Patti McCarthy Broderick, PhD, LPC

Personal

Patti has been married to Terry Broderick since 1999. In her free time, Patti enjoys chasing down her 5 children and 11 grandchildren across the U.S. She also enjoys outdoor activities, reading, writing, fitness, and long, deep discussions about anything to do with Jesus and His Body.

Professional

Patti received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, her Masters Degree in Counseling from Boston University (overseas) and her doctorate in Professional Counseling from Liberty University.  Additionally, she has her professional counseling license from the state of Virginia. She is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and is board certified with the Board of Christian Professional and Pastoral Counselors as a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor (BCPCC). She is also certified with the National Board of Certified Counselors as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC). Patti is the author of the book, He Said, “Press”: Hearing God through Grief (2004).

Faith

My youth was characterized by seeking God

And searching for the meaning of this life

And sitting in pews - but finding no answers.

As a teen, I sought people who could enlighten me

And scoured the Bible, looking for remedies.

But still, I sat on the throne of my own life,

And nothing satisfied.

I was discouraged by my own never-ending selfishness,

And fellow pew-sitters who seemed quite comfortable.

My thin scriptural understanding left me vacant

Until I heard a story that made sense of my life -

A life of shame for not meeting my own standards,

A life disconnected from the God I sought.

In one story, Jesus revealed what a true friend is:

Someone who sees my failure,

And pays the cost for it

So, I can be free from it,

Forever.

He finished what I could never do.

He took the blame for my failures.

He mended what I had fractured.

He found what I had lost.

And by faith, I loved Him.

Unfortunately, my selfishness is not fixed.

Still, at times, I find myself usurping the throne -

Even though I know destruction is my forte.

But now, I quickly forgo that sacred spot.

For I know I am easily fooled, and He is not.

With one story, my religion was replaced with following.

Ritual was replaced with fervor.

Emptiness was replaced with fruitfulness

And slavery was replaced with freedom.

Though I fail, day by day.

Each day, finally, has meaning:

As I rise up to point to the Finisher of my faith

And as I give myself daily for His finishing work in me.

The testimony of Patti (MacGregor) McCarthy Broderick

Written Feb 2018