“Well done, good and faithful servant,” are the words that John heard as he entered the gates of Heaven on July 27th, 2023.
John Kuebler faithfully served the Lord throughout his life as a police officer, pastor, and counselor. While on road patrol, John sensed God’s calling to change the direction of his vocation after 15 years in law enforcement. After seminary, John served as an Associate Pastor in three churches for 26 years. Concurrently, John founded three biblical counseling centers, the latest of which was Journey Counseling Ministry, which opened its doors in 2008 with the purpose of serving and ministering to Harrisonburg’s local churches as well as individuals and families in the greater community. John served as the founder and Clinical Director until early 2019 and then continued to serve on the Board of Directors until the end of 2022.
John envisioned Journey to bear specific qualities, which still hold true today. Of these qualities, first and foremost is a foundation that is based upon Christ and Biblical principles and standards; therefore, all of our therapists are both biblically based and clinically trained.
John was an incredibly skilled counselor. He could see and judge character accurately and would confidently speak gospel truth in a way that changed the trajectory of many people’s lives. However, his greatest gift as a counselor was that he cherished and knew God’s Word and was able to incorporate many of the Scriptures into his counseling. As a counselor, John’s desire was to help rebuild broken marriages and help men establish better relationships. His passion was mentoring and nurturing men to be strong husbands and leaders.
One of his favorite things to say was that we live in a Genesis 3 world. We live in a sinful fallen world, and we are in desperate need of a Savior. John was unapologetically firm in his faith and would often realign us to our only hope this side of heaven- Jesus Christ.
Sarah DeBoer, Clinical Director from 2019-2022, wrote this about John’s legacy: “He had a vision and love of counseling and the church, and I’m thankful he further instilled that in me and wanted me to be a big part of that with Journey Counseling – that was such a gift! I’m thankful I had the privilege to follow and learn from his leadership.”
Ally Padilla, current Clinical Director, wrote this about John’s influence in her life: “Fewer people have had greater influence on my life than John Kuebler. He was my mentor and my friend. He taught me how to use my words to speak truth in love into hard places, both personally and professionally. He modeled how to encourage, challenge, and counsel people well.”
John’s legacy is one of living faithfully and boldly for Christ and as a part of that legacy, Journey’s mission will remain the same: As a partner with the local church, Journey exists to impact lives by providing biblical counseling through compassionate and competent counselors who facilitate transformation through the power of the Gospel of Christ.
John’s faith has turned to sight and his prayers to praise. Heaven’s eternal days are his. His Earthly mission is done, and we are so thankful to have been a part of it. Praise be to God!
-Written by Ally Padilla and Sarah DeBoer