Today I am privileged to speak with Dr. O. Alan Noble, professor and author of the book On Getting Out of Bed, which is one of the best books I've ever read about the reality of struggling with mental health as a person of faith. Dr. Noble and I discuss the broken anthropology that may be contributing to the unique anxieties of our age and reflect on the message we send when we choose to persevere through suffering.

Today, I talk with Meredith McDaniel, a licensed clinical mental health counselor and director of Milk + Honey Counseling in Davidson, North Carolina. Meredith and I cover A LOT in this episode, as she helps me unpack a few ideas that are still a bit unresolved in my mind: the role our spiritual practices play in our mental health, our current cultural obsession with wellness, and our sense of personal identity as it relates to a mental health struggle. This conversation was so rich for me, so honest, practical, and helpful.

www.meredithmcdaniel.com

Grief has been an enormous part of my own mental health journey. Today on the podcast, I talk with Dr. Mekel Harris who had a profound encounter with grief, one even a Ph.D. in clinical psychology did not fully prepare her for! I consider Dr. Mekel to be a kindred spirit; her deep passion is to offer resources both to individuals and organizations for managing the challenges of grief and mental health needs. Together, we'll discuss the impact grief had on our mental health and ways we learned to move forward with the new burden of grief.

Mental health continues to be a taboo topic in many churches, but today's guest - Chuck DeGroat - has spent years as both a pastor and a psychologist. He brings insights on how the tools of psychological study can be an asset for the church, but also how the rich tradition of soul care in the Christian tradition has a role to play in the lives of those seeking mental wellbeing.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so for the next five weeks, I'll be having conversations with licensed counselors, therapists, psychologists, and pastors about the intersection of faith and mental health. Today, we talk with best-selling author and therapist Aundi Kolber about trauma, listening to our bodies, and why she likes to describe strength like water.

On week four, the Church focuses on the theme of Love. Today I am joined by author and friend Lore Ferguson Wilbert. This was such a timely conversation for me. As we head into a week of celebrations with family and friends, we are all carrying our own burdens - both joy and pain, longings and frustrations. The holidays are not always easy for everyone, and we are pulled in many directions. Christ is the one who helps us show up with love. Lore and I talk about the importance of God incarnate, present in the body, giving of Himself physically to those around Him, and what that means for us.

Advent Week 3: JOY! This upcoming Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday…taken from the Latin word for Rejoice! This week, I talk with Joy Marie Clarkson who is a professor and author of the book Aggressively Happy: A Realist’s Guide to Believing in the Goodness of Life. We discuss why it’s important to notice where and how Jesus embodied joy in his experience as a human in the incarnation, and we talk about the difference between toxic positivity and wise, resilient, tenacious joy.

For week 2 of Advent, the church has historically focused on the theme of peace. Today, I talk with Dr. Benjamin Norquist, whose work and study led him to spend a lot of time Israel and the West Bank. Ben focused his research on higher education in active conflict zones and in other contested areas. In this episode, we discuss a Biblical view of shalom and also examine the impact of personal, structural, and cultural violence on the world. Ben shares his wisdom on how we might act as peacemakers even as the culture around us temps us with vitriol and polarization.

To learn more about Churches for Middle East Peace and the work they are doing in a region that is heavy on all of our hearts this season, go to: https://cmep.org/