Ronald Jenkins, Rockwall Christian Counseling

About Ronald Jenkins

Having served as a pastor for 30 years, my passion is to help people overcome the difficulties they are facing in life. Clients will benefit from my practice being supervised by Dr. Greg Stewart, PhD, MDiv, LPC-S, License Number 76329. Whether you’re looking for counseling for teens, adult individuals, or couples, together we will work to find the core of your concerns and develop a plan to overcome them, with God’s help. As a Christian counselor, I will pray for you and encourage you to become the person God has created you to be. In our sessions you can expect to be treated with respect, compassion, and the love of God. My aim is for you to leave each session having taken positive steps in your healing process.

7 Fears About Getting Old and How to Fight Them

7 Fears About Getting Old and How to Fight Them

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2024-12-13T05:41:43+00:00December 13th, 2024|Aging and Geriatric Issues, Anxiety, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Few things about getting old seem to redeem the decline in body and mind that accompanies the inevitable aging process. In our natural state, we resist the loss of youth in all kinds of ways; midlife crises, cosmetic procedures, and denying the fact that we’re not as we used to be. While most would acknowledge that there are benefits to getting older, such as wisdom and maturity gained through life experience, the idea of old age is generally feared in our Western culture. The Bible’s perspective on aging stands in stark contrast to how we often feel about getting old. Proverbs 16:31 reminds us that “gray hair is a glorious crown”; reflecting on the honor and gift it is to live a long life. While we don’t want to lose our lives, we want to drink from the fountain of eternal youth and not face old age! And though heaven promises wonderful things for our new bodies, God has designed us in a way that we need to graciously accept that “outwardly we are wasting away”, reassured by the truth that “inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16, NIV). 7 Fears About Getting Old In order to get to the point where we can rejoice in this season, we often need to work through some fears about getting old. These include: The fear of aging and the realization of mortality This fear is a general fear of getting old, and the realization that we are mortal and will die one day. Most of the time, people live in denial of the reality of the progression of time and how it wears on our bodies and minds; we simply don’t think it will happen to us until the signs start to appear, and fear and horror [...]

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Complicated Grief: Coping With Grief When It Just Won’t Go Away

Complicated Grief: Coping With Grief When It Just Won’t Go Away

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2024-12-10T14:17:38+00:00December 9th, 2024|Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

The bonds and connections we form with others are precious, helping to make our lives more fulfilling. You might have success, for example, but without others to celebrate it with, it can ring hollow. The depth, richness, and sheer joy that comes from our relationships with others is part of why losing loved ones is so hard. Losing them leaves a hole in our lives, forever altering whatever follows. When you encounter loss, the natural and healthy response to that loss is grief. Grieving is that process that allows us to make sense of what has happened, and to adjust our lives so that we can cope with the new reality. Grief, however, isn’t always straightforward for a variety of reasons. It’s possible to grieve in such a way that you severely disrupt your life through dysfunctional behaviors. What is complicated grief? Loss comes uniquely to us all. Loss will often come through bereavement, whether the death of that loved one was sudden and shocking, or after a prolonged illness. There are other forms of loss, like when a divorce happens, if you’re forced to move from your home, if a beloved family pet dies, or if a cherished dream falls apart. These and other forms of loss can all trigger the grief process. To understand complicated grief, it’s important to firstly get a grip on the fact that there is a sense in which all grief never quite goes away. You never quite ‘get over’ your loss, but you do find ways to cope with it and continue to live on beyond the loss. You experience feelings of loss, hurt, and sadness, and you may also experience anger, too. Grief is a process that will take you through a swathe of unpredictable emotions. Over time, the intensity of these [...]

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7 Examples of Gaslighting

7 Examples of Gaslighting

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2024-11-13T10:49:09+00:00October 23rd, 2024|Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Over the last few years, the term gaslighting has become a part of the common vernacular, with most people vaguely aware that it refers to abusive behavior of some kind. The fact is that it is a specific type of emotional manipulation done by someone wanting to avoid being held accountable for their actions. When you understand how people use it, the effectiveness of gaslighting behavior lessens, and you can confront the real issues in the relationship. What is Gaslighting? The term first appeared in a stage play called “Gas Light,” in which a wife notices minute details around her house that point to her husband having an affair. Specifically, she notices that each morning the gas lights, which she turned off before bed each night, are often on in the morning before her husband wakes up. She confronts him with this and accuses him of sneaking out each night while she sleeps, but he repeatedly turns the accusations back on her, questioning her sanity and perception. She begins thinking that she imagined seeing things and feels cruel for having accused her husband of infidelity. Meanwhile, he successfully evades accountability and continues his unfaithfulness, with the only consequence being his wife’s declining mental and emotional health. At its core, gaslighting is a combination of emotional manipulation and psychological control that erodes a person’s self-esteem and destabilizes their mental health. It is almost exclusively spoken about in the context of romantic relationships, but it is a tactic used by people in any relationship that has a power dynamic. Parents, bosses, co-workers, politicians, and leaders in various fields might gaslight those in their sphere of influence to get their way. The person doing the gaslighting wants to retain their power in the relationship so that they can avoid accountability for toxic [...]

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Bible Verses about Anger: Dealing with Anger the Godly Way

Bible Verses about Anger: Dealing with Anger the Godly Way

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2024-11-13T10:49:26+00:00August 20th, 2024|Anger Issues, Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Relationship Issues, Spiritual Development|

Anger is a complex human emotion. It is as normal as laughing or crying, yet its effects, although potentially beneficial, can be quite damaging. Anger normally arises from provocation, frustrations, and other triggers like stress, mental health issues, or environmental influences. When anger is expressed constructively and with control, solutions to conflicts can be found, wrongs can be made right, and healthy boundaries set. On the other hand, uncontrolled anger may lead to negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, severed relationships, extreme violence, and harmful behavior. People express their anger in varying degrees, some to the point of physically harming others or cutting ties with loved ones. Is anger ever justified? Before we explore ways of dealing with anger, let us first consider if it is even acceptable for us as Christians to be angry. In the book of John (2:13-17), we witness Jesus Christ, the epitome of love, compassion, patience, and grace, getting extremely angry because the money changers and merchants had turned the temple courts into a marketplace. In His anger, the Bible says Jesus overturned tables and chased the transgressors from the temples because they had brought chaos into the house of God. In Nehemiah 5:6, we hear Nehemiah, another great biblical figure, admitting to being “very angry” when he learned of the exploitation and oppression of the poor. Some of the poor people were even forced by their circumstances to sell their children to pay exorbitant taxes. The rest of the book shows how Nehemiah proceeded to boldly confront the nobles and the officials. He rebuked them for the oppression of the poor Jews and demanded that they put an end to it. They listened to Nehemiah and agreed to put an end to the oppressive practices. Nehemiah’s anger was the much-needed catalyst that helped [...]

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Building Self-Esteem Through Goal Setting

Building Self-Esteem Through Goal Setting

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2024-11-13T10:49:44+00:00July 19th, 2024|Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

Have you ever noticed that when your self-esteem is low, so is your motivation? Making plans is challenging when you lack confidence. You may not want to go out publicly or feel despair and shame. Your self-esteem can affect every aspect of your life. Building self-esteem is possible through the power of goal setting. But what exactly is self-esteem? What is self-esteem? Self-esteem is how you perceive yourself. We often base our beliefs about ourselves on past performances or experiences or because of what someone has said about us. Rarely, do we see ourselves the way God sees us, as capable, inspiring, and loved. Whether you have high or low self-esteem is based on three factors from Maslow’s Hierarchy: If your physiological needs are met, like water, food, and clothing. If you feel safe and secure, such as shelter and employment. If you feel loved and accepted, you have a sense of belonging. These factors are known as levels in Maslow’s hierarchy, which is depicted as a pyramid with basic needs as the largest level across the bottom. After meeting these three levels, you can begin building self-esteem and confidence through achievements and recognition. Self-esteem includes respect, resiliency, courage, and confidence. It is how you see yourself. Why is building self-esteem critical? To reach a level of self-actualization, you need to raise your self-esteem. Your current level of self-esteem also predicts how well you will do in a career, academics, and relationships. It can also predict whether you are more likely to have issues in those areas or trouble with the law. Low self-esteem can also lead to risky behaviors like drinking too much alcohol, drug abuse, and eating disorders. You will never reach your full potential if you struggle with self-esteem (or any basic levels). Now is the [...]

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Dr. Ronald Jenkins

About Ronald Jenkins

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