Peace of Mind: Part 2 - Our Health

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Hi there, it's Pastor Andrew and I have the privilege

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and honor of sitting today

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and having a conversation with a friend, a mentor,

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and an expert in his field.

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I have the privilege of spending time

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with Dr. Lee Hildebrand, who is someone who is

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renowned in his skillsets and his ability to connect

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and, uh, work with people, uh,

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to really bring about Christ's healing in people's lives,

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particularly in the area of mental health and wellbeing.

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So excited that Christ Church is doing this series.

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I think it's crucial and, uh, I've been privileged to be in,

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uh, mental health for many decades,

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and my encouragement to them today would be this, self-care

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is not selfishness.

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Pastor Andrew's self-care is stewardship.

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You know, I think about that in terms of

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what Jesus said in Mark three.

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One of the Pharisees was trying to trip him up

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and said, Hey, teacher,

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what are the two greatest commandments and Christ astutely?

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The first one, of course, is to love your God

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with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

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And then his second part of that,

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you shall love your neighbor as yourself, pastor Andrew.

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I believe that we sometimes make a mistake of assuming

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that we have to do everything to serve and sacrifice

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and not pay any attention to ourselves

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or the grace that God has for us.

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I am thoroughly intrigued by this idea of stewardship.

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It broadens our understanding of what stewardship means.

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Can you just speak more on stewardship holistically?

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Absolutely. And I love your word holistically,

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pastor Andrew, because when God indicates

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that our body is his temple, he talks about our hearts.

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In his word, he talks about our minds.

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But how do we steward our time?

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How do we steward our bodies when we're equipping

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and we're allow, allowing God to equip us in terms

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of those life disciplines, spiritually, emotionally,

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physically, then we are gonna be more effective

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when God had us, us in the gap as we're serving others.

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Like this morning, I spent time in the word time in prayer.

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Yeah. Went to the gym, got after it.

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And so as we proceed through our day, that helps me,

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those disciplines help me in terms of stewardship

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and being equipped to pour out, allowing the spirit

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of God to pour out in terms of anything

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that we're doing in a given day.

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I, I so love and appreciate the way in which you readily

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acknowledge the interplay between, you know, our mental

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Emotional health, our physical health, and our

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Spiritual health. In

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addition to God's word, which we can refer to.

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And we have, there's lots of research

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that talks a lot about in the spirit, mind, body connection.

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There's such an intricate interplay.

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Our stewardship process, it's Christians, is to continue

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to find ways that we can experience the multitude

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of God's love in experiencing His Holy Spirit in real,

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tangible, emotional, spiritual, physical ways.

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So for somebody that's struggling with mental health issues,

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the number one thing that I would want them to really hear

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is that you are not alone.

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And per this sense of the comparisons

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that we can often do with other people,

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people can feel like they're the only one.

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Whether it be, uh, depression, anxiety, addictions,

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uh, sexual sins, uh, all kinds of challenges,

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they can make the assumption that they're the only one

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and it's just simply not true.

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So I think it's important that they do not compare their

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most vulnerable self to, you know, what they see

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as the strengths of others on the out outside.

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And so if I could encourage anything, it would be for people

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to not be afraid to reach out to you, to reach out to, uh,

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Christian psychologists, to reach out to others

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that can help them when they encounter these challenges

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so they can build a team around them.

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In other words, trust God. Be present in your life.

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Don't let the worries of tomorrow steal it today.

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Be present in your life. Be present in your body.

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Be present as you commune with the spirit of God,

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and take those action steps that God has for you today.

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Alright, good morning. Welcome to Christ Church.

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So glad to have you here this morning.

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Christ Church is a church about lifting lives,

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elevating Christ your church.

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For those who aren't here yet, I'm Pastor Andrew.

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I'm glad you're all here. Now joining us here in East,

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thanks for being here and braving the cold this morning.

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Good morning, of course, to all of you

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who are worshiping in West, thanks for being here

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and being part of our community.

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And of course, good morning to all of you

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who are tuning in online, a special warm welcome

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and good morning to all you snowbirds out there.

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Hashtag life goals.

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Um, uh, this morning we are continuing in a sermon series.

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Uh, a series is where we talk about a particular topic

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or an idea for a single, uh, a number of, uh, of,

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of Sundays in a row.

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And, and we've undertaken as a church body

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to take upon ourselves, uh, a more serious than a more, um,

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significant series

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that takes a special measure of sensitivity.

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And, uh, if you missed last week, uh, I encourage you,

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I implore you, I beg you to go back and listen to it.

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Uh, it was the first week and it really sets the trajectory.

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This is the type of series where over the Sundays we built.

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And so if you missed last week,

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it is okay this week will still make sense to you.

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Um, but there were some important things from last week

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that I'll make reference to

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and really established, uh, some grounding

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for us particularly

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and uniquely related to this particular topic.

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What's the topic? Well, we're talking about, uh,

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mental health as a church body.

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We're talking about the intersection

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and the interplay between our faith as Christian people

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and the importance of, of understanding rightly

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and in a healthy, constructive way.

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Mental health, we're seeking

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to create a theology of mental health.

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And that's really what we talked about last

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week was a theology.

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A theology means the study of God.

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And for those of us particularly who ascribe

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to the Christian tradition, uh, we are seeking to understand

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and apply our Christian tradition, faith perspective

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and our lens to right

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and healthy concepts related to mental health.

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How can we understand our mental health in light of God?

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And also how can we come alongside those around us who also,

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uh, have mental health.

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Now, as we've been navigating this conversation, uh,

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been open with you about my own place in the conversation,

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and that I myself am someone who stewards well, strives

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to stewards well, my mental health, I'll be be transparent

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with it all series long.

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Um, but there's an importance to simply acknowledging

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and relating to this series within culture at large culture

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is, is there seems to be a growing awareness

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as culture shifts to bring to the forefront the importance

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of mental health and taking our mental

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health, uh, seriously.

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And so it's incumbent upon us not only because of culture,

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but simply because of us as Christian people, that,

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that our mental health, uh, does matter in fact to God

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and it should matter as it relates to the church,

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which is part of the reason why we are also endeavoring

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to have this conversation.

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So last week we peeled back a lot of bad theology,

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bad phrases, bad ideas that people have related

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to mental health, and hopefully undid some of the hurt

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or at least began a healing process related to some

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of the phrases or unhelpful things that people have received

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or perceived as it relates to mental health.

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And specifically if you are a Christian, right?

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Both how we can treat others

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as well as how we can treat ourselves.

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So we had to peel back a lot of stuff.

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Now we begin the process this week

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and over the next three weeks this week

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and two more weeks, uh, where we begin

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to place healthy in constructive theology.

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How should we think about mental health

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from a Christian perspective?

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We know how not to, but how should we?

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And so that's what we're doing from this Sunday forward

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to begin, uh, fostering this conversation.

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It's really shifting from a, a focus on a theology

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of mental health to really understanding

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and seeking to understand what health is

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and what health means.

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Now, when you and I in our vernacular talk about having

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health and healthiness, we actually use this all the time

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and we use it related to a whole variety of things, uh, uh,

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people or situations, right?

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The word health, I Google, it just means the state

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or condition of something.

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But there's something implied as it relates

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to using the word health.

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And that is to say that you can either have like good,

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profitable, a strong positive health,

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or you can have more negative health.

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You can have less health, you can be less healthy,

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you can have bad health.

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And this is true really related to whatever it is

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that you're seeking to better understand, right?

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Let's take for example, your finances.

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What is the health of your finances?

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Well, you can have, uh, uh, better finances

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or you can have worse finances, right?

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Your finances can be more well or more unwell.

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Uh, this could be true of relationships, right?

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That'd be another thing you could place in there in terms

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of understanding the health of your relationships.

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You can have more healthy relationships that are better

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and good, or you can have relationships that struggle

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and that we would just simply in our nomenclature say they

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are bad relationships, right?

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So health has an implied spectrum.

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That's what I'm trying to to show you.

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Health has an implied spectrum,

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and when we think about ourselves,

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we actually complace ourselves

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and our health on this spectrum.

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You can place you on this spectrum

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because health is something that relates to you

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and more specifically your mental health.

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All of us are somewhere on this health spectrum

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because mental health applies to everyone.

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This is something that we often look past

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as culture and society at large.

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Usually when we refer to mental health, we refer to those

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with less or more poor mental health.

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The the, the fact that like mental health even comes up in

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the, in the conversation would almost imply

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that, oh, they have mental health.

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We're, we're we, we frame that and we attach a shame

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or a stigma to that when we refer to it like that,

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because it almost exempts us.

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It, it's implied that there has poor mental health,

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but that's not actually the case.

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All of us, everybody has health

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related to your mind and your emotions.

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Everybody has a mind.

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And so everybody's mind

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and emotions lands on the spectrum of health.

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Now, where you land on

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that spectrum is going to be unique to you.

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Some of you might have really good positive

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because of a variety of different reasons.

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Uh, really good mental health.

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Others of us have less quality mental

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health, right?

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But regardless, all of us are on the spectrum

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and we are unique in terms of

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where we land on that spectrum.

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It becomes dangerous when we presuppose

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or project onto others that they are where we are.

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Okay? Lemme say that again. It becomes dangerous.

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And this is important, particularly if you're a Christian,

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how you relate to people to project your assumption

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related to mental health and your mental health onto others.

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And that's true wherever you land on that spectrum.

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If you have good mental health, don't make the assumption

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that everybody has the same

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good mental health that you have.

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If you have poor mental health, don't make the assumption

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that everybody is operating in that same locale related

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to their mental and emotional health, okay?

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This is actually something

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that you already know and understand.

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You simply apply it in other areas of your life and health.

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Take for example, your body.

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If I tell you, does health relate to your body?

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You would say, yeah, like, duh.

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Your body is something that you take care of.

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Maybe you go to the gym, maybe you take certain medications,

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you do certain things to take care of your body

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and to move it towards being healthy

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because we strive to have healthy bodies, right?

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And there are other things that we can do that, that,

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that are less healthy.

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And this goes a little bit back to last week

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where there are things that we can do

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to ourselves through our decisions.

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There are things that can be done unto us,

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and there are simple realities that, uh, that are part

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of this broken world that,

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that we are sometimes even born into, that that will

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infringe upon our healthy bodies

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and will move us further towards being less healthy rather

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than more healthy in our bodies.

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We all understand that it's no different with our minds.

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Our minds can move

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towards healthiness depending on our actions, the actions

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of others, and some of the simple realities

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of being born into this broken and messy world.

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By the way, this also applies to your spirit.

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See, this is fascinating.

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Some of you, you might not realize this,

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but um, the Bible says in the very beginning,

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lemme let me frame it like this.

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The Bible says in the very beginning that when God created,

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created, uh, the creation as a whole,

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but specifically humanity, he created humanity.

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He created you in God's image.

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Now, God himself is, is complex and beautiful and,

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and interdependent and related.

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Uh, we describe God as having three persons each distinct

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and yet each God, God, the Father, God the Son,

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and God, the Spirit God the Father, God the Son,

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Jesus Christ who became incarnate and flesh,

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and God, the spirit, you actually bear the image

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of God in the way in which you have a body,

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a mind, and a spirit.

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And your body, your mind,

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and your spirit, each independently as well as corporately

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will influence how you understand your health.

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Unsurprisingly, your body, your spirit

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impact and relate to your mind.

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We could, we could have a robust conversation about

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how we take care of our bodies.

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Did you ever notice that when you eat junk food, don't go

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to the gym and,

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and you don't take care of your bodies, how

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that impacts your brain?

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You guys know that, right? Like it makes a difference.

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How about this one, your spirit, when you don't go to church

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for a while, shameless

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plug, it will.

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In fact, going to church

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and having a healthy spiritual life will help improve

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and encourage and move you towards having a good

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and healthy mind and emotions as well.

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They're all interrelated

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to one another in the same way that God is.

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And in fact, what God created.

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And when he originally created you, he said,

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wow, you're good.

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He looked at creation, he looked at what he had made,

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he looked at you and he said, it is good.

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And he was pleased with

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what he had created in the very beginning.

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Now again, last week we talked about brokenness

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and how that which is good is in fact eventually broken.

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This is true, but that does not diminish the goodness

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God desired and designed for you.

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He designed and desired

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and created humanity, including you

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to have a good, healthy body,

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spirit, and

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mind emotions.

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He designed and desired you to have more health

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and full wellness related to your mind and your emotions.

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That is to say another way that we could begin to move

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through the conversation is to recognize

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that God in creating you, gave you a body.

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He gave you a spirit, and he gave you your mind.

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He has entrusted to your care,

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you, your life.

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I mean, I know, I know it sounds silly,

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but like in the church, often we talk about trusting God.

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Christians do this all the time.

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Christians, we love to talk about trusting God,

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trust God this, trust God, that, and that's good.

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That's right, that's appropriate.

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But sometimes we forget the reality that in fact,

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God has trusted you as well.

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God has entrusted you with your

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health, with your

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mind and emotions.

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And that is something to take seriously.

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I mean, that's what God sees in you.

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He, he sees the possibility of you thriving

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and being, being so wonderful.

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He sees your capacity

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and he gives to you a mind

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to use and exercise to take care of.

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The fancy word that we would use is steward.

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You are a steward of your mind

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and your emotions, your mind

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and emotions are beautiful and wonderful,

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or in a simple word, good.

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So take good care

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of your mind and your emotions

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because the God of the universe believes that you can

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and has in fact entrusted it to you.

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When it comes to a conversation around stewardship,

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there's a sense of responsibility.

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There's a sense that we understand the significance of

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what we've been entrusted with we've received, uh, and

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therefore it's appropriate to do good self-care.

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You heard it from Dr. Lee in the video. Uh, Dr.

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Lee's very big on this. He's been important in my own life

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and speaking to me and holding me accountable to say like,

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Hey, how's your self-care doing?

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Do you ever find your self-care slipping?

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Do you ever find that like we live in such a fast-paced

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world, a busy go, go, go world with high expectations.

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I dunno about you, but I feel like the world constantly is

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00:19:37.975 --> 00:19:40.495
layering on expectations for you, for me.

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And if I'm not careful with that reality, I will allow it

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to shape me rather than me influencing

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and shaping my own life.

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I, I feel like my life is being shaped for me.

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And, and when that happens, I need to stop

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and say, whoa, whoa, how am I doing in terms

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of setting up the appropriate boundaries in my life

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00:19:56.795 --> 00:19:59.615
for preserving and maintaining my own healthiness?

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Because if I begin to slack on having a healthy mind,

395
00:20:03.095 --> 00:20:06.015
a healthy body, and a healthy spirit, I am not going

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00:20:06.015 --> 00:20:08.335
to be able to be the person that God wants me to be

397
00:20:09.335 --> 00:20:11.235
and to do the things that God wants me to do.

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00:20:12.315 --> 00:20:16.775
And so having self care is not a selfish thing.

399
00:20:17.045 --> 00:20:18.895
Sometimes as Christians, we get this idea.

400
00:20:18.895 --> 00:20:21.735
And, and Dr. Lee pointed to it a little bit, is

401
00:20:21.735 --> 00:20:24.015
that sometimes we pour out, we give, we give, we give,

402
00:20:24.035 --> 00:20:25.535
we pour out, we go, we go, we go.

403
00:20:25.635 --> 00:20:28.375
And the world is always gonna ask for more of you.

404
00:20:29.305 --> 00:20:34.165
Your job will always ask for more of you, uh, your kids.

405
00:20:34.675 --> 00:20:36.445
They will always ask for more of you.

406
00:20:37.585 --> 00:20:40.565
My kids stand at the bathroom door and knock on the door.

407
00:20:40.765 --> 00:20:41.925
I can't even shower alone.

408
00:20:43.155 --> 00:20:45.045
They will always ask for more of you.

409
00:20:46.265 --> 00:20:48.965
And yet, what what we see here in this understanding

410
00:20:48.985 --> 00:20:51.765
of stewardship is look, God has entrusted your mind,

411
00:20:51.765 --> 00:20:53.085
your body and your spirit to you.

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And so there is a mandate for us to take care of it.

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00:20:55.885 --> 00:20:56.925
And that means that we have

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00:20:56.925 --> 00:20:59.645
to have appropriate boundaries in preserving ourselves.

415
00:21:01.455 --> 00:21:04.235
That's a really long-winded way of saying, Christian,

416
00:21:05.825 --> 00:21:07.595
it's okay to take a little time.

417
00:21:08.905 --> 00:21:13.345
It's okay to love yourself because it will fortify you

418
00:21:13.345 --> 00:21:15.265
and strengthen you even as you love others.

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So go out of your way to establish good, healthy routines

420
00:21:21.415 --> 00:21:23.995
as it relates to your own sense of self care.

421
00:21:24.745 --> 00:21:27.675
This is particularly important for those of us.

422
00:21:27.995 --> 00:21:29.275
I include myself in this,

423
00:21:29.495 --> 00:21:31.435
who gravitate specifically in the area

424
00:21:31.435 --> 00:21:34.195
of like mental health, uh, towards this end of the spectrum,

425
00:21:34.745 --> 00:21:36.435
that end, I shared this with you last week.

426
00:21:36.735 --> 00:21:38.315
My, I have a genetic predisposition

427
00:21:38.315 --> 00:21:39.675
that pushes my mental emotional.

428
00:21:39.675 --> 00:21:42.515
If I place my mental emotional, uh, health

429
00:21:42.515 --> 00:21:44.075
and wellbeing on this spectrum,

430
00:21:44.515 --> 00:21:46.635
I lean towards the bad worst, less.

431
00:21:47.145 --> 00:21:49.515
Okay? I have to go out of my way

432
00:21:49.975 --> 00:21:52.275
to help make up the difference that much more.

433
00:21:52.645 --> 00:21:56.115
There are certain things that I have to do in order

434
00:21:56.215 --> 00:21:57.435
to move my health.

435
00:21:57.535 --> 00:21:58.795
Now, this is true for everybody.

436
00:21:59.075 --> 00:22:00.675
Regardless of where you land in the spectrum, all

437
00:22:00.675 --> 00:22:02.075
of us have the ability

438
00:22:02.075 --> 00:22:04.235
to improve our mental, emotional health.

439
00:22:04.335 --> 00:22:06.595
But for some of us, we have just further to go.

440
00:22:07.335 --> 00:22:10.435
We have more to do because again, what we have done

441
00:22:10.435 --> 00:22:12.435
to ourselves, what others have done to us,

442
00:22:12.575 --> 00:22:14.915
or simply by virtue of being in this broken world

443
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because of a simple example, my biochemistry,

444
00:22:17.395 --> 00:22:18.595
because of the biochemistry

445
00:22:18.595 --> 00:22:21.515
and the way the chemicals work up here, I have further

446
00:22:21.615 --> 00:22:23.035
to go than other people.

447
00:22:23.295 --> 00:22:25.555
And so it means that actually my self-care has

448
00:22:25.555 --> 00:22:26.675
to be that much more attuned.

449
00:22:26.715 --> 00:22:28.395
I have to be that much more attentive to it

450
00:22:28.425 --> 00:22:31.995
because my natural state is to be less healthy in my mind

451
00:22:31.995 --> 00:22:33.955
and emotions rather than more.

452
00:22:36.495 --> 00:22:38.005
Okay? Now,

453
00:22:39.105 --> 00:22:43.215
because of that, for some of us

454
00:22:45.665 --> 00:22:48.925
moving towards what God would want for our life

455
00:22:49.855 --> 00:22:51.485
feels overwhelming.

456
00:22:53.205 --> 00:22:56.025
It feels unreachable and unattainable.

457
00:22:57.985 --> 00:23:00.035
This goes even beyond mental emotional health.

458
00:23:00.105 --> 00:23:02.715
This can relate to pretty much any area of your life.

459
00:23:03.545 --> 00:23:05.675
Have you ever looked at your life and, and, and, and,

460
00:23:05.695 --> 00:23:06.835
and you begin to forget.

461
00:23:06.895 --> 00:23:10.435
You begin to lose sight of what could be possible

462
00:23:10.495 --> 00:23:13.155
for your life because you were just so overwhelmed

463
00:23:13.625 --> 00:23:16.275
with whatever the brokenness and the pain or the suffering

464
00:23:16.275 --> 00:23:17.275
or the you become.

465
00:23:17.415 --> 00:23:20.035
You, you, you land yourself over here

466
00:23:20.255 --> 00:23:21.715
and you become comfortable.

467
00:23:22.855 --> 00:23:25.915
You look at your life and say, it's not going to get better.

468
00:23:26.495 --> 00:23:27.675
Why bother?

469
00:23:29.255 --> 00:23:32.505
Why fight for good?

470
00:23:33.695 --> 00:23:36.505
Because it seems like I'll never get there.

471
00:23:38.365 --> 00:23:41.625
And if we're not careful, we can actually give up on the

472
00:23:41.785 --> 00:23:43.345
goodness that God intends for us,

473
00:23:43.445 --> 00:23:45.685
and we can turn our back even on the idea

474
00:23:45.685 --> 00:23:47.205
that we have a measure of responsibility

475
00:23:47.205 --> 00:23:49.725
and stewardship towards moving towards that good.

476
00:23:50.545 --> 00:23:52.085
We can in a simple word, settle.

477
00:23:52.345 --> 00:23:54.285
You ever settle before in life?

478
00:23:54.625 --> 00:23:56.845
You ever settled for something? Anything?

479
00:23:57.595 --> 00:23:58.685
Okay, I got one nod.

480
00:23:58.835 --> 00:24:02.325
Okay, well, I have settled before, okay?

481
00:24:03.805 --> 00:24:05.485
I have settled before in my life,

482
00:24:05.545 --> 00:24:07.805
and particularly I think when I was younger in relation

483
00:24:07.805 --> 00:24:10.325
to my mental and emotional health, I settled, right?

484
00:24:10.865 --> 00:24:13.525
And if we're not careful, we can allow that

485
00:24:14.225 --> 00:24:17.965
new place on the spectrum to be the, the, the base point

486
00:24:17.985 --> 00:24:19.045
for our identity.

487
00:24:19.185 --> 00:24:22.605
Rather than seeing our identity as that which God made

488
00:24:22.705 --> 00:24:24.125
and God gave us,

489
00:24:25.215 --> 00:24:28.075
and the goodness that he intends for us.

490
00:24:29.135 --> 00:24:32.435
Rather than letting God shape our identity,

491
00:24:34.725 --> 00:24:36.825
we can sometimes allow the pain, the brokenness

492
00:24:36.825 --> 00:24:40.925
or the struggles that we face to become the benchmark

493
00:24:40.945 --> 00:24:42.805
for our, our own identity.

494
00:24:45.075 --> 00:24:46.095
And that stinks.

495
00:24:47.175 --> 00:24:49.795
And if you're there this morning, I'm sorry,

496
00:24:51.375 --> 00:24:53.185
that stinks.

497
00:24:54.355 --> 00:24:57.015
And I'm sorry if you have forgotten

498
00:24:59.515 --> 00:25:00.685
what God intended

499
00:25:00.985 --> 00:25:04.615
and created you for, I'm sorry.

500
00:25:07.625 --> 00:25:08.785
I hope you keep coming to church

501
00:25:08.805 --> 00:25:10.545
so we can cast the vision for you.

502
00:25:12.365 --> 00:25:15.015
Because when I read the Bible and when I see Jesus Christ,

503
00:25:15.035 --> 00:25:16.575
and when I see what he does in people's lives,

504
00:25:16.655 --> 00:25:18.295
I can tell you he wants

505
00:25:18.595 --> 00:25:22.335
and desires good for your life.

506
00:25:23.265 --> 00:25:26.165
Not just mediocre, not less than

507
00:25:28.395 --> 00:25:33.015
he's ever more going to be working towards good a, a, a.

508
00:25:33.075 --> 00:25:36.585
And so what we see as Christian people

509
00:25:38.085 --> 00:25:41.865
is that even when we have a tendency to give up

510
00:25:42.965 --> 00:25:47.075
on the good, ironically, when we are usually not

511
00:25:47.865 --> 00:25:51.155
good, is when we give up on the good.

512
00:25:52.855 --> 00:25:55.275
The good news specifically for us as Christians,

513
00:25:55.295 --> 00:25:57.635
if you ascribe to the Christian tradition, is

514
00:25:57.635 --> 00:26:00.075
that we believe God does not give up.

515
00:26:02.045 --> 00:26:03.865
God does not give up.

516
00:26:06.045 --> 00:26:10.405
Even if we do, God does not give up even when,

517
00:26:10.705 --> 00:26:15.045
and perhaps especially when you are not feeling

518
00:26:15.675 --> 00:26:19.125
good in your body,

519
00:26:20.545 --> 00:26:23.085
in your spirit, in your mind,

520
00:26:25.645 --> 00:26:28.785
God does not give up on you

521
00:26:31.065 --> 00:26:34.485
and he will ever more becking you

522
00:26:34.665 --> 00:26:37.865
and move you towards good

523
00:26:39.455 --> 00:26:41.705
because that's what he created you for.

524
00:26:42.775 --> 00:26:43.885
And what he wants for you.

525
00:26:46.165 --> 00:26:47.745
And we can even see this in the scriptures.

526
00:26:47.745 --> 00:26:50.065
We go to the scriptures, we go to a story here with Jesus.

527
00:26:50.095 --> 00:26:51.345
This is in one of the gospels.

528
00:26:51.345 --> 00:26:53.625
John chapter five, gospel is the first hand out in his

529
00:26:53.625 --> 00:26:55.505
account, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

530
00:26:55.605 --> 00:26:56.825
So it's a Jesus story.

531
00:26:57.245 --> 00:26:59.745
And in this story, we actually see this play out

532
00:26:59.975 --> 00:27:01.505
very tangibly for someone.

533
00:27:01.795 --> 00:27:04.505
Check this out, sometime later, Jesus went up

534
00:27:04.505 --> 00:27:07.865
to Jerusalem here, a great number of disabled people used

535
00:27:07.865 --> 00:27:10.585
to lie, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.

536
00:27:10.885 --> 00:27:13.505
So he went to a specific area of the city by the sheep gate,

537
00:27:13.645 --> 00:27:14.745
and there's a pool there.

538
00:27:14.925 --> 00:27:16.945
And the idea is that the blind, the lame that people

539
00:27:16.945 --> 00:27:18.625
who were sick, whether they're sick in their bodies

540
00:27:18.645 --> 00:27:20.065
or sick in their minds or spirits,

541
00:27:20.065 --> 00:27:22.705
people would gather there, the sick would gather there and,

542
00:27:22.725 --> 00:27:24.625
and they would hopefully get near the pool.

543
00:27:25.005 --> 00:27:27.585
And that every so often the idea was that an angel

544
00:27:27.805 --> 00:27:30.025
or a supernatural event would happen with the pool,

545
00:27:30.335 --> 00:27:31.545
like ripples and things.

546
00:27:31.725 --> 00:27:33.825
And that the first one in would go into the

547
00:27:33.825 --> 00:27:34.945
pool and they would be healed.

548
00:27:35.285 --> 00:27:36.905
And somehow, in some miraculous way,

549
00:27:36.905 --> 00:27:38.305
there were some healings throughout time

550
00:27:38.695 --> 00:27:40.585
that became associated with this pool.

551
00:27:41.375 --> 00:27:44.115
And so everybody hung out there hoping that they would be

552
00:27:44.705 --> 00:27:47.195
able to get into the pool when a

553
00:27:47.195 --> 00:27:48.595
supernatural event occurred.

554
00:27:48.595 --> 00:27:49.875
And so that's where Jesus went.

555
00:27:50.255 --> 00:27:53.515
So these are people who are ostracized, rejected people

556
00:27:53.515 --> 00:27:55.555
who carry great stigma and shame.

557
00:27:55.955 --> 00:27:58.195
I mean, is it fair to say that if you are struggling,

558
00:27:58.455 --> 00:27:59.915
if you are blind, lame

559
00:27:59.915 --> 00:28:02.315
or paralyzed, if you're struggling in your body, is it fair

560
00:28:02.315 --> 00:28:04.435
to say that you're probably also struggling in your mind?

561
00:28:05.535 --> 00:28:07.835
Is that fair? I think that would be a fair assessment in

562
00:28:07.835 --> 00:28:10.155
general to say is struggling in your spirit.

563
00:28:11.305 --> 00:28:13.035
Yeah, I think that's a fair assessment to say.

564
00:28:13.035 --> 00:28:14.155
So these are people who are struggling

565
00:28:14.155 --> 00:28:15.195
in their hurting, and I love it.

566
00:28:15.195 --> 00:28:16.515
The fact that this is where Jesus

567
00:28:16.545 --> 00:28:19.005
goes, isn't that beautiful?

568
00:28:19.005 --> 00:28:20.605
That in and of itself is beautiful people.

569
00:28:21.465 --> 00:28:23.365
He goes to where hurting people are

570
00:28:24.565 --> 00:28:25.565
Love it. I

571
00:28:25.565 --> 00:28:28.855
love this guy. One person

572
00:28:28.915 --> 00:28:32.575
who was there had been an invalid for 38 years.

573
00:28:34.315 --> 00:28:38.835
Now, sometimes we struggle with our health being so poor

574
00:28:38.835 --> 00:28:40.275
that it influences our identity.

575
00:28:40.725 --> 00:28:42.715
Could you imagine having 38

576
00:28:43.005 --> 00:28:45.875
years of struggling?

577
00:28:48.195 --> 00:28:49.765
Some of you actually can

578
00:28:49.765 --> 00:28:53.885
because you are so,

579
00:28:53.885 --> 00:28:55.805
I don't diminish the significance of that.

580
00:28:57.475 --> 00:29:00.565
When Jesus saw this person lying here, this man, he, he, he,

581
00:29:00.705 --> 00:29:02.765
he learned that he had been in this condition

582
00:29:02.785 --> 00:29:04.285
for such a long time.

583
00:29:04.735 --> 00:29:06.445
Jesus begins to engage with him.

584
00:29:06.545 --> 00:29:08.725
He doesn't walk by him, he doesn't ignore him,

585
00:29:08.905 --> 00:29:11.685
but he in fact, stops and, and asks him a question.

586
00:29:11.705 --> 00:29:15.125
He asks him the question, do you want to get well?

587
00:29:18.065 --> 00:29:22.445
Yes, Actually, it's a,

588
00:29:22.475 --> 00:29:24.605
it's a very penetrating question.

589
00:29:27.635 --> 00:29:28.775
Here's a harsh reality.

590
00:29:30.845 --> 00:29:32.855
Sometimes getting well means change

591
00:29:33.035 --> 00:29:37.935
and challenge sometimes getting

592
00:29:38.085 --> 00:29:41.445
well and moving towards being the best of who you can be.

593
00:29:42.745 --> 00:29:45.725
It it means doing things that you're uncomfortable with,

594
00:29:46.225 --> 00:29:47.805
things that are outside of your norm.

595
00:29:48.835 --> 00:29:50.615
It means challenging the status quo.

596
00:29:50.615 --> 00:29:53.215
Oftentimes if you're anything like me, you become settled

597
00:29:53.395 --> 00:29:55.135
and you, you become a person of routine

598
00:29:55.195 --> 00:29:58.255
and you become acquainted with your surrounding

599
00:29:58.255 --> 00:29:59.535
and how life is supposed to go.

600
00:29:59.675 --> 00:30:01.135
And Jesus shows up and says, Hey,

601
00:30:01.135 --> 00:30:02.615
do you want better for your life?

602
00:30:02.675 --> 00:30:04.175
Do you want good for your life?

603
00:30:04.245 --> 00:30:07.175
Because if you do, it's going to mean leaving

604
00:30:07.175 --> 00:30:09.415
that which you know, and sometimes in our brokenness,

605
00:30:09.605 --> 00:30:11.255
they can feel like chains is one

606
00:30:11.255 --> 00:30:13.535
of the verse verses Bible talks about this all the time.

607
00:30:13.675 --> 00:30:14.975
We, we begin to actually love

608
00:30:14.995 --> 00:30:17.935
and appreciate the chains in, in the brokenness,

609
00:30:17.955 --> 00:30:20.335
and we can be because we get familiar with it.

610
00:30:21.395 --> 00:30:23.375
So this is not just a simple like, yeah, hey,

611
00:30:23.405 --> 00:30:24.655
sign me up for some healing here.

612
00:30:24.655 --> 00:30:27.975
Jesus, this is an actual powerfully

613
00:30:29.135 --> 00:30:33.485
directed question, and it applies to us today as well.

614
00:30:37.775 --> 00:30:39.675
Sir, the invalid replied, I have no one

615
00:30:39.675 --> 00:30:41.155
to help me get into the pool when the water is

616
00:30:41.155 --> 00:30:42.315
stirred while I'm trying to get in.

617
00:30:42.315 --> 00:30:46.395
Someone goes down ahead of me, he sidesteps a yes or no,

618
00:30:46.415 --> 00:30:48.755
and he says, it's not even an option for me.

619
00:30:49.795 --> 00:30:52.035
I can't get well, even if I wanted to.

620
00:30:52.795 --> 00:30:56.195
I can't get to the pool fast enough. It's pointless.

621
00:30:58.215 --> 00:31:01.215
I am just who I am. Take it or leave it.

622
00:31:03.875 --> 00:31:08.855
What's interesting in how Jesus responds to this, Jesus said

623
00:31:08.855 --> 00:31:10.815
to him, get up,

624
00:31:12.245 --> 00:31:14.695
pick up your mat and walk.

625
00:31:16.275 --> 00:31:18.295
At once the man was cured, he picked up his mat

626
00:31:18.295 --> 00:31:19.895
and he walked.

627
00:31:25.275 --> 00:31:26.815
Now, there's actually great number

628
00:31:26.815 --> 00:31:28.215
of things we can tease out for this.

629
00:31:28.265 --> 00:31:29.815
First and foremost, I want you to notice

630
00:31:29.815 --> 00:31:30.855
that Jesus heals him.

631
00:31:31.515 --> 00:31:32.695
He did not give up on him,

632
00:31:33.835 --> 00:31:35.615
but Jesus intervenes in this man's life

633
00:31:35.615 --> 00:31:39.985
to move him towards good, to move him towards a more healthy

634
00:31:40.575 --> 00:31:42.425
version of who he can be so

635
00:31:42.425 --> 00:31:43.905
that he can experience the fullness of

636
00:31:43.905 --> 00:31:46.265
what God inten intended and desired for him.

637
00:31:48.765 --> 00:31:52.575
The same is true for you, that Jesus continues

638
00:31:52.575 --> 00:31:55.255
to work in your life to move you towards good,

639
00:31:55.395 --> 00:31:57.415
and that includes in your mental emotional health.

640
00:31:59.385 --> 00:32:02.725
Second thing I wanna point out, Jesus heals his legs

641
00:32:02.795 --> 00:32:06.415
through his ears in

642
00:32:06.465 --> 00:32:08.255
unexpected weird ways.

643
00:32:08.585 --> 00:32:12.055
Jesus works not in the ways, certainly the man expected.

644
00:32:12.335 --> 00:32:14.495
I mean, there's no mention of a pool here at all.

645
00:32:15.105 --> 00:32:17.335
Jesus didn't pick the guy up and bring him to the pool

646
00:32:17.335 --> 00:32:18.495
and be like, okay, I'm ready.

647
00:32:19.885 --> 00:32:21.535
Like he didn't do that. Okay?

648
00:32:22.585 --> 00:32:25.175
Jesus intervened in a way that the man was not expecting.

649
00:32:25.175 --> 00:32:27.855
That the man did not even have on his radar a way

650
00:32:27.855 --> 00:32:29.615
that subverted the expectations

651
00:32:29.615 --> 00:32:31.935
and the norms of what that guy even thought was possible.

652
00:32:32.435 --> 00:32:34.975
He had to open up to a whole new reality.

653
00:32:37.645 --> 00:32:38.905
And this is, this is so important

654
00:32:39.130 --> 00:32:41.885
because what it says is that you know Jesus, God can begin

655
00:32:41.885 --> 00:32:44.445
to heal and work in a variety of ways.

656
00:32:44.585 --> 00:32:46.965
In many ways, God can heal you

657
00:32:47.145 --> 00:32:48.845
and your mind through,

658
00:32:48.845 --> 00:32:50.805
through a multiplicity of different things.

659
00:32:50.835 --> 00:32:52.445
This is why going to the gym matters.

660
00:32:52.755 --> 00:32:54.285
This is why what you eat matters.

661
00:32:54.555 --> 00:32:56.245
This is why going to church matters.

662
00:32:56.245 --> 00:32:58.805
Those things will help to heal and restore and,

663
00:32:58.805 --> 00:33:00.685
and move you in your mental, emotional health.

664
00:33:01.255 --> 00:33:03.885
Don't lock God in his ability to heal

665
00:33:03.985 --> 00:33:06.685
and work in your mind into one specific

666
00:33:06.825 --> 00:33:08.165
and narrow parameter.

667
00:33:09.155 --> 00:33:11.525
Even more than that, let, let me illustrate, I like this.

668
00:33:11.625 --> 00:33:13.525
Do you guys know this story? There's a flood

669
00:33:13.745 --> 00:33:15.045
and the woman goes up on the roof.

670
00:33:15.505 --> 00:33:17.125
Do you guys know this story where I'm going with this?

671
00:33:17.195 --> 00:33:18.685
There's a flood. The woman's on the roof

672
00:33:18.685 --> 00:33:20.605
and she prays to God that, that she'll be saved.

673
00:33:20.805 --> 00:33:22.765
A raft comes by and it's like, hop on.

674
00:33:22.815 --> 00:33:24.805
She's like, no, I'm praying to God, he'll save me.

675
00:33:24.905 --> 00:33:27.605
And then a boat comes by and, and they're like, hop on.

676
00:33:27.655 --> 00:33:29.685
She's like, no, I'm praying to God. He's gonna save me.

677
00:33:29.685 --> 00:33:31.885
Then the helicopter comes by, you guys know this one?

678
00:33:32.265 --> 00:33:34.525
And of course she says, no, I'm okay.

679
00:33:34.985 --> 00:33:36.525
And, and God's gonna save me.

680
00:33:36.545 --> 00:33:38.965
She of course dies, goes up to heaven

681
00:33:38.985 --> 00:33:40.485
and looks at God and says, God,

682
00:33:40.555 --> 00:33:42.845
What the heck, man? What gives?

683
00:33:43.285 --> 00:33:45.525
I was praying for you to save me. And God says,

684
00:33:46.145 --> 00:33:47.845
Who do you think sent the raft?

685
00:33:48.585 --> 00:33:50.085
Who do you think sent the boat?

686
00:33:50.665 --> 00:33:53.005
Who do you think sent the helicopter?

687
00:33:58.105 --> 00:34:01.995
Who do you think gives us psychologists

688
00:34:02.335 --> 00:34:04.595
and psychiatrists and medication?

689
00:34:06.695 --> 00:34:09.395
Who do you think sends therapists

690
00:34:11.005 --> 00:34:14.925
and support groups into our lives and our world?

691
00:34:17.565 --> 00:34:20.825
Who do you think sends to us the, the disciplines

692
00:34:20.825 --> 00:34:23.145
of Christian mindfulness In the practice of prayer,

693
00:34:23.145 --> 00:34:26.345
there's an entire book dedicated in the Bible, the book

694
00:34:26.345 --> 00:34:28.065
of the Psalms, the basic

695
00:34:29.535 --> 00:34:32.105
Understanding Of what it is to wrestle

696
00:34:32.175 --> 00:34:34.625
with our emotions and bear them before our God.

697
00:34:37.415 --> 00:34:40.875
Don't limit the ways in which God can work in your life

698
00:34:42.325 --> 00:34:45.265
to bring healing and move your mind

699
00:34:45.325 --> 00:34:47.745
and emotions towards good 'cause.

700
00:34:47.745 --> 00:34:49.265
That's what he's trying to do.

701
00:34:51.225 --> 00:34:53.205
The last thing I'll lift up for you is the way in which we

702
00:34:53.205 --> 00:34:54.325
have to listen and obey.

703
00:34:54.425 --> 00:34:57.285
Did you notice that a man who could not walk took a step,

704
00:34:59.015 --> 00:35:01.735
a man who could not walk according to his own story,

705
00:35:02.525 --> 00:35:04.015
took a step in terms of faith,

706
00:35:05.655 --> 00:35:07.665
took a step at the command of Jesus.

707
00:35:08.085 --> 00:35:09.185
And so some of you might be

708
00:35:09.185 --> 00:35:10.305
hearing that command this morning.

709
00:35:10.375 --> 00:35:12.345
Just being blunt, this is how God speaks.

710
00:35:12.345 --> 00:35:14.025
This is how God works. He works through his word,

711
00:35:14.085 --> 00:35:16.785
his stories, his people through church.

712
00:35:18.055 --> 00:35:19.355
And so if God is calling you

713
00:35:19.355 --> 00:35:22.035
to take a step towards further healthiness for your mind,

714
00:35:22.275 --> 00:35:24.235
I beg you to take it seriously because

715
00:35:24.235 --> 00:35:26.755
otherwise you're going to miss out on the goodness.

716
00:35:28.795 --> 00:35:31.375
You're gonna miss out on the goodness of

717
00:35:31.375 --> 00:35:34.495
what could be possible for your mind and your emotions.

718
00:35:38.055 --> 00:35:42.815
So please, please

719
00:35:43.005 --> 00:35:44.535
hear, know, and understand.

720
00:35:46.635 --> 00:35:50.585
Jesus caress about the goodness and health of your mind

721
00:35:51.285 --> 00:35:54.725
and emotions, and he wants

722
00:35:55.845 --> 00:36:00.455
to work and bring healing wherever you are on

723
00:36:00.455 --> 00:36:04.295
that healthy spectrum so

724
00:36:04.295 --> 00:36:08.015
that you can experience more fully what he intended for you.

725
00:36:10.655 --> 00:36:12.365
We're gonna continue the conversation next week

726
00:36:12.365 --> 00:36:14.925
with some more, particularly talking about attitudes

727
00:36:14.925 --> 00:36:16.445
and how we relate to one another.

728
00:36:17.465 --> 00:36:19.965
Uh, we're gonna pick up on how we as a church body

729
00:36:20.885 --> 00:36:24.445
navigate corporately and attitude of mental health as well

730
00:36:24.505 --> 00:36:28.245
and how we navigate specifically coming alongside those

731
00:36:28.245 --> 00:36:30.965
struggling with mental health for the moment,

732
00:36:31.645 --> 00:36:33.365
I encourage you to look for those opportunities.

733
00:36:33.465 --> 00:36:36.165
Listen for Jesus to show up in your own mind

734
00:36:36.165 --> 00:36:39.765
and heart this week, and don't be afraid to take a step.

735
00:36:40.575 --> 00:36:44.205
Sound good? Let's pray to close for right now. Let's pray.

736
00:36:44.205 --> 00:36:47.285
Please pray with me. Um, gracious God, we worship you.

737
00:36:47.285 --> 00:36:48.685
We thank you and we praise you.

738
00:36:49.425 --> 00:36:51.125
We thank you that you're at work in our lives

739
00:36:51.145 --> 00:36:53.325
and our world to heal and redeem and restore

740
00:36:53.345 --> 00:36:54.885
and do what only you can do.

741
00:36:55.945 --> 00:36:58.805
You do that in such amazing and and miraculous ways.

742
00:36:58.865 --> 00:37:01.285
We give thanks for the multiplicity

743
00:37:01.285 --> 00:37:03.525
of ways in which you can bring healing specifically

744
00:37:03.585 --> 00:37:07.685
to our minds and emotions, for the ways in which you send

745
00:37:07.685 --> 00:37:10.085
to us and bring us, uh, modern technology

746
00:37:10.225 --> 00:37:13.605
and doctors, nurses, and training and therapists

747
00:37:13.605 --> 00:37:14.605
and psychiatrists

748
00:37:14.605 --> 00:37:19.125
and psychologists, thank you for all the various disciplines

749
00:37:19.125 --> 00:37:21.485
that move us towards a good and better health.

750
00:37:22.855 --> 00:37:25.725
Thank you simply for wanting for us good health.

751
00:37:27.575 --> 00:37:32.525
Thank you for giving us an awareness that invites us towards

752
00:37:33.885 --> 00:37:36.965
wherever we land on that spectrum, towards moving towards

753
00:37:36.965 --> 00:37:39.165
that healthiness for ourselves and for others.

754
00:37:40.675 --> 00:37:42.845
Pray in this week that we would be attentive to your voice

755
00:37:42.865 --> 00:37:46.645
and your call, that we would take seriously, self-care,

756
00:37:48.625 --> 00:37:52.925
and that we would allow you to love us and bring healing

757
00:37:52.945 --> 00:37:54.125
and restoration to us,

758
00:37:55.475 --> 00:37:57.325
that we might experience the good life

759
00:37:57.325 --> 00:37:59.365
that you intended a life with you.

760
00:38:00.615 --> 00:38:04.285
Jesus, we pray, we ask this all in your name. Amen.