Achuckallen

Instigating Better

Friendship

The Church and Mental Health

by

by AChuckAllen 04.20.2021

Like many of my readers, I grew up in an era with zero tolerance for mental illness. We threw terms around that were harmful, hurtful, and disrespectful. We didn’t do that out of some weird bias or odd bigotry, but out of pure ignorance. Today, we all have a better understanding of the significance of our mental and emotional health. But have we stepped into the arena and determined to be a part of the solution instead of saying the usual “somebody ought to do something” line? As for me, I have experienced the oddities of the pandemic, just like you have.

Now is the time to step onto the floor of the arena and determine to
make a difference, and it just might start with you!

First, let’s accept the fact that we all have some sort of anxiety, restlessness, or stress in our life. I haven’t met anyone in the past year that has been able to say that they are stress or worry-free, at least honestly. The power of our brains is astonishing. Our brains are constantly attempting to course-correct our lives, but with enough stressors and insecurities, it can send all of the wrong signals to our bodies.

Did you know that when your brain’s pre-frontal cortex exposes your amygdala, that amygdala kicks into high gear with fear that sends stress hormones coursing through your body? That starts a reaction that creates digestive challenges, rapid heart rates, muscular tingles, and inflammation. None of that sounds good. But here is the good news. You can do something about it! My friend, Julie Homrich, LPC, has been coaching me on the brain and how mental health and spiritual health go hand in hand. She is a really bright human, and I’m continually grateful for our friendship and what she is teaching me. When I came to grips with the fact that we could literally accomplish what Paul wrote in the Bible book of Romans, when he said that we “Should not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we might know the perfect will of God,” I got so captivated that I began an in-depth study to help me understand the correlation with a passage of scripture written some 2,000 years ago and the modern brain.

Romans 12:2 NLT
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

In short, I came to this conclusion: We Need Help!

To keep from remaining in fear, anxiety, and an over-stressed state of mind, we need to know how to be transformed through the renewing of our mind. Maybe you are like me. Maybe you don’t have a severe mental illness, but you are stressed out, maxed out, and occasionally anxiety-riddled. If so, even mildly so, here is a three-step approach that has been scientifically proven to assist you.

1. STOP AND SUSPEND THE PRESENT NARRATIVE. Science has proven that it can take as long as 20 minutes to metabolize the stress hormones sent to our bodies from that fear-mongering amygdala. Stop and suspend your assumptions on the motives, actions, and predetermined conclusions of the present narrative that has your stressors on high alert. Stopping long enough to evaluate before acting is an essential part of coping well and retaining healthy relationships. Stop and allow your mind to ask three questions. 1) What if I didn’t understand the narrative as it was intended? 2) What if the person sharing or group sharing the narrative is in a difficult season or just a terrible day? And 3) What if I am stressed because I am part of the narrative’s problem, and my brain is firing our guilt signals. Suspend the answer and/or action long enough for the stress hormones to clear from your body.

2. ENGAGE IN DOING GOOD. Multiple studies, including a study from Stanford University, have proven that when we take action to help or serve someone else, we are fueling our brain and our soul with dopamine that instantaneously improves our mental and emotional health. If you lead a business, the new economy screams at you that “doing good is good for business.” The new understanding of our brain screams at us doing good is good for us! I know it doesn’t seem like something beneficial to mental health, but both God and science assure us that it is indeed perfect for us!

3. START YOUR DAY WITH PRAYER MEDITATION. I know I just lost half of you, but this is the one thing I would plead with you to do. It’s so simple, and it’s been proven to strengthen our mental and emotional health for centuries. Somehow, in the American culture, we determined we didn’t need that weird meditation stuff. But prayerful meditation isn’t some weird journey with incense and mantras. It is simply quietude, plus solitude, plus mindfulness = peace. I start each day with one question. What am I grateful for, and write it down. I then enjoy about 6 minutes of prayerful meditation through a great, free app, “SOULSPACE.” It is so simple. I listen and pray in a quiet space, and it gets me centered on God’s design for my day and gives me an attitude of gratitude, confidence, and peace. Once again, like serving others, meditation has been scientifically proven to strengthen our brains to transform us into healthy people. How great is that? I am living proof that six minutes each day can radically transform your mind, heart, and soul for good. If you knew me twenty years ago, or more, you might be thinking, “who is this, and what happened to Chuck?” The answer? I’m here, and I’m in the best mental, emotional and spiritual health of my life!

Here is the key. These are simple solutions to a complex challenge. But these three simple steps have proven to make me a far better husband, father, grandfather, pastor, leader, and follower of Jesus. America is a mess, people. We might start with our own mental, emotional, and spiritual health before grumbling more about everyone else’s part of the problem.

I’m also committed to the firm belief that the church desperately needs to tackle mental and emotional health. It is one of the great American crises of the day. We, the church, have the opportunity to stop lobbing bible verse hand grenades at people in crises and offer real, tangible, God-honoring solutions. I’m in no way suggesting that scripture isn’t tangible. I am strongly stating that scripture and science are a hand in glove experience. Mental health is a practical part of Christian discipleship. As we learn to surrender our assumptions and egos to the will of God, we discover contentment. When we are contented, we can, as Paul stated, “do all things through Christ Jesus.” But surrender and contentment require a healthy state of mind and emotion.

It’s like a wheel that keeps rolling. Strive for mental and emotional health. Seek peace in that journey. Keep it sustainable, not just based on feelings. Surrender our lives and discover contented gratitude and boom! There it is, PEACE! That sounds exactly like what Jesus would invest in should He have chosen this generation to walk on the face of the planet. Oh, wait! That’s exactly what He did, as He walked across Israel some two-thousand years ago. Jesus cares about our mental and emotional health – Be more like Jesus!

Go in Peace,
Chuck

Forget New Normal – It’s a New Currency

by

A NEW CURRENCY by AChuckAllen

All I hear is talk about the “new normal.” Does anybody know what that means? Seriously, if Anthony Fauci’s version of new normal is accurate, he’s the next President of the United States, and we will all be wearing masks well into 2030. I don’t know about you, but the heck with a new normal. I don’t want the old normal, and I’ll pass on what “they say” is the latest version of normal.

I stumbled on something that I thought was life-altering, earth-shaking news during the pandemic and all of the bluster surrounding it. I found a new currency and investment strategy that has paid off in a HUGE way. Before I launch out in this new and better way to a far better life than “normal, ” let me stop and say that despite the lives that we have lost and the pain inflicted by this virus, there has been some good that came out of it as well.

If you lost someone in this mess, I am so sorry. I know dear friends that are in Heaven today as a direct result of this terrible virus. I’ve had it, and it was a big deal. I had a few days that I thought I would be intubated and wondered if that trip to the hospital would be one of “those stories.” I truly underestimated COVID-19. I trust that we are headedb out of “the long dark winter.”

Last year, I began seeking every possible way that Sugar Hill Church could serve people in need. Everything in me wanted to hunker down, care for me and mine, and let everybody manage independently. I mean, that’s what selfish, self-centered people like me do. But I couldn’t get past the firm belief that the Divine was calling me to my burning bush moment. Sitting in my Chevy Colorado, enjoying a moment of solitude, I was so moved by God’s presence that I was tear-filled and awed. Why would the Creator and Sustainer of the universe give a hoot about me and what I thought about COVID-19, the pandemic, the economy, and families in need? I don’t have a huge platform, a huge church, a vast audience. I’m just Chuck.

But I know that I know God was prompting me. I mean, I know it! When God brought Moses up to the Mountain, He said, “Come up to me on the mountain and STAY HERE, and I will give you the tablets of stone…” Did you see it? God Himself said to Moses, don’t just show up, show up and be fully, completely present! Stay Here! It’s like when Jenny says to me, “If you are listening to me, I need full-faced attention.” That’s my reminder to stop the impossibility of multi-tasking and give her my full attention.

The new currency in America today isn’t showing up. That’s part of it, but anybody can show up. It’s “BEING THERE” or “STAYING THERE.”

Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a small gathering in a tiny theatre in New York City. When I say tiny, I’m talking—about thirty seats. I was attending a marketing workshop lead by Seth Godin. Seth is one of the brightest people on the planet and a marketing genius. I was the only non-profit faith leader out of the twenty-two people that paid a considerable amount of money to hear Seth dismantle and rebuild each of their marketing plans. When it came to my turn, Seth, being a practicing Jew, said, “I don’t even know where to start with you, but let’s try.” He asked a series of poignant questions and then hit the nail with my head. He asked this question. “What would be unique in your space, in your community?” Bam! That’s the new and more significant currency. What is rare and unique in America today?

Here are FOUR unique and rare commodities that are
creating a healthy new currency and economy of scale:

Directly Serving Others. If people are hungry, feed them. If they need shelter, house them. If they need clothing, clothe them. I’ve discovered that people remember and appreciate your assistance more than any other time in my 61 years of life. Sugar Hill Church is still feeding more than 600 families each week and tutoring more than 200 children each week. The amount of support to assist families directly affected by COVID-19 has reached far more than $750,000, JUST LAST YEAR.

Directly Addressing Mental and Emotional Health. I doubt if there has ever been a time that so many Americans have carried so much anxiety or stress in their daily lives. The expectations that we place on ourselves and the expectations that we inherit are simply overwhelming. Add to that the guilt we heap on ourselves and the unmet expectations we place our souls, and you have a recipe for a far greater pandemic than COVID-19. We are working hard to build a Healthy Holistic Home Service that will assess and professionally treat men, women, couples, children, and families with real, tangible help for emotional and mental health. That is a huge undertaking, but we must recognize that we all can serve with help in the currency of BEING THERE.

Directly Offering Words of Affirmation and Encouragement. Do you know what is unique and rare in America today? KINDNESS! We have become a culture of critics. We see something that has zero impact on us but criticize it and post negatively about it non-stop! We find what is wrong with anybody and everybody that is leading. The end goal? To catch them doing something wrong. No wonder our best and brightest leaders run away from serving our land. I know firsthand how cruel people can be. I’ve heard more than my share, and most often, it comes from people that claim to be Christians. No wonder folks say, “church isn’t for me.” I have determined to be rare and unique. I want our church to be full of people that love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. But I want them to be normal. Normal as in not self-righteous know-it-alls, but kind, gracious people that offer that rare currency of affirmation and encouragement.

Directly Listening, Not Thinking About What I am About to Say While Pretending to Listen. That’s a mouthful. Do you know how rare it is to find people that listen? Rare and unique enough that we pay billions of dollars to therapists to listen to us! I’m a believer in counseling and therapy, but often I think we need someone that gives a hoot and will listen to us.

These four things are rare and unique. Seth Godin would be proud of the lesson I learned that day in New York. Now, the question is, will my ego sustain the neglect that is required to act on these four currencies? If so, I do not doubt that the Divine will bless them hugely. To quote a brilliant man, David Orr, “The planet does not need more successful people. But it does need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, and storytellers. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane.”

Join me in this new and better currency of service and kindness. I’m discovering that these investments’ net gain is greater than any other commodity on the planet.

Go in Peace, Chuck

Advent Meditation Day 3

by

Psalm 27:14

Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

We all struggle as we attempt to wait on the Lord, but the adage is true; Good things come to those that wait. In this case, it is a matter of timing, not time. The Creator doesn’t fit into our neat and tidy planners and digital calendars. He creates His own timing, and in His perfect timing, He will answer your pleas with grace and mercy. Always for your best and His glory.

Go in Peace, Chuck

America Must Change These 3 Things

by

“God Bless America, Land that I Love”

Today’s article is not a political musing! This article is about the three essential changes that America MUST correct if we remain the most prosperous and blessed nation on the planet. There are hundreds of other issues to address, but if I could somehow influence our leaders, I would start with these three.

I would consider myself a patriot. I unashamedly love America. I tear up at the National Anthem. I marvel at our beginnings. Throughout this great land, we have had some pretty bad seasons and some pretty remarkable, heroic recoveries.

We need one of those recoveries right now. We can’t wait much longer. With the new transition of President-Elect Biden, we cannot afford to spend our next four years bickering and feuding over silly, partisan crap! Lord knows that’s what we’ve spent the past three decades doing. Bush fought with Dems. Clinton fought with Elephants. Bush fought with the left, Obama fought with the right. Trump fought with everybody, and now I fear Biden will go to war with the Republicans and hopefully combat the far-left socialist wing of his party. But we have to stop fighting among ourselves and discover some wholesome goodness to attack together.

These three things are non-negotiable as we attempt to recover from a long year of COVID-19, racial unrest, civil unrest, riots, looting, and economic hardships for families across almost every sector of American life. By the way, if you disagree with these three, that’s more than okay. The question I would ask you is, what are three of your ideas to make America all she can be?

1. We Must Find Common Ground to Build On

I don’t say this lightly, but I cannot say it loud enough. We must come together for the greater good. Our broken political, educational, spiritual, and financial systems are dying from a lack of common purpose and the greater good. There was a day when we rallied around a familiar opponent and joined together to conquer that obstacle. Today, that obstacle is ourselves. We are the house divided, and the walls are crumbling. Not because of presidents, members of Congress, or senators, but because of our lack of common purpose and open, shared accountability.


“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions
of its members.”
—Coretta Scott King

The common good is and should be
focused on three areas.

Education. Put our kids first, and get our educational systems in the top three in the world in science, math, reading, and technology. If a traditional education path isn’t for a kid, then have skill-based education that can raise a generation of steelworkers, welders, artisans, artists, and builders. Education must become a central theme of rediscovering the wonder of this great land!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Education is the first step for people to gain the knowledge, critical thinking, empowerment and skills they need
to make this world a better place.”
– Nelson Mandela.

2. We Must Solve Our Desperate Debt Load

Never before have we faced a reckoning like the one we face as we look at a continually escalating debt. As of this writing, the national debt of the United States is more than $27,265,000,000,000. That is more than $218,000 per taxpayer and almost $90,000 per US citizen.

Payday is coming, but we MUST reel in our spending. I’m not a nationalist in the sense that we should button down everything except what we spend in the States, but we cannot continue to fund the world. Pet projects are at the heart of this crisis. The reason pet projects exist is the ongoing political system in Washington. If your future and sustainability are dependent upon reelection, you will – by human tendency – please who you need to for reelection. Term limits and complete transparency on pork-laden bills of legislation much stop!

“We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we
haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt
because we spend too much.”
― Ronald Reagan

3. We Must Recover our Patriotism and Honor

When we were fighting the Nazis and were drawn into World War II, we knew our enemy. We rallied around an American pride that leads to Americans fighting for Americans and fighting a common enemy. In the war on Communism, we knew who we were attempting to defeat. In the war on terrorism, we knew we were in a common fight. The days following 9/11 brought us to common ground.

But what if we need common patriotism as opposed to “common complainism?” I know that’s not a word, but you got the picture. We are at war! We are at war with a world that does not see the freedoms and American ideals as essential. We are in a battle for our republic and the democracy that it upholds.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”

Somehow, someway, we must engage a different bank of leaders. America is in desperate need of leaders without political aspiration, but aspirations of selfless service. We need to return to a people with a vision for freedom and equality, but not at the sake of losing the soul of our country.

Loving your country shouldn’t be a label by which you are considered old fashioned, out of touch, or simple-minded. Loving your country should call out the best of us and mold us into leaders that influence what is good, healthy, and wise.

Why not return to the days of American exceptionalism? Why not return a sense of pride in our great country? The answer? PRIDE & SELFISHNESS. We seem to all want our rights, the credit, and our due. The truth is that we need to return the “In God We Trust” to our hearts and actions, not just our currency. Jesus had a good word for our leaders and ourselves. “Whoever wants to be great among you, let him become a servant to all.”

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot
is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him,
for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
—Mark Twain

I know there are so many things to work on, but this country is worth it. She is worthy of laying down our logos and our egos to serve our children and their future well. She is worthy of course-correcting our out-of-control waste and spending. And she is most undoubtedly worth serving others in the name of righteousness and goodness.

When I think of race relations, economic challenges, political upheaval, civil unrest, riots, looting, and a pandemic, I realize how urgency has taken center stage with these issues. But friends, we must start attacking these issues shortly or we will crumble as a society. Our kids and grandkids need us to fix our mess.

-AChuck

So Much for Super-Spreader Events

by

So Much for Super-Spreader Events by Chuck Allen

Not that we need any further opinions on the pandemic, but both sides seem to be tossing verbal grenades at one another regarding gathering in large crowds. With masks, or without masks, we all need to take a breath.

The problem with lobbing hand grenades at whoever those other folks are, is you have to be willing for it to come back to you. Verbal sparring isn’t a new phenomenon, but it seems to be brand new in each political cycle.

The Blue side was stunned that the Red side would meet in those arenas and stadiums to get fired up in their rally. Each media site that leaned blue just had to use the term “super-spreader.” But then the Blue team won, and the Red team threw a hardy “well look at them.” I couldn’t hear super-spreader after hearing “Na-na-na-na-na.”

Our political systems reak of the rot left in the wake of our foul-mouthed hatred and venom.

Here’s a thought. How about we determine that we all have sinned in our past, and we ALL have a history. That we also (hopefully) grow and develop the ability to speak the truth and know the truth, and live in reality. No, seriously. Okay, one can hope.

Let’s get back to the point. When it comes to calling out the other side like a pair of toddler twins, be careful what you scream about. It always comes around to bite you in the butt.

Jesus had a word for the most self-righteous folks that were ready to stone a young lady that had made some deplorable choices with her life. He said, “If you have no sins, yourself, throw the first stone.” OUCH! That had to have left a mark! It should leave a mark on us as well.

Can’t we clean up our junk, bitterness, anger, and insecurities – Before we go into attack mode? I hate it when I violate this rule. I always pay the price, someday, someway. Jesus has this way of reminding us that we love to point out the dust in somebody else’s house while we have mold on the dirty dishes in our sink.

Here are two good rules to follow when we want to toss our “gotchas.”

  1. STOP! Give yourself three seconds to determine if what you are about to say will help the situation at all? If not, hang onto it and drop it in the mental trash can.
  2. Remember that you might need to take a quick peek into your past or even your future. Is it possible that these words are coming back like an Australian boomerang and will potentially decapitate you?

Have a great day! Remember your dishes and count the cost of your words. You’ll be so glad that you did.

Peace, AChuck

Ps. See you tomorrow on the 4forFRIDAY!