Tag Archives: minds and souls

There is More to Mental Health

Posted on May 16, 2019 by expressyourself4him

The book definition of mental health refers to a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.  As I combed through various statistics, I discovered there was an estimated 1.400,000 suicide attempts in 2015.  This stat is shocking, making me wonder, what would cause so many people to think that death is better than life?  There has to be more to mental health to explain this epidemic.

So I find it to be the law [of my inner self], that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature], 23 but I see a different law and rule of action in the members of my body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of my mind and subduing me and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is within my members, Romans 7:21-23.

Last week there was a vigil at the STEM School in Highland Ranch, Colorado.  Forced to cope with another school shooting, a gun control group known as Team Enough attempted to highjack this event for political purposes.  As adults began to pontificate about banning guns, students walked outside of their school.  While ambulance chasers inside started to make plans for overturning the second ammendment, students CHANTED the heart of this matter, MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH.

Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]? 25 Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin, Romans 7:24-25.

Unfortunately, you won’t find the answers to America’s mental health crisis in public education.  Nor will you find the cure to mental health in higher education.  Why?  Well, God was kicked out, banning the Bible and prayer as a daily part of education back in the 1960’s.  As a former high school teacher, students are searching for the same thing the apostle Paul sought in Romans 7.  Mental health is a battle for the hearts, minds and souls of human beings.  Attempting this on your own will only result in failure.  However, God sent Jesus to save mankind from a sinful nature that is out of control.  The only way to unlock the key to mental health is through Jesus.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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Broken Things

Posted on July 23, 2018 by expressyourself4him

Since my wife’s father passed away in October, I have helped clean out two homes.  Most of the furniture was antiques, family heirlooms passed down over a couple of generations.  The only draw back to real wood is the weight, a chore to move up and down stairs.  Perhaps, this may explain why millennials have embraced modern appliances and houseware which is easily disposable.  When some thing breaks, you through it away, unattached to these temporary possessions.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken, Psalm 34:17-20.

Gorilla Glue was first sold to consumers in 1999.  Recent commercials portray this product as a life saver, able to fix, repair and stabilize broken things.  Previous items discarded by society are now given new life through this polyurethane adhesive.  Depending upon the condition of your household goods, you might wait months or year before a new replacement needs to be purchased.  Unfortunately, certain things like broken glass can’t be salvaged, sent to a local dump for its final resting place.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds, Psalm 147:3.

As I witness the current political climate in America, vicious words are spewed daily without any regard to the pain these insults might inflict.  Instead of reporting the news, cable news desks have turned into gossip sessions at a high school lunch table.  If human beings were made out of glass, the verbal rocks thrown would leave cracks, dents and scars from the impact.  Verbal sticks and stones do hurt, affecting hearts, minds and souls.  Those who endure an unhealthy amount of criticism will eventually suffer a crushed spirit, leading to soul spirit hurts.  Therefore, the next time you have an urge to verbally pile on someone being teased, drop the stone that you are carrying so your actions won’t leave a trail of broken glass.

by Jay Mankus

 

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I’m Busy Is Merely a Disguise for Saying I’m Not Interested

Posted on February 24, 2018 by expressyourself4him

I recently heard an acronym for BUSY that awakened my soul: Being Under Satan’s Yoke.  These words struck a nerve, perhaps a sign that I am a willing accomplish.  After calculating the time I spend at work, with family and editing my latest movie script, there’s not much room for church, God or service.  Either my priorities have to change or I will remain under Satan’s yoke.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going, Ecclesiastes 9:10.

In the context of the Bible, a yoke is a bar of wood used to unite two animals.  This device was applied by joining two oxen, usually attached to a plow to enhance the farming process.  These animals were forced to work like a slave until the yoke was removed.  Whether you refer to the acronym above or apply this concept spiritually, the Devil uses busyness to distract individuals from serving the Lord.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil, 1 John 3:8.

The disciple whom Jesus loved points to Satan’s yoke upon mankind.  Satan uses whatever means possible to get people hooked on alcohol, drugs or some other unwholesome practice.  Once addicted, hearts, minds and souls become desperate for their next fix.  This obsession results in selfish ambition, tempting souls to indulge in earthly pleasures day after day.  Until people come to their senses like the prodigal son, Luke 15, countless lives will remain busy under Satan’s yoke.

by Jay Mankus

 

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If You Only Knew

Posted on September 21, 2017 by expressyourself4him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzVoQnfFC_E

My favorite place to visit during a decade of teaching was the teachers lounge.  Although this seems like a strange answer, it’s one of the few places faculty could go without being bombarded by questions, distracted by a student or interrupted by an upset parent.  This was a setting where staff let their guard down, sharing various burdens on their hearts.  I truly enjoyed the meaningful conversations I engaged in during my first couple of years teaching.  After a while, I began to ask others teachers about certain students, seeing if they had similar concerns or issues in their class.  During one such exchange, my eyes were opened to a situation that I never knew about.

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise, Jeremiah 17:14.

One of my students was a goof ball, sarcastic and usually a distraction to my classroom.  However, I was enlightened to the reason behind her behavior one afternoon.  Evidently, her parents marriage was falling apart, often left alone some nights with her older sister playing the role as parent.  One of my peers eventually said to me, “It’s a miracle that these children get to school on time daily.”  If I only knew this upfront, I probably would have been more understanding.  Yet, sometimes inappropriate behavior is merely a reaction to what’s going on at home.  This pain held deep inside of hearts, minds and souls often comes out in the form of emotional outbursts.  This cry for help often get’s overlooked by most teachers.

Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security, Jeremiah 33:6.

The most challenging class I dealt with were junior high students in West Virginia.  These students were intelligent, but due to issues at home hampered their overall achievement in school.  Selected by a new boarding school entitled the High Scope Institute for Ideas, I was chosen to counsel and teach these candidates.  Using an active learning environment, students were engaged with seminars and workshops.  In the middle of the day, tutoring sessions were held for those falling behind followed by team building exercises to encourage leaders to come forward.  This semester holds a special place in my heart as I lived with these students like a camp counselor.  Yet, one student began to act up near the end of the school year.  After threatening to kill another student, I had a heated exchange with him, throwing his bunk bed across the room.  Like Jesus turning the tables of money changers in the temple, my reaction struck a nerve, resulting in a tearful confession.  If I only knew how bad his family life was, my methods would have changed.  In view of this, don’t judge a book by it’s cover.  Rather, take the time to listen so that you can help those waiting to be healed from the pain of their past.

by Jay Mankus

 

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