Winter Retreat: Echo

Echo God ‘s love

Jeremiah 31:1-25

““And when that happens”—God’s Decree— “it will be plain as the sun at high noon: I’ll be the God of every man, woman, and child in Israel and they shall be my very own people.” * * * This is the way God put it: “They found grace out in the desert, these people who survived the killing. Israel, out looking for a place to rest, met God out looking for them!” God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! And so now I’ll start over with you and build you up again, dear virgin Israel. You’ll resume your singing, grabbing tambourines and joining the dance. You’ll go back to your old work of planting vineyards on the Samaritan hillsides, And sit back and enjoy the fruit— oh, how you’ll enjoy those harvests! The time’s coming when watchmen will call out from the hilltops of Ephraim: ‘On your feet! Let’s go to Zion, go to meet our God!’” * * * Oh yes, God says so: “Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob! Announce the good news to the number-one nation! Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say, ‘God has saved his people, saved the core of Israel.’ “Watch what comes next: “I’ll bring my people back from the north country And gather them up from the ends of the earth, gather those who’ve gone blind And those who are lame and limping, gather pregnant women, Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started, bring them all back, a huge crowd! “Watch them come! They’ll come weeping for joy as I take their hands and lead them, Lead them to fresh flowing brooks, lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths. Yes, it’s because I’m Israel’s Father and Ephraim’s my firstborn son! “Hear this, nations! God’s Message! Broadcast this all over the world! Tell them, ‘The One who scattered Israel will gather them together again. From now on he’ll keep a careful eye on them, like a shepherd with his flock.’ I, God, will pay a stiff ransom price for Jacob; I’ll free him from the grip of the Babylonian bully. The people will climb up Zion’s slopes shouting with joy, their faces beaming because of God’s bounty— Grain and wine and oil, flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. Their lives will be like a well-watered garden, never again left to dry up. Young women will dance and be happy, young men and old men will join in. I’ll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy. I’ll make sure that their priests get three square meals a day and that my people have more than enough.’” God’s Decree. * * * Again, God’s Message: “Listen to this! Laments coming out of Ramah, wild and bitter weeping. It’s Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace. Her children are gone, gone—long gone into exile.” But God says, “Stop your incessant weeping, hold back your tears. Collect wages from your grief work.” God’s Decree. “They’ll be coming back home! There’s hope for your children.” God’s Decree. “I’ve heard the contrition of Ephraim. Yes, I’ve heard it clearly, saying, ‘You trained me well. You broke me, a wild yearling horse, to the saddle. Now put me, trained and obedient, to use. You are my God. After those years of running loose, I repented. After you trained me to obedience, I was ashamed of my past, my wild, unruly past. Humiliated, I beat on my chest. Will I ever live this down?’ “Oh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure! Every time I mention his name, my heart bursts with longing for him! Everything in me cries out for him. Softly and tenderly I wait for him.” God’s Decree. “Set up signposts to mark your trip home. Get a good map. Study the road conditions. The road out is the road back. Come back, dear virgin Israel, come back to your hometowns. How long will you flit here and there, indecisive? How long before you make up your fickle mind? God will create a new thing in this land: A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!” * * * A Message from Israel’s God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “When I’ve turned everything around and brought my people back, the old expressions will be heard on the streets: ‘God bless you!’. . . ‘O True Home!’. . . ‘O Holy Mountain!’ All Judah’s people, whether in town or country, will get along just fine with each other. I’ll refresh tired bodies; I’ll restore tired souls.”

Jeremiah 31:1-25 MSG

““That’s right. The time is coming when I will make a brand-new covenant with Israel and Judah. It won’t be a repeat of the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant even though I did my part as their Master.” God’s Decree. “This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” God’s Decree.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34 MSG

https://www.bible.com/events/49378594

Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus

Healthy Me: Mind Made Up Part 3

For Nothing!

Healthy Me is a compassionate invitation to seek healing and wholeness in the area of mental health. Believing that God sees us and he cares about how we are feeling.

Our goal is to provide a biblical approach to our mental health and to gain tools to begin a path towards a healthy me.

This is not about quick fixes, easy answers, or cliché responses. It’s not a substitute for professional counseling. These are tools for the journey of wholeness and healing through Christ.

Today we are talking about anxiety.

Psalms 118:17

I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the U.S.

Fear, worry and anxiety are, not surprisingly, intense as we begin a new year living in the days in which we are living

We are told in our Bibles to be “anxious for nothing.”

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is possible to not be anxious.

In the end, anxiety is that nagging, tormenting feeling that you cannot fully trust God to be in control.

There is hope TODAY that you can be free from a life of perpetual anxiety.

Pastor Max Lucado

The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Exemption from care (worry/anxieties) goes along with humble submission (surrender) to God.

Living free from worry and anxiety requires acting on our trust in Jesus.

According to God’s Word, you can wage war on worry by doing these 4 things:

-Praying

-Proclaiming

-Praising

-Placing

Other Scripture for study/reflection:

Psalms 91:1-2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalms 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalms 56:3

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Luke 12:22-31

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Romans 8:26-28

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31-39

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

· WELCOME- GLAD YOU ARE HERE

· STARTED NEW SERIES

· MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE RAMPANT

· CROSS EVERY BARRIER (ETHNICITY/AGE/GENDER)

· CHRISTIANS AND NON CHRISTIANS SUFFER

· NOT PSYCHOTHERAPIST/PSYCHOLOGIST

· WE BELIEVE IN PRAYER- WILL PRAY- BUT NOT ONLY PRAY HARDER ISSUE. OR MORE FAITH

· NEVER LOOK DOWN ON A PHYSICAL ISSUE

· WHY DO WE DO THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS?

DEUTERONOMY 6: SHEMA (EVERY ISRAELITE)

HEAR OH ISRAEL THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS ONE; LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.

JESUS SPEAKING: IN RESPONSE TO “WHICH IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE LAW?”

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. THIS IS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT

· PRESENT A PROBLEM OFFER AN ANTEDOTE/S

· LAST WEEK LONELINESS-

SOLUTIONS:

1. GOD’S CONSISTENT PROMISE TO BE WITH US

EVERY FEAR NOT- FOLLOWED BY I AM WITH YOU

2. INVEST IN COMMUNITY/GOD CREATED IN US A DESIRE FOR ONE ANOTHER (59 TIMES IN THE NT PHRASE- ONE ANOTHER)

TODAY TACKLE 2 DIFFERENT BUT CLOSELY RELATED TOPICS IN 1 MESSAGE SO I GET DOUBLE TIME.

“MENTAL PAIN IS LESS DRAMATIC THAN PHYSICAL PAIN, BUT IT IS MORE COMMON AND ALSO HARDER TO BEAR. THE FREQUENT ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL MENTAL PAIN INCREASES THE BURDEN: IT’S EASIER TO SAY “MY TOOTH IS ACHING THAN SAY- MY HEART IS BROKEN” C.S. LEWIS

· PROPHET IN THE BIBLE NAMED JEREMIAH

· SOLOMONS TEMPLE (400 YEARS) 587 BC

· JEREMIAH SAW THE DESTRUCTION TEMPLE

· WATCHED BABYLONIANS RAVAGE RELATIVES

DEPRESSION

LAMENTATIONS 3:1-2

1. “I AM THE MAN WHO HAS SEEN AFFLICTION BY THE ROD OF THE LORDS WRATH. HE HAS DRIVEN ME AWAY AND MADE ME WALK IN DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT.”

LAMENTATIONS 3:5-6

5. HE HAS BESIEGED ME AND SURROUNDED ME WITH THE BITTERNESS AND HARDSHIP. HE HAS MADE ME DWELL IN THE DARKNESS LIKE THOSE LONG DEAD.

LAMENTATIONS 3:7-8

7. HE HAS WALLED ME IN SO I CANNOT ESCAPE; HE HAS WEIGHED ME DOWN WITH CHAINS. EVEN WHEN I CALL OUT OR CRY FOR HELP, HE SHUTS OUT MY PRAYER.”

LAMENTATIONS 3:17-18

17. I HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF PEACE; I HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT PROSPERITY IS. I REMEMBER MY AFFLICTION AND MY WANDERING, THE BITTERNESS AND THE GALL.”

LAMENTATIONS 3:20

20. “I WELL REMEMBER THEM, AND MY SOUL IS DOWNCAST WITHIN ME.”

PAUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE

EMOTIONS ARE REAL

· 1. EMOTIONS ARE REAL AND VALID

· 2. YOUR SITUATION FEELS HOPELESS

· THE BIBLE DOESN’T TRY AND HIDE REAL PEOPLE WITH RAW ISSUES.

· ALL THE WAY THROUGH BROKEN PEOPLE

· MANY MAKE BAD DECISIONS

DEPRESSION MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T WIN

THAT’S PART OF THE BATTLE OF DEPRESSION

STEPHEN FRY QUOTE

“TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE BLACKNESS, LETHARGY, HOPELESSNESS, AND LONELINESS THEY’RE GOING THROUGH. BE THERE FOR THEM WHEN THEY COME THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE. IT’S HARD TO BE A FRIEND TO SOMEONE WHO’S DEPRESSED, BUT IT’S ONE OF THE KINDEST, NOBLEST, AND BEST THINGS YOU WILL EVER DO.” S FRY

INTRODUCE YOU TO GRACE- LISTEN TO PART STORY

LISTEN TO THE SPIRAL

· HAD DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY BOTH

· PULLED AWAY FROM PEOPLE/GOD

· FANTASY ABOUT ENDING LIFE (ESCAPE)

· NUMBNESS WAS HER ONLY ESCAPE

· PUSHED PEOPLE AWAY/ISOLATED

SO WHAT’S THE ANTEDOTE?

JEREMIAH PROPHET WRITES LATER- 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

WILL HEAR FROM GRACE IN A FEW MINUTES

SHE SAID SHE HAD BOTH ACTUALLY AND MOST DO-

· THESE BLEED INTO AND ALL OVER THE OTHERS

· WHILE THESE ARE SEPARATE THEY SHARE ALOT

ANXIETY

MENEIRE’S DISEASE

· LATE 20’S LABOR DAY PARTY (I GOT SICK)

· DIZZINESS/VOMITTING/HOURS

· NOT LIKE LOSS OF BALANCE- INCAPACITATED

· STARTED HAVING ATTACKS- LAST FOR HOURS

· HOSPITALIZED/MET WITH DRS FROM PENN/JHU/UVA

· OVER A PERIOD OF 7-8 YEARS AT LEAST

· DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

· I WAS SCARED TO LEAVE MY HOUSE-PANIC

· IT DEPRESSED ME- I WATCHED CARS GO BY

· I THOUGHT NO HOPE FOR THIS-NO CURE

PICTURE OF BOOK ANXIOUS GENERATION

· RESEARCH DONE BY JONATHON HAIDT

GENERARATION Z STATISTICS SINCE 2012

COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS SHOW

134 % INCREASE IN ANXIETY

106 % INCREASE IN DEPRESSION

72% INCREASE IN ADHD

57 % INCREASE IN BIPOLAR DISORDER

GIRLS/BOYS STATS SINCE 2012

GIRLS: 188 % INCREASE IN VISITS TO ER FOR SELF HARM

167 % INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATES

BOYS: 48% INCREASE IN VISITS TO ER SELF HARM

91% INCREASE IN SUICIDE RATES

PROVERBS 12:25

25. ANXIETY IN THE HEART CAUSES DEPRESSION, BUT A GOOD WORD MAKES IT GLAD.”

EVERYDAY ANXIETY VS ANXIETY DISORDER

HOW DO WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM?

I KINGS 19:4-5

“4. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH, LORD, “HE SAID, “TAKE MY LIFE; I AM NO BETTER THAN MY ANCESTORS.” THEN HE LAY DOWN UNDER THE BUSH AND FELL ASLEEP.”

I KINGS 19:11

11. “THE LORD SAID, “GO OUT AND STAND ON THE MOUNTAIN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORDM FOR THE LORD IS ABOUT TO PASS BY. “THEN A GREAT AND PWERFUL WIND TORE THE MOUNTAINS APART AND SHATTERED THE ROCKS BEFORE THE LORD, BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND. AFTER THE WIND THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE, BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE.

I KINGS 19:12

12. AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE CAME A FIRE, BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE FIRE. AND AFTER THE FIRE CAME A GENTLE WHISPER (NOT ON THE SLIDE?)

SLIDE 20: TYPES OF ANXIETY

· EVERY PERSON PROBABLY CLOSE HAS 1 OF THESE

ANTEDOTE- OR ANTEDOTES:

·

SLIDE 21: SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 4:4-6

4.“REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN; REJOICE! LET YOUR GENTLENESS BE EVIDENT

TO ALL. THE LORD IS NEAR. DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERY SITUATION, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD.

SLIDE 22: SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 4:7

7. AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.

VERSE 8 SAYS “BROTHER AND SISTERS, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS NOBLE, WHATEVER IS RIGHT, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS ADMIRABLE, IF ANYTHING IS EXCELLENT OR PRAISEWORTHY- THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS.

SLIDE 23: VIDEO (SECOND PART OF GRACES STORY)

SLIDE 24: BEACH BALL

· WHATEVER YOUR ISSUE IN THIS SERIES

· LIKE A BEACH BALL-HOLD THE BALL UNDER

· A CERTAIN POINT THE BALL/ LIKE PRESSURE BURST

JESUS DIDN’T HIDE HIS ANXIETY FROM HIS GUYS

TOOK THEM RIGHT WITH HIM TO THE GARDEN

PURPOSE:

They will understand what true biblical mental health is and, as a result, they will have tools for winning the battle of the mind and will experience greater levels of the peace promised to us.

SO THE ANTEDOTE TO DEPRESSION/ANXIETY

1 ANSWER INDEED IS TO RECOGNIZE HE’S CLOSE

BEACH BALL-HES CLOSE

https://www.bible.com/events/49374853

Church of the Nazarene East Rockingham Campus

Healthy Me: Mind Made Up Part 2

Out of The Dark…

Today we are starting our new teaching series called Healthy Me: A mind made up.

Healthy Me is a compassionate invitation to seek healing and wholeness in the area of mental health. Believing that God sees us and he cares about how we are feeling.

Our goal is to provide a biblical approach to our mental health and to gain tools to begin a path towards a healthy me.

This is not about quick fixes, easy answers, or cliché responses. It’s not a substitute for professional counseling. These are tools for the journey of wholeness and healing through Christ.

Today we are talking about depression.

Depression is more than a bad day or being a little blue. It’s a sense of gloom or darkness that just lays over you. It’s persistent feelings of sadness or anxiousness. And often you cant pinpoint why.

You might feel like crying or you might have the motivation to even get out of bed, or you might feel overwhelmed by basic tasks

You might feel hopeless and helpless about the future.

You also might struggle to find any joy in life, even in things you once loved to do.

Depression doesn’t just manifest itself in crying and sadness, it can also show up as being really irritable, or easily angered too.

These feelings might last anywhere from several days, to several months or even years. And these feelings get in the way of your daily life.

We certainly here more about depression today, but it’s definitely not new.

People throughout the bible deal with feelings and seasons of depression.

Jeremiah, Job, King David, The Apostle Paul, just to name a few.

For our teaching text today, I want to look at a story from the life of the Prophet Elijah.

1 Kings 19:3-4

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Depression can come into our lives through many different things.

It could stem from a physical issue with our bodies, or relational challenges we are facing. The loss of a loved one, getting let go from a job, a loss of friendship. Depression may even be a reflection of a spiritual battle we are facing.

And truth be told, we might not know why we feel the way we feel.

For Elijah, it was a threatening situation and fear for his life.

And Elijah does what many of us do when our emotions run away- he sought isolation. Elijah withdraws from his daily life, isolates himself, lays down under a tree, and asks the Lord to take his life.

It doesn’t end here under the broom tree, God doesn’t his prayer to die.

Far from killing him like he asked, the Lord sends and angel to feed Elijah.

Even when Elijah was running away, the Lord was there to care for him. And the Lord’s first words for Elijah in this season was not a lecture about his fear and actions. He didn’t give him a good talking too. No, the Lord simply asks Elijah a question

1 Kings 19:9 … And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:10-13

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

To the runaway prophet, hiding in isolation, dealing with feelings of depression and despairing of life itself, God shows up. Not in a big and dramatic way- but with a gentle whisper.

The Lord met Elijah in the midst of his depression, not with condemnation or judgement, not with a lecture, but with compassion and a plan to get him back on track.

Dealing with depression doesn’t disqualify you from being seen and heard by God.

It doesn’t have to define your future and it certainly doesn’t disqualify you from being used by God.

It means your human, and you need God’s help. And he is here, he is ready to help, and there is hope.

Part of our goal in this teaching series is to offer practical tools to help us on this journey towards a Healthy Me.

So I want to end with a simple invitation, a simple word to help guide us when our thoughts and feelings are dark and gloomy.

That invitation is to P.R.A.Y.

P-Pour out your heart to God.

Give language in prayer to how you are feeling. Name those feelings, tell the Lord what you are feeling.

We see Elijah do that within his story. He told the lord how he was feeling, of the despair, the fear, the hopelessness he felt about everything.

David does the same thing in the Psalms.

Psalm 31:9-10 9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

Friends there is power and healing in giving words to our feelings.

Pour it all out to God, tell him how you are feeling, what emotions you are experiencing.

And after you get it all out…

R- Refocus on him.

When we are pouring out our feelings, we are looking inside and doing an audible inventory of what we find- and that can be hard, and exhausting. We might feel like we are done in that moment. But if we stop there, we haven’t looked anywhere besides ourselves for help.

We must take the next step and look up to the Lord.

Psalm 31:14-16 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

Don’t miss your privilege as a child of God to look to your heavenly Father and know that he is there, that he is good, and that he loves you.

Refocus on the Lord.

A- Sandwich, eat a sandwich.

A Sandwich is a way to remember we need to take care of our physical needs when we are feeling depressed.

It’s interesting in Elijah’s story, the first way the Lord shows up in his story is through an angel giving him food and water. Before the Lord addressed his runaway and depressed prophet- he tends to his physical needs.

In the midst of our depression, we must take care of our physical needs.

Eating proper amounts of healthy foods- Resist the urge to over indulge in sweets or junk food.

Make sure you are getting physical exercise, fresh air, sunlight.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep.

Keep a regular routine as much as possible.

Individually, these probably don’t amount to a lot, but together they are critical in helping us work through our feelings of depression.

Y- Yes, Lord. I will.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Practically everything that will help us get out of depression goes against everything we are feeling in the moment. We have to push through and say yes, I will. This is probably the hardest part.

We might feel like we want to be left alone, but we know isolation is NOT good for us in these moments. So we push against that feeling and go spend time with a friend. Yes, I will

You might not feel like going to the Doctor to talk about how you have been feeling- You might not feel like doing medication or counselling they recommend. Yes, I will take that step.

We might feel like quitting it all, our jobs, our families. Yes, ill go to work tomorrow, ill go home on time.

We might not feel like praying or reading the bible Yes Lord, I will, even though i don’t want too right now.

P.R.A.Y.

What you are feeling is serious and real, and we can’t fight it passively. We must say yes to the solutions the Lord leads us to.

Depression is real, but so is God’s power to heal.

Will you PRAY through your feelings of depression?

· HAPPY NEW YEAR- NEW SERIES

· WHY-WE LOOK AROUND AND SEE/HEAR PAIN

NEXT FEW WEEKS SCRATCH THE SURFACE LOOK AT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

A FEW THOUGHTS

1. NOT MEANT TO BE IN PLACE OF A COUNSELING SESSION

2. WE ARE NOT TRAINED PSYCHOLOGIST

3. TOPICS- LONELINESS/DEPRESSION/ANXIETY/ANGER

4. WE STRONGLY BELIEVE IN PRAYER- TODAY WE PRAY

5. WILL NOT PRESENT IN A WAY THAT YOU LACK FAITH

IDEA- PRESENT A PROBLEM- PROVIDE AN ANTEDOTE

· I WAS A SENIOR IN HS-PARENTS WERE MOVING

· THEY WERE MOVING IN JANUARY

· I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE IN THE FALL

· LIVED IN DOWNTOWN SECTION-WEST CHESTER PA

· MOVED TO A FARM IN LOWER DELAWARE

· SUNDAY NIGHT- DARK- WAKE UP NEXT DAY-HOUSE

· WALKED INTO NEW SCHOOL NOVEMBER

· NEW LUNCH WAS COMING- 11:50AM- SCENE

WEBSTER DEFINES LONELINESS:

WITHOUT COMPANY- CUT OFF FROM OTHERS-

PERCEIVED FEELING OF ISOLATION

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE? ARE YOU THERE NOW?

LONELINESS DEFINED

“AN UNHEALTHY STATE WHERE WE DESTRCTIVELY FEEL THAT WE ARE ALONE, NOT RECOGNIZING GODS PROMISE TO BE WITH US ALWAYS.

 REASONS FOR LONELINESS

5. TECHNOLOGY

4. RELOCATION (CHANGE OF JOBS/STATES/COLLEGE)

3. LIFE TRANSITION/AGING (DIFF ACTVITITIES)

2. LOSS OF LOVED ONE

1. FOCUS ON SELF

STATEMENT FROM NY TIMES ARTICLE

EVEN BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE US ADULTS REPORTED EXPERIENCING MEASURABLE LEVELS OF LONELINESS.

RIGHT NOW STATISTICS SAY BETWEEN 25-33 % LONELY

GENESIS 1:3-5

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” EDITSLIDE

GENESIS 1:9-10

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

 SCRIPTURE GENESIS 1:12

12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,

 GENESIS 1:18

18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

25 God made all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

GENESIS 2:18

18. THE LORD GOD SAID, “IT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR MAN TO BE ALONE. I WILL MAKE A HELPER SUITABLR FOR HIM.

POINT NEMO

· FURTHEST POINT FROM LAND

· MAYBE YOU ARE SICK OF PEOPLE?

· JESUS SOUGHT SOLITUDE (DIFFERENT ISOLATION)

2 TIMOTHY 4:9 APOSTLE PAUL IS WRITING FINAL WORDS

Paul wrote 2 Timothy a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67. (NERO LOSING IT)

Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to

Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (PAUL IS USED TO COMPANIONS)

12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.

16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth

PICTURE OF TOM HANKS AND WILSON

· SCREENWRITER WILLIAM BROYLES JR

· WENT REMOTE CARRIBEAN ISLAND-SURVIVALIST

· SOCCER BALL WASHED UP ON SHORE

· KNEW ENOUGH TO

SOLOMON THE WISEST OF MEN WROTE 5 BOOKS

ONE NAMED ECCLESIASTES WHERE WE GET EKLESIA

ECCLESIASTES 4:10

10.TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GOOD RETURN FOR THEIR LABOR. IF EITHER OF THEM FALLS DOWN, ONE CAN HELP THE OTHER UP.

BUT PITY ANYONE WHO FALLS AND HAS ONE TO HELP THEM UP.

ECCLESIASTES 4:11-12

11. ALSO, IF TWO LIE DOWN TOGETHER, THEY WILL KEEP WARM ALONE? 12. THOUGH ONE MAY BE OVERPOWERED, TWO CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES. A CORD OF THREE STRANDS IS NOT QUICKLY BROKEN.

SCHOLARS DON’T JUST THINK THIS WAS FOR MARRIAGE

PASTOR RICK WARREN SAID MOST DEAL LONELINESS BY/WITH

WORKING-WORK MYSELF TO DEATH/WAKE UP REPEAT

MATERIALISM-I WILL PURCHASE ENOUGH THINGS TO REMOVE THE LONELINESS IN MY HEART

ALCOHOL-DRUGS- ISOLATING MORE

SEXUAL ESCAPE-SLEEPING NEXT TO ANY WARM BODY

FANTASY-PORNOGRAPHY- LIVE A LIFE THAT’S NOT REAL

HAS YOUR SADNESS ERASED YOUR JOY?

HAS YOUR LONELINESS ECLIPSED YOUR FAITH?

 ARTICLE HEADLINE

RESEARCHERS FROM AARP AND STANFORD UNIVERSITY FOUND THAT THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS MORE THAN 6.7 BILLION ANNUALLY ON ADDITIONAL MEDICAL COSTST FOR MEDICARE RECIPENTS WHO LACK SOCIAL CONTACT

SLIDE 16: VIVEK MURTHY

LONELINESS IS LIKE SMOKING 15 CIGARETTES A DAY IN TERMS OF ITS IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING

 SOLUTIONS SLIDE

1. RECOGNIZE/REALIZE GODS CONSISTENT PROMISE TO BE WITH US. (MATT 28:20)

2. GODS DESIGN FOR US TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY

GENESIS 1:26

Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness (ESV SAYS AFTER OUR LIKENESS)

GOD HIMSELF IS IN COMMUNITY

PARACHERESUS (DIVINE DANCE FATHER/SON/HS)

3. SERVE-IS ANYONE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM MY LONELINESS?

4. THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES TO SERVE IN THE CHURCH- TO SERVE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH)

 CONNECT

· JUST OUR CHURCH-CONNECTING POINTS

· MENS STUFF/WOMENS STUFF

· KIDS MINISTRY (NOT JUST BABYSITTING)

· YOUTH MINISTRY

· JOY GROUP

WE ARE THE CHURCH-WE ARE COMMNUNITY- WE ARE NOT PERFECT- WE CAN’T MEET EVERY NEED

MAIN ANTEDOTE TO LONELINESS IS- COMMUNITY

· ELIUD KIPCHOGE-RUNNER FROM KENYA

· 2016 WON GOLD MEDAL

· WANTED TO RUN 26.2 MILES IN 2 HOURS OR LESS

· 2017 NIKE HOSTED BREAKING2 EVENT (25 SECONDS)

· 2019 VIENNA WITH 120,00 FANS AND TEAM TO HELP

· ELUID BREAKS THE RECORD

YOU SEE CELEBRATION BY THOSE RUNNING WITH HIM?

DIDN’T COUNT.

· SURROUNDED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE- HE WAS ABLE TO DO WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE

· WHAT IF WE SURROUNDED OURSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS

TODAY I’M SORRY

· APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONELINESS

· WE WANT TO CLOSE BY OFFERING YOU A CHANCE TO HAVE SOME PEOPLE PRAY WITH YOU/FOR YOU/OVER YOU.

· ONE PRAYER DOESN’T ELVIATE LONELINESS

· JESUS UNDERSTANDS LONELINESS

LAST WORDS TO HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED MOST IN JOHN 16:32

“BUT THE TIME IS COMING-INDEED ITS HERE NOW WHEN YOU WILL BE SCATTERED, EACH ONE GOING HIS OWN WAY, LEAVING ME ALL ALONE. YET I AM NOT ALONE BECAUSE MY FATHER IS WITH ME.”