Good friends help us bounce back

October is Mental Health Month in Australia.

Mental health is an issue close to my heart. Not only have I suffered from Major Depression (formerly known as Clinical Depression) and anxiety for over 10 years, but I have watched as family and friends have journeyed through Anorexia, Bulimia, Bipolar Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, Depression and Anxiety disorders.

The reason awareness of mental illness needs to be raised is that while it is now one of the most debilitating illnesses facing society, it is also one of the most misunderstood and incorrectly treated - medically and socially. Sadly, I have often found that the Church is particularly unsympathetic and continues to espouse many false ideas about the issues surrounding mental health.

The two major realities are that:

• One out of every five Australians [about 20%] will experience some form of mental illness each year. Three out of every ten [about 3 %] will be seriously affected.
• Only one third of people (34.9%) with a mental health disorder used health services for their mental health problem. Mental Health Council of Australia

One of the major reasons that two-thirds of sufferers don't seek help is the stigma and lack of understanding associated with mental illness. But the fact is that mental disorders are indeed an illness AND just like illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease, they are totally treatable.

The Mental Health Association NSW has chosen for their slogan this October, "Good friends help us bounce back." I love this phrase for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, sharing a mental illness or struggle with someone can often be the first step in breaking the stronghold that it has on your life. Whether you seek help from a professional doctor or psychologist, or simply confide in your friend, change and hope will seem more achievable with someone alongside you.

Secondly, this phrase sums up perfectly the key to my personal recovery. Without the love and encouragement of a faithful group of friends, I would not be where I am today. I have been greatly blessed by people willing to wade into my darkness, sit with me, challenge me, cry with me, pray with me and remind me of hope when I have none.

Mental health issues are a prison that so many don't know how to escape. If you know someone today who is struggling, reach out to them; tell them they are not alone and that there is help and hope available. If you are struggling and feel that there is no hope, dare to reach out and seek help.

Here are just some of the great web resources on mental health:
Sane
beyondblue
Mental Health Association NSW

God bruise our heels

The new Jars of Clay album is amazing. Just when I think they can't get musically or lyrically better... they do. And because the new album is all about community, I already loved it before I'd even heard it.

The lyric that has been rolling around my head the most this week is this:

So God, bruise the heels we've dug in the ground
That we might move closer to love

It is always such a challenge to allow God to move us from where we are comfortable; whether that be in our actions, theology, doctrines or relationships. But the example that I see Christ setting is one of love above all else.
I can hold on to my beliefs and my interpretations of scripture and I can question people who don't see things the same way. But if I 'dig my heels in' and hold on to these things above loving that person in grace and mercy, then I've lost sight of Jesus' call on my life.
I know that far too often I need God to bruise the heels I've dug in the ground. May we love each other enough not to dig in our heels; and when we do, lovingly nudge each other to free them and find grace.

The tyranny of things

After I posted last night I re-read one of my favourite Wendell Berry poems, and realised how applicable it was to the issue of greed and the church.

We Who Prayed and Wept
We who prayed and wept
from liberty and Kings
and the yoke of liberty
accept the tyranny of things
we do not need.
In plenitude too free,
we have become adept
beneath the yoke of greed.

Those who will not learn
in plenty to keep their place
must learn it by their need
when they have had their way
and the field spurn their seed.
We have failed Thy grace.
Lord, I flinch and pray,
send Thy necessity.
From A Part (1980)

The Church

[Disclaimer: This post was inspired by this article about the current discussions in the Sydney diocese of the Anglican Church. The older I have become, the more confident I have become in my 'liberalness' and what some would describe as a social justice gospel (I just call it the gospel). This has meant that I've struggled for many years with the tension of disagreeing with many of the teachings and practices of these congregations, yet knowing many wonderful people who consider themselves part of this group of believers. I struggle constantly with believing what I believe and relating to other followers of God with grace and love when we don't agree. So while the following words are inspired by the Sydney Diocese I want to acknowledge that we have all failed the church in some way or another. I mean this as no specific judgment or offense. I am simply a fellow traveler seeking to make sense of faith in the reality of our world. We must all take responsibility for how we, as a global Church, love each other and the world.]

We bank and barter and argue, just like any other company. We accumulate and justify, just like any other group. But I have a sneaking suspicion (no, I should be bold)... actually a firm belief, that the Christian church is not supposed to be like any other company or group.
I know it's unhealthy to make simple judgments about very complex issues. The hierarchies, structures and businesses we have created within, and surrounding, the church are complex and intricate. What started out, I only hope, with the best of intentions has too often become a web of corruption, greed and moral judgment that have tainted the message of hope, grace and love we have to offer.
We have become apathetic to the compromises we have made along the way. I believe we have lost sight of what it really means to be 'in the world, but not of it'; to be both peacemakers and revolutionaries; to be uncomfortable, but help others feel comfortable.
I struggle to make sense of a church leadership that can find themselves in deep financial trouble while still holding onto great wealth, whether that be property or capital. To me it seems something of this situation reminds me of Jesus in the temple; in anger and frustration, turning the table on the money-changers and sellers.
In our gatherings, such as the synod meeting, should we not be asking ourselves how God has called us to love in real and practical ways? Should we not be questioning where our wealth and overflowing prosperity comes from and where it needs to go? How can we as a church stand out from other organisations in the way we are structure and administrate? Should we not be willing to 'live simpler, so that others may simply live'?