Bless This Brain

In this episode I reflect on a phrase that regularly marked my childhood. "Hey, kid." The familiar greeting my grandfather used whenever he visited. What would we say if we could talk to ourselves growing up? What, as people experiencing mental health challenges, would we convey to ourselves in our youth? Let's explore some "Hey, kids" that we can convey to the youth in our lives.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

There is no topic more sensitive when it comes to discussion of treating mental illness, than medication.This episode isn't an attempt to get you to take medication. It's about weighing the cost of symptom relief against the occasional experience of unwanted side effects. Written by a guy who was deathly afraid of those little white pills.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Everything tells us that we're called to do big, great, amazing things. That, like so much of the world, we should never be satisfied with less than having the largest impact. But at what cost? The cost of great love.

When are the weird things we do more than they seem to be? In this episode we explore how being curious about behaviors rather than taking them at face value, can help to identify when someone might be struggling.

Come back with me to a far away place, the land of 1995. In this episode, I talk about a childhood experience that shaped me in a powerful way. It's...not what you think

We exist in a world that seeks out those who impress, entertain, and inspire us. But, as Christians, we're not meant to be a part of that world. Today we'll talk about why it's important to keep our eyes on the corners

Why is the church often the hardest place to find out who is dealing with a mental health challenge, and how can we work together to change that?

Oh, the golden age when nobody experienced depression and anxiety. Back in the good old year of never ever. Mental illness has always been around, so why do some find that hard to believe?

Prayer blesses our brains. Community blesses our brains. Reading God's word blesses our brains. But there's something on the spiritual side of things that I've come to believe plays maybe the largest part in what keeps a mentally ill Christian from experiencing healing

At many points in our recovery journey we're tempted to give it all up after we experience a setback, but that's not necessary. You just have to pick it back up. You didn't break anything.

The BTB podcast returns asking the question, to what length should I pursue recovery? What's the goal? It's going to look a little different for everybody, but there's some very basic mileposts we should be keeping an eye out for.

We are not useless because we experience depression. We're not useless because we experience anxiety. It is exactly for this reason that we are usefulBless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

All of us have days when we feel like giving up. When we feel like throwing in the towel. This can be for a variety of reasons. But a bad day, a bad week, or year, or difficult start on a new path of recovery, do not define the rest of your story.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Are you lonely, either because of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, sin, or another reason? Do you feel abandoned, alone, discarded, neglected, rejected? You're not alone in feeling alone. But you're not alone. Not truly. Not ever.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

This is the first in a short series I'm calling "For those days". In this episode, we'll discuss the fear and anxiety that comes from feeling like we're not enough. Spoiler alert: We're not...enough, that is. Not apart from Him. But in Him, we have fullness, and from Him, we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

What a shame that...well, shame...so often robs us of what is arguably the best thing we can do at any time in our life. Commune with God. In this episode, we explore the way that shame has hurt our ability to pray, and how rethinking the purpose of prayer can invite us back into this precious time.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Are we truly called to be happy all the time? That might sound silly to some, but for many of us, that's the goal. But how realistic is that goal, and is it even one worth pursuing?Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

This episode steps away from the familiar format. It's a short prayer inspired by the many confessions of the burdened hearts that we've ministered to through Bless This Brain. Pray it with me today and as often as you need

It's a tale as old as time. Maybe not that old. It's a tale as old as there has been psychiatric medication. Today we're going to examine the one reason we should never have for giving up this form of treatment.

We're prone to beat ourselves up for the tiniest of shortcomings, and often compare ourselves to the best we see in others. Today we're going to learn why one, however imperfect, is still better than the other

In this episode I speak to what I think may be the greatest challenge to your mental health in this, an election year. It's time to ask yourself two questions. Who am I being discipled by? And Who is my God? Let's all get uncomfortable together.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

In this episode, you'll here the interview that Trish and I did at Redemption Church Tucson in April. Enjoy!Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

You've probably been met with the downward glance, the awkward silence, and maybe the disapproving look that comes with oversharing. But what if our idea of what is oversharing is incorrect?Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Sometimes we need to refresh our palates as we seek to grow in our understanding of scripture. We do this with simple truths that ground us in our identity as a beloved child of God.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Today you're probably going to smile even though you don't feel like it, and that's okay. In fact, it's more than okay. It's a gift. In this episode you'll learn why.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Christians don't live on an island. We live in community. At least, that's what we're called to. But what about when mental health symptoms hurt our ability to live alongside others we're called to love?Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

We often make our assumptions about the state of another person's mental health based on the symptoms we see them display in public. It's a deadly mistake.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

It's hard to imagine God hurting as we've hurt, or being in anguish as we've been in anguish, but we have a great high priest who can relate to us in our suffering.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Humor is one of the best God-given ways that we can help reduce stigma in ourselves and others, and strengthen ourselves for the recovery path ahead. But, it's important to keep some things in mind when putting a humorous spin on serious symptoms.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

So many good things have the potential to turn bad without reason or warning. This is true of our emotions. Created by God, our brain's capacity to experience emotions serves as a helpful tool, but on occasion, those same helpful emotions go awry. Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

It happens all the time in all areas of life. We're forced to take sides. Something or someone always having to be higher, while something or someone else has to be lower. This type of thinking is rarely helpful, but particularly unhelpful when discussing treatments for mental illness.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Ever had someone disclose a mental illness to you and found yourself not knowing how to respond? That's okay. In this episode, we look at the three most common (and unhelpful) types of responses that a person who's disclosing a diagnosis may receive. We also look at an alternative way of responding that better reflects the love and presence of Christ.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

It's a normal part of the journey for any Christian living with a mental illness. Judging the efforts you put into prayer, and blaming yourself when your faith just isn't enough to relieve your symptoms. But, is that how God works? Is that how healing works? Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Healing doesn't always look like full eradication of symptoms, and that's okay. In this episode, we examine the reality of recovery, and discover what healing from a chronic mental illness may look likeBless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

The difference between "I am" and "I live with" can make a significant difference when we're talking about mental health challenges. Learn how we can stop thinking of mental illness as an identity, and replace it with an identity so much better.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

In our attempt to make ourselves and others feel better, we may find ways to reframe mental illness as a good thing. It's not. But it provides something even better. Learn what that is in this episode.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

The mental health challenges we face can leave us feeling like secondhand citizens of the church, unsuited for ministry. It's just not true. Today we look at the way that God uses our struggles to display His works in us.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Medication, therapy, exercise...there's so many ways that we can bless our brains, but the fact remains, we're still going to encounter troubles along the path to recovery. But take heart.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

When Christians experience the symptoms of a mental illness, they'll often fall into a state of Analysis Paralysis. Trying to discern what may be at the heart of symptoms is something we should do, but with a bias towards action. In this episode we'll discover how the gospel informs a spiritual AND physical approach to recovery.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

When it comes to the topic of mental illness, it seems like everyone has an opinion....a strong one. Take meds or don't take meds. See a therapist or don't see a therapist. So on and so on. In this episode we'll discuss what drives these strong opinions, and how we can respond.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge alone.BlessThisBrain.com

If you're living with a mental health challenge, you may have experienced the shame that comes with heightened emotions that feel out of your control. In this episode, we explore a scriptural approach to feelingBless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com

Someone didn't like the name of our organization. Says we focus to much on the brain and that we should instead say, bless this heart. We say nah.Bless This Brain is an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between churches and mental health help. We tear down stigma through creative storytelling, mental health first aid training, and innovative workshops. We come alongside people as they navigate their recovery journey, ensuring no one who comes to a church seeking mental health help, faces that challenge aloneBlessThisBrain.com