals and frees us. But Hebrews 4:12 doesn’t end there, telling us that God’s Word also  “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” That means the Word reaches the motives beneath our actions. The Word doesn’t only expose — it discerns. It sees, it understands,...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/the-discerning-word</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f64261a6f2484f3c9bc34c</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:12:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_46bf94e292fe43a1b40ebf63aae369cc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_300,h_225,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[        Life Exposing Word]]></title><description><![CDATA[In Part 1, we discussed that the Word of God is alive  — that when we open Scripture, we don’t just encounter ancient wisdom, but the very breath and presence of God Himself. The Word lives because God still speaks. But Hebrews 4:12 doesn’t stop at alive  — it adds active . The same Word that breathes life also pierces deeply. It moves within us, not only to comfort, but to correct; not only to inspire, but to transform. God’s Word doesn’t merely sit on the surface of our understanding — it...]]></description><link>https://www.crossingcultures.care/post/life-exposed-by-the-word</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68eefe76a71bf03783789d5f</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 01:59:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a73cdd_48365134d17c44e1b4171ca668e03279~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_853,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Russell Semon</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>