Ministry

Episode 24 – Hope for the Homeless with Dawn Adams

May 2, 2019 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 2 51:01 Comments Off on Episode 24 – Hope for the Homeless with Dawn Adams

Dawn Adams is the Community Relations Director with Food 4
Souls. Her focus is on researching and aligning resources that allow
Food 4 Souls to assist those who are ready to move into a life beyond homelessness. She is also responsible for cultivating donor partnerships, working with individuals in recovery and working with local organizations, churches and youth programs for community outreach projects.

When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, visiting the local coffee shop and spending time outside with her dog. Dawn currently resides in Fisher’s, IN with her husband and twin girls and attends Heartland Church.

Topics include:

What led her to making the decision to work full time in ministry to the homeless?

How does she handle referrals to mental healthcare providers?

How has her perception of the homeless changed over her 7 years in ministry?

How has working with homeless helped Dawn heal?

What does healing mean to you?

Shownotes:

Key Ministry – Inclusion Fusion Conference – Conference Tony attended

Friends of Pollinator Parks – Eric’s Pollinator Park Facebook group

Brighter Days – Homeless shelter in Columbus, IN

Next Episode:

Cameron Stout from Stout Heart, Inc.

Episode 17- Bob Mills, President of Mindsrenewed.org

October 11, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 43:44 Comments Off on Episode 17- Bob Mills, President of Mindsrenewed.org

Want to join a consortium of 12,000 mental health advocates?  Listen to Bob Mills, Founder of Minds Renewed, discuss the mission of his ambitious organization.  The goal of the organization is to become the most valuable web platform for evaluating, curating, and communicating the best mental health information on the web.

The origins began in 2001 in a mental health ministry that Bob started at 1st Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bob’s desire to honor God through serving the suffering grew out of his own experience with bouts of depression and bipolar disorder.

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Some topics include:

What is the leadership structure of his mental health group ministry?

What has led to the growth of Minds Renewed?

What are some good models that he has identified through his networking?

What does healing mean to you?

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Shownotes:

Mental Health Grace Alliance – ministry that provides mental health resources for families and individuals suffering with mental health struggles

Fresh Hope for Mental Health – Pastor Brad Hoefs is a podcast host and developer of a mental health group ministry model

The Stability Network – Mental health advocacy organization that helps employers, communities, and the public recognize that people with mental health conditions are their friends, neighbors and colleagues who can—and do—lead successful lives.

Having fun with Kim and Diana

Episode 14 – Faithful Friends, Kim and Diana

August 30, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 44:41 Comments Off on Episode 14 – Faithful Friends, Kim and Diana

Faithful Friends mental health wellness ministry model is the focus. Kim Graves and Diana Starkey, who lead the weekly ministry with Tony and Eric, help model the typical flow of the group.

Below is the format of the 7:00 – 8:30 PM ministry hosted every Tuesday night at The Living Room in Columbus, IN:

Opening Prayer | Announcements | Foundational Scripture | Introductions | Guidelines | Scripture | Accountability Check | Wellness Topic | Minute of Gratitude | Sharing | Closing Prayer

If you are interested in learning more about this ministry model, please reach out to Eric (eric.r.riddle@gmail.com) or Tony (tonyrobertsdelight@gmail.com)

Faithful Friends has met every Tuesday since starting in November 2014.

 

Episode 12 – Eric Riddle on Service

August 2, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 45:59 Comments Off on Episode 12 – Eric Riddle on Service

Eric Riddle discusses his book, “Watershed: Service in the Wake of Disaster”. Learn what Watershed Philanthropy means to Eric.

We hope you enjoy a little “behind the scenes” listening in this unedited episode!

With summer coming to an end, we will be transitioning back into an interview format for Episode 13.  We will welcome Robert Vore, podcast host of the CXMH podcast. We are excited to learn more about Robert’s evolving ministry at the intersection of faith and mental health.

Sarah Lund

Episode 9 – Sarah Lund, Pastor and Author

June 21, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 45:37 Comments Off on Episode 9 – Sarah Lund, Pastor and Author

Wanting to dialogue on the recent suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, we interview Pastor Sarah Griffith Lund.  Sarah has been speaking publicly about the intersection of faith and mental wellness since releasing “Blessed are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family and Church” (Chalice Press) in 2014.

Sarah is the Senior Minister at First Congregational Church of Christ in Indianapolis, IN.

She received the Bob and Joyce Dell Award for Mental Health Education from the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network in 2015 for “her outstanding authorship and leadership in breaking the silence about mental illness in family and in church and offering healing and hope.”

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Some of the topics include:

How did growing up in a home affected by mental illness impact her faith?

What are some protective factors to prevent suicide?

What was her experience being chaplain for her cousin’s execution and death?

How will her personal ministry be carried into her new senior minister role?

What does healing mean to you?

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Show Notes:

Sarah’s Website and Blog: www.sarahgriffithlund.com

First Congregational Church of Indianapolis: www.fcindy.org

Sip of Hope Coffee Bar (Chicago): www.sipofhope.com

The Life Saving Church: Faith Communities and Suicide Prevention by Rachael Keefe

John Prine’s New Album: The Tree of Forgiveness

Columbus, IN 10 Year Flood Anniversary Event!

Tony Roberts is Delighting in Disorder

March 28, 2018 Tony Roberts Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Tony Roberts is Delighting in Disorder

My Story

In 1995, I was a young, ambitious pastor serving a small village church.  One Sunday, I delivered a sermon on human illness and divine healing in which I shared these words:

When we become ill, it is important to listen to our bodies and pray that God help us make necessary changes. Our ailments may be blessings in disguise. We may be expecting too much from ourselves, or avoiding things we need to face. As we listen to our bodies, talk and reflect with others, and pray together, we can gain spiritual insight which will help us live healthier, more productive, more abundant lives.

The next day, I was in the seclusion room of a psychiatric hospital. I was told I had bipolar disorder, that I would never work as a pastor again, that my marriage would likely end, and that I would spend the rest of my life in and out of psychiatric hospitals.

By the grace of God and with much help from many others, I served another dozen years of fruitful ministry, was married “for better and for worse” for twenty three years and have mostly progressed in treatment to enjoy what my psychiatrist calls “maintenance remission.”

My Message

Having served over twenty years in ministry while wrestling with a serious mental illness, I have a message of Good News to share. This is not just positive affirmation meant to cover up feelings and shame and fear.  It is not something I’ve picked up from one of the countless self-help books on the ABCs of analysis and treatment. It is certainly not that I have attained victory over bipolar through divine intervention alone and I no longer need medication or therapy.

The Good News we have to share is instead the hope that, with Christ’s saving grace, the hellish impact of mental illness will be bearable. God is with me even in the darkest valleys of despair. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Our hope, the Good News is that God has a purpose for our lives. And when we carry this hope, we find fellowship with others who struggle; we are emboldened to fight the stigma that often leads to dangerous silence; we find a measure of peace even during the worst moment that things will get better. We don’t know when, or how. Maybe not even in this life. But things will get better.

My Mission

Many people with mental illness are angry at God, at believers and at faith communities.  People within churches struggle to understand mental illness to connect what medical advances about brain chemistry with Truth revealed in Scripture.  I have lived in both worlds and wrestle daily with my dual identity as a Christian who has a serious mental illness.

My mission is to bridge the distance between faith and mental illness — fostering faith among those with disorders and diagnoses and promoting compassion within the faith community.  Sharing my spiritual memoir is the first step towards this mission.

Won’t you join me on this mission? Pray for those impacted by mental illness. Recruit them to share their stories within your sanctuaries. If you have a mental illness, set aside your assumptions and walk into a church one Sunday or ask to go with a Christian you know.

When we do these things, we reclaim our godly mission through the madness of the world.

Blessed are the Unsatisfied by Amy Simpson: A Review

March 15, 2018 Tony Roberts Guests Comments Off on Blessed are the Unsatisfied by Amy Simpson: A Review
God is blessing our podcast Revealing Voices in so many ways and we are confident  it will only get better. For one, we’ve managed to score an interview with Amy Simpson, one of the leading Christian voices on the subject of mental illness.
I was first introduced to Simpson’s work through her book Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission. As a pastor who has battled bipolar disorder, I felt liberated reading her passionate and compassionate call to open our pulpits and our pews to the voices and services of persons with mental illness. As the child of a father who served as a pastor and a mother who struggled with schizophrenia, Simpson speaks as one who knows inside and out both the failings and the blessings of the body of Christ responding to persons who too often fall through the cracks.

Read More

Amy Simpson: Author, Advocate, Life & Leadership Coach

March 11, 2018 Tony Roberts Guests 2 Comments

Eric and I are very enthusiastic about Episode 2 with Amy Simpson (to be released March 15). I first became aware of Amy’s work when I was writing my spiritual memoir, Delight in Disorder. She had recently written Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission. This book opened the doors of the sanctuary for conversations, prayers, and outreach with those who have mental illness. It still inspires individual believers and bodies of Christ to be more engaged in mental health ministry, to see the image of God even in those whom many would judge to have unsound minds.

Amy is deeply committed to seeing purposeful people make the most of their gifts and opportunities. As an author, speaker, and life & leadership coach, she helps influencers get clear on their calling and thrive in times of transition.  She inspires others to see clearly, lead boldly, live true, and fully engage in life with guiding purpose.

A creative professional and a former publishing executive, Amy has a heart for leaders who are ready to thrive through change and come out stronger. As a member of a family affected by serious mental illness, she holds strong convictions that each person’s life has purpose and that points of crisis are opportunities for transformation. As an experienced leader, filling roles from executive to entrepreneur, she knows how to help others turn challenges into resources.

Whether speaking into a microphone or through the written word, Amy is a gifted communicator with a prophetic voice. She is author of the award-winning books Blessed Are the Unsatisfied: Finding Spiritual Freedom in an Imperfect World, Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission, and Anxious: Choosing Faith in a World of Worry (all InterVarsity Press). She serves as an editor-at-large for Christianity Today’s CTPastors.com and a regular contributor for various publications. She also serves as a member of the board for Minds Renewed, a national consortium of Christians who serve those impacted by mental health concerns and addictive disorders.

As a life & leadership coach, Amy helps influencers thrive through change so they can see clearly, lead boldly, and live true. A firm believer that life is too short to waste time living out of sync with God’s purposes, she challenges clients throughout the United States to step into their calling with authenticity and excellence. She specializes in working with people who find themselves on the edge of something new, whether a new role, organization, approach, project, or career.

Amy holds an English degree from Trinity International University, an MBA from the University of Colorado, and CPCC certification from Coaches Training Institute. She loves to travel with her husband, Trevor, their two teenage girls, and their lovable dog, Rosie. She lives with these wonderful folks in the suburbs of Chicago, where she is committed to perfecting her dry sense of humor and reading nearly everything she can.

You can find Amy at…

email: contact@amysimpson.com

Website: www.amysimpson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.simpson.author

Twitter: @aresimpson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aresimpson/

Instagram: amy.r.simpson

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aresimpson/

 

Our episode with Amy will be available on iTunes and this website March 15. We hope you will join us as we discuss with Amy such things as what inspired her to write about faith and mental illness, how we can be blessed to live an unsatisfied life, and h0w loving the church and loving persons with mental illness can make a difference in our lives and ministry.