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Third Thursday Resources

Anxiety, Depression, & Hope

Third Thursday Teaching

Devotionals

Helpful Resources for Depression

Honest prayers to help you talk to God.
My Name is Hope is the story of one follower of Jesus who went through the horrors of anxiety and depression and came out the other side. It is his ruthlessly authentic and scripturally authoritative account of prophets and poets, mothers and fathers, and even a Messiah who all came up against anxiety and depression.
In this achingly honest work, Dr. Somerville explains that depression is not restricted to the secular world. Throughout history, godly men and woman-among them Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon-have suffered in the deep trenches of dark emotion. But God's Word promises victory at the seemingly unreachable end of trials, and new strength forged from adversity and pain in the new light that follows the darkness of despair. You are not alone.
Many Christians mistakenly believe that true Christians don't get depressed, and this misconception heaps additional pain and guilt onto Christians who are suffering from mental and emotional distress. Author David P. Murray comes to the defense of depressed Christians, asserting that Christians do get depressed! He explains why and how Christians should study depression, what depression is, and the approaches caregivers, pastors, and churches can take to help those who are suffering from it.

Helpful Resources for Anxiety

Honest prayers to help you talk to God.
“Who am I becoming?” That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words: “Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil. Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.
In a world that preaches a “try harder” gospel―just keep going, keep hustling, keep pretending we’re all fine―we’re left exhausted, overwhelmed, and so numb to our lives. It doesn’t have to be this way. In, Try Softer, Kolber shows us how God specifically designed our bodies and minds to work together to process our stories and work through obstacles. Through the latest psychology, practical clinical exercises, and her own personal story, she equips and empowers us to connect us to our truest self and truly live. This is the “try softer” life.
Millennia ago, the tradition of Sabbath created an oasis of sacred time within a life of unceasing labor. Now, in a book that can heal our harried lives, Wayne Muller, shows us how to create a special time of rest, delight, and renewal--a refuge for our souls.
You can't be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Even though he was the pastor of a growing church, Scazzero did what most people do--avoid conflict in the name of Christianity; ignore his anger, sadness, and fear; use God to run from God; and live without boundaries. Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health and the spiritual practice of slowing down and quieting your life for to experience a firsthand relationship with Jesus. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution in Scazzero, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches.
Foster offers a warm, compelling, and sensitive primer on prayer, helping us to understand, experience, and practice it in its many forms-from the simple prayer of beginning again to unceasing prayer. He clarifies the prayer process, answers common misconceptions, and shows the way into prayers of contemplation, healing, blessing, forgiveness, and rest.
This comprehensive primer on the topic of fear, worry, and the rest of God will have Christians looking to scripture for invariable constancy, stalwart care, and robust comfort, instead of as Welch terms it hitting the default switch by responding with characteristic human independence, control, and self-protectiveness. Running Scared affirms that, through biblical Scripture, God speaks directly to our fears. The good news is that God provides both the remedy and the cure in the person of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and through powerful, life-altering promises in Christian Scripture. Far more than merely another psychology self-help guide, Running Scared serves as a biblical roadmap to a life of serenity and security.

Questions

Consider discussing these simple questions with your DNA, small group, or the friends you came with.

1.What do you miss about being a kid?

2. How have you experienced depression?  Where have you seen it in yourself or in those close to you?

3. What responses (from others) have been helpful in your struggle?

4. When do you experience moments of anxiety/stress? Conversely, when do you not feel anxiety? When do you experience calm or peace?

5. What was your biggest takeaway from this Third Thursday talk?