Peace of Mind: Part 4 - What's Next?

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Hi, Christ Church.

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My name's Amy Eberman. I'm the care director here on staff.

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I'm here today to have a conversation with

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a pediatrician, Dr.

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Theresa Ui, um,

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to talk about mental health in the context of our faith.

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So why don't you just tell me a little bit about,

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um, what you do?

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I've been in pediatrics since 2002,

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so over 20 years now.

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The majority of my practice as a pediatrician, uh,

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was in an area where there weren't a lot

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of mental health providers for kids.

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So I ended up learning, honestly, more

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as a pediatrician than more in my training, um, about,

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uh, treating mental health issues

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and realizing how much it's important

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to every single day and every single aspect.

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So we've really realized, even in my

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short career of 20 years, um, we've really realized

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how much mental health really affects your biological health

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and your functional health, and how you're doing in school,

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and how you're doing at work, and how you're relating

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to your friends and your family.

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So we have to

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make our children the best versions of themselves.

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So if they are having problems attending in class,

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attending, uh, to the relationships around them at home

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or their friends, they are worried

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and anxious if they're dealing with trauma at home, we have

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to help them, um,

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and we have to help them become the best

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version of themselves.

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And in regards to faith, uh, what I've realized regarding

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that is, uh, medications can be very helpful.

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You know, the best place to start is usually

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with your primary care physician

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or health provider to see if they can

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help get you in possibly with, um, a therapist. The Bible

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Tells us to give everything to God and, and pray,

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and, um, that'll take care of our worries.

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And then for people that, um, live

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with mental health needs a lot of times, right, they do all

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of that and they still have,

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their mental health concerns are still going on.

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Um, and I think a lot of times people separate the,

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the mind from the rest of the physical body.

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So how is the mind like the rest of our physical body?

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Or how is, how are those interrelated

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or how are they part of the saint?

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God is miraculous. He can do anything. He absolutely can.

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Um, but God is also miraculous by

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the biology he created for us.

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And part of that is the endorphins,

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the neurotransmitters in our brain.

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And sometimes those can be improved by medication,

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by creating connections, by increasingly endorphins,

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by increasing the neurotransmitters, by using the hands

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of God through his physicians,

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through his nurse practitioners,

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through his physician assistants.

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But life is full of problems. Life is problems.

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It's how and how we deal with them.

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Um, and you have to lean on your faith,

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and you have to lean on your physician,

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and you have to lean on your church.

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And it is amazing that we're having this conversation right

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now about mental health issues.

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All right. Good morning everyone.

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Welcome to Christ Church. We're a church about lifting

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lives, elevating Christ.

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We're a church For those who aren't here yet.

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Uh, I'm Pastor Andrew.

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I'm glad that you're here now

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as you join us here in the West Auditorium.

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Uh, maybe you're joining us in East Good morning.

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So glad that you're here with us, uh, in in church today.

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And of course, good morning to all of you

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who are joining us online as well.

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Thanks for tuning in and being part

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of our church family this morning.

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Uh, as you heard, we're wrapping up a sermon series,

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hopefully a meaningful

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and impactful sermon series in your life.

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I think as a whole, uh, I can, I can say

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that I've been really pleased

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with the ways in which I feel like the spiritual temperature

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of the church has been navigating this particular series

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related to mental health.

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It means we have another sermon series coming up next week,

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so I just already wanna make a plug

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for you guys letting you know.

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Uh, next week, vicar Nathan is gonna take us

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through two weeks on holiness in the

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significance of holiness.

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And we describe God as being holy and,

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and, uh, what what does that mean to be made holy.

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And so vi Nathan's gonna take us

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through two weeks on set apart, focusing on holiness.

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And then beyond that, believe it

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or not, we're actually, uh, gearing up for Easter already.

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And so you might see some, uh, Easter Group t-shirts on,

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be thinking about joining an Easter group.

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I'd encourage you to do that for our journey to Easter.

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This coming year, we're gonna be looking at

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as a Christ church, as a local church body.

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Uh, what, what is it that we feel called to, uh, in

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how we live, how we live on a daily and everyday basis?

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What's the culture of Christ Church in, in living

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that full Christian life?

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And so we're gonna be examining some

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of those things gearing up for, uh, Easter.

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So that's what's on the horizon.

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Please come and join us for those things.

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Uh, today though, we are gonna be, uh, finishing

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and focusing and hopefully, uh, doing

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so in a well constructive and good way.

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We have been looking at the intersection of mental health

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and our faith over these last few weeks.

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Specifically, we've been trying to generate a more healthy

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and positive to construct

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for ourselves a theology of mental health.

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Theology is the study of God,

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and it's the things that relate to us who ascribe

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to the Christian tradition.

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And so we're, we're seeing how mental health

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actually really in a significant way has to do

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with our faith and, and the way that God made us and,

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and what God himself has to say about our mental health.

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We saw in the very first week, just catching you guys up,

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if you missed any of the weeks, just a reminder for you,

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you can always go back and you can listen to these online.

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I encourage you to do that specifically if you miss some

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of the context of this week, uh, please, please do that.

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Um, but what we've kind of covered so far is we said, look,

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there's been a lot of bad theology out there.

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There's been theological statements

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and things said by churches related to mental health

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that are not helpful.

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They are not constructive.

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And so we had to peel back some

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of the bad theology out there

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and begin reconstructing a more healthy framework for

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how we talk about our Christian faith and mental health.

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And we talked about our health

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and the significance of how God

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entrusts our mental health to us.

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We are stewards and managers of our mind and our emotions,

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and and we talked about others' health and,

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and that we acknowledge not everybody's in the same place.

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Not everyone is gonna be in

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that health continuum having the same experience

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and always be in the same spot.

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And so there's a sensitivity with which we need

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to navigate conversations around mental health,

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hopefully health, hopefully you've seen in the last few

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weeks that theology and therapy go together.

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They are not at odds, but in fact they go hand in hand.

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It could be very healthy

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and helpful for us moving us

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to become the people God wants us to be.

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Hopefully you've seen that God trusts you.

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We talk a lot about how you know, we are supposed

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to trust God as Christian people.

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That is right, good and true. Don't mishear me.

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And yet, this is also a time to realize

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what God has entrusted to your care, your mind,

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your emotions and,

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and the role that you have in relation to that.

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And then also, we,

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we hopefully spent some time last week helping you see

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that if you do struggle mentally

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and emotionally, if your your mental wellbeing isn't

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where you would wish or hope it could be,

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um, you're not alone.

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You're not alone because we all have brokenness.

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We all have baggage. We all have to navigate mental health.

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Some of us do it, uh, more healthy in a constructive way,

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and others of us, we just have further, we have more work

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that we have to do to reach that place

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of health and wellbeing.

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But all of us are in this together.

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And, uh, we are there

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for each other as brothers and sisters.

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And even more importantly, God himself is there to walk

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beside you as, as we do that hopefully you've seen and heard

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and really constructed for yourself a better theology

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of mental health.

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So the question becomes now, what, what do we do?

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Where do we go from here? What do we talk about?

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What, what, what is it that we're supposed to do in relation

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to our mental health now that we have an understanding of

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how they can actually go together, faith, theology,

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therapy, and mental health?

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What do we do? And that is what today is about.

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You see, as we construct theology, we begin to learn

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and understand that theology is one of those things.

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Our beliefs in regards to what God, uh, has done and,

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and is doing is something that goes to work first on us.

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We, we learn about what God has done in the world,

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and then by virtue of learning about God's actions,

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we in response to that, we begin acting

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and living differently ourselves.

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Theology is something that shapes us. It informs us.

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It's something that God does to and for us.

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It is our beliefs

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that now issue into our behaviors.

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Now that we know what we believe about mental health,

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we need to behave in a way that is consistent with that.

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Theology is something that acts on us,

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but it necessarily must move us as well to action.

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And this is true not only for us as individuals,

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but even for us as a corporate body, as as a group, okay?

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This is true for us. As as your own individual person.

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You are called to now live

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with a better theology, a mental health theology.

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You, you're called to do certain things.

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And then for us as a church, we

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as a group are also called to live out of

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what we talked about over these last few weeks.

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And this is perfectly consistent with what you will find

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in the Bible.

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In fact, uh, last week I took you into the book

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of Philippians, which is towards the end of your Bible.

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The book of Philippians was written

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by a guy named Pastor Paul.

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Paul wrote the book to a, the, the, the church in Philippi.

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He wrote a letter and it found its way into our Christian

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scriptures, into the Bible.

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And in this letter, Paul wrote to the church in Philippi.

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He, he talked all about what Jesus had done,

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what Jesus had had done for them,

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what Jesus had done in drawing close,

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and the narrative of, of his sacrifice

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and the ways in which he has redeemed the world.

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And then there's a tonnage change in the book as he begins

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to say, look, in light of what Jesus has done, you church

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are called to live differently.

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And then he begins to unpack

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how we live in light of what Jesus has done.

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And we, we find this written for us.

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And what's beautiful, he specifically talks about living

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as it relates to your mental health.

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This is fascinating guys.

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It comes in Philippians chapter four. Here's verse eight.

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And this is Paul writing.

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And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Okay?

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So in light of everything that I said, in light

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of everything I've described in light of Jesus Christ

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and what he's done for you, I got one more thing though

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that I want to instruct you on and teach you on.

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And it's important. I got one final thing.

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Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable

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and right, and pure

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and lovely and admirable.

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Think about things that are excellent

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and worthy of praise.

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Keep putting into practice all that you've learned

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and received from me.

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Everything that you heard from me

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and you saw me doing, then the God

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of peace will be with you.

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Paul is, is is exhorting the church in Philippi and

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therefore also us Christ Church, to,

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to take some actions in light of what Jesus has done for us.

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And in the same way we say, okay, in light of

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what we now know for our mental health,

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we too should be fixing our thoughts,

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be stewards of our minds.

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Be careful in, in, in navigating what we think about,

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that we shouldn't think about things that, that are de

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constructive and unhelpful,

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but in fact, we should focus on the things that are helpful.

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He's talking about our mental health here.

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So in studying and in spending some time on the scripture,

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I found a couple things that I wanted to lift up

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for you specifically that I think we as a church are called

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to do in light of this particular scripture.

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And the first thing is to recognize

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that this is even in scripture.

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I mean, have you noticed how many stories,

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how many verses over the last four weeks have

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to do with your mental health?

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There's a lot in the Bible having to do

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with the importance of your mind and your emotions.

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We've been studying it all month long. It's in the Bible.

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And if it's in the Bible, it's probably

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worth taking seriously.

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The first thing that we are called to in, in,

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in acknowledging what Paul is writing about, is

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to take your mind, take your

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emotions seriously.

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Take your mental health seriously.

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I mean, Paul goes out of his way to say, Hey,

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all this stuff about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

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And I got one more thing that I want

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to explicitly say to you.

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And it's, it's about your mental health

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that should draw our attention.

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The fact that Paul

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and other parts of the Bible talk about mental health means

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that your mental health

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and the mental health of others

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is something we should take seriously.

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So don't, don't make light of it, don't make fun of it.

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Be respectful. Treat it as sacred.

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When you enter into conversations

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with other people about mental health, treat it

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with the amount of seriousness that is appropriate,

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the way in which God himself brings a level

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of seriousness to it by including it

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in his own word in the Bible.

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So take those things seriously.

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Second big thing that we can see from this is the call

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to action very clearly by using verbs.

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Paul uses verbs. Fix your thoughts.

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Think about keep putting into practice.

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These are things that we do and,

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and we can say that we are called to do whatever it is

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that we can do.

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When we think about our mental

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and emotional health, we are called to do the thing

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that we can do to preserve

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and maintain healthy mental and emotional state.

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For some of you, if you remember the spectrum,

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00:16:02.905 --> 00:16:06.865
which we've talked about for some of you, you have good, uh,

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00:16:06.865 --> 00:16:09.825
mental health, fabulous, wonderful.

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Keep doing the things that you're doing to, to bring

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that vitality and strength

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00:16:17.285 --> 00:16:19.425
and encouragement into your mental and emotional health.

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Keep doing what you're doing for others of us.

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And I would include myself in this.

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00:16:24.385 --> 00:16:26.625
I've been transparent with you guys, all, all, uh,

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00:16:26.625 --> 00:16:30.145
series long for others of us who, who have for whatever,

334
00:16:30.145 --> 00:16:33.305
whether it's trauma, whether it's a genetic predisposition,

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00:16:33.305 --> 00:16:35.825
whether it's by the choices that we made, what,

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00:16:36.105 --> 00:16:39.825
whatever it might be, if we have less wellness

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00:16:41.605 --> 00:16:45.305
and we have farther to go in terms of moving

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00:16:45.445 --> 00:16:48.665
and becoming more healthy, we have

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00:16:48.665 --> 00:16:51.465
to be especially attentive to doing the things

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00:16:51.465 --> 00:16:52.865
that we can do.

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We have to do the things that we can do.

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00:16:59.135 --> 00:17:00.905
I'll give you a simple example of this out

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00:17:01.145 --> 00:17:02.665
of my own story, okay?

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I'll explain to you the way that this was explained

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00:17:05.345 --> 00:17:06.465
to me by my doctor.

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00:17:06.965 --> 00:17:09.305
Uh, my doctor. I, I was sitting with him

347
00:17:09.305 --> 00:17:10.705
and I said, look, you gotta put this in

348
00:17:10.705 --> 00:17:12.145
the simplest of terms for me.

349
00:17:12.465 --> 00:17:14.345
I am not, this is not my area. I'm a theologian.

350
00:17:14.345 --> 00:17:16.785
This is not my area of specialty, okay? And he said, okay.

351
00:17:17.205 --> 00:17:21.145
And, and so he, he, he described my reality that I live

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00:17:21.145 --> 00:17:22.345
with on a constant basis.

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00:17:22.525 --> 00:17:25.305
And, and he said this, he said, you know, most people,

354
00:17:26.255 --> 00:17:29.025
when when something good happens in their life,

355
00:17:29.375 --> 00:17:32.865
there's this incredible, uh, biochemical reality

356
00:17:32.895 --> 00:17:33.905
that happens, right?

357
00:17:33.905 --> 00:17:36.145
And we know this to be true. This is what, uh, Dr.

358
00:17:36.285 --> 00:17:37.905
UI was talking about on the screen before.

359
00:17:38.015 --> 00:17:40.705
Like, there's the complexity of your brains and,

360
00:17:40.725 --> 00:17:44.425
and the, the endorphins, the serotonins, the chemicals

361
00:17:44.425 --> 00:17:46.545
that get released and they flood your body.

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And, and when something good happens, those chemicals

363
00:17:50.565 --> 00:17:52.165
actually move into your cells

364
00:17:52.625 --> 00:17:56.165
and they take up residence in your cells, okay?

365
00:17:56.905 --> 00:18:01.565
And when that happens, you feel happy,

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something good happens, your body responds in such a way

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that you feel happy, and that's awesome.

368
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It's incredible the way that God made us right now,

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unfortunately, because of the reality

370
00:18:18.565 --> 00:18:19.965
that we live in a broken world, I,

371
00:18:20.065 --> 00:18:21.445
my body doesn't work that way.

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00:18:21.505 --> 00:18:24.045
It should, it's supposed to, but it doesn't on its own.

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When, when something good happens in my body to, to me,

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00:18:29.305 --> 00:18:31.765
in my situation or circumstances, I have the,

375
00:18:31.785 --> 00:18:34.045
the chemicals flood my body appropriately.

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Uh, but rather than taking up residence in my cells,

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they move through my cells.

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00:18:42.435 --> 00:18:45.725
They don't stay the happiness.

379
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Chemicals don't spend time and residence, but move on.

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00:18:51.515 --> 00:18:55.325
That means that my body physiologically can't remember

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what it's like to be happy.

382
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And this is in actually accelerating as I get older.

383
00:19:03.625 --> 00:19:06.005
So like, I have memories of what it, what it was like

384
00:19:06.005 --> 00:19:08.325
to be happy when I was younger, like to feel happy.

385
00:19:08.355 --> 00:19:10.205
Like I have a sense of what that was like.

386
00:19:10.745 --> 00:19:14.805
But in my every day, I struggle to experience

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00:19:14.805 --> 00:19:15.845
that because of my body.

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00:19:16.665 --> 00:19:18.325
Now, ironically, all the bad feelings,

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00:19:18.335 --> 00:19:20.525
those have no problem taking

390
00:19:20.885 --> 00:19:23.565
residents, of course, right?

391
00:19:24.745 --> 00:19:28.165
All the, the fear, the anxiety, the frustrations, all the,

392
00:19:28.165 --> 00:19:29.685
you know, all that sort of stuff that has

393
00:19:29.685 --> 00:19:30.885
no problem taking up residence.

394
00:19:31.025 --> 00:19:34.885
But, but the feelings of happiness, do what this means.

395
00:19:36.245 --> 00:19:38.365
I can't make myself happy.

396
00:19:39.555 --> 00:19:42.255
That's not something I can do.

397
00:19:45.005 --> 00:19:47.185
But I am still called to do what I can do.

398
00:19:48.835 --> 00:19:53.705
You know what I can do? I can take medication.

399
00:19:55.355 --> 00:19:59.335
And so I do, that's what I can do.

400
00:20:00.485 --> 00:20:02.455
It's sitting next to the coffee pot in the morning.

401
00:20:02.515 --> 00:20:04.655
So the first thing I do, make the cup of coffee,

402
00:20:04.685 --> 00:20:07.015
take the pills, and then I sit down and I read my Bible.

403
00:20:07.475 --> 00:20:12.335
Why? Because I'm trying to do what I can do to steward

404
00:20:12.395 --> 00:20:14.295
and manage my mental and emotional health well,

405
00:20:14.315 --> 00:20:16.375
and to move me into becoming more fully the person

406
00:20:16.375 --> 00:20:18.575
that God intended me to be.

407
00:20:20.935 --> 00:20:23.955
The same is true for you in so much that we, you

408
00:20:23.955 --> 00:20:27.435
and I, we are called to do whatever it is

409
00:20:27.435 --> 00:20:30.195
that we can do, okay?

410
00:20:30.335 --> 00:20:31.995
And there's a bunch of stuff that you can do.

411
00:20:32.425 --> 00:20:36.035
Sometimes it feels totally overwhelming to,

412
00:20:36.035 --> 00:20:38.195
to think about moving towards that, that healthy place,

413
00:20:38.195 --> 00:20:40.235
but there's actually a bunch of different things

414
00:20:40.235 --> 00:20:43.515
that you can do to help move you in that continuum.

415
00:20:43.625 --> 00:20:46.315
Here are some examples. Um, I just threw together therapy.

416
00:20:46.405 --> 00:20:48.845
We've talked about therapy. I go into a therapeutic

417
00:20:48.845 --> 00:20:49.885
space on a regular basis.

418
00:20:49.885 --> 00:20:51.485
I've been doing this for years, like a decade.

419
00:20:51.555 --> 00:20:53.285
Ever since I got into ministry, I came

420
00:20:53.505 --> 00:20:54.525
and I got into ministry,

421
00:20:54.525 --> 00:20:56.525
and I knew right away for my own mental

422
00:20:56.525 --> 00:20:57.925
and emotional wellbeing, I needed

423
00:20:57.925 --> 00:20:59.085
to be in a therapeutic space.

424
00:20:59.085 --> 00:21:01.245
So I've been doing that for 10 years, and it's incredible.

425
00:21:01.315 --> 00:21:03.565
Okay? I encourage you guys think about, um,

426
00:21:03.565 --> 00:21:04.805
therapy and the importance of therapy.

427
00:21:04.805 --> 00:21:08.165
Therapy has changed a lot, uh, in, it's not what, uh,

428
00:21:08.525 --> 00:21:11.125
historically you might imagine it is, uh, in what some

429
00:21:11.125 --> 00:21:12.125
of the movies portrayed.

430
00:21:12.125 --> 00:21:15.645
You don't go sit in a co, uh, a sofa and, and stuff, okay?

431
00:21:15.995 --> 00:21:19.525
It's, it's very, very helpful and very, very constructive.

432
00:21:19.665 --> 00:21:22.165
All right? Uh, medication for those who are appropriate,

433
00:21:22.165 --> 00:21:23.565
talk to your primary care doctor about it.

434
00:21:23.765 --> 00:21:25.365
Start there. Uh, mindfulness.

435
00:21:25.365 --> 00:21:27.765
Mindfulness is a huge thing in terms of practicing.

436
00:21:27.985 --> 00:21:30.605
Um, in fact, this week, what I did in the sermon notes,

437
00:21:30.605 --> 00:21:32.245
so if you go to your digital bulletin,

438
00:21:32.245 --> 00:21:33.605
you guys all have a digital bulletin.

439
00:21:33.605 --> 00:21:34.845
It's access for you online.

440
00:21:35.105 --> 00:21:37.085
If you go there, you go into the digital bulletin,

441
00:21:37.085 --> 00:21:38.525
you'll find events and different things.

442
00:21:38.745 --> 00:21:42.245
You scroll down and you'll find, um, message notes.

443
00:21:42.705 --> 00:21:45.245
And in the message notes, uh, I put some simple

444
00:21:45.345 --> 00:21:47.165
and accessible beginner resources.

445
00:21:47.385 --> 00:21:49.845
And one of them is like, if you're, if you want to discover

446
00:21:49.845 --> 00:21:52.245
how to do mindfulness, there's a YouTube channel that was,

447
00:21:52.405 --> 00:21:53.605
I was referred to by another,

448
00:21:53.665 --> 00:21:54.805
uh, mental health professional.

449
00:21:55.585 --> 00:21:58.125
And, uh, it takes you through guided Christian meditation.

450
00:21:58.675 --> 00:21:59.845
It's the best thing ever.

451
00:22:01.275 --> 00:22:03.535
Do you know how good I sleep when I fall asleep

452
00:22:03.595 --> 00:22:05.815
to a guided meditation taking me through scripture?

453
00:22:07.365 --> 00:22:10.535
It's awesome. Y'all should do it.

454
00:22:11.115 --> 00:22:12.815
So it's a simple practice

455
00:22:12.815 --> 00:22:14.575
that you can just put on your phone as you're falling asleep

456
00:22:14.595 --> 00:22:17.295
and you can allow scripture to wash over you and,

457
00:22:17.295 --> 00:22:19.255
and practice that, that mindfulness,

458
00:22:19.855 --> 00:22:21.335
physical activity, we've talked about that before.

459
00:22:21.335 --> 00:22:22.615
The importance of physical activity,

460
00:22:23.215 --> 00:22:24.695
spiritual disciplines, same thing.

461
00:22:24.715 --> 00:22:26.415
You gotta be regular and disciplined in it.

462
00:22:26.415 --> 00:22:27.935
Healthy relationships, okay?

463
00:22:28.155 --> 00:22:30.255
Uh, if, if you feel like you're not spending time

464
00:22:30.485 --> 00:22:32.775
with people and, and you know, they're so important

465
00:22:32.775 --> 00:22:33.975
to surround yourself with, with healthy

466
00:22:33.995 --> 00:22:35.055
and constructive people and good,

467
00:22:35.085 --> 00:22:36.175
good, positive relationships.

468
00:22:36.355 --> 00:22:37.935
If it's too intimidating to

469
00:22:38.495 --> 00:22:40.175
organize a girl's night, I get that.

470
00:22:40.365 --> 00:22:41.495
Okay? You don't need to do that.

471
00:22:41.765 --> 00:22:43.455
What you can do is reach out via text

472
00:22:43.455 --> 00:22:45.695
and just text someone, call someone, uh, try

473
00:22:45.695 --> 00:22:47.535
to make a connection out there that's gonna help you.

474
00:22:47.535 --> 00:22:50.295
That's a great step that you can take, uh, to,

475
00:22:50.295 --> 00:22:51.815
to help move you towards, uh, mental

476
00:22:51.815 --> 00:22:52.855
and emotional wellbeing.

477
00:22:53.155 --> 00:22:55.695
Um, constructive skills. This is fascinating.

478
00:22:55.835 --> 00:22:59.615
Um, you, you, there, there are skills in, in

479
00:22:59.635 --> 00:23:00.935
and things that you can learn

480
00:23:02.005 --> 00:23:04.335
that will help you navigate your mind

481
00:23:04.355 --> 00:23:05.455
and your emotions better.

482
00:23:05.915 --> 00:23:07.335
Any of you don't raise your hands.

483
00:23:07.675 --> 00:23:11.215
Any of you, uh, go like zero to 90 like that.

484
00:23:11.445 --> 00:23:14.295
Like your emotions just crank up and you see red.

485
00:23:14.755 --> 00:23:17.215
And for, for some people, that's the case. They just whoosh.

486
00:23:17.215 --> 00:23:19.535
Their emotions take over and they lock up

487
00:23:19.535 --> 00:23:21.415
and they can't move past their emotions and,

488
00:23:21.435 --> 00:23:23.255
and in their, their, their brains

489
00:23:23.255 --> 00:23:24.415
and all these things that are happening.

490
00:23:24.685 --> 00:23:27.215
It's not helpful to say to someone who's,

491
00:23:27.215 --> 00:23:29.335
who's struggling in that moment, just stop it.

492
00:23:30.405 --> 00:23:32.895
That doesn't go very far. They, that, that doesn't work.

493
00:23:33.085 --> 00:23:37.135
Okay? Um, what you can do if you're in that situation

494
00:23:37.155 --> 00:23:40.815
and you need to deescalate, is that you can learn skills

495
00:23:41.035 --> 00:23:43.495
to help you deescalate What's happening in your brain is

496
00:23:43.495 --> 00:23:45.015
that the, the, your brain is incredible.

497
00:23:45.265 --> 00:23:47.085
The way God made it, it's developing

498
00:23:47.085 --> 00:23:48.765
and growing from the back to the front.

499
00:23:49.035 --> 00:23:50.725
Your brain doesn't finish in developing

500
00:23:50.725 --> 00:23:53.205
until like your late, late twenties, early thirties.

501
00:23:53.585 --> 00:23:57.245
Um, and, and as it's developing, a thought moves

502
00:23:57.245 --> 00:23:59.405
through the brain, the front part of your brain,

503
00:23:59.425 --> 00:24:01.725
the last part to develop is actually your executive

504
00:24:02.005 --> 00:24:03.605
functioning and, and advanced thinking.

505
00:24:04.105 --> 00:24:05.245
And sometimes, um,

506
00:24:05.315 --> 00:24:07.525
what happens is our thoughts get caught halfway.

507
00:24:08.305 --> 00:24:09.925
Uh, because the middle part of our brain,

508
00:24:10.175 --> 00:24:12.925
there are the realities that, that deal with our emotions.

509
00:24:13.345 --> 00:24:14.485
And so like, quite literally,

510
00:24:14.485 --> 00:24:16.925
it's almost like there's a wall that you can't move

511
00:24:16.945 --> 00:24:18.045
beyond your emotions

512
00:24:18.045 --> 00:24:19.845
because your thoughts are stuck within the

513
00:24:19.845 --> 00:24:20.925
context of your emotions.

514
00:24:21.065 --> 00:24:24.685
And you can't access executive functioning.

515
00:24:24.715 --> 00:24:26.005
Like you can't get there.

516
00:24:26.025 --> 00:24:29.445
That's why just saying stop it, snap out of it doesn't help.

517
00:24:29.825 --> 00:24:31.245
You can't access that part.

518
00:24:31.475 --> 00:24:32.685
Literally, your brain

519
00:24:32.825 --> 00:24:35.325
and the neurotransmitters can't get to where they need

520
00:24:35.325 --> 00:24:36.805
to go, all that sort of stuff, okay?

521
00:24:37.185 --> 00:24:42.045
And so what you can do though is begin to employ

522
00:24:42.305 --> 00:24:44.965
and learn constructive skills

523
00:24:45.995 --> 00:24:47.685
that will help you deescalate

524
00:24:47.785 --> 00:24:50.405
and open up different parts of your brain.

525
00:24:50.715 --> 00:24:54.645
This is why trainings and education is so very important.

526
00:24:54.955 --> 00:24:59.085
Shameless plug, what you do in February 10th, we'd love

527
00:24:59.085 --> 00:25:00.805
to have you come as a church body.

528
00:25:00.825 --> 00:25:01.965
You should know we are committed

529
00:25:01.965 --> 00:25:03.445
to doing these ongoing workshops,

530
00:25:03.445 --> 00:25:05.165
and in fact, we do them on a regular rotation.

531
00:25:05.345 --> 00:25:07.125
We have, uh, not only this year,

532
00:25:07.125 --> 00:25:09.245
but we did last year as well, um,

533
00:25:09.505 --> 00:25:12.245
in May we're preaching a sermon series about parenting.

534
00:25:12.505 --> 00:25:14.325
And, uh, we're gonna have another mental health workshop

535
00:25:14.325 --> 00:25:16.805
related to parenting in kids in mental health

536
00:25:16.905 --> 00:25:19.085
and how you navigate that as a parent, okay?

537
00:25:19.305 --> 00:25:20.525
And it's because we're committed.

538
00:25:21.265 --> 00:25:23.645
We take it seriously as a church,

539
00:25:24.425 --> 00:25:26.005
and we're gonna do what we can do,

540
00:25:26.695 --> 00:25:28.405
which is put ourselves in proximity

541
00:25:28.425 --> 00:25:30.565
of mental health professionals who can equip us

542
00:25:31.145 --> 00:25:32.285
and help us navigate these

543
00:25:32.285 --> 00:25:33.645
conversations with thoughtfulness.

544
00:25:34.115 --> 00:25:36.565
Okay? Last thing that I'll mention is,

545
00:25:36.565 --> 00:25:37.805
look, hey, check this out.

546
00:25:37.805 --> 00:25:40.565
Having long-term health takes a long time.

547
00:25:40.785 --> 00:25:42.765
Did you know that? Okay.

548
00:25:42.765 --> 00:25:44.205
This is why the apostle Paul says, look,

549
00:25:44.315 --> 00:25:48.645
keep putting into practice, keep doing these things.

550
00:25:48.985 --> 00:25:51.165
You ever look at one of those couch to marathon things,

551
00:25:51.785 --> 00:25:55.245
it doesn't go day one couch, day two marathon.

552
00:25:56.665 --> 00:25:57.965
You have to work at it.

553
00:25:57.965 --> 00:25:59.885
You have to build up the strength, you have

554
00:25:59.885 --> 00:26:02.525
to put in the reps, you have to build up the muscles.

555
00:26:02.755 --> 00:26:05.765
This is true of your physical muscles, this is true

556
00:26:05.765 --> 00:26:07.045
of your spiritual muscles.

557
00:26:07.515 --> 00:26:09.565
Shameless plug for coming to church. Why?

558
00:26:09.565 --> 00:26:12.165
Because you need to be in church in order

559
00:26:12.165 --> 00:26:13.925
to build your spiritual muscles.

560
00:26:14.395 --> 00:26:16.085
It's the same thing with your mind.

561
00:26:16.345 --> 00:26:17.765
You need to be employing these

562
00:26:18.165 --> 00:26:19.365
practices and these disciplines.

563
00:26:19.425 --> 00:26:21.325
You need to do what you can do over an

564
00:26:21.565 --> 00:26:22.645
extended period of time.

565
00:26:23.065 --> 00:26:27.605
And then as you do it in the long haul, you will begin

566
00:26:27.605 --> 00:26:32.325
to discover more fully a transformation

567
00:26:33.525 --> 00:26:35.775
towards a healthier you.

568
00:26:37.155 --> 00:26:39.495
Now, last thing I wanna point out is that there is a promise

569
00:26:39.525 --> 00:26:41.375
that we find in this scripture, as well.

570
00:26:41.565 --> 00:26:44.685
Note, it's the very last line. The Greek word is kai.

571
00:26:45.465 --> 00:26:47.725
It is translated as then in our scripture,

572
00:26:47.985 --> 00:26:49.365
though it also can be,

573
00:26:49.585 --> 00:26:52.005
and, uh, the God of peace will be with you.

574
00:26:52.125 --> 00:26:53.925
I wanna be careful because it's not so much like,

575
00:26:53.945 --> 00:26:56.205
if I do this, then God will be with me.

576
00:26:56.265 --> 00:26:58.205
And if I don't do it, then he won't be with me.

577
00:26:58.205 --> 00:26:59.285
That's not what it's saying.

578
00:27:00.795 --> 00:27:03.325
It's saying, look, if you choose to do this,

579
00:27:04.515 --> 00:27:07.805
when you do this, as you do this, you'll begin to discover,

580
00:27:09.625 --> 00:27:11.325
not just simply peace.

581
00:27:12.035 --> 00:27:14.125
Note this, note this, it, it, it says, you know,

582
00:27:14.385 --> 00:27:16.765
and the God of peace, well, that's good.

583
00:27:16.825 --> 00:27:19.045
The God of peace will be with you.

584
00:27:20.755 --> 00:27:25.445
Note, it does not say the peace of God will be with you.

585
00:27:26.345 --> 00:27:27.445
Big difference. Why?

586
00:27:27.715 --> 00:27:30.205
Because if you become a Christian,

587
00:27:30.945 --> 00:27:34.405
it doesn't mean everything will be peaceful all the time.

588
00:27:36.625 --> 00:27:38.645
That's not what you, the promise is not

589
00:27:38.845 --> 00:27:41.685
that you will have peace of mind from now on.

590
00:27:43.585 --> 00:27:47.605
The promise is that the God of peace

591
00:27:48.275 --> 00:27:49.885
will be with you from now on.

592
00:27:51.305 --> 00:27:53.005
The goal is not peace,

593
00:27:54.705 --> 00:27:59.435
but rather a person, the person of God himself,

594
00:27:59.535 --> 00:28:01.195
has promised to be with you

595
00:28:03.175 --> 00:28:05.235
and to move you towards healthiness.

596
00:28:06.335 --> 00:28:09.035
And that's because sometimes as you, as you trust into that,

597
00:28:09.055 --> 00:28:11.595
as you live into that, you will experience God's peace.

598
00:28:12.095 --> 00:28:14.155
But other times you're gonna need other things from God.

599
00:28:14.155 --> 00:28:16.515
You're gonna need forgiveness. You're gonna need grace.

600
00:28:17.855 --> 00:28:19.235
You're, you're gonna need strength.

601
00:28:19.975 --> 00:28:22.355
You're gonna need companionship and comfort.

602
00:28:24.485 --> 00:28:27.655
What is better than simply the peace of God

603
00:28:28.915 --> 00:28:31.095
is the person of God.

604
00:28:32.405 --> 00:28:37.155
And the person of God has promised to be with you

605
00:28:40.915 --> 00:28:45.155
regardless of your mental health and how well

606
00:28:45.415 --> 00:28:46.835
or poor it is doing.

607
00:28:48.995 --> 00:28:51.375
The invitation is for you to take seriously

608
00:28:52.365 --> 00:28:56.215
your mental health, to do what you can do

609
00:28:57.085 --> 00:28:58.255
over the long haul.

610
00:28:58.325 --> 00:28:59.855
Keep putting it into practice.

611
00:29:02.215 --> 00:29:06.715
And as we act in accordance with our theology

612
00:29:06.975 --> 00:29:08.035
and what we believe,

613
00:29:10.545 --> 00:29:13.765
God himself will continue to reveal himself

614
00:29:14.065 --> 00:29:18.965
and his work, his presence, and his power more

615
00:29:19.425 --> 00:29:20.965
and more in your life.

616
00:29:22.915 --> 00:29:24.485
This concludes the sermon series.

617
00:29:24.585 --> 00:29:26.365
It does not conclude the conversation.

618
00:29:26.525 --> 00:29:29.245
I do encourage you to come on February 10th, just, you know,

619
00:29:29.245 --> 00:29:30.285
sign up so we know you're coming.

620
00:29:30.285 --> 00:29:31.285
It'd be great if you forget.

621
00:29:31.285 --> 00:29:32.765
Just come anyways, bring somebody

622
00:29:33.955 --> 00:29:35.765
Next week we'll be talking about holiness.

623
00:29:36.305 --> 00:29:37.925
But for the moment, let's be done.

624
00:29:38.175 --> 00:29:40.125
Allow me to pray over you and for you,

625
00:29:40.125 --> 00:29:41.645
and specifically for your mental health.

626
00:29:41.745 --> 00:29:44.165
Let me pray over you. Gracious God, we worship

627
00:29:44.305 --> 00:29:47.565
and praise you and thank you for these last couple weeks,

628
00:29:47.615 --> 00:29:48.885
these past four weeks, God,

629
00:29:48.885 --> 00:29:53.085
you have graciously surrounded us with protection and care.

630
00:29:54.025 --> 00:29:58.165
As we have navigated carefully the thoughtfulness of mental

631
00:29:58.165 --> 00:29:59.205
and emotional health.

632
00:30:00.145 --> 00:30:02.245
You have led us in these conversations

633
00:30:02.305 --> 00:30:04.885
to better understand ourselves, to better understand our

634
00:30:05.495 --> 00:30:08.965
physiology, our biology, the way that we're made,

635
00:30:09.065 --> 00:30:12.525
and the intricacy with which you have poured into us.

636
00:30:12.625 --> 00:30:14.845
Uh, these, these responsibilities, these gifts

637
00:30:15.705 --> 00:30:17.285
of our mind and our emotions.

638
00:30:17.625 --> 00:30:19.485
We ask that you would lead us in stewarding them.

639
00:30:19.555 --> 00:30:22.125
Well, we ask

640
00:30:22.385 --> 00:30:24.365
and pray specifically over those

641
00:30:24.665 --> 00:30:26.005
who are struggling in their mind

642
00:30:26.005 --> 00:30:28.845
or emotions today, that you would allow them

643
00:30:28.845 --> 00:30:30.365
to feel your presence and your power,

644
00:30:30.425 --> 00:30:32.885
and continue to move them towards the healthiness

645
00:30:32.885 --> 00:30:34.525
that you desire and desire for all of us.

646
00:30:34.835 --> 00:30:36.285
Help us encourage us

647
00:30:36.285 --> 00:30:39.005
and empower us to do whatever it is that we can do

648
00:30:40.065 --> 00:30:42.205
to become more fully the people that you have

649
00:30:42.725 --> 00:30:44.605
intended for us to be.

650
00:30:46.145 --> 00:30:47.965
We thank you that we do all of this

651
00:30:48.035 --> 00:30:49.965
because of what you have already done

652
00:30:49.965 --> 00:30:51.205
for us and the person of Jesus.

653
00:30:52.985 --> 00:30:55.485
And so we take con confidence and,

654
00:30:55.505 --> 00:30:59.725
and comfort Jesus, knowing that you are with us,

655
00:31:00.425 --> 00:31:03.685
the God of peace as we pursue you,

656
00:31:04.385 --> 00:31:05.805
and what you desire for us.

657
00:31:06.585 --> 00:31:09.125
And we pray this, Jesus, in your holy and precious name.

658
00:31:09.875 --> 00:31:10.165
Amen.