ONE FREEZING winter’s night, several water pipes burst across the city of Fayetteville. Joseph Self, from Fayetteville Water & Sewer System, worked with his crew through the cold weather, racing from emergency to emergency as quickly as possible. Self called his wife to tell her he wouldn’t make it home for dinner, but it was not long until headlights appeared on the dark street where he was working. His wife, Keran Self, emerged with their children, bundled against the weather, carrying hot soup and coffee for the exhausted workers.
“It was a truly touching moment for me to see her and the kids brave the weather to serve me and the guys,” Joseph said.
His parents taught him to help others regardless of their social standing, race, or religious beliefs. This core value defined his life and work and opened many doors for him.
“I firmly believe God put those doors before me to circle me back to where I am today,” Joseph said. “Although the point of entry was easy, the path wasn’t always so.”
Joseph was trained in perseverance and diligence through his eight years of active duty in the Air Force and 26 years in the Tennessee Army National Guard. His military experience gave him chances to work with diverse people and form strong bonds.
“The Air Force sparked in me a great desire to know people, regardless of who they were and where they were from,” Joseph said. “Bonds formed in the military were often tighter than family.”
His 26 years in the Tennessee Army National Guard also allowed him to network with various people in different capacities and units. His camaraderie with Lt. Col. Tommie Stevens later led him to advance through the ranks as first sergeant at the 117th RTI, and other enlisted men, such as Rob Tittle, opened doors for him
at the training institute in Smyrna, where he was able to teach future artillerymen and officer candidates.
“This sense of belonging, relationships, and resourcing has benefited me in my private life, counseling environment, and my faith family,” Joseph said.
While serving in the military, Joseph also spent years with the Fayetteville Water & Sewer System, ensuring that clean water flowed to every home.
“I’m a true introvert and servant at heart,” Joseph said. “I can find solace in just doing what I can to serve people.”
He became an ordained pastor at Molino Baptist Church in Fayetteville. He also provides counseling. However, Joseph said his accomplishments are a secondary blessing compared to the privilege of serving others, which he believes is his calling.
“Honestly, we all want to be recognized for what we do, but doing what you’re called to do is the greatest recognition,” Joseph said.
After completing seminary in pastoral counseling, Joseph said he “felt something was missing.” Encouraged by a friend, Rachel McCauley, he pursued professional counseling and discovered what he had been missing.
“We say that Christianity isn’t a religion but a relationship, and I was never truly taught that principle,” Joseph said. “Being informed about the relational experience and seeing the truth in God’s word helped me connect the dots of the true gospel.”
Joseph said that we all have our own brokenness, but relational counseling and faith are key to moving past it in a healthy way.
“If we can work through the circumstantial dilemma we face, and get on a path of healing, the brokenness gets mended,” he said.
This mentality led Joseph to specialize in grief counseling.
“I realized I couldn’t have experienced loss without the love given by God,” Joseph said. “I hope people can grasp that even in the pain of grief, they have experienced love that will never go away.”
Joseph said his wife, Keran, has been integral in all of his accomplishments over the years. Throughout their 48 years of marriage, Keran raised their son, Jason, and daughter, Jessica, who are now parents to eight grandchildren. She managed the household, often alone, during Joseph’s military deployments or long shifts at the water company.
“There were plenty of financially lean times, and she managed and often sacrificed for the family,” Joseph said. Keran is generous to those around her as well. “That’s just the wife God gave me. She’s right there beside me with the same heart to serve God through serving others.”
Joseph said he has learned a tremendous amount from his wife’s empathetic character and replicated it in his counseling practice and pastoral ministry.
Another impactful person, Tommy Hopson, once gathered a group of men to pray for him to return to the Lord during a low point in his faith. Those who supported and helped Joseph at different points in his life provided further evidence that relationships matter, which drives him to make sure others also feel that support.
“Being able to sit with people and help them feel accepted, loved, and hopeful is more than I can ask,” Joseph said. “Accept people as no different than yourself: broken and searching for change. It’s not our job to rescue people, but hopefully give them the path to healing.” GN
