Struggling With Mental Health

Speaker 1 0:32

October 19th , 2020 . I remember it was like two in the morning . It was like , up to that point , maybe one of the worst days of my life . I was not okay . I remember the day . I remember the time . It was like two in the morning . I was on vacation , which is like the weird part , like vacation is supposed to be , like vacation 2020 , I'm sure a lot of you guys remember 2020 or want to forget 2020 .

Speaker 1 1:02

We were in the midst of social unrest , political unrest . We weren't meeting as a church . Everything that I was deciding or doing , trying to care for people , was met with either agreement or disagreement . I would try to agree with one side and then it would make another group of people upset and it just kept swapping . We had gone through massive furloughs and layoffs . Relationships were falling apart . Everybody was hurting . People were losing loved ones apart . Everybody was hurting . People were losing loved ones , major transitions .

Speaker 1 1:40

I found myself in October trying to find my first vacation , waking my wife Michelle up , who was sleeping next to me at two in the morning , telling her I think I'm going to die , like right now . I think this is it . I can't catch my breath . I can't get my heart to stop racing . I'm on vacation , I don't know what's wrong with me and I found myself , for the first time in my life , having an anxiety and a panic attack , and I didn't know what was happening . All I knew is that I was not okay , and then that led to multiple other decisions and reactions in my life in that moment , realizing I'm not okay . So now that's some of my story .

Speaker 1 2:22

What's yours ? What I want you to know is that if you ever have felt alone in your struggle with mental health , whatever it is , I want you to know that you are not alone , and I want you to know that it is okay to not be okay , and what we want to do is we want to meet you in that space . What we want to do is just to be very real and raw about this and , as Christians or followers of Jesus , we've meant well , but we haven't always dealt with this subject in ways that are super helpful . If I'm honest with you , there are a number of different reasons for that , but what we want to do is give no immediate answers like no silver bullets , no quick fixes , no like yeah , buts , no like have you prayed about it enough ? We just want to sit in it and just go . Man , I've been there and it's okay to not be okay , because we've all been through it , or we're in it right now , or we know someone who is in it and what we need to do is we need to throw each other some lifelines Because in reality , we've got a real problem .

Mental Health Crisis

Speaker 1 3:41

Emotional well-being is in serious decline . It's a palatable crisis that was bad before the pandemic . The isolation , social upheaval , polarization and massive changes with work and with school and life has exasperated the crisis , creating this extended ambiguity and heightened stress . That's a perfect cocktail for burnout and emotional struggle . The World Health Organization's recent scientific brief states that the global prevalence of anxiety and depression has increased 25% since the pandemic's early arrival in 2020 . Recent surveys reveal that there's a radical downturn in attitudes and soaring levels of anxiety and worry on all fronts . So , if you just look at the national stats , anxiety is now the number one issue for women and it's the number two issue for men , right behind drugs and alcohol , which , I suspect . Anxiety is number one for men also . It's just that we're masking it with drugs and alcohol , to the point that they've become the greater problem . Mental disorders are the leading health cause for disability worldwide , affecting one in five adults and the percentage is growing In Generation Z our kids , those who were born 1999 to 2015 , is the most stressed out generation ever . In recent years , the share of high school students who say that they're constantly experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness has risen from 26% to 44% , and that's the highest levels of hopelessness and sadness ever recorded . And that friends should break our heart . 50% of parents say that they've noticed an increase in sadness and anxiety and depression in their teens since the pandemic , and many children and young adults are fearful , sad , hopeless and struggle with life . And it's not just our young people , it's our elderly friends as well , and , as a result , suicide has become an epidemic . It is now the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24 . Now , those are just the national statistics .

Speaker 1 6:04

Here's who you're sitting next to . So we sent a survey out to those who are involved in the church and we got responses from those who are six years old to 84 years old , and 631 of you participated in this , and we had a lot more women participate . Thanks , ladies , guys , I see you tried to show up . We're giving it some effort . I know it's hard to share our emotions , but this is what you said about the things that you're experiencing , whether you're experiencing it right now or that you have experienced it in the last 12 months .

Speaker 1 6:33

Just look at this list . Very few of you say none . This is who you're sitting next to . Look at depression and anxiety and stress and burnout and the things that we , that you , are dealing with . Then what about those of you who know someone or don't know someone ? Look at this . We all know somebody . We know somebody who's sitting in the same boat . You can go to this next slide . Very few of us are unaware of someone who's dealing with this currently or has been dealing with this in the recent past . And guys , friends , this is us . This is like who you're sitting next to , and it's amazing the things that we can keep hidden , isn't it ? So here's what we're going to do .

Speaker 1 7:18

Think of this series that we're starting right now as like a 12-chapter book , and here's the things that we're going to talk about Today . Think of it as the introduction of it's okay to not be okay , and then what we're going to do is we're going to tackle three lies that the deceiver tells us about that we're not loved , that we're not known , that we're not accepted and we're going to give in some practical help and hope in those things . Then we're going to tackle five big topics , many of those that you just saw on the screen suicide , depression , anxiety , stress , burnout , self-esteem or image . Then we're going to bring in some professionals that are going to come in here and we're going to sit down and talk about what five things can we grab onto that will give us practical help when it comes to our mental health . Then we're going to do five more things for practical hope and then we're going to end this whole thing on August 18th with a big , powerful weekend about that . It's not over , because this is just the start of the conversation and we're going to have some powerful moments that mark this moment in our life , our friends' lives and this faith community's life .

Speaker 1 8:22

So what I want to do actually , with the remainder of our time today is I just want to lay out some working principles that are going to undergird our time together as we unpack this very heavy , weighty topic , and this is like the top three that come to mind . There's more , but this is just three . So here's principle number one that we as a faith community , as a community to hold , want to think about this complicated issue . Principle number one to address a problem , we need to widen our perspective . To address a problem , we need to widen our perspective . It is really common to want to reduce a complex problem to like a narrow solution . Have you ever noticed that ? You know like it's not this one size fits all silver bullet kind of thing that mental health is a very complex issue and it's composed of what we would say are four primary buckets or categories that we're going to be unpacking over the many weeks that psychologists have taught us about . So let me list them and then I'll actually unpack and explain what I mean here in just a few minutes . Those categories or buckets are situational , clinical , medical and spiritual . Clinical , medical and spiritual , and all of these require a different approach to address them .

Mental Health and Jesus' Ministry

Speaker 1 9:44

And Jesus actually touched on all four of these in various ways throughout the gospels and the collective of his teaching . In Luke , chapter 4 , verse 18 , jesus described what he had come to do . It says this that the spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor and he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery for the sight for the blind and to set the oppressed free . So Jesus brings good news , not just for like , this eternal destiny for one day when you die , but good news actually for the here and now . You read it in the book of John , john 10 , 10, . Jesus said I have come to give you life , and life to the fullest . And this isn't some sort of like I'm just going to sweep all of the garbage underneath the rug and pretend like everything's okay , but it's experience a peace that actually surpasses our own understanding , that Jesus desires to give us life and he desires to bring us healing to our body , our soul and our mind . In fact , if you read in the book of Mark , there's a story of a guy who's possessed , he's out of control , he's hopeless , he's self-harming All are symptoms very similar to people who are in emotional distress today and it says that in that passage that Jesus restored him to a peace of right mind . When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount , we see that he was concerned with many of the things that we label under mental health today . The Sermon on the Mount included themes like anxiety , prayer , forgiveness , inter-authenticity , showing us that Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God was very much concerned about our mental health . In other words , good mental health is a trait of life in the kingdom of God .

Speaker 1 11:33

Redeemed men and women . Proverbs , chapter 23 , says as you think , so you are . This is a battleground of the mind . That action started in your mind , that deposition started in your mind , and now it is important for us to understand that . If you read the scriptures , what you learn is that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth . The Holy Spirit is telling you truth . So what we need to understand is , if there's a Holy Spirit and it's the Spirit of truth , then there are unholy spirits that are lying to you , and Satan is the father of lies and he is the accuser , he's the deceiver . And it starts in your mind . So ask yourself what voice , what spirit am I listening to in my mind ?

Speaker 1 12:28

And it's clear that Jesus' ministry extended beyond just trying to get souls into heaven . He was concerned about the whole person bringing the kingdom of God , the kingdom living here and now . In the gospel , according to Matthew , he summarizes Jesus's focus this way he says that Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom , and he healed every kind of disease and illness . Then news spread about him as far as Syria and people soon began bringing him all who were sick , whatever their sickness or disease , if they were demon-possessed or uplymic or paralyzed , he healed them all . Do you see that ? Hurting people were drawn to Jesus , they were pursuing him . In Matthew , chapter nine , in Jesus's deposition towards all of us , says when he saw the crowds , he didn't shame them , he didn't judge them . No , what did he do ? He had compassion on them . Why ? Because they were confused and helpless , like sheep without a shepherd . That's the heart of God , and if you want to know what God is like , look to Jesus , him and only him . See people , friends . They were drawn to him and when they came , he healed them .

Speaker 1 13:58

So if our mission as a community , as a faith community , is to remove unnecessary barriers to keep people from Jesus because people are being naturally drawn to Jesus and we're just trying to remove all the unnecessary obstacles that would stand in their way then , speaking to the subject of mental health , offering tangible hope and help , not just the simplistic or overly spiritualized answer , should be a part of our mission as well . Right , so here are the four important buckets of mental health that you're going to hear about throughout this series . We've gotten all this information from psychologists that have really invested into me and the team in preparing for this . Four buckets are this and you'll hear this throughout this series Situational , clinical , medical and spiritual . Now , here's what I mean by those terms .

Speaker 1 14:51

Some mental health issues that all of us walk through , you and me together , are caused by a unique situation that you or somebody that you know or you love may be currently traveling through . So situational , here's what I mean . Some seasons of life are more stressful and anxiety-inducing than others . Right Like that can mean , like right now , maybe you're a high school student and you're getting ready to graduate and you don't know what you're going to be doing next year , and so there's stress attached to that . Or you're a college student and you just graduated and you're trying to get your feet underneath you and you're trying to , like , afford a house or get a job or figure out that kind of transitional change . Maybe for you right now , a relationship is falling apart or a marriage has ended , or there's this national crisis or a personal crisis that has blown a storm into your life , disorient you . It's situational stress , and what I would simply say is . This too shall pass . This too shall pass . You actually heard Brian say that in the video . It's understanding that the situation blew in . Give it some time , it's going to blow out . And somebody needs to hear this today , because right now you are in the fever , like your pain is at , like a fever pitch . It is so intense and I just want to look at you and say hold on , this too shall pass . Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings and emotions . So some of our mental health is situational and here's the next bucket that it's clinical .

Mental Health and Relationships

Speaker 1 16:29

I remember the shame that I felt when I came back from vacation and was trying to call for help . I felt like a failure . I felt like how did I get here ? What is happening to me ? I don't understand . Why can't I just seem to figure out how to fix it myself ? I actually called for help . I started that call eight times before I allowed someone to pick up the other line and begin to talk to me , and what I remember that I found so disarming . That was so helpful for this kind soul that was on the other line . As I'm sharing what's going on and I think I need help and I don't know if I need help . I was definitely giving an out . I kind of ended it with yeah , okay . So yeah , I'm not really sure if I should come in . I don't think this isn't like that big of a deal . And there was this long silence that gave me an opportunity to think and their response was so kind and gentle it was , you know , I think all of us could use some help at some point . And I was so disarming and I just thought I can get behind that statement , like I can get behind that , like yeah , we all need help at some point . Like that's okay . And here's the deal . Sometimes we just need a little clinical help from a professional to help give us tools to navigate these seasons and scenarios that we're dealing with in our life , and that's okay . There is no shame in that . The third bucket is the medical bucket .

Speaker 1 17:55

Some mental health issues are due just to the biological or the chemical way that we are wired . It's the result of being in a fallen world . Let me explain it this way Our feelings , our biology , our chemistry has been affected by a fallen world , just like your physical body has been . Like you didn't necessarily sign up for all those things . Genetics were passed down Like it's at a nucleus , a cellular level , that we're passed things down from generation to generation . You're going to pass it down your personality , what you look like , the things that are not okay about you , right ? How many of you have a mannerism that you got from one of your family members that you're frustrated with , right , where you're just like oh , I sounded just like that person . I did not want to do that ever , right , it's just like what we do . So here's the deal Chemically , biologically , you might need some temporary help . You might need some professionals to come in , you might need medication and there is no shame in any of that and some of our mental health issues are due to some of that .

Speaker 1 18:58

Now , others might be the result of maybe someone wrestling with spiritual issues , the spiritual bucket , maybe they're connected to a sin or a faith issues . But now , when we , as believers get too narrow in our thinking around what mental health is and how to address it , then the negative effects of that can be incredibly damaging . Here's what I mean when we make an issue spiritual , when it's actually situational or medical , or someone comes to us and they're just coming undone with their mental health and it makes us feel uncomfortable because maybe it's brushing up against our own wounding or our own shame and we don't really know how to deal with it . And we're just like looking at them and we're just like , hey , will you just fix this ? I don't know what's wrong with you , just get your stuff together . Or we just try to fix it too easily for them because we're just not prepared , we're not educated about this , and then it ends up impacting and doing a ton of damage when it's not about a lack of faith , maybe it's a chemical wiring .

Speaker 1 20:05

You would never look at a person who's struggling with kidney failure and suggest that it's a sin issue . You would say , hey , you need to go get dialysis . Like you need medical help . Think of mental health issues like this . Here's an example . Think of mental health issues like waves on a lake . Like we can all like water right , it can be calming . Just , you're at the lake . Picture this day You're at the bank , you're on a raft , whatever you're doing , you're just enjoying the calm , soothing waters of a lake . It's a gorgeous day , the sun's out and all of a sudden , waves start coming in .

Speaker 2 20:37

All of a sudden out of nowhere .

Speaker 1 20:39

Now , not all waves are created by the same source . Some of those waves are the effects due to others , someone else's decision Think of , maybe , someone else who hurt you , something else that somebody else did . So if you're at the lake and maybe waves are coming in because people are on wave runners and they're creating these waves , and some waves are just because the wind has picked up and you can't do anything about that , it's kind of like life . Now there's these white caps that are rolling in because the wind has picked up , but also some of the waves maybe are just due to that . You decided to take some rocks off of the bank and throw them into the water and they created their own wave and ripple . So the important thing to understand is that not all waves are from the same source . Remember principle number one . A complicated issue requires us to widen our perspective . Here's principle number two Meaningful relationships are critical for mental health , and this one is really , really tricky because quite possibly , the cause of your poor mental health is due to someone else .

Speaker 1 21:50

Relationships are like everything else in the fallen world they're fallen , they're broken , they're messy , and people have a tremendous capability of helping you , but they also have a tremendous capabilities of hurting you . I know , and it's really , really unfortunate All of us have been helped by people . We are not self-made men and women . So if I were to come up to you and to say , hey , could you give me some names of some people who helped you , gave you an opportunity , led you to Christ , gave you hope in your life , you could probably rattle off a couple of names . Or if I say , hey , can you give me some names of people who hurt you , set you back , have scarred you , you could probably rattle off a couple of names . And oftentimes what we do when we get hurt is that , just like when you touch a hot stove , you pull back . It's a natural human reaction and it's warranted . Here's what I want to say to you Just don't stay pulled back . Just don't stay pulled back .

Speaker 1 22:50

Some of us have kind of pulled back from relationships and now we're finding ourselves isolated and we're alone . And we live in a society right now that is so busy that it becomes so busy that we don't have times to invest into meaningful relationships , and it's actually having a massive impact on our mental health , especially men . Did you know that one in seven men right now say they have no close friends . 20% of single men say that they have not one single close friend . Some of us maybe have pulled back and some of us we communicate purely through our keyboards and our devices and we need the interaction of other human beings in our life . We have got to invest into relationships .

Speaker 1 23:38

And when I look at Jesus in his life , in his most stressful moment in his life , what did he do ? He said I need community , I needed relationships . I got to scoot people in . I need the disciples with me , I need them to pray with me . He's like will you just stay awake ? I just need you to sit here in your presence in the midst of this overwhelming moment for me . He's like will you just stay awake ? I just need you to sit here in your presence in the midst of this overwhelming moment for me . And if Jesus needed that friends , then you and I need that as well .

Speaker 1 24:02

Ecclesiastes 4 says two people are better off than one , for they can help each other succeed . If one person falls , the other can reach out to help . Now listen to this next sentence . But someone who falls alone is in real trouble . So if you've pulled back , if you've isolated , I get it , I do , I understand , but on your timetable would you get back into community ? So that's principle number two .

Speaker 1 24:35

Here's the third Principle , number three think about what you think about . We've got to recognize that not every thought , that even though a thought might be real , even though it might be what we're feeling , not every thought is true . So a thought may come into your mind , but you need to tell that thought where to go if it's not helpful or from the Lord . You need to give yourself permission . What we need to do is we need to watch what we think about . This is where we've really got to stop and slow down and pay attention to what are we actually watching ? Like , we need to watch what we're watching and what we're allowing into our minds . You know , when I read something , or when you read too much of something , letting something in , watching something that allows me to spiral out , we need to pause and ask is this of God or is this not ?

Speaker 1 25:36

In the New Testament ? There was a bunch of . There was a church , there was a group of people that were spiraling out because news of their dear friend Paul , that he was , they weren't sure what was going to be the outcome of his situation , what was going to be of that . He had been arrested and they weren't sure if he was going to be put to death or not . They'd actually sent someone from their community just to go be with them and to go sit with them to see what's going on . And part of the reason that Paul wrote to the Philippian church was because they were a church dealing with their mental health Just the unknown , the persecution , the anxiety , the worry about everything that was ongoing around him . And he says to them and he could be easily saying this to you and I today don't worry about anything to which we say yeah , right , but notice what he says next Instead . But notice what he says next Instead . Pray about everything . I love that , because prayer is worry directed toward God .

Speaker 1 26:43

Every now and then someone will come up and be like you know , I'm just trying to figure out how to up my prayer life . I really want to enhance my prayer life and I just don't really know how to pray or what to do . I think that prayer for adults is like the vegetables we know it's good for us , but we find difficulty in finding what works and what we like . And so I said to them I'm like well , are you worried about anything ? And they'll be like , yeah , and I'm like , well , then you've got lots of material . You just take that and direct that towards God .

Speaker 1 27:11

And then what Paul says ? He then says this tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done . Is it just me ? Or I mean , I feel like I've got that first part down but I forget the next part , like I'm constantly telling God what I need and , to my shame , I rarely am thanking him for all that he has done . Then , in verse 7 , he says then check this out . What's the results of this ? This is so good . Then you will experience God's peace , which exceeds anything that we can actually understand . His peace will guard your hearts and your minds as you live in Christ Jesus . This is so practical , friends . This is such practical hope and help that the way to guard our hearts and our minds is to fill our thoughts and our minds with what God says is true .

Speaker 1 28:12

Romans , chapter 12 , says be renewed by the transforming of your mind . That's the work that God does . This is so practical . Scientists actually talk about this . It's like reshaping your neurological pathways . It's the plasticity of your mind . It's really beautiful . So when a thought enters your mind , you get to stop and say whoa , like nope , I'm not sure if this is going to be helpful for me and hopeful for me . Is that of the Spirit of God ? Or do I need to tell that where to go ? And I know that you can do this and it may not seem like you can , but I know you can . So I'm going to give you a little visual analogy here .

Speaker 1 28:49

So Paul then goes on in this passage to then say whatever is true , whatever is honorable and right and admirable and praiseworthy , think about , dwell on those things . So these black ping pong balls , they represent , you know , our fears and our thoughts and our worries and our emotions . And we start to let these things in and they kind of consume us and I'm sure you could probably name a number of these right now . For you , maybe it's an economic thing , or a relationship , or your kid , or schooling , or these tests , or an SAT , like it could be the election that's coming up , some bird flu crisis . You name the thing whatever it is right , and we just all of these thoughts start getting away from us and they're just like piling themselves in and all these negative thoughts are coming in . And then you find yourself just your mind being filled with this .

Speaker 1 29:42

And every time you turn on the TV or your phone or you're looking at stuff , and here's what Paul says . He says stop . He doesn't just say stop it , he says do this , fill your minds with whatever is true , whatever is pure , whatever is admirable , whatever is worthy of praise . Now you notice I've been doing this and you're like , yeah , larry , like I've done that and nothing is happening . All these thoughts are still here . Like I got baptized at Easter , like I went through rooted , like I've been coming to regular .

Speaker 1 30:13

I've been trying to do this prayer thing . I've been trying to , I've been doing all of the things and nothing seems to be moving . And for some reason , I don't know what's going on with this Nothing seems to happen . And I would just I know this sounds so simple to say so simple to say keep going , continue to fill your minds with whatever is true , whatever is pure , whatever is admirable , whatever is worthy of praise , and keep going and eventually you will see the fruit of God continuing to push out those things that have this negative impact in your life and for the last of them , you can just tell those things where to go because they don't belong and this doesn't work .

Speaker 1 31:01

I'm gonna say this real quick , because this isn't just a pray harder and it's all gonna go .

Speaker 1 31:05

This isn't all the categories , but this is a practice that he's saying , hey , instead , do this and you're going to find peace beyond understanding and you'll find something that's going to guard your heart and your mind and you just keep going , because those things are going to keep coming back in and suddenly it's not going to just be like you're now okay and we have to continue to give each other the grace and understanding that it's actually okay to not be okay and sit in that . So we're not done yet .

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Speaker 1 31:41

But I've asked Aaron to come out and just sing a song over you . You can look at the lyrics on the wall . You can close your eyes , you can listen to this , but let this minister , in your own way , as you're reflecting on the wall . You can close your eyes , you can listen to this , but let this minister , in your own way , as you're reflecting on the transformative work that God can do in giving us practical help and practical hope I won't pretend .

Speaker 2 32:32

I'll say what I'm feeling . I'm overwhelmed , emotions are raging . It's okay to not be okay . I won't try to hide . Slough leaves room for me to say I'm not okay To every fear . Every lie . I know love leaves room for me , is wrong for me . You leave room for me . You leave room for me . My flesh is weak yes , it is , and my heart is aching . Never forsake me . It's okay To not be okay . I won't try to hide , cause love leaves room for me to say that I'm not okay To every fear I bring in life . Love leaves room for me to cry . So I'ma let it out .

Speaker 2 34:57

Ain't no shame in letting go . So I'ma let it go now . Yeah , and I'm gonna scream and I'm gonna make it Love . Yeah , ain't no shame in letting go . So I'm gonna let it go now . Yeah , and I'm gonna cry . Yeah , I'm gonna let it go . Ain't no shame in letting go . I'ma let it go now and I'm gonna scream and I'ma make it loud . Ain't no shame in letting go . So I'ma let it go now . So let it go now . It's okay To not be okay . You don't have to hide , cause love leaves room for you to say that you're not okay To every fear , fear , every lie .

Speaker 1 36:34

Love is wrong for you so I I actually didn't tell you like how not okay I was , because , as we continue to go through that journey and experience the things that we experienced , I found myself a year later sitting in a swimming pool , getting into my own head and thinking that thought it would just be like one deep breath of this water and we could just we could put that to bed . It wasn't okay , but I'm doing okay right now . Maybe you're not okay and you can be doing okay in the future . It is a journey , this is a conversation . This isn't a quick fix . This isn't like I'm going to fix you and solve all of your problems . Right now . We need to understand , first and foremost , that it's okay to not to be okay and create that safe space and environment that Jesus can do his transformative work through hope and help and the collective body . And we want to come before God just as we are and present ourselves just as we are and allow him to begin to transform our minds and our heart , because you are a whole person . You are not just mine , but you are body and you are spirit , and Jesus is concerned about all of that . So let's continue the conversation . I want to invite you back actually for the next 11 weeks , and I actually want to encourage you and challenge you . Who is it in your life that you need to invite into this conversation as well , where they can find some practical hope and practical help with mental health ? This is so important for us as believers , or if you're just journeying through this , we can do this together . I want to actually

Guided Prayer Experience

Speaker 1 38:34

encourage you . We've got a lot of resources we've created about this , and we've been working on this actually since last October , trying to be completely prepared , and one of those things that I can tell you is that a great way to start your day with the right and sound mind is actually speaking the native language of the spirit , or God , the mother tongue , which is prayer , and so what we've done is we've created a guided prayer experience . It's called the first five , and so , for maybe from now on , through this series or into the future , you start your day out with this , and so we've got access for you . Every day , a new guided prayer is going to drop at like three 30 in the morning , and some practical ways that you can use this , or how I see myself using this in my own life . It's like before I even get out of bed , or before I even flip on my phone and start looking at the screams of the world , let me hear some of the whispers from God and just spend five minutes preparing for whatever is ahead of me in that day and surrendering those things , just giving the first five to him and seeing how that changes . What happens from there .

Speaker 1 39:39

I see this as something that you can do by yourself . I see this as something you can do with someone else or on a walk , on a car ride . I see this practically in my own family . We usually ask the lady Alexa , I don't want to mess it up right now and somebody's going to respond , but we usually say I can say things . I usually ask them to play music , but I can say something like hey , alexa , play the first five podcasts on the Everywhere group and everyone can listen to it and go through it . Then we can come down as we're having breakfast and talk about hey , how was today ? What did you get from that ? What did you learn from that ? There's multiple ways that we can experience together , but that's just one tool and we don't have to do this alone . We can do this in community , together , and we can have hope and we can have help that Jesus came to provide and give freely as a gift . Now some of you actually might be here today saying like I need the whole Jesus as a gift thing and you're ready to surrender all of yourself body , mind , soul to him and say I need the hope and the help that only you can bring the kingdom of God right here , right now , so we can live life , and life to the full . We want to give you that opportunity . If you're ready to walk into that , we're ready to say yes with you and that's all it takes .

Speaker 1 40:53

We have a nook out in the lobby . It's called this Changes Everything . You can walk by there . Someone will then walk with you and talk with you about what that looks like . We wrote a journal about practical next steps . If you're with us online and you want information about this , we'll reach out to you . You can text TCE1 to 9400 . So , like I said , we've got a lot of resources . I'm actually going to invite Jeff out here . Jeff's going to explain some of the resources on the website and we have people here that are ready to practically pray with you and to walk with you . So thanks , brother .

Speaker 2 41:25

Sure , thank you .