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Every day, millions of individuals are hurting. So many people are silently fighting an inner battle. Yet, mental health is in the headlines daily. And as a church, we need to be in the conversation. Jesus cared for many who struggled with mental health, and His example of caring, supporting, and healing is one we can and should follow.
Every week of this 5-week series, we will BEGIN the conversation at one of our in-person or CF Online weekly gatherings. Following each discussion, our hope and prayers are that anyone who is or knows someone who is struggling with mental health, including mental illness, can find the support and resources they need to obtain hope, health, and healing.
Click a topic below to find a starting place for resources about the topic:
Depression
Anxiety
Co-dependency
Grief
Addiction
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A CRISIS AND NEED HELP IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE CALL THE 24-HOUR ALAMEDA COUNTY CRISIS LINE: 1-800-309-2131 (FREE CALL AND FREE ASSISTANCE), AND THEY WILL HELP YOU. YOU MAY ALSO CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE AT 1-800-784-2433.
DEPRESSION
CF Online
Everyone will experience sadness in life, but not everyone will go through depression. Depression is not a choice. Yes, sometimes choices made could lead someone down that path. But, many times, depression can result from things out of someone’s control, and sometimes, it seems like depression happens for no reason. Join Amy Sargent (Pastor, LMFT, and M.Th.) for the final week of our Mental Health series. Amy shares her journey of depression and how the not far-off HOPE that exists can be experienced through Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in us.
- Full Service - CF Website
- Message - YouTube
Books
Recommended - General
- Out of the Cave (Chris Hodges)
- Depression, Anxiety and the Christian Life (Michael Lundy)
- Christianity and Depression (Tasia Scrutton)
Recommended - Specific to Depression/Suicide
- Coping with Depression (Dr. Siang-Yang Tan, John Ortberg)
- Dark Clouds, Silver Linings (Archibald Hart)
- The Feeling Good Handbook (David Burns)
- Depression: Coping and Caring (Dr. Archibald D. Hart )
- Happiness is a Choice: The Symptoms, Causes, and Cures of Depression (Frank Minirth & Paul Meier)
- Overcoming Depression: The Victory Over the Darkness Series (Neil Anderson)
- In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace In The Midst Of Depression (Susan Gregg-Schroeder)
- Strength for the Journey: A Biblical Perspective On Discouragement And Depression (James P Porowski)
- Unmasking Male Depression: Recognizing the Root Cause to Many Problem Behaviors Such as Anger, Resentment, Abusiveness, Silence, Addictions, and Sexual Compulsiveness (Dr. Archibald Hart )
- Beauty in the Browns: Walking with Christ in the Darkness of Depression (Paul Asay)
- When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing what we can While we Wait for God-- and Joy (John Piper)
- Depression, Anxiety and The Christian Life: Practical Wisdom from Richard Baxter (Michael Lundy)
- A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Depression (Archibald Hart & Catherine Hart Weber)
- Hope in the Midst of Depression: How to Embrace Life Again (Mary Southerland)
- Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love (David Biebel & Suzanne Foster)
- It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand (Megan Devine)
ANXIETY
CF Online
Anxiety. It’s everywhere and in everything. Triggers. Fear. Worry. Panic. Big and small. When anxiety hits, our ability to “think” gets lost and replaced with a need to act. This week, as we think about this mental health struggle of anxiety and how it fits in the context of our faith, John Orozco asks the question, “Where is Jesus in all of this?”
- Full Service - CF Website
- Message - YouTube
Books
Recommended - General
- Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts (Jennie Allen)
- Running Scared: Fear, Worry and the God of Rest (Edward Welch, etc)
- Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress and Survival Mode-- and into a Life of Connection and Joy (Aundi Kolber)
Recommended - Specific Anxiety Disorders
- Getting Control: Overcoming Obsessions And Compulsions (Lee Baer)
- When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach To Living With Uncertainty (Jeff Bell)
- The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook (Edmund Bourne)
- The Anxiety Cure (Archibald Hart, Ph.D.)
- The Worry Control Workbook (Mary Ellen Copeland)
- An End to Panic: Breakthrough Techniques for Overcoming Panic Disorder (Elke Zuercher-White, Ph.D)
- The Wellness Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining Health and Treating Stress-Related Illness (Herbert Benson & Eileen Stuart)
- Walking on Water When You Feel Like You’re Drowning: Finding Hope in Life’s Darkest Moments (Tommy Nelson & Steve Leavitt)
- My Name is Hope: Anxiety, Depression, and Life after Melancholy (Mark Comer)
- Be Anxious for Nothing: The Art of Casting Your Cares and Resting in God (Joyce Meyer)
- Anxiety Gone: Three C’s of Anxiety Recovery (Stanley Hibbs)
- Overcoming Panic Attacks: Practical, biblically-based help for those who suffer from panic attacks and irrational fears (Ray Comfort)
Podcasts
- The Bible’s Step by Step Cure for Anxiety
- Gratitude, the Great Antidote
- Finding Healing from Ourselves
- 10 Keys to a Contented Heart
- Cleaning up the Mental Mess with Dr. Caroline Leaf
- Grateful for Grief with Stephen Colbert
Video Bible Studies via Right Now Media
Need a RightNow Media account? You can get your FREE login via CF by clicking here.
CO-DEPENDENCY
CF Online
We all can struggle with co-dependency from time to time. For many of us, though, it is debilitating. In this week of our Let’s Talk About … Mental Health series, Chris Stockhaus explores the habits, the lies, the practical steps, and the truth needed to find the healthy love of self that Jesus wants for us.
- Full Service - CF Website
- Message - YouTube
Practical Steps for Combatting Co-dependent Tendencies
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Practice saying the word no.
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When you start to think of what others need, stop and consider what you need first.
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Consistently acknowledge that you’re not responsible for fixing anyone; they have to do that themselves.
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You can’t make another person feel a certain way – and they can’t make you feel a certain way- you are in charge of your own emotions.
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Develop and embrace your own personality. Take up hobbies, find things you enjoy doing. Find and meet your own expectations, not other people’s expectations.
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Try not to judge others and try not to think others are judging you.
Co-Dependency Groups
In addition to practical tips, we recommend you join a co-dependency anonymous group. We have some groups at Cornerstone, or there may be a great co-dependency group outside of Cornerstone but in your community. We also recommend counseling or therapy. There are professionals in your area who are trained to help you develop a Gospel-centered healthy view of self that will help you combat your co-dependent tendencies.
Books
Recommended - General
Sometimes co-dependency can be viewed as an addiction to relationships.
- Untangling Relationships (Pat Springle)
- Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself (Melodie Beattie)
Recommended - Specific Co-dependency Struggles
- Beyond Co-dependency: and Getting Better All the Time (Melody Beattie)
- The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency (Melody Beattie)
- Conquering Codependency: A Christ-centered 12 Step Process (Pat Springle)
- Untangling Relationships: A Christian Perspective On Co-Dependence (Pat Springle)
- The Christian Codependence Recovery Workbook: From Surviving to Significance (Stephanie Tucker)
- Love is a Choice: The Definitive Book on Letting Go of Unhealthy Relationships (Robert Hemfelt, Frank Minirth & Paul Meier)
GRIEF
CF Online
Grief is complicated. Unresolved grief can affect every area of our lives, from our mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. In this message, Pastor Diane Rutledge dissects the complexity of working in and through personal grief, supporting someone going through grief, and how Jesus' words and actions can move someone toward hope, health, and healing.
- Full Service - CF Website
- Message - YouTube
Helpful Ways to Process Grief
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Support Groups - Attending a support group at a local church or hospice facility. Many support groups today offer virtual groups.
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Sleep and Self-care - It may be difficult to find healthy routines as you are grieving, yet it is so important to take time to care for yourself and get rest. What is something you can do that you enjoy? Ex. Going for walks, take time off from work, listening to music, reading a book, cooking a meal, going out for coffee, taking a bath, watching your favorite show. Take time to do things that give your heart and mind rest but also things that you truly enjoy.
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Say Goodbye - Perhaps you did not get a chance to say goodbye to your loved one. This experience can leave a void of unfinished business in your heart, soul, and mind. Here
are a few examples of how you can take time to say goodbye:-
Journaling and/or writing a letter to the one who passed.
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Acknowledging the loss. Making a post on social media about the loss or writing an obituary can be helpful to acknowledge and process your loss.
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Permission to move forward. After loss grief is a healthy and normal emotion to have but it can also become a companion that keeps us from moving forward (not forgetting) after our loss. Here are some ideas to help you remember and honor the memory of your loved one while also giving you permission to create new memories and a new routine in your life.
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Find something that reminds you of them and place it somewhere visible in your home.
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Light a candle in their place at significant holidays, anniversaries, events.
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Remember them often in your thoughts and don’t be afraid to talk about them in conversations with others
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Books
Recommended - General
- Walking with God through Pain and Suffering (Timothy Keller)
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (Bessel Van Der Kolk)
- What Happened to You? (Oprah Winfrey & Bruce Perry)
Recommended - Specific
Grief
- The Grief Recovery Handbook (John W. James and Russell Friedman)
- Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow (Nancy Guthrie)
- Life After Loss: Conquering Grief and Finding Hope (Raymond Moody and Dianne Arcangel)
- The Last Thing We Talk About (Joseph Bayly)
- Goodbye for Now: Practical Help and Personal Hope for Those Who Grieve (Welby O’Brien)
- Between Faith and Tears (Kenneth E. Schemmer)
- A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss (Jerry Sittser)
- When Life Hurts: A Three-Fold Path to Healing (Brian C. Stiller)
- All God’s Comfort (Herbert Lockyer)
- Grieving with Hope: Finding Comfort as You Journey through Loss (Samuel Hodges & Kathy Leonard)
- Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child (Gary Roe)
- A Grief Observed (C.S. Lewis)
- On Death & Dying (Elisabeth Kubler Ross)
- Recovering from Losses in Life (H. Norman Wright)
- Experiencing Grief (H. Norman Wright)
- When God & Grief Meet: Comfort & Courage for Your Journey (Lynn Eib)
Infertility/Miscarriage
- Grieving the Child I Never Knew (Kathe Wunnenberg)
- Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God’s Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage (Abbey Wedgeworth)
- We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead (Pat Schwiebert and Taylor Bills) - Telling young children about the loss of an expected sibling.
- Empty Arms: Hope and Support for Those Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Tubal Pregnancy (Pam Vredevelt)
- Angel Wings: My Story of Love, Faith, Infertility, Surrogacy and Not Giving Up Hope (Stephanie O’Hara)
- Hope Deferred: Heart-Healing Reflections on Reproductive Loss (Nadine Pence Frantz)
- Hannah’s Hope: Seeking God’s Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage and Adoption Loss (Jennifer Saake)
- Longing for Motherhood: Holding on to Hope in the Midst of Childlessness (Chelsea Patterson Sobolik)
Podcasts
- This Too Shall Suck- A Fresh Perspective on Grief
- Hope Thru Grief Podcast
- Brené Brown and David Kessler - On Grief and Finding Meaning
Movie
ADDICTION
CF Online
Addiction is complicated. Not only are the causes, results, and impacts of Addiction challenging for an individual facing them, the ripple effect of Addiction reaches beyond and deep into those surrounding that person. Join Pastor Steve Ingold and Care Pastor/licensed Therapist Amy Sargent as they have a conversation around Addiction and how Jesus’ words and actions can move someone toward hope, health, and healing.
- Full Service - CF Website
- Message - YouTube
Books
Recommended - General
- Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness (Matthew S. Stanford)
- Waiting for Heaven: Freedom from the Incurable Addiction to Self (Larry Crabb)
- The Heart of Addiction (Mark Shaw)
Recommended - Specific Addictions
12-Step Recovery
Pornography, Sexual Addiction
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- False Intimacy: Understanding the Struggle of Sexual Addiction (Harry Schaumburg)
- Escape from Intimacy: Untangling the ``Love'' Addictions: Sex, Romance, Relationships (Anne Wilson Schaef)
- Pure Desire: How One Man’s Triumph Can Help Others Break Free From Sexual Temptation (Ted Roberts)
- Every Heart Restored: A Wife's Guide to Healing in the Wake of a Husband's Sexual Sin (Fred Stoeker)
- Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (Stephen Arterburn)
- Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment (Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn)
- Faithful and True (Mark Laaser)
- Love and Betrayal: Stories of Hope to Help you Heal from Your Husband’s Pornography Addiction (Carmel Parker White and Natalie Black Milne)
- Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction (Mark Laaser)
- No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Shame (Marnie Ferree)
- Shattered Vows: Hope and Healing for Women Who Have Been Sexually Betrayed (Debra Laaser)
Substance Abuse/Addiction
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- Freedom From Addiction: Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding Freedom in Christ (Neil Anderson, Mike & Julia Quarles)
- Conquering Chemical Dependency: A Christ-Centered 12 Step Process (McGee, McCleskey)
- Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous (Ernest Kurtz)
- The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning (Ernest Kurtz)
- Coming Clean: A Story of Faith (Seth Haines)
- Video "Addiction" (HBO)
Food Addiction
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- The Satisfied Workbook: A Spiritual Guide to Recovery and Food Freedom (Rhona Epstein)
- Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction (Asheritah Ciuciu and Linda Dillow)
- Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food (Lysa Terkeurst)
- The Monster Within: Facing and Eating Disorder (Cynthia Rowland McClure)
Work & Other Addictions
Family Affected by Addictions
Websites
Recommended - General
- Start Your Recovery: Substance Abuse Resources & Support
- Live Another Day: Mental health and substance use resources for people of color
- Detox Local: Mental health and substance use resources specifically for the AAPI (American Asian and Pacific Islander) community
Recommended - Support for the Top 10 Addictions
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Online Gamers Anonymous
- Screen/Technology Addiction
- Sexual Addictions Anonymous
- Pornography Addicts Anonymous
- Workaholic Anonymous
- Shopping Addiction
- Gambling Addiction
CONNECT WITH US
Our Care Ministry wants to support you during this time. We desire to come alongside you to offer hope, help and healing through Jesus Christ. We believe in the power of prayer and connecting! If you need prayer or are looking to speak with a pastor or lay counselor, we encourage you to reach out by filling out one of the forms listed below:
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A CRISIS AND NEED HELP IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE CALL THE 24-HOUR ALAMEDA COUNTY CRISIS LINE: 1-800-309-2131 (FREE CALL AND FREE ASSISTANCE), AND THEY WILL HELP YOU. YOU MAY ALSO CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE AT 1-800-784-2433.