November 16, 2023 • 16 mins
Ever considered how a pop star's lyrics could intersect with the timeless tales of the Bible? Have you wondered how these narratives can tackle the pressing issues of mental health? Join us as we weave together the story of Jonah and the music of Taylor Swift to unravel the beautiful message of resilience in faith. We discuss how this biblical account echoes in modern struggles and mental health battles, offering hope and understanding to those grappling with these invisible challenges.
In a candid conversation, we reflect on the rising mental health concerns and their societal impact, drawing parallels from personal experiences of celebrities like Simone Biles and Matthew Perry. This episode is a journey through the words of Jonah, interpreted through the lens of today's mental health issues. We explore the idea of a God who doesn’t view us as problems but supports us in our struggles. Discover the power of resilience and faith in facing life’s toughest challenges, and be inspired by the transformative potential of God’s gracious and gentle presence in our lives. Through this unique blend of Christian perspectives and pop culture references, experience the scripture anew and find resonance in the struggles and victories of those around us.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast.
Opportunities to find deeperresilience within ourselves can
come when life seems mostchallenging.
This podcast is to help youdevelop that resilience and
connection with God.
Being resilient and havingpower starts with faith.
(00:32):
Welcome, friends, to theResilient Faith podcast
sponsored by BrentwoodPresbyterian Church in West Los
Angeles.
We are sharing our sermons fromour recent series, the Gospel
(00:52):
According to Taylor Swift.
This was a six-week sermonseries in the fall of 2023.
It's important in this day andage to talk about current events
and pop culture in our worshipand be in dialogue with
Christian perspectives andscripture.
Using Taylor Swift's lyrics andsome of her songs as a
(01:15):
launching pad, we are discussingsome of the important issues
and looking through them with aChristian lens.
Thanks for listening and wepray that the Holy Spirit
reaches you through this series.
Our text for today is thesecond chapter of the book of
(01:35):
Jonah, so something very newgoing with something very old,
both relevant and related.
You'll see, jonah is famous forbeing called by God to Nineveh
and instead of doing what Godasks, he literally tries to run
away.
In fact, the text says he wentdown to Joppa and found a ship
(01:57):
going to Tarshish, away from thepresence of the Lord.
There's a big storm, themariners end up throwing Jonah
overboard, and then the Lordprovided a large fish to swallow
up Jonah, and Jonah was in thebelly of the fish three days and
three nights.
So I invite you to hear thistext through the lens of mental
(02:22):
health issues.
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord,his God, from the belly of the
fish, saying I called to theLord out of my distress and he
answered me.
Out of the belly of Shale, Icried and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep, intothe heart of the seas, and the
(02:47):
flood surrounded me.
All your waves and your billowspassed over me.
Then I said I am driven awayfrom your sight.
How shall I look again uponyour holy temple?
The waters closed in over me,the deep surrounded me, weeds
were wrapped around my head atthe roots of the mountains.
(03:09):
I went down to the land whosebars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life fromthe pit.
Oh Lord, my God, as my life wasebbing away, I remembered the
Lord and my prayer came to you,into your holy temple.
(03:33):
Those who worship vain idolsforsake their true loyalty, but
I, with the voice ofThanksgiving, will sacrifice to
you what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.
Then the Lord spoke to the fishand it spewed Jonah out upon
(04:00):
the dry land.
This is the word of God for thepeople of God.
Thank you, god.
I think it's safe to say this isa very dark moment for Jonah.
I can imagine him in the bellyof this fish, deeply stressing
(04:23):
out Depression, anxiety,self-loathing, loneliness are
not hard to imagine.
It's me, hi.
I'm the problem.
It's me, and perhaps some of ushave familiarity with feeling
(04:43):
overwhelmed, crushed, suffocated, terrified and exhausted.
How Jonah cries out to God andexpresses his despair is only
too relatable.
One of the reasons whyanti-hero is so popular as a
song is because the feelingsthat Taylor is expressing are so
(05:08):
familiar to many of us.
So let me throw out somestatistics here real quick, as I
reference mental health.
According to the NationalAlliance of Mental Illness,
anxiety disorders are the mostcommon mental health concern in
the United States.
In 2020, about 21 million USadults that's 8.4% of the
(05:33):
population had at least onemajor depressive episode.
The US Surgeon General, vivekMurthy, wrote in the New York
Times at the end of April aboutthe loneliness epidemic.
Eating disorders affect atleast 9% of the population
worldwide.
28.8 million Americans willhave an eating disorder in their
(05:57):
lifetime.
The results of the 2023 GreaterLos Angeles Homeless Count
found that 25% of our unhousedneighbors report experiencing
serious illness in LA County.
And finally, according to theCenters for Disease Control and
Prevention, suicide is one ofthe leading causes of death in
(06:22):
the United States, which is whyit's important that we all
memorize the free suicide andcrisis lifeline number 988.
Save it in your phone so youcan share it anytime.
Call or text 247 forconfidential emotional support
988.
Now, thankfully, mental healthawareness has grown over the
(06:46):
years and these statistics showhow prevalent of an issue this
is.
It's been helped by some majorcelebrities speaking out about
their own struggles with mentalhealth.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles,for example, has been open about
her mental health struggles.
That started very publicly atthe Olympics two years ago and,
(07:10):
after being very intentional inprioritizing her mental health,
she just won a record-settingeighth all-around title at the
US Gymnastics Championship.
I heard a great podcastinterview recently between
Christian author Amanda HeldObelt and Christian
singer-songwriter Leah Wren.
(07:32):
Amanda has been very open abouther deep grief after the sudden
death of her sister a few yearsago.
Christian author Rachel HeldEvans.
Leah is a Christiansinger-songwriter who has been
open about her struggles withchronic physical and mental
health issues.
(07:52):
In their conversation, leahnamed the tension that is very
real in our discipleship betweenGod's goodness in the midst of
our suffering.
She spoke of the misconceptionthat if God is good, I'm
supposed to feel great and nothave anything bad happen to me,
(08:16):
but rather God's goodness isabout holding us in the midst of
pain, not taking us out of thesituation.
The miracle isn't always thehealing.
Sometimes it's the caring andthe dwelling with God.
Amanda spoke of the need tonormalize the experience of pain
(08:40):
rather than shoving it to themargins and acting like you're
an anomaly because you'restruggling.
We wanna fix the problem, butwe don't have the capacity to be
patient with our pain.
We have a very real need forcompanionship and the ability to
say yes.
Being human is hard.
(09:02):
I have been there.
I am with you.
You have my love and my supportand my solidarity.
Christian author Sarah Clarksonwrites about her experience with
mental illness in the latestissue of Plow Magazine.
She tells of how, at 17, hermind became her enemy.
(09:28):
Eventually, diagnosed withobsessive compulsive disorder,
she was taught to interact withher mind in terms of hostility
as something to resist, to fightto subdue.
Actor Matthew Perry usessimilar language in his memoir
(09:48):
about addiction and substanceabuse.
This is a battle and the mindis the foe.
Clarkson, however, poses thequestion through a Christian
lens of how to love your enemywhen your enemy is your own mind
(10:12):
, when your mind tells youthings that aren't true about
the world around you or evenabout yourself.
We see this reflected in TaylorSwift's music video, and we can
probably relate to instances ofself-loathing and the mean,
(10:34):
awful things we say to ourselvesthat we would never say to or
about another person, especiallysomeone whom we love.
We can easily drown in thatself-loathing, in that
depression, in that anxietyWaters closing in deep,
(10:59):
surrounding weeds wrapped aroundour heads.
As Jonah says, it's me, hi, I'mthe problem, it's me.
So Sarah Clarkson, then,considering the command from
Jesus to love our enemies, hasto reconsider her relationship
(11:24):
with her mind.
It's an intentional shift to nolonger think of approaching her
mental illness through conflict,combat and power struggle.
She writes, it's easy tobaptize a view of power that
sees God as the ultimatestrongman just waiting to crush
all the things we most dislike,including what is weak in
(11:49):
ourselves.
But the power of God is Jesus,the suffering servant, born
simply to die for the healing ofhis people.
And so now she sees God asfirst a healer.
She writes that's how Irecognized God's arrival in my
(12:13):
own story by a grace and gentlepresence that restored and
healed me even as it bore thedarkness of my broken mind.
A grace and gentle presencethat restores and heals, that
(12:36):
restores and heals even as itbears the darkness of a broken
mind.
This is not a God who rejectsus as problems, but gently and
(12:57):
graciously holds us fast.
When it comes to issues ofmental health, there are no
quick fixes, no easy answers, nosimple prayers or spiritual
practices to make it all go away.
(13:17):
Often it takes medicine andcounseling and lots of support
and patience.
But knowing that we are notalone in our struggling, that we
are supported and loved by aGod who suffers with us,
(13:40):
alongside us, by a God who isgood and righteous and merciful
and just apart from whether ornot our bodies and minds are
fully healthy and whole, perhapsthat offers a sliver of peace
(14:00):
that surpasses all understandingand buoys us in a love that
doesn't let us go, regardless ofhow far down into the pit we
might find ourselves.
The pit is real, but it doesn'thave to be where we stay alone,
(14:22):
for God goes with us to bearthe darkness.
So, from the belly of the fish,jonah cried out it's me, hi,
I'm the problem, it's me.
That's not a direct quote, butit's close enough.
(14:47):
What he did say is you broughtup my life from the pit.
Oh Lord, my God, deliverancebelongs to the Lord, and maybe,
by the grace of God, like Jonah,our antihero, we too will not
(15:11):
remain in darkness buteventually get spewed back onto
dry land.
Friends, may it be so for youand for me.
Amen.
You've been listening toResilient Faith.
(15:35):
The podcast Resilient Faith issponsored by Brentwood
Presbyterian Church in West LosAngeles.
You can follow our church andthis podcast on Facebook at
BPCTeam, and Instagram at BPCunderscore USA.
Make sure to subscribe on yourfavorite podcast platform, and
(16:01):
thanks for listening.
Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast.
Opportunities to find deeperresilience within ourselves can
come when life seems mostchallenging.
This podcast is to help youdevelop that resilience and
connection with God.
Being resilient and havingpower starts with faith.
(00:32):
Welcome, friends, to theResilient Faith podcast
sponsored by BrentwoodPresbyterian Church in West Los
Angeles.
We are sharing our sermons fromour recent series, the Gospel
(00:52):
According to Taylor Swift.
This was a six-week sermonseries in the fall of 2023.
It's important in this day andage to talk about current events
and pop culture in our worshipand be in dialogue with
Christian perspectives andscripture.
Using Taylor Swift's lyrics andsome of her songs as a
(01:15):
launching pad, we are discussingsome of the important issues
and looking through them with aChristian lens.
Thanks for listening and wepray that the Holy Spirit
reaches you through this series.
Our text for today is thesecond chapter of the book of
(01:35):
Jonah, so something very newgoing with something very old,
both relevant and related.
You'll see, jonah is famous forbeing called by God to Nineveh
and instead of doing what Godasks, he literally tries to run
away.
In fact, the text says he wentdown to Joppa and found a ship
(01:57):
going to Tarshish, away from thepresence of the Lord.
There's a big storm, themariners end up throwing Jonah
overboard, and then the Lordprovided a large fish to swallow
up Jonah, and Jonah was in thebelly of the fish three days and
three nights.
So I invite you to hear thistext through the lens of mental
(02:22):
health issues.
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord,his God, from the belly of the
fish, saying I called to theLord out of my distress and he
answered me.
Out of the belly of Shale, Icried and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep, intothe heart of the seas, and the
(02:47):
flood surrounded me.
All your waves and your billowspassed over me.
Then I said I am driven awayfrom your sight.
How shall I look again uponyour holy temple?
The waters closed in over me,the deep surrounded me, weeds
were wrapped around my head atthe roots of the mountains.
(03:09):
I went down to the land whosebars closed upon me forever.
Yet you brought up my life fromthe pit.
Oh Lord, my God, as my life wasebbing away, I remembered the
Lord and my prayer came to you,into your holy temple.
(03:33):
Those who worship vain idolsforsake their true loyalty, but
I, with the voice ofThanksgiving, will sacrifice to
you what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.
Then the Lord spoke to the fishand it spewed Jonah out upon
(04:00):
the dry land.
This is the word of God for thepeople of God.
Thank you, god.
I think it's safe to say this isa very dark moment for Jonah.
I can imagine him in the bellyof this fish, deeply stressing
(04:23):
out Depression, anxiety,self-loathing, loneliness are
not hard to imagine.
It's me, hi.
I'm the problem.
It's me, and perhaps some of ushave familiarity with feeling
(04:43):
overwhelmed, crushed, suffocated, terrified and exhausted.
How Jonah cries out to God andexpresses his despair is only
too relatable.
One of the reasons whyanti-hero is so popular as a
song is because the feelingsthat Taylor is expressing are so
(05:08):
familiar to many of us.
So let me throw out somestatistics here real quick, as I
reference mental health.
According to the NationalAlliance of Mental Illness,
anxiety disorders are the mostcommon mental health concern in
the United States.
In 2020, about 21 million USadults that's 8.4% of the
(05:33):
population had at least onemajor depressive episode.
The US Surgeon General, vivekMurthy, wrote in the New York
Times at the end of April aboutthe loneliness epidemic.
Eating disorders affect atleast 9% of the population
worldwide.
28.8 million Americans willhave an eating disorder in their
(05:57):
lifetime.
The results of the 2023 GreaterLos Angeles Homeless Count
found that 25% of our unhousedneighbors report experiencing
serious illness in LA County.
And finally, according to theCenters for Disease Control and
Prevention, suicide is one ofthe leading causes of death in
(06:22):
the United States, which is whyit's important that we all
memorize the free suicide andcrisis lifeline number 988.
Save it in your phone so youcan share it anytime.
Call or text 247 forconfidential emotional support
988.
Now, thankfully, mental healthawareness has grown over the
(06:46):
years and these statistics showhow prevalent of an issue this
is.
It's been helped by some majorcelebrities speaking out about
their own struggles with mentalhealth.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles,for example, has been open about
her mental health struggles.
That started very publicly atthe Olympics two years ago and,
(07:10):
after being very intentional inprioritizing her mental health,
she just won a record-settingeighth all-around title at the
US Gymnastics Championship.
I heard a great podcastinterview recently between
Christian author Amanda HeldObelt and Christian
singer-songwriter Leah Wren.
(07:32):
Amanda has been very open abouther deep grief after the sudden
death of her sister a few yearsago.
Christian author Rachel HeldEvans.
Leah is a Christiansinger-songwriter who has been
open about her struggles withchronic physical and mental
health issues.
(07:52):
In their conversation, leahnamed the tension that is very
real in our discipleship betweenGod's goodness in the midst of
our suffering.
She spoke of the misconceptionthat if God is good, I'm
supposed to feel great and nothave anything bad happen to me,
(08:16):
but rather God's goodness isabout holding us in the midst of
pain, not taking us out of thesituation.
The miracle isn't always thehealing.
Sometimes it's the caring andthe dwelling with God.
Amanda spoke of the need tonormalize the experience of pain
(08:40):
rather than shoving it to themargins and acting like you're
an anomaly because you'restruggling.
We wanna fix the problem, butwe don't have the capacity to be
patient with our pain.
We have a very real need forcompanionship and the ability to
say yes.
Being human is hard.
(09:02):
I have been there.
I am with you.
You have my love and my supportand my solidarity.
Christian author Sarah Clarksonwrites about her experience with
mental illness in the latestissue of Plow Magazine.
She tells of how, at 17, hermind became her enemy.
(09:28):
Eventually, diagnosed withobsessive compulsive disorder,
she was taught to interact withher mind in terms of hostility
as something to resist, to fightto subdue.
Actor Matthew Perry usessimilar language in his memoir
(09:48):
about addiction and substanceabuse.
This is a battle and the mindis the foe.
Clarkson, however, poses thequestion through a Christian
lens of how to love your enemywhen your enemy is your own mind
(10:12):
, when your mind tells youthings that aren't true about
the world around you or evenabout yourself.
We see this reflected in TaylorSwift's music video, and we can
probably relate to instances ofself-loathing and the mean,
(10:34):
awful things we say to ourselvesthat we would never say to or
about another person, especiallysomeone whom we love.
We can easily drown in thatself-loathing, in that
depression, in that anxietyWaters closing in deep,
(10:59):
surrounding weeds wrapped aroundour heads.
As Jonah says, it's me, hi, I'mthe problem, it's me.
So Sarah Clarkson, then,considering the command from
Jesus to love our enemies, hasto reconsider her relationship
(11:24):
with her mind.
It's an intentional shift to nolonger think of approaching her
mental illness through conflict,combat and power struggle.
She writes, it's easy tobaptize a view of power that
sees God as the ultimatestrongman just waiting to crush
all the things we most dislike,including what is weak in
(11:49):
ourselves.
But the power of God is Jesus,the suffering servant, born
simply to die for the healing ofhis people.
And so now she sees God asfirst a healer.
She writes that's how Irecognized God's arrival in my
(12:13):
own story by a grace and gentlepresence that restored and
healed me even as it bore thedarkness of my broken mind.
A grace and gentle presencethat restores and heals, that
(12:36):
restores and heals even as itbears the darkness of a broken
mind.
This is not a God who rejectsus as problems, but gently and
(12:57):
graciously holds us fast.
When it comes to issues ofmental health, there are no
quick fixes, no easy answers, nosimple prayers or spiritual
practices to make it all go away.
(13:17):
Often it takes medicine andcounseling and lots of support
and patience.
But knowing that we are notalone in our struggling, that we
are supported and loved by aGod who suffers with us,
(13:40):
alongside us, by a God who isgood and righteous and merciful
and just apart from whether ornot our bodies and minds are
fully healthy and whole, perhapsthat offers a sliver of peace
(14:00):
that surpasses all understandingand buoys us in a love that
doesn't let us go, regardless ofhow far down into the pit we
might find ourselves.
The pit is real, but it doesn'thave to be where we stay alone,
(14:22):
for God goes with us to bearthe darkness.
So, from the belly of the fish,jonah cried out it's me, hi,
I'm the problem, it's me.
That's not a direct quote, butit's close enough.
(14:47):
What he did say is you broughtup my life from the pit.
Oh Lord, my God, deliverancebelongs to the Lord, and maybe,
by the grace of God, like Jonah,our antihero, we too will not
(15:11):
remain in darkness buteventually get spewed back onto
dry land.
Friends, may it be so for youand for me.
Amen.
You've been listening toResilient Faith.
(15:35):
The podcast Resilient Faith issponsored by Brentwood
Presbyterian Church in West LosAngeles.
You can follow our church andthis podcast on Facebook at
BPCTeam, and Instagram at BPCunderscore USA.
Make sure to subscribe on yourfavorite podcast platform, and
(16:01):
thanks for listening.
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