All Christians

In a conversation about marriage, the topic of sex has to come up at some point. The top three things people are cited in having problems are sex, money, and improving conversations. It would make sense to need to talk about sex at some point from a clinical standpoint. But for the modern-day Church in a world where the internet in all its wonder but lack of filters around sex and pornography is immediately available 24 hours a day, we have made it taboo. So, can we write about sex? If so, how far is too far?

But it was like this before the internet too.

[Read more…] about Can We Write About Sex?

One of the best parts about marriage also tends to be one of the most significantly impaired. While no conclusive research has come out on these top three, a general assumption among marriage therapists is sex, money, and conversation are the biggest failure points for a marriage.

It would make sense that communication between two people are the most important. We even see this in our faith, right? When we struggle with our relationship with God, what suffers first? Attendance at church and worship? Prayer? Reading Scriptures? These are all ways we commune with God. Sin blocks our communication, whether with God or the one we love the most.

[Read more…] about Improving Communication In Marriages

The last article we wrote asked the question “What Is Godly Marriage?” and immediately noted that most people do not understand what that is. Our solution should be Scripture, but too many times, we are cherry-picking what we want and not using proper hermeneutics. To better help with this, we went and found Scripture that speaks to the heart of marriage.

[Read more…] about Scripture About A Godly Marriage

Marriage in this day and age feels very subjective. For people who do not have a Christian background, it may be something you do because it’s what your parents want, it’s a tax write off, you do it because you are pregnant, or because you have fallen in love. Within the context of a Christian worldview, why do we get married? What does a Godly marriage look like?

[Read more…] about What Is Godly Marriage?

This month is suicide awareness and we want to clarify one detail that is sometimes missed. When someone makes a suicidal statement, you need to take it seriously. The risk is too great, accidents can certainly happen.

[Read more…] about Take Suicide Seriously

If you are a pastor, leader, or involved Christian in your church or ministry and want to make an impact on your community to prevent suicide, we want to help. Below we have created several social media graphics for you to share. We want to encourage you to let your congregation and community know.

Note: you can actually get these for free without the ChurchAndMentalHealth.com watermark if you sign up for our newsletter at the end of our article. Use them as you please. If you already have signed up, we will be sending you the files soon!

[Read more…] about Bringing Suicide Awareness For Your Church

Note from the Editor: This month is Suicide Awareness month and when I saw David’s Instagram post. There is so much more behind this story that maybe I will convince him to share including what the tattoo means and David’s specific experience with the Church after struggling with suicidal thoughts. Also note, this was originally posted on David’s Instagram here on Sunday, September 10, 2017.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s a day that’s deeply important to me, because it serves as a reminder — A reminder of the many times in my life that I came close to giving up + ending the story. It’s also important because it’s an opportunity for us to bring awareness to something scary that we’d rather not talk about. Because to avoid the discussion, simply because it’s scary, isn’t the right response. If you’ve never known the deep pain that comes with not wanting to live, consider yourself incredibly fortunate. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But regardless of our individual experiences, we can all do something. Everyone plays a role in suicide prevention…

You can start by letting people know that they matter… That their existence affects yours. You never know how much you mean to someone, or how much they want to mean something to you. And sometimes that’s all the motivation they need to stay.

As we previously mentioned, this month is about suicide awareness. Unlike most parts of mental health disorders and behaviors, there is a lot of misinformation and ignorance about suicide that needs to be cleared up. We want to share myths and facts about suicide, some of which you may not have known.

[Read more…] about Myths About Suicide

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the United States. Each year, 41,000 people die because of suicide. Suicide itself is not an act that affects only the person that committed suicide, but families, friends, and communities. Too often the feelings of shame and stigma prevent them from talking openly. Dedicating a month to this topic means we get to shine God’s light and grace to a topic hidden in the shadows.

[Read more…] about September Is Suicide Awareness Month

Grief therapy is traditionally known for helping individuals and families when a loved one passes away. Pastors know this process well with funeral arrangements, coordinating food for after the service, and discussing proceedings while the loss is fresh and painful.

But grief therapy includes so much more than after someone dies. We want to explore specifically how pastors and mental health professionals could work together when crisis events like Hurricane Harvey come about.

[Read more…] about Grief Support With Hurricane Harvey Relief