Thorns and Thistles

The Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back everybody were glad you're here. It is a privilege for me today to introduce you to my friend and our new host Maj. Cheryl Gillam hey everyone, thank you for the welcome, Cheryl. I'm very glad you're here.

Cheryl and her husband serve as our territorial youth secretaries for the 15 southeastern United States and the District of Columbia, and she's gonna bring a lot to this episode but we need to get right into it. So we are starting a new Easter series today and will be joined by Salvation Army officers, captains, Kevin and Amy are got Ryan and Bernie aren't captains Ken Amy York officers you go to church with them. I do I get to see them every week that I'm home at our home church and that we call that a core in the Salvation Army can Amy come from the Eastern shore of Maryland in the United States, and for some reason Ken is a big Philadelphia Eagles fan but Sir football team up that way, but they are wonderful pastors and he is incredible preacher and teacher, seminarian, and we really enjoy their ministry last year we did an 11 week series on mental health and had an incredible response from our listeners know this was an important topic for the church to cover to let people know that our church is a sanctuary for those suffering from a mental health crisis absolutely so far Easter series. The Argonauts are going to be revisiting the topic of mental health but from a different view, this time both Ken and Amy have had some challenges recently with their own mental health and were honored and humbled that they are using their testimony to help others in similar situations and I really am encouraged by their vulnerability absolutely. We hope that the series is a blessing to you and if you know someone who may benefit from hearing their testimony. Please share this series, you can visit us@salvationarmysoundcast.org or subscribe to wonderful words of life wherever you get your podcasts Salvation Army has launched a new podcast. Daily podcast, read a chapter a day from a bug in the final followed by negating and attaining about this out and beginning Easter 2020 reading the book of scribe to storytelling on your favorite podcast or for foundation army found We are captains Ken and Amy are got here the pastors core officers of the Atlanta Temple Salvation Army and were here to talk to you about some of our story and and mental health as it pertains that men we been married how many years Amy was forget yeah it will be 30 years. In May, May 19 to be exact. Awesome.

That is so great and walking with you through everything is been in good we have the three daughters, all who are have left the nest and one grandson. It's right and one on the way he's got that music a couple weeks ago so riser man will be a big brother. In September, and so it's exciting stuff and I think the journey that we've taken over 30 years and then even watching our kids go through some of those formative years really gives us perspective to be able to talk about. I think what we want to talk about 2019 was a terrible year for us will send it challenging. Yes, you had three surgeries to surgeries to surgeries as two surgeries and at one .1 of them lead you to become septic and you're in the hospital and I flew up thinking that you were going to die that week. Yeah, I was actually there in Maryland to take care of my mother recuperating from surgery and complications set in with myself a yes and I was hospitalized and in your and your mom is still going through a difficult time where you the, the child becomes the parent and that's difficult for you to walk through. Meanwhile I had surgery on my shoulder and the shoulders doing great but something was introduced somewhere in the my system along the way and I have some inflammation in my cerebral spinal fluid, which makes sometimes remembering things and even speaking difficult from time to time, so thank you all for your prayers for both of us, so that was a pretty depressing way to start.

When it was and I kinda like to see the glass half full and but what we do want to share through our story that were we will be sharing with you in the next few weeks the foundation of everything that we believe in is first of all our love for Jesus and also that there is hope.

I love to say that word hope the way we grew up psychiatry and psychology and therapy was sort of booed almost the point where you you were prayed for, that you must have some kind of demonic oppression over you or there something wrong with you if you just trust Jesus a little more. Your depression would go away three years ago you went through a terrible depression where one Sunday you just told me I can't get to church. I remember that specifically driving in the car. I know exactly when it hit me, and still to this day there are times when I met that stoplight that I will remember calling you and yeah it it just like I couldn't go the next step with what I was experiencing and I knew it was a Sunday. I knew that there were expectations on us to to make sure that things were going to be taking place at the core, but I just could not, and thank the Lord for a fellow friend, fellow officer that King by my side and the ministry of presence was real that day and I will never forget that they didn't say a whole lot to me, but I took me back home and just allowed my mind to rest for a minute and just stayed by my side. I think for those of us who are experiencing that actually the less you say the better. Absolutely. I don't want anybody to tell me oh God's got this or you just see you. You will be better tomorrow work or another thing that it is set often as you know well, heavy.

Your faith wears your faith in all of this and let me say right off the bat that it has nothing to do with lack of faith or that you've got an abundant amount of faith.

I sit here today and tell you my faith was very strong Sunday that everything came down on Main if it wasn't for my faith.

I wouldn't have gotten through what I did and, along with the help of medication and therapy. So those three things together formed a strong cord and so here that that it is not lack of faith and we were in we were not always in the Salvation Army at one point we were in another church and in 2000 year 2000 I went through a terrible depression. I was actually fired from my job as pastor because I was seeking mental health treatment and wasn't able to do the things that I knew need to be done that firing was actually probably one of the best things that happened to him us in our life are even remember the time that you were let go from your position at a church when you were on maternity leave which I don't lose it legal anymore but so yeah, life happens in life is surely happen to us. And when I think about those things as bad as they were at the time were actually windows and doors to new opportunities. It's very amazing to me to think about how all the bad circumstances did turn out for good in working through all all of that is to go back on your history and your journey with Christ and a know that he took care of us in the past and he will take care of us in the future, and it reminds me of the Scripture. In second Corinthians that Paul talks about when he says to do to keep me from being conceited to keep me from thinking that everything is always going to be okay there was given to me this thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in strength. Now, in weakness, God's power is made straight, strengthened, and perfect in our weaknesses there for them to boast all the more gladly about my deficiencies and my weaknesses and my difficulties and my and and my mental health because Christ's power will rest on me in those weaknesses. That's why Paul says, for Christ sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults and hardships and persecution difficulties. For when I'm weak in that I am strong and Paul. Paul was whipped ball was beaten. Paul was shipwrecked Paul was thrown in jail.

Paul was torment Alec and he kept coming back to that for me to live is Christ to die is gain you all and I'll keep my nod rather live. I'd rather put up with the torture of what everybody else will do to me and even sometimes my own mind will do to me even though I know if I just died I would go to be with him.

He never looked at death is the solution, but he looked at death as if it happens.

I'm okay in peace with that as well but I'll keep fighting through every day with Christ. With those around them. And if you when you look at Paul and the number of people that he thanks at the end of every letter goes back to what you said about the presence of other people around us that we find strength not only in Christ. But in that community is accepting of where we saw next week were going to be looking at the prophet Elijah and the prophets themselves dealt with depressions, insecurities, and what we go through today so we will see you next. Thanks Kevin Amy I agree community is incredibly important part of our just getting by life in such a busy world that we live in having people to lean into absolutely Tim and Cheryl are part of a community. Now, having moved to Atlanta. We really are looking for to the days ahead. But if you are currently struggling with depression or any mental health crisis. We want to encourage you to reach out to someone your local church or the Salvation Army will be glad to help and even come alongside you as you walk through this season, but if you need someone to talk to immediately please call 1-800-273-8255. That's one 802 73 talk.bless you and will see you next week. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and we would love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 when you contact us will send you our gift for this series is totally free for listeners like you, one per household, while supplies last. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast store and be sure to give us a rating. Just search for wonderful words of life follows on social media for the latest episode extended interviews and more. And if you don't have a church home. We invite you to visit your local Salvation Army worship center. Glad to see this is Bernie date inviting you to join us next time. Salvation Army wonderful words of life