Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Praying God’s Word Wednesday #53: Lysa Terkeurst

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Lysa TerkeurstHappy Birthday, Courtney Cox!  I am a Friends tv show fanatic.  It is like comfort food to me.  But I know who my best friend is.  And I love to pray to the One who’ll be there for me “when the rain starts to fall”.  Now that I’ve Jesus juked you with my favorite program, I’ll confess that I am breaking form a bit today.  Even though this is called “Praying God’s Word Wednesday”, I came across a quote from Lysa Terkeurst that I found so compelling that I wanted to pray it over my friends. (Get it?  Sticking to theme.)

 

“Prayer connects our overwhelming anxiety to God’s overcoming power.” – Lysa Terkeurst

 

These words struck a chord with me.  I have anxiety about some things in my life.  If I believe the leading statistics, most of you do too.  So this is my prayer for my friends today – and that includes you, my reader friends.

 

Lysa Terkeurst

 

Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.  And if you are praying for your kids, say their names before the Father.  I am doing so here in the privacy of my home.

 

Praying for you in this.  And don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

Lauren

 

 

Let’s Talk About Mental Health

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Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are the latest prominent figures to speak publicly about their mental health.  I appreciate anyone who uses their platform – big or small to draw attention to the rising mental health epidemic in our country.  These conversations were hidden in dark corners for too long.  The more we bring these issues to light, the more awareness we have.  The more awareness we have, the better we can recognize early signs and seek help.  Not only for ourselves, but also for others.

 

I have suffered from low level depression and anxiety.  As a result, counseling has been a great help to me.  In addition to my own struggles, family members with different mental health challenges spur me to try to stay informed.  But there is so much I don’t know.

 

Even though I’m no subject matter expert, I couldn’t let World Suicide Prevention Day pass without at least sharing a few resources I found this month.

 

Websites and Articles

 

  1.  Why Olympian Athletes Break Down and Why You Could Be Next – an article from Relevant Magazine by Debra Fileta
  2.  Watch Those Calories!  A Digital Diet for Mental Health from The Gospel Coalition.  David Murray expounds on how our online activities contribute to mental and emotional issues.
  3. Am I Actually Depressed or Just Sad?  by Andrea Jongbloed for Relevant Magazine.  A good primer on recognizing the difference.
  4. How Do I Know if This Counselor is Right for Me?  from Beth Claes and The Gospel Coalition.
  5. KatieRDale.com – formerly BiPolar Brave.  Katie writes with frankness and truth about her struggle against Bipolar disorder.  Spend some time clicking around and reading about her experiences and insight.
  6. hopefortheheart.org  June Hunt’s organization has been around for 35 years and the resource offerings keep getting better and better.  Check out the books, articles, videos, radio program and therapy options with licensed professional counselors.

 

Helpful Numbers

 

Text HELLO to 741741 to connect immediately with a crisis counselor 24/7 for free.  Or chat online at crisistextline.org.  And most importantly, if you are having thoughts about self-harm, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or simply dial 911.  Don’t hesitate.

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

My fellow link up host Maree Dee is writing about suicide prevention this month, and doing it much better than me.  She has some great tips for how you can get informed and involved, and some great resources in Suicide Prevention:  Will You Be the One to Save a Life?  Thanks so much, Maree.

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1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

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MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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