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God Will Give Us Everything We Need – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice This has been an overwhelming, exhausting, frustrating couple of weeks. If it weren’t for many people praying for me, I’m honestly not sure how I would have remained upright. In all of the chaos of caring for aging parents who live far away, and the emergencies that came along with that in…
Self-Care Strategies for Christians Living with Mental Health Challenges – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart “Self-care” is a term I wish I would have known more about years ago, as it would have saved me a lot of grief and reoccurrances into depression. As an editor for a Christian newsletter publishing company, I wrote about the topic for audiences like foster parents. Self-care made perfect sense for…
FEBRUARY – Meditating on God’s Word – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice, Hope Coach Trainer for Fresh Hope Earlier this week, at our Fresh Hope for Mental Health Support Group, we discussed Meditation and Mindfulness. Not the mystical state of “harmony and serenity,” but the Biblical concept of meditating on the Word of God. Studies about Mindfulness and Meditation have shown it to be…
Finding Hope in the Midst of Anxiety: A Faith-Based Approach – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart If you’ve ever seen the movie High Anxiety, especially if you’re a Mel Brooks fan, no doubt you found it a funny flick. But anxiety is no laughing matter for anyone with a mental health diagnosis. In fact, anxiety and depression are often co-occurring. People who are depressed often feel anxious and…
The Process Of Surrendering Pain and Embracing Desperation – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box I recently came across another Fight Club scene while I was researching a quote for an upcoming writing project— I referenced the 1999 movie Fight Club in a previous post: https://pastorbrad.blog/2024/02/29/crisis-control/ —I decided to watch the movie clip I was researching on YouTube to gain the proper context. In this instance the character, Tyler Durden, gives an intentional…
Your Word for the New Year – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice, Hope Coach Trainer for Fresh Hope We’re several weeks into the New Year. (Maybe soon, I’ll stop writing 2024!) My Christmas decorations have been put away, I’m back home after visiting friends and family, and winter seems to stretch out forever to the horizon. January often feels like a very long month,…
Coping with a Loved One’s Diagnosis – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart "My name is Mike. I have a diagnosis of depression and ADHD. My mood today is...." "I also have a loved one with a diagnosis..." Those of us in a Fresh Hope support group are very familiar with the first part of our introduction. But after seven years in a Fresh Hope group, the second…
Managing Christmas Expectations with a Mental Health Challenge – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Peggy Rice As I talked about in my blog post last month , not every holiday looks like the Norman Rockwell pictures we see or the ones in our minds. For many, facing Christmas when dealing with a mental health challenge – either your own, or that of someone you love – can be…
Stay Mentally and Emotionally Well at Christmas: Lessons from the Christmas Story – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppit The Christmas season, filled with joy, celebration, giving and receiving, can also bring stress and emotional challenges. Here are some lessons from the Christmas story we can think about to help us stay healthy and well. Embracing Unexpected Changes: The story of Mary and Joseph reminds us that life is full of…
Suffering and Desperation Make Your “aJesusStory” – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box “aJesusStory” comprises the regular episodes of life resulting from living as a gritty, heroic worshiper of Jesus. I knew it was my responsibility to invite people into my journey to tell and show them that Jesus had control of my crises and was ordering the chaos in and around me. As my…
On Thanksgiving – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Peggy Rice A Norman Rockwell painting (Freedom From Want, 1943) shows a Thanksgiving feast, with the whole family gathered around the edges, and a large cooked turkey being placed at the head of the table. While this may be the picture that lots of folks have in their heads of what the holiday should…
Are YOU a Suicide Survivor? – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart I'll never forget the phone call. It was from my good friend, Tim*, on a Sunday ,morning in late April, 2008. His voice clearly shaky, it was all Tim could do to utter the words, "Steve* is gone." (*Names are changed to protect privacy.) STEVE? I thought. How can that be? Steve…
“7 Questions” About Telling Your Gritty (Mental Health) Story – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box You are the test audience, dear reader, and I need your help—Please provide feedback. Below are “7 Questions” that can help you tell a gritty story (about mental health) that tells a heroic story about Jesus—aJesusStory. aJesusStory is the outcome of living a lifestyle as a heroic worshiper of Jesus. Rather than…
On Hearing God – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice I recently got new hearing aids. I’d had my old ones for a little over 7 years. Since that time, the technology and design of hearing aids had changed, improved. While mine still worked, there were features that would help my hearing that the current pair just didn’t offer. And my current…
Get Vulnerable – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box I produce music in a backyard studio. I have some skills, but professional music producers blow me away with their final products. Nevertheless, when a musician or singer goes into the studio to record, I’ve learned that an artist cannot hide from the microphone. They are exposed by a device that captures…
The Importance of Having a Tribe – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice Just last week, my Fresh Hope Support Group co-facilitator and I had the privilege of hosting some staff from the Fresh Hope Leadership Team, visiting us – and working – here in Colorado. We had a wonderful time, showing them the sights of the mountains right out our front door, doing some…
“Don’t You Care God?” – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt Have you ever felt disappointed by God's seeming lack of response to your trials and hardships? Or by His apparent distance in a situation you find impossible or overwhelming to deal with? Have you ever felt abandoned by God in your hour of need? If so, you are not alone. There are…
Say The Thing – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box My friend Toby and I were the only two remaining in the back room. The music band, Sunday morning leadership, and the pastoral team had finished the pre-service prayer and had left the room to make final preparations and adjustments for the church service. Toby was scheduled to make a brief announcement…
God Is My Everywhere – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt While still a young and inexperienced pastor, one day, I told my wife I felt lonely. We had moved to a new town to begin this significant life change, leaving many of our old friends, yet not going far. So, I was surprised by the words coming out of my mouth. How…
An Opportunity to Equip Your Church for Mental Health Ministry – Mental Health and the Church 2024 – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Catherine Boyle “I wish my church had something like mental health ministry.” “It would be so great if my pastor could get your mental health resources.” “I’m a volunteer and I’d like to start a mental health ministry. Can you help?” These are the kinds of comments we receive from people who reach out…
Help for the Hurting – a Blog Post by Peggy Rice, Hope Coach Trainer for Fresh Hope – Pastor Brad Hoefs
The world is a hurting place. The pain is all around us. And it can feel overwhelming at times. I remember taking a walk through my neighborhood – just around a few blocks in our subdivision. As I was walking past doorways and driveways, I was struck by the thought that I had no idea…
Mental Health and the Church – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Pastor Dale Rose While pastoring First Assembly of God in Montclair, California, my wife Martha and I struggled in raising a son who was making wrong choices that affected his life and ours. There came a point where we attended a Southern California Network Conference where Dr. Richard Dobbins was the speaker. We went…
Gratitude Letter – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Chantele Olivo To Whom It May Concern Yes, this Letter is for YOU! Guess what? Has anyone thanked you today for being you? I wanted to thank you today. Would you allow me to? I thought of you while I prayed for you today, I held you in my thoughts and released it to…
The Elephant in the Room – Single, Childless, etc. – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart Single. Divorced. Widowed. Childless. If you can check one or more of these, this blog post is especially for you. There are many great benefits in belonging to a Fresh Hope or other support group. It’s an opportunity to share your troubles, celebrate personal victories, and every step in between. Perhaps best…
The Long Journey Toward Mental Health – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Peggy Rice I just returned home last night after a 5-day journey across the country. From Colorado to Wisconsin and back again, almost 2300 miles. I want to use that trip to draw some parallels to our journey from mental illness to mental health. This is for those who struggle with mental health challenges,…
Man Up And Pray More – Is That Really The Solution? – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Chris Morris About four years after I graduated from college, I began to feel the familiar tug of depressive episodes once again. It always started the same, with an internal question like this: Just who do you think you are doing all these things? Do you really think you’re qualified to be a husband,…
Retirement and Mental Health – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Mike Jacquart I retired as the editor of a magazine for employee assistance professionals several years ago, but I never gave a thought to writing about this topic – until now. I am finally doing so for two reasons: 1) More and more Boomers like myself are retiring (full time at least) from the…
Faith Communities: A Crucial Role in Combating Hopelessness – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Pastor Brad Hoefs Introduction Let me share a true story about Jamie. Jamie had faced the battle of a lifetime with a brain tumor. She had received all kinds of support: medical care, family visits, meals from friends, and prayers from her church community. A year later, however, Jamie found herself in a different…
Things I Wish I Knew Before Battling Depression – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt In 2008, my struggle with depression began and lasted for seven challenging years. During this period, I was diagnosed with a number of mental health conditions, and between 2012-2014 I spent a number of times as an inpatient, either on a psychiatric ward or at a healthcare facility specializing in mental health…
I Will Write a Lament – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Peggy Rice My heart is heavy. I’m not crying, not right now, but I can feel the weight in my chest. I’m burdened. I’m sad. I just returned yesterday from a funeral for a family member, someone I loved very much. He loved the Lord, and so there was certainly a celebration of life…
“NOT Mastered By Sickness”—5 Gritty Practices That Tell A Heroic Story About Jesus – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box Leading worship music helped me begin to understand how to manage Bipolar disorder. In the same way, Bipolar disorder gave me a unique angle to evaluate and practice Christian worship—as a way of life. Here are the five gritty practices, born out of desperation, that I use to discover and declare a…
Freedom in Christ! – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Peggy Rice “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 I really needed this verse recently! I had finally confronted an area of sin in my life, a stronghold, of which I felt incredible shame and guilt. I wanted to repent, to turn away, from this behavior,…
Mother’s Day – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By K. T. Griffiths Mother’s Day is approaching and today I had the privilege of visiting my 92 year old mother, who is living in a nursing home. Mom has lived a vibrant life, hosting many of the family parties. She would share encouraging words believing in her children. Her input would give us a…
Be kind to yourself (Part 2) – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt I finished part 1 of Be Kind to Yourself looking at the kindness of God and how He sees us as His children, who are forgiven and set free from the bondage of condemnation and guilt. And yet being a loved child of God goes so much further than that too, as…
Be kind to yourself (Part 1) – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt Ever have a day when all that you try and do goes awry, or you forget something important, or you fail at something again, or someone snubs or gaslights you? Or, just at that crucial time of relationship communication when it’s going so well, out pops those same familiar words that kill…
What If You Were A Bipolar Freak Who Worshiped The Great Hero? – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Scott Box I have noticed how people talk about their faith as they go about their lives—It seems to me that many folks believe that while God loves them, He is simply tolerating or waiting around for them to screw things up. They think the sun has set, and God wants them to trip…
Baby Steps – Pastor Brad Hoefs
by Peggy Rice In my personal 10-year journey through depression, I often found myself stuck. I would ruminate on negative thoughts – things like “I’m all alone,” “I will never get better,” “This is as good as it’s going to get,” “God can’t see me.” The list goes on and on. I was overwhelmed with…
Take off the old clothes and put on the new – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mark Soppitt For some years now I have been following a fairly unpredictable and often challenging path out of long-term mental illness to discover who the ‘me’ of the 2020’s really is. With diagnoses of Bipolar II, PTSD, and a mild cognitive disorder, I have had to navigate some stormy waters. Sometimes it has…
Bipolar Awareness Day 2024 – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Scott Box When it comes to Bipolar awareness, it seems to me that many people don’t want to know anything more than that I’m not going to freak out, embarrass them or do something dangerous that could hurt myself or others. The truth is, I want to know the same thing about people, and…
Waiting On The Lord: Always A Good Idea – Pastor Brad Hoefs
By Mike Jacquart Waiting on the Lord is always a good idea. This can be particularly true during challenging periods in our lives. This was particularly true for me roughly twenty years ago. In large part due to my undiagnosed mental health conditions, the working world had long been challenging for me. This was an…