A message for Russian and Ukrainian Unbelievers

Over the past few weeks we in America have been hearing of impending war in the Ukraine. We keep hearing that Russia is going to invade the Ukraine. We can't help but be nervous, not only for our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine, but our brothers and sisters in Russia, and especially for the unbelieving in these countries that will be effected by war. 
If I could say one thing to the unbelievers in Russia, the Ukraine, and around the world is that God loves you. In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to live among us and to die for our sins.
Christ experienced death and judgment so that we wouldn't have to. But Christ died for our sins, He paid the penalty of God’s judgment against sins, so that God can be wholly just – for He sees to it that no sin goes unpunished. Indeed, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). But Christ did far more for us than die for our sins. Just like a coin has two sides, what Christ did for us also has two sides. The end of this verse says, “being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” On the negative side, Jesus was put to death in the flesh for our sins to satisfy the justice of God; on the positive side, he was made alive in the spirit, “that he might bring us to God.” That is, that He might show us the love of God. Just like his death in the flesh is once for all, his resurrection in the spirit is also once for all and everlasting.
God doesn’t just patch over sin, covering us for a little while, until sin breaks out again. God doesn’t just trim the weeds; God roots them out. God doesn’t offer bypass surgery; He gives us a new heart. Not a new heart of flesh, but a new heart in the spirit, because Christ was made alive in the spirit. With the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have this intimate, infinite and permanent connection with God. The Holy Spirit is our power source that will never have a blackout, that will never short circuit. It is as if we are plugged into the power source of the entire universe. Furthermore, this power source is wireless, and has infinite range, with no areas of poor reception –because it is from the infinitely powerful Holy Spirit. So when Christ dies for us, the righteous for the unrighteous, he takes away sin from us – and He gives us new life, so that we become children of God. That’s why the Apostle Paul says, “but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). If you are ready to have a new life, all you have to do is acknowledge that you are a sinner and ask Christ to be your savior. 

I have included a simple prayer below: 
Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. I give myself to you. I receive your forgiveness and ask you to take your rightful place in my life as my Savior and Lord. Come reign in my heart, fill me with your love and your life, and help me to become a person who is truly loving—a person like you. Restore me, Jesus. Live in me. Love through me. Thank you, God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, I can't stay that your life will be easy, God doesn't tell us that life will be easy, but God does tell us that He will give us peace. So while accepting Christ as your savior won't stop the impending war, it means that you will know that no matter what you belong to Christ. 

In Ukrainian: 

Протягом останніх кількох тижнів ми в Америці чули про те, що в Україні насувається війна. Ми постійно чуємо, що Росія збирається вторгнутися в Україну. Ми не можемо не хвилюватися не тільки за наших братів і сестер в Україні, але й за наших братів і сестер в Росії, а особливо за невіруючих у цих країнах, які постраждають від війни.

Якби я міг сказати одну річ невіруючим в Росії, Україні та всьому світі, це те, що Бог любить вас. Насправді Він так любить вас, що послав Свого Єдинородного Сина жити серед нас і померти за наші гріхи.

Христос пережив смерть і суд, щоб нам не довелося. Але Христос помер за наші гріхи, Він заплатив Божий суд над гріхами, щоб Бог міг бути цілком справедливим – бо Він піклується про те, щоб жоден гріх не залишився безкарним. Справді, «без пролиття крові немає прощення гріхів» (Євреїв 9:22). Але Христос зробив для нас набагато більше, ніж помер за наші гріхи. Так само, як монета має дві сторони, те, що Христос зробив для нас, також має дві сторони. У кінці цього вірша сказано: «убитий тілом, але оживлений духом». З негативного боку, Ісус був убитий у тілі за наші гріхи, щоб задовольнити справедливість Бога; з позитивного боку, він ожив у дусі, «щоб привести нас до Бога». Тобто, щоб Він показав нам Божу любов. Подібно до того, як Його смерть у тілі є раз назавжди, Його воскресіння в дусі також раз назавжди і назавжди.

Бог не просто латає гріх, прикриваючи нас на деякий час, поки гріх не вибухне знову. Бог не просто підстригає бур’яни; Бог їх викорінює. Бог не пропонує шунтування; Він дає нам нове серце. Не нове серце з плоті, але нове серце в дусі, бо Христос ожив духом. Маючи Святий Дух у наших серцях, ми маємо цей інтимний, нескінченний і постійний зв’язок з Богом. Святий Дух – це наше джерело енергії, яке ніколи не буде відключено, яке ніколи не буде короткого замикання. Ми ніби підключені до джерела енергії всього Всесвіту. Крім того, це джерело живлення є бездротовим і має нескінченну дальність дії, без областей поганого прийому, тому що воно походить від нескінченно потужного Святого Духа. Отже, коли Христос вмирає за нас, праведний за неправедних, Він забирає з нас гріх – і Він дає нам нове життя, щоб ми стали дітьми Божими. Тому апостол Павло каже: «Ви ж як сини прийняли Духа усиновлення, яким ми кличемо: Авва! Отче!» (Римлян 8:15). Якщо ви готові мати нове життя, все, що вам потрібно зробити, це визнати, що ви грішники, і попросити Христа бути вашим спасителем.

Нижче я включив просту молитву:

Ісусе, я вірю, що Ти Син Божий, що Ти помер на хресті, щоб врятувати мене від гріха і смерті і повернути мене до Отця. Тепер я вибираю відвернутися від своїх гріхів, від своєї егоцентричності та від кожної частини мого життя, яка тобі не подобається. я вибираю тебе. Я віддаю себе тобі. Я отримую твоє прощення і прошу тебе зайняти належне місце в моєму житті як мого Спасителя і Господа. Прийди, царюй у моєму серці, наповни мене своєю любов’ю і своїм життям і допоможи мені стати людиною, яка справді любить – такою, як ти. Віднови мене, Ісусе. Живи в мені. Любов через мене. Спасибі тобі, Господи. В ім’я Ісуса я молюся. Амінь.

Якщо ви молилися цією молитвою, я не можу залишитися, щоб ваше життя було легким, Бог не каже нам, що життя буде легким, але Бог каже нам, що Він дасть нам мир. Тож, якщо прийняти Христа як свого Спасителя, це не зупинить війну, що насувається, це означає, що ви будете знати, що незалежно від того, що ви належите Христові.

In Russian: 

За последние несколько недель мы в Америке слышали о надвигающейся войне на Украине. Мы постоянно слышим, что Россия собирается вторгнуться в Украину. Мы не можем не нервничать не только за наших братьев и сестер на Украине, но и за наших братьев и сестер в России, и особенно за неверующих в этих странах, которые будут затронуты войной.

Если бы я мог сказать неверующим в России, на Украине и во всем мире, что Бог любит вас. На самом деле, Он любит вас так сильно, что послал Своего единственного Сына жить среди нас и умереть за наши грехи.

Христос пережил смерть и суд, чтобы нам не пришлось. Но Христос умер за наши грехи, Он уплатил наказание Божьего суда над грехами, чтобы Бог мог быть совершенно справедливым, ибо Он следит за тем, чтобы ни один грех не оставался безнаказанным. Действительно, «без пролития крови не бывает прощения грехов» (Евреям 9:22). Но Христос сделал для нас гораздо больше, чем просто умер за наши грехи. Как у медали две стороны, так и то, что сделал для нас Христос, тоже имеет две стороны. В конце этого стиха говорится: «Быть ​​умерщвленным по плоти, но ожившим в духе». С другой стороны, Иисус был предан смерти во плоти за наши грехи, чтобы удовлетворить Божью справедливость; с положительной стороны, он ожил в духе, «чтобы привести нас к Богу». То есть, чтобы Он мог показать нам любовь Божью. Подобно тому, как его смерть во плоти один раз для всех, его воскресение в духе также один раз для всех и навсегда.

Бог не просто исправляет грех, покрывая нас на какое-то время, пока грех снова не вырвется наружу. Бог не просто подстригает сорняки; Бог искоренит их. Бог не предлагает шунтирование; Он дает нам новое сердце. Не новое сердце из плоти, но новое сердце в духе, потому что Христос ожил в духе. Со Святым Духом в наших сердцах у нас есть эта тесная, бесконечная и постоянная связь с Богом. Святой Дух — это наш источник энергии, который никогда не отключится, никогда не произойдет короткого замыкания. Мы словно подключены к источнику энергии всей Вселенной. Кроме того, этот источник питания является беспроводным и имеет бесконечный радиус действия, без зон плохого приема, потому что он исходит от бесконечно могущественного Святого Духа. Итак, когда Христос умирает за нас, праведник за неправедных, Он снимает с нас грех – и дает нам новую жизнь, чтобы мы стали детьми Божьими. Вот почему Апостол Павел говорит: «Но вы получили Духа усыновления, Которым мы вопием: Авва! Отец!» (Римлянам 8:15). Если вы готовы к новой жизни, все, что вам нужно сделать, это признать, что вы грешник, и попросить Христа стать вашим спасителем.

Я включил простую молитву ниже:

Иисус, я верю, что Ты Сын Божий, что Ты умер на кресте, чтобы спасти меня от греха и смерти и вернуть меня Отцу. Сейчас я выбираю отвернуться от своих грехов, своего эгоцентризма и всего того, что не нравится тебе в моей жизни. Я выбираю тебя. Я отдаю себя тебе. Я принимаю ваше прощение и прошу вас занять подобающее вам место в моей жизни как моего Спасителя и Господа. Приди, царствуй в моем сердце, наполни меня своей любовью и своей жизнью и помоги мне стать по-настоящему любящим человеком — таким, как ты. Восстанови меня, Иисус. Живи во мне. Любовь через меня. Спасибо тебе, Господи. Во имя Иисуса я молюсь. Аминь.

Если вы помолились этой молитвой, я не могу оставаться в стороне от того, что ваша жизнь будет легкой, Бог не говорит нам, что жизнь будет легкой, но Бог говорит нам, что Он даст нам мир. Поэтому, хотя принятие Христа как своего Спасителя не остановит надвигающуюся войну, это означает, что вы будете знать, что независимо от того, что вы принадлежите Христу.

Jesus Laughed

This cartoon (to the left) appeared in a Facebook group called "Church Funnies Group." It's a group where Christians can come together and often make fun of ourselves. When I saw the cartoon, I laughed, and then I ruined it by reading the stuffy comments, from the self-appointed theologians in the group. "This isn't funny!" "This isn't Bibilical!"  

Yet this cartoon has become the theological hill upon which many in the group are willing to die on. Even my comment, in which I said "Jesus Christ, are there people really angry over this post?" A simple prayer, typed out, got me called a blasphemer, and told that I was using Jesus' name in vain. Next comment was "Is this really the theological hill upon which you are choosing to die today?" Oh, boy! Did that stir the pot! And the answer to that question is "Yes!" James Nethercott, asked "Who made you the judge of our Lord's sense of humor?" Because I merely asked if this was the hill they are choosing to die upon. My reply was "Have you seen the negativity? Oh, wait, you are contributing to the negativity. I sure hope that you are man enough to stand up to all the errors that the church endorses." 

A study published in Scientific American in 2013 states 

As a whole, the young men had stronger connections within cerebral hemispheres while the young women had stronger connections between hemispheres, the study, detailed today (Dec. 2) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found. However, the cerebellum, a part of the brain below the cerebrum that plays a role in coordinating muscle movement, showed the opposite pattern, with males having stronger connections between hemispheres. Roughly speaking, the back of the brain handles perception and the front of the brain handles action; the left hemisphere of the brain is the seat of logical thinking, while the right side of the brain begets intuitive thinking. The findings lend support to the view that males may excel at motor skills, while women may be better at integrating analysis and intuitive thinking.

So the cartoon, leads me to a question and two statements. 

First the statements, while the nativity of our Lord is important, this cartoon shows the fundamental differences between men and women. Let's face it, women typically bring gifts that are practical, a new mom doesn't feel like cooking, we bring food. A new mom doesn't have time to run out to the store to buy diapers if she hits the last one, and formula is expensive. Its a funny look at how differently we, women, think from men. 

My favorite comment that I saw over and over and over, said "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh were brought to help Jesus' escape King Herod." First off, no they weren't. They were prophetic gifts who identified Jesus as "King of Kings, the High Priest, and ultimate sacrifice." (I will be writing more about this later.)

Now, for my question, did Jesus have a sense of humor? 

Did Jesus have a sense of humor? I believe that he did. I believe that just as Jesus wept (John 11:35), it would only make sense that Jesus would laugh when the occasion called for it. Jesus wasn't just God in flesh, He was also fully human. 

R.C. Sproul writes, The Bible does say that God laughs. In the Psalms it’s a derisive laugh. When the kings of the world set themselves against God and take counsel against God, it says that he who sits in the heavens shall laugh. God will hold them in derision. It’s sort of a “huh!” kind of laughter. It’s not a jovial response of happiness, but nevertheless it’s laughter.

In the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament—for example, in Ecclesiastes—we’re told that certain things are appropriate at certain times. There’s a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to build, a time to tear down; there’s a time to dance, a time to sing, a time to laugh, a time to cry. Since God has, in his seasons, appointed appropriate times for laughter, and Jesus always did what was appropriate, it would seem to me that when it was time to laugh, he laughed.

Donald Wayne Viney wrote in The Midwest Quarterly, "The teachings of Jesus Christ contained considerable humor in the forms of exaggeration, satire, sarcasm and irony. The divine aspects of Jesus are often stressed at the expense of his humanity, and theology has traditionally emphasized the incompatibility of laugher with deity. However, the Gospel writers often missed the subtle ways in which Jesus deflated the hypocrisy in the exaggerated religious practices he encountered."

One of my favorite sculptures is my Jim Carlos, and is kept at Clyde Central UMC in Clyde, NC. The sculpture is of Jesus laughing. Officially know as "The Joy of Jesus" the sculpture shows Jesus enjoying a hearty laugh. I imagine that Jesus was probably enjoying the moment when he told the disciples to let the children come to Him.  Why would God gift us with humor if He himself didn't exhibit humor? 

Martin Luther wrote, Christ is a God of joy. It is pleasing to the dear God whenever thou rejoices or laughest from the bottom of thy heart.

Viney, goes on to say "When one surveys the general testimony of the Gospels, it is difficult to understand how one could conclude that Jesus was not a man "complete with both tear ducts and funny bone" (Phipps, 104). How could one who was popular with children (Mt 19.13-14; Mk 10.13-16; Lk 18.15-17) and who encouraged his followers to become as little children (Mt 18.3) not be cheerful? How could one accused of indulging his palate not laugh (Mt 11.19; Lk 5.33; Lk 7.34)? How could one who told his followers that they were at a wedding party while they were in his presence not be jovial (Mt 9.15; Mk 2.19; Lk 5.34)? Is joy not a sign of wisdom, and is wisdom not vindicated by all of her children (Lk 7.35)? It only remains to provide more direct textual evidence."

In fact, one would have to study the languages of the Bible to really catch all the humor of the language used. D. S. Barrett has pointed to the oneupmanship humor manifest in Jewish literature of Jesus' time. Allan Gould regards the Hebrews' rebuke of Moses, "Are there no graves in Egypt, that you took us out here to die?" (Exodus 14:11) as history's oldest joke. Old Testament humor is explored in William Whedbee's The Bible and the Comic Vision. When Jesus instructs Peter on paying taxes (Matthew 17:27), he is speaking "in imaginative and humorous terms." All this places Jesus firmly in the long tradition of Jewish joking. (Barry Baldwin, the Presbyterian Record, V. 129, Issue 7).

For everything there is a season ... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.-Ecclesiastes 3:1,4. When you are dancing, rejoicing, and enjoying yourself, what comes of that enjoyment? Laughter! That the Bible rejoices in humor might come as a surprise to many. Yet since humor can be the most powerful method of communicating serious information in an appealing, relaxing and respectful manner, we must surely expect to find humor in the Scriptures. In fact, as this article explains, it is there in abundance. It is at the heart of our salvation history. The Bible 'revels in a profound laughter, a divine and human laughter that is endemic to the whole narrative of creation, fall and salvation, and finally a laughter that results in a wondrous, all-encompassing comic vision'. We surely find divine humor in our attempts as humans to judge the actions of God according to our expectations and then to discover that our conclusions are dramatically wrong.

Scripture-inspired humor is desperately needed today. The world is threatened at all levels by the over-seriousness and intolerance of fundamentalists. Christian fundamentalists believe that they alone have the fullness of divine truth and that their task is to impose this on others. Humor cures any form of intolerance. It deflates pomposity and inflated egos. It is the beginning of humility. Pope Francis wisely comments: 'If one has no sense of humor, it's difficult to be happy ... For me a sense of humor ... is closest to grace ... born of the Holy Spirit'. 

One of the most humorous things that God did was call a Messiah to be born a leader, where the Government would sit on David's throne to be born in a stable. Think on that for a moment. The religious of the world were looking for a KING to be born in palaces. No one was looking for a king that was born in a stable. Rejecting worldly wisdom and signs, God chooses to save those who believe through the foolishness of the preaching of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:21). 

If you will, humor me for a moment. I am a history lover. I learn loads of things that I didn't know when I attend historical re-enactments/living history events. One of my favorite historians to watch is Lucy Worsley, from England. Ms. Worsley not only teaches history, but she dresses up as the wives of Henry VIII, or she dons Elizabethan dresses, she puts herself in the time period of which she teaches, and teaches from that world view. Humor is also a A Pedagogical Method, that Jesus Christ, the master teacher, uses humor often as a pedagogical method. Some incidents in the life of Jesus display a humorous quality to his teaching style. The wedding feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) contains several humorous scenes. It is ironical that the first miracle recorded in John's Gospel revealing Jesus' divine power is the changing of water into wine (v. 11).20 One might humanly have expected something more dramatic and directly concerned with the salvation of souls, yet divine humor is not confined by human hopes. Second, not only was the new wine of superior quality, but the amount of wine that the miracle produced was so abundant that the couple could have set up a wine shop with the surplus! Jesus is never described as laughing, but he uses many images as ways of teaching that would have been comical to himself and his listeners. For example, when he describes how difficult it is for rich people to enter the kingdom of God, he uses the image of a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25). The poor would have chuckled over this.

In fact, even the movie "The Passion of the Christ" isn't without one humorous scene. Jesus, standing before Pilate remembers a long ago day when he was working as a carpenter and is building a table, being just like any other son, jokes with his mother when she tells him to take off a dirty apron, and to wash His hands. 

[We need] an unsolemn approach to an unsolemn God ... Our insistence upon being serious with God heavily limits our experience of the Godhead . -Wanda Nash

The holy book is filled with humor. It is the story of divine incongruity- God's pursuing and forgiving love of fickle humankind. God keeps relating to us in such humanly illogical ways that we describe this as divine humor. We expect God to be a distant creator, one who is revengeful because we are so wayward, but the opposite or contrary is the case (Isa 58:9). The Scriptures tell us that God is truly laughing at our human stupidities (Ps 2:4; 37:13). When we laugh at our own stupidities, therefore, we join in the laughter of God, but the laughter of God is a kindly, forgiving and compassionate laughter. And there are humorous incidents aplenty in the Scriptures.

Reluctance to accept the importance of humor in the Scriptures can be due to the failure to read them correctly. And despite the one humorous scene in Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of Christ. It was an immense media success, but still the film dismally failed to express the divine humor of the paschal mystery. It is a film of relentless physical suffering and violence, without the balancing emphasis of the liberating, nonviolent power of the resurrection. Because of this gloomy concentration on violence the film reinforces the incorrect view that joy is somehow foreign to our redemption. On this view, liturgies must be joyless to conform to the sadness of the crucifixion. To be truly holy we must look sad.  Yet at the heart of our redemption by Christ there is the resurrection. From a human perspective this is the mysteriously surprising expression of God's divine humor in which God is laughing at death: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory' (1 Cor 15:54). The resurrection gives us hope that violence is not the way to freedom and healing. For ourselves there will be a time when 'death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away' (Rev 21:4).

This article has lead me to the decision that I need to write two more articles, that will be published at a later date. One on the meanings behind the 3 gifts listed that the wise men brought and one on the issues that the church faces today! You will want to follow this blog so that you can read those when they are published. 

Mental Health and the Church

This is a post about depression and how the Church should handle depression and depressed people. There may be triggers in this article. As always, If you’re depressed, tell someone. Tell a doctor, friend, family member or counselor. I am begging you please do not suffer alone, especially if you feel suicidal.

World Mental Health Day was on October 10th.  This week, in various discussions with Christians, I have heard "you don't need counseling, a doctor, a therapist, medication, etc." These same Christians follow up with you only need Jesus. 

I am not going to lie, that is one thing that really irritates me because it shows just how much work we need to do to become more acceptant of mental illness being treated. How many Christians do you know that will go to the doctor when they catch the flu? Have a broken bone?The common cold? Pregnancy? Most everyone will go to the doctor for ailments they can see or that they physically experience. So why not mental health? 

Mental Health shouldn't be a taboo topic. According to an article by Geneva College, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), "approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S." Biola Univerisity states that this means that nearly 46.6 million Americans over the age of 18 struggle with some form of diagnosable mental illness ranging in severity from mild to severe. On average, there are 48,344 suicide deaths, most of whom have a diagnosable mental illness. To break that down further, 100,000 population, there are 14.8 suicide deaths. 

Many of these individuals will have turned to their church and their faith for spiritual guidance in times of emotional distress. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness in many Christian churches. The prevailing culture of silence along with misguided attitudes and erroneous expectations often cause suffering believers to feel shamed, blamed and very unsupported. This means that a lot of good, Christ-centered people suffer alone and more often than not in silence. And sadly enough our African American counterparts are more likely to suffer in silence even if they have the funds to seek help. 

In years past, people with mental illness were ostracized, alienated and even abused. Today, most would agree that mental illness is better understood and better treated. However, some of the contempt and cruelty of the past has been replaced with silence and indifference in the present. It is time for the church to step up and make a difference, to move beyond the taboo and reach out to people who suffer from mental illness.

I was reading an article written by a pastor of the Moravian Church and in the article she relates the story of a woman whose husband had knee surgery and the church gathered around, brought food, etc. Yet when this same woman's husband attempted (unsuccessfully) to take his life, the fridge stayed its usual empty self. This goes back to the leadership of the church. This same article in the Moravian church stated that A 2016 study conducted by LifeWay Research and published in ChristianityToday revealed the horror and reality that only seven percent of church pastors discuss mental health with their congregations “once a month” or “several times a month.” Meanwhile, 92 percent of pastors reported talking about mental health in sermons or church functions “once a year, rarely, or never.” (By the way if you are a pastor looking for a great resource on mental health, I recommend the Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness from Kregel Publishers, see review here.)

Personally, one of the worst things I believe Christians can say to those who are suffering with mental illness is that "You don't really need help." "Jesus can heal you." "You have to believe more." As one who has been diagnosed with two mental illnesses, I can tell you I have heard my share of "You don't have enough faith" comments to last a life time. As CareNet blogger Susan Roberts writes "He is the source of our abundant life. However, mental health struggles are not often the result of sin or failure. Equating someone’s depression with mental instability brought about by God as a punishment is like equating a cancer diagnosis with God striking down King Herod for denying him glory. Mental illness is not a punishment.

So what can the church do? 

The church needs to educate itself on mental illness. Whether through conferences or classes. They need to learn to speak about mental illness compassionately and in informed ways. The Grace Alliance Mental Health Website offers resources for churches and individuals that want to work through learning more about mental health and even start their own grace group to help others through recovery with mental health. NCBI has a wealth of articles for starting Mental Health committees in churches so that they can  educate members and clergy on working with those who are currently stigmatized by mental health. 

I would like to remind you all that mental health in the church is something that I feel very passionate about. You may ready my First Blog about mental health at It is Well...Depression in the church. The following is from my second blog about depression and the church. Depression and the Church Revisited: 

Church leaders should know that depression is a very real issue that they must address.  Some people say that depression is solely a spiritual problem while others believe it to be a physical or mental disorder.  I believe it is both.  As followers of Christ, everything we are, everything we do and everything we experience is wrapped up in and affected by the personal relationship we have or do not have with God through Jesus Christ.  Nothing touches our life that doesn't pass through His hands, with His permission.  Every problem we face, whether it is a physical illness or an unconfessed sin is a "spiritual problem".  If it is a concern to us it is a concern to Him.

Church leaders should know that depression may require medical attention.  Chemical imbalances induced by stress can trigger depression.  It is important to know that a tendency toward depression is many times hereditary, resulting in a disorder that responds well to the right medication.  Depression is not eliminated by medication.  Medicine simply levels the playing field so that the issues and problems that lead to depression can be effectively dealt with.

Church leaders should know that depression may require professional counseling.  I am amazed that so many Christians are so afraid to see a Christian counselor.  Shame and guilt often prevent those who battle depression from getting the help they need.  God gave counselors their gifts and abilities.  He must have known we would need them.  Church leaders should be quick to encourage those struggling with depression to seek out Christian counseling. 

Church leaders should be aware of the shame and stigma felt by those who struggle with depression.  These people are not "crazy" but often feel as if everyone thinks they are.  Many times a pastor or church leader can make it easier for those who battle depression by simply acknowledging depression as a reality that anyone can face.

Church leaders should know that depression is not necessarily sin.  The causes of depression are incalculable. While it is true that depression can be triggered by the consequences of sin it is just as true that depression can simply be the result of a chemical imbalance present from birth. Depression can even be a side affect of medication or induced by health problems as well as physical and mental exhaustion. For example, those who must take medicine to control high blood pressure, thyroid conditions, diabetes and a host of other illnesses are very likely to struggle with depression.  Many of the most creative and powerful leaders battle depression because they constantly teeter on the brink of burnout.

Remember, authenticity and transparency bring healing.  As pastors and leaders we must be willing to practice emotional integrity, freeing those we love and lead to do the same.