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Published: 30 May 2014

I don’t remember people talking about mental health when I was growing up.  I know there were mental health issues but they were often addressed in different ways in the 60’s and 70’s than they are today.  I’m glad that there are people who make this discipline of study their life pursuit and I am sure many individuals that are being helped in ways that are very effective.  I am sure there are a variety of mental health issues for which there is no other solution than medication and on-going therapy.  On the other hand, I am certain there are many common areas of mental health that, like physical health, could be addressed without professional assistance.  For example, there are people who would see a doctor far less if they took better care of themselves physically.  I think there are many people who could do with less professional therapy if they really gave themselves to sound practices of mental health.  The truth is, most of us have the capacity to choose what we think about, what we value and how we are going to live.  The Bible provides truth for us, think of it as a good diet for the mind.  It is all good food but the teachings of Jesus (expanded by the apostles), could be considered the “miracle food” for mental health.  How different our thinking would be if we really believed Jesus’ teachings about our identity, gratitude, God’s presence, the nature of suffering, the power of the Holy Spirit, the excellence of forgiveness and reconciliation, the danger of contempt and the life giving provision of prayer.  These are just a few of the teachings that would transform the way we think, the way we handle emotions and the way we behave.  This coming Sunday I’ll be talking about why we should think deeply and regularly about the cross of Christ.  If we engage our minds on the breadth of this truth on a regular basis, it would transform our thinking and lead us to flourishing mental health.  No wonder the apostle Paul made the cross his boast.

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Published: 23 May 2014

There are athletes among us.  There are trainers among us.  There are plenty of people who know what to do to maximize heart health to be the “best that we can be.”  A “good” cardio workout and good cardio health has objective standards.  It is more than just getting your heart rate to increase.  My heart rate increases when I hear a turkey gobble or catch a big fish…that hardly qualifies as a cardio workout or good heart health.  We also refer to our “inner life” as our heart.  Of course we are not referring to the organ that pumps blood but we are referring to the part of our humanity where we make decisions; this is “spiritual.”   The physical heart is a wonder of creation but the inner heart is also a marvel.  Under the heading of “the heart” we typically think about thinking, feeling, choosing, and repenting.  If we want to consider our inner heart health there are also objective standards.  Jesus taught that we could know something about the health of our heart by what we say and how we live.  A good heart routinely produces good words and good deeds.  A bad heart routinely produces bad words and bad deeds.  God would like us to all have good hearts and He has given us everything we need to reflect His goodness in that way.  However, we have to cooperate with Him to see goodness develop.  He works in us both to “will and to do of His good pleasure,” but we must work with Him to “make our calling and election sure.”  I really think Jesus is referring to this cooperation in Matthew 6:19-23 and in our text for Sunday, Matthew 12:35.  The picture in Matthew 12 is of a strong box; we only take out of the box what we put in.  What we put in is what we treasure…if we treasure goodness, it will come out.  If we treasure badness, it will come out.  It is the law of sowing and reaping that Paul wrote about in Galatians 5.  If we sow to the flesh we reap corruption.  If we sow to the spirit, we will reap life everlasting/quality of life.  So, how’s your heart today?  I pray it is filled with good that you have placed there…and that it is ready to share with others as the Lord allows.