Campus Community – Rebekah & Gabe Lyons
Overview:
Rebekah and Gabe Lyons sat down with Pastor David to talk about the importance of mental health. Anxiety and loneliness have been a stronghold for many in our generation of constant connectivity. Rebekah taught about four Rhythms of Renewal. Two of these rhythms—rest and restore—focus on our input. Rest is about our spiritual health. Restore is about our physical health. The other two rhythms—connect and create—focus on our output. Connect focuses on our relational health. Create focuses on our vocational health. The reason so many are experiencing internal turmoil is because they are outputting far more than they are inputting. Rebekah and Gabe offered us a way to evaluate our current rhythms to see if there is anything that needs to change so that we can find renewal and come into line with the rhythms God created us to live in.
Verses:
Psalm 139:13
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
2 Timothy 1:7
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Ephesians 4:26
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
James 5:16
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Quotes:
“77% of society is experiencing physical symptoms of stress.”
“18-24 year-olds are the most prone to anxiety and depression.”
“46% of people your age are experiencing high levels of loneliness and 27% say they do not have a real friend.”
“You cannot heal what is hidden. Secrets lose power when they exit the dark.”
“If we try to do this alone, this doesn’t end well. But when we come together and acknowledge the pain, we can get healthy together.”
“The trials that you endure are directly related to the measure of hope you can offer the world.”
“We do not want to over-spiritualize the mental health conversation. But we also do not want to under-spiritualize the mental health conversation.”
“When we stay within the rhythms that God established, we flourish. When we go outside of those rhythms, we experience chaos.”
“Confession is the gateway to freedom. If we cannot say what we struggle with, there is no chance that we will ever get freedom from it.”
“These rhythms are not used to add to your schedule, they are used to take things out of your schedule.”
“These rhythms are an invitation to grow in our faith through obedience.”
“You do not have to create the fruit of the Spirit. You are the branch. You simply need to abide in the Father.”
Questions:
1) How has your faith grown this semester? Do you trust God more today than you did last semester?
2) How have you seen bitterness impact your physical health in the past? Is there someone you need to connect with today in order to seek reconciliation? What is the first step you can take in order to extend forgiveness?
3) Are you someone who leans more towards confession or concealment? If you have been struggling in silence, what is the next step you can take in order to bring it into the light of Christ and find healing?
4) Is there anything the Spirit is prompting you to change in your daily routine so that you can put into practice the input rhythms (rest and restore)?
5) Is there anything the Spirit is prompting you to change in your daily routine so that you can put into practice the output rhythms (connect and create)?