The Church and Mental Illness

Over the last few years mental illness has become such a prevalent topic of conversation.  I recently finished reading Delight in Disorder by Tony Roberts; a post about his journey as a pastor in dealing with bipolar disorder.  It got me thinking about how the church is engaging with mental illness.

I think the common thought of mental illness is no Christian should have a mental illness.  Some Christians believe those with mental illnesses are demon possessed, aren't praying enough, or have sinned and this is the consequence of that particular sin.  In my opinion this is pure ignorance from those who think this.  I mean, really?  To say the least, this really frustrates me.

What frustrates me even more is there are leaders right now proclaiming this to be truth from the Bible.  Things like, depression is a sin, or those with other mental illnesses are living in sin are spoken, ostracizing those dealing with these illnesses from the one place they ought to be accepted and loved.  In the middle of the Last Supper, after Jesus washes his disciples feet and before Jesus' rebuke of Peter, we read this by Jesus:

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34-35, New Living Translation).

Even if it were true that these illnesses were proof of sin (WHICH THEY ARE NOT!) followers of Christ are not to be identified by what they think sin is or not, but by their love.

As Scripture says in 1 Peter 4:8, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins."  I love this because it doesn't say opinions, or ideas, or anything else covers sin, but just love.  Yet when it comes to mental illness and the Church, love seems to be missing.

Isn't it a shame the Church doesn't seem to be the place where those suffering from mental illnesses go to find love and acceptance?  That the Church is a place full of stigma and gossip when it comes to mental illness?  I believe it can be different.

Living in the city of Toronto I run into a fair amount of people who suffer from these illnesses.  Sometimes it's scary, I'm not going to lie.  There have been times I have been approached by a person and was scared, yet each time I remember love and acceptance is what I am called to give.  I love encountering people, giving them a warm smile and saying hi, no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they are struggling with.  But still, people think I am crazy and the sad part is most of these people say they are following Christ.

There are a lot of things the Church is spear-heading, but I think most of these things are not what we should be investing in!  Shouldn't we be investing and leading the charge in things like these?

Yes this is a little bit of a rant, I get that, but reading Tony Roberts' story got me thinking a lot.

What do you think?

Comments are always welcome.


That's it.

Bitter or Better

Last year, in October, Megan and I took a trip down to Myrtle Beach.  Along the way we made a few stops in New York, Philadelphia, Virginia Beach and we drove through the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It was incredible.  While we were in New York we decided to do everything we had not done yet in the city (For those who know what we did during our 2010 trip you know there wasn't much left).  The things on the list: NYU, experience Washington Square Park, and of course the Staten Island Ferry to wave at The Statue of Liberty.

It was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and it was pretty warm.  We waited to board the Staten Island Ferry to wave at the Statue of Liberty and take some great pictures of the scenery.  For those who have never taken this ferry, it is free.  It takes you to Staten Island, you have to get off, then re-board to journey back to Manhattan.  On the journey back to Manhattan I decided to sit down on a bench at the back of the ferry.  Megan was enjoying taking more photos.  As she was doing this I noticed a person beside me.  He was an older gentleman and was alone.  He said something to me and before anyone could blink Gary and I were in a great conversation.

The conversation lasted the entirety of the trip back to Manhattan.  I can't recall all of what we talked about, but there is something I found out through the conversation.  Gary was from Australia (yes, the accent was AWESOME!).  A number of years ago he and his wife had taken a trip to New York and did many things together.  This time, he was alone.  Gary's wife had died in the past year.  He was in great spirits about it though.  He told me about his friend who told him something profound just after his wife had died.  The friend said, "Gary, you can either be bitter or better, you choose."  Gary then promptly told me he was going to be better!

After a bit more conversation he told me he was on this trip in memory of his wife; he was doing all the things he and his wife did on their previous trip.  Just before we docked he told me how much he enjoyed Jersey Boys and how he was going to see them that night.  When we docked he got up, said goodbye and was on his way.  I wanted to continue to talk, but he had things to do!

I love it, "Gary, you can either be bitter or better, you choose."  This thought has stuck with me since that moment on the ferry.  In life I am going to go through so many experiences, all of which are going to shape who I become - even the seemingly mundane ones.  After every experience I now ask myself, "bitter or better?"  I have to admit, sometimes I choose bitter.  Heck, it's easier!  It's harder to move on from certain experiences sometimes, but once it's done it's great.

I will never forget that ferry ride.  Gary is forever in my life.  I know I will probably never see Gary again, but I thank you Gary, for giving me such great advice simply by sharing your story with me.*

Obviously there is more to write about when it comes to Gary, but this is the biggest point.

Honestly, what do you choose more often: bitter or better?

Think about it.


Thoughts are always welcome.

*For more on the power of story visit storylineblog.com.  Also for a great book on the power of story pick up A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.

Sin:Death, Death:Life

I always seem to be drawn to creation. I don't know what it is, or how it happens, but it does. Maybe it's because I always wonder what things would have been like if Adam and Eve had obeyed God in the beginning; what would things be like if that were the case? How would we treat each other and the rest of creation?

I love the account of creation. Things were perfect; nothing was wrong; everything was good, really good. God looked at everything He had created and was finished; there was nothing left to create.

From that time until now we have been given so many things from God and each time we disobey we say to God, 'You are not enough'. What a sad statement, but a true one. All of sin can be summed up in that statement: 'You are not enough'. Why is God not enough? Why aren't we satisfied with what God has given and continues to give us? Why do we always want more of something else thinking there will be life in it?

The reason is actually found in the beginning. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that sin brought death to humanity. So in everything else other than God death will be the only thing found. Every time we disobey God and go against His great design we are choosing death.

Throughout history God gave his laws, prophets, and silence to direct us toward obedience to Him, but every time we choose the opposite, death. We choose this because our natural direction is towards this. One small example of this is one of the first words children learn when they are beginning to speak, 'no'. I mean sometimes it is really good to say no, but the natural tendency is to say no to obedience. We are naturally trending towards disobedience instead of obedience to God. But, let's remember the original design and creation: God created us in such a way, it was perfect. Our natural trend was not towards disobedience, but actually obedience. Adam and Eve chose disobedience and from then on disobedience has been our trend; death has been our trend.

Sin:Death.

Enter Jesus. The astounding part of Jesus is of course his victory over death, but also the life He lived. See, from the beginning of creation till the time of Jesus there had never been a person to fully obey God in every way; not a single person had ever been perfect, not even close to it. When Jesus came along He transformed everyone's concept because He was like no one to ever come: Everyone's trend was towards death and disobedience, but Jesus' trend was and is towards life and obedience. In fact, he is life and obedience. He is perfection; He is everything Adam was created to be; He is everything you and I were created to be.

For those who don't know we are in the midst of Holy Week. A week to remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the events leading up to the crucifixion, and the crucifixion on Friday. The only thing is we remember Easter not just because Christ died, but because He has  risen! He defeated death and has brought us new life.

It is truly amazing: Adam:Death, Death:Life. Adam's sin brought death to humanity because of disobedience, but Jesus' death brought life because of His perfect obedience (See Romans 5:12-21).

Christ's Death:Life

Are we choosing life:Jesus:Obedience?

Are we choosing death:Adam:Disobedience?

Do we demonstrate we have new life through Jesus?

Does this new life impact our decisions? Where we live? What we eat? What we say? What we buy? How we treat others? How we treat ourselves?

Are we choosing life, or are we choosing to death?

These are tough honest questions to go through because they will reveal what we are actually living for.

What will you choose Adam:Death or Christ's Death:Life?

Thoughts are always welcomed.

Our Need for God

This week I had the privilege of writing a paper for one of my classes this semester in Seminary.  I wrote on my need for God.  I thought you (whomever you are) would be interested in this.  Here are my thoughts:

Understanding my need for God starts with looking at the life of Jesus.  It is ludicrous to say Jesus did not understand His need for God the Father.  All anyone has to do is look at the life of Jesus and will plainly see Jesus demonstrated a need for His Father: “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.  Later Simon and the others went out to find him.  When they found him, they said, ‘Everyone is looking for you’” (Mark 1:35-37, New Living Translation).  This was not an uncommon practice of Jesus.  In Matthew 14:23, after Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding five thousand men and their families, he drew off to be alone.  Again in Luke 6:12, Luke talks about soon after a day of healing and teaching to the Pharisees he was up all night on a mountain praying.  There are countless other passages of Scripture demonstrating how Jesus needed God the Father.  It would be absolutely asinine to believe we as humans do not need God if Jesus Himself demonstrated He did.  

Let us remember Jesus was God in the flesh; He did not need anything, but chose to demonstrate to us how we ought to live.  If we say, by the way we live, we need other things and not God we do not even understand the core of our neediness.  As Bradley P. Holt says in Thirsty for God, “Jesus lived out an intimate relation to God, modelling prayer and obedience to his own followers but also inviting them to share in the oneness he experienced with the father” (p. 24).  Understanding my need for God begins when I soberly look at the life of Jesus and do as He did.  The biggest thing I was challenged with over the last four months has been to do just this.  Yes, it is a massive undertaking, but to be challenged by anything less is not what it means to follow Jesus and know my need for God.  Looking at the life of Jesus there are a lot of things we all need to introduce into our lives, but the most challenging ones for me have been the ideas of solitude and accepting other people.

Solitude is an interesting discipline.  For people who do not know what it is it seems to be boring.  An honest reflection of myself would show I too saw solitude as boring for most of my life.  The idea of being by myself for long periods of time without really accomplishing anything was something I could not comprehend.  After reflecting, studying, and listening to others, what I thought was solitude could not have been farther from the truth.  In fact, solitude is not about accomplishing things, but ceasing to accomplish because the focus is not on doing, but being.  I love to be needed; I love accomplishing things; I love to be the person to solve the problem.  In solitude all of this fades away: my love to be needed becomes knowing what I need; my love for accomplishing things becomes knowing things have been accomplished; my love of being the person to solve the problem becomes knowing there is nothing to be solved.  Being is the ability to rest knowing Jesus has done it all; we do not have to do anything for significance, but rest knowing in Jesus we have our significance.

The concept of being has taken a lot of time to develop because it means I have to sit with myself and find significance not in what I can do, but in Jesus.  I have always had a hard time with this.  The world is a place which tells us we can be certain people if we just do, or have, or want whatever it is the world is offering us.  The ability to rest knowing our significance does not lie in what we do, or have, or want takes a lot of discipline. It means taking time away from those things and spending time with the One, God, where our significance does lie through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As Dallas Willard says in The Spirit of the Disciplines, 

"Solitude frees us, actually.  This above all explains its primacy and priority among the disciplines.  The normal course of day-to-day human interactions locks us into patters of feeling, thought, and action that are geared to a world set against God.  Nothing but solitude can allow the development of a freedom from the ingrained behaviors that hinder our integration into God’s order" (p.161).

I cannot say I truly understand solitude, but in being challenged to put it into practice in my life I can definitely see the rhythm of God more than I could before.  It is this easy concept we hardly ever practice: the more time we give to God the more He is going to show the way we ought to live.  I do not want to say life becomes easier because it depends on how we look at life, but incorporating solitude into my life has been a place where I feel most accepted, loved, and cherished, areas which I struggle to demonstrate to others.

As stated above, I have a hard time accepting others as they are.  In looking at the life of Jesus I see a man who saw, cherished, loved, and accepted people as they were, no strings attached.  This is most vividly demonstrated in John 4.  Jesus is found to be interacting with a Samaritan woman by a well in the middle of the day.  I will not be able to get into all the details of the story, but will say this, Jesus knew who this woman was; He knew why she had to come in the middle of the day, in the heat; He knew she was a Samaritan (John 4:1-26).  The incredible part of this story is the woman’s reaction to Jesus not just telling her He was the Messiah, but telling her all she had done.  Jesus was not there to condemn the woman, but to give her life.  There is something miraculous when we accept others; no matter what a person is going through or their circumstance, to know they are accepted as they are brings life.

One of the reasons I believe it is hard for me to accept other people is because I have a hard to accepting who I am.  I lived most of my life allowing others to tell me who I am and living the way I thought they would like me best.  In looking at John 4 I realize Jesus knows everything about me - past, present, and future - and yet still accepts me and wants to give me life.  Life is found in accepting who we are before God, but life is also given when we accept others as they are.

In the entire life of Jesus we see a man who knew who He was before God the Father and was able to demonstrate it by how He lived.  The most challenging part of solitude and acceptance for me is, I come to God as I am.  I do not come with what I have done, the great thoughts I have, or the knowledge I have, but I come as I am.  The best part of this is God accepts me.  Something so simple, but yet so real has been challenging for me: to accept the simplicity of acceptance before God in solitude.

Thoughts are always welcome.

That's it.

Who inspires you?

I love inspiring others, but I only love inspiring because others have inspired me. It is this beautiful pattern in life we must always follow. One of the people who has inspired me over the last year is none other than my beautiful wife.

Let me set the scene for you: Megan worked downtown Toronto for an investment firm. She was being paid very well and increasing in salary on a fairly steady basis. Everything seemed to be going incredibly well except for one thing, Megan hated what she did. She found no  joy in her work and was completely unsatisfied with what she was doing. So she did the unthinkable, she quit. Everyone around us couldn't believe it. Constantly we heard, 'how are you going to survive?' 'Why would you quit, we all don't like our jobs, it's just a part of life.' 'What are you going to do about money?' The list of questions goes on and on, but Megan was concerned about one thing her health as a person. Why would a person stay in such an unhealthy place just for money and security?

There were a few other reasons as to why she quit: stress, career change, and many more. The main reason above all was she wanted to get healthy and do what she loved and wants to do. She simply said to me, "why can't I do what I love?" What a great inspirational question!

From here she started looking for a job she would love to do. It was really difficult. For 4 months of solid searching and investigating she didn't find much. For some this would dampen their spirits, but not Megan. She just asked the question again, "what do I love?" The answer was yoga. She decided to apply for the teacher training program at Octopus Garden in September, got in, and then graduated by December. What she realized in the process was she understood what she loves to do: help people to be restored to full health and yoga is a way of doing that.

After graduating the New Year began and things were again tough, but Megan stuck to the question "what do I love to do?" She believed teaching yoga and still trying to find a place to work part-time at a place she cares about was a priority. In February an organization gave her a call and asked her to interview for a position. Needless to say she got it and it is the exact place she wanted for a part-time job. She is a receptionist for a Pyschotherapy clinic being inspired by therapists around her and helping bring people to greater health. Amazing.

At this point still wondering why things weren't beginning with her Yoga teaching she kept working hard at it. This Friday she begins a multi session class with more than 4 people wanting her to teach them yoga. Also she has secured her first private student starting in the next couple of weeks.

It is incredible to see Megan now doing what she loves to do. From the beginning she dared to leave comfort and security to find joy. She decided to follow God through it all knowing He would honour her desire for doing what she loved instead of the easy things. She took a risk, dreamed big, and that dream became a reality.

Months after wondering what she would do after quitting her job downtown she is a certified yoga teacher holding a multiple week class, secured her first private student, working at a place she cares about and loves, working on an application to an MDiv in Counselling, and is doing it all with the joy of being a mother in August. All of this because she dared to ask the question, "what do I love to do?"

I am so inspired and proud to be her partner in this journey. She is my inspiration right now and you can understand why. God has blessed me with an incredible woman and for that I am grateful.

Thanks for inspiring me Megan. Keep dreaming and never settle for comfort and security.

This brings up the question, what do you love? Are you doing that? What steps do you need to take to make it a reality?

That's it! Thoughts are of course welcomed.