God the Father guides Council, father to many
James Council and his wife, Anna, have fostered more than a half-dozen children through Safe Families for Children, while also working in other church-related ministries and parenting their biological children, Jael, front, Landon, second from left, and Madyson.
Having what he called “my ‘Burning Bush’ experience” at age 20 when “God showed up and laid (my life) out for me,” Council has been a true father not only to his biological children, but to foster children and other “children” in need.
“I always wanted to be a dad, and I have tried to be the dad I fantasized about,” adding he realizes the only way this has been possible is “by recognizing my source — my relationship with my real Dad — God in Heaven.”
Council’s biological father was out of the picture after his mother left, taking he and his little brother with her. Council’s step-father abused him for three years before he was able to speak out.
Even though the man was prosecuted, and his mother divorced him, Council admits, “I was full of a lot of anger.”
He fantasized about the life that could have been had his parents stayed together, and even though his mother tried many avenues to help — even enrolling him in martial arts “to work out my disrespect and anger” — he went on to sell drugs and “did amazing messed-up things” until God reached out to him and changed it all.
“I was dealing marijuana, pills, Ecstasy — you name it,” Council said. “One night, I went into a club where everyone knew me, and admired me — but all of a sudden I felt unsettled and walked out.
Well-versed in the Bible, having attended private school as a youngster, he knew the Lord’s voice when he heard it, “and I ran away from that lifestyle.”
He began ministering to middle school students and “just fell in love with that age group,” he said.
Council also met and married his wife, Anna, then studied to be a child psychologist before being recruited by a friend to work in the computer field.
“God just opened it up to work on computers,” he said, noting he worked for Disney World, GTE and Verizon. While working for Disney, Council found himself more dedicated to his job than his family.
“God spoke to me though my wife, and did a life change,” which led the family — including daughters, Madyson and Jael, and son, Landon — to Knox County from Florida.
The Lord also began working on the couple in other ways. They took in an exchange student for a year, and “I could feel God’s calling” to help children in need.
The Councils began working with Safe Families for Children, which provides short-term care for children whose parents are facing some form of hardship.
They have fostered several children through that organization over the last few years.
The couple also works with YOKE, an organization in which young college students work with middle schoolers, and ECHO, which pairs up high schoolers with middle schoolers in a mentor relationship.
The prevalent theme for Council has been an overwhelming desire to not only help youngsters, but also to share his life experiences as a testimony of how God has worked in his life.
Council said he has never shied away from telling others about the abuse from his step-father or his sinful life as a teen.
“God has told me not to hide in secret what he has done for me,” he said.
