Peace of Mind, Week 5: Recovery 101

Tim Ross | April 10, 2022

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Transcription

Tim: I have a lot to cover today and I'm going to dive right into it. We've been in a series called Peace of Mind. The whole series has been around mental health and we've just been unfolding over the last few weeks, what it is to really normalize discussing the issues of our heart in church. Getting to the point that we as the body of Christ can share with each other the things that are really going on with us without feeling judged, without feeling like we're some pariah. We need an opportunity and safe spaces be able to heal.

I've talked about why silence isn't golden. I've talked about why confession is golden and now I'm stepping into the recovery phase. I feel like I'm doing a huge counseling session and I feel like I'm outside of my real grace. I've actually asked the Lord, "Can I just call my friends who actually are licensed therapists to come do this on the weekend?" He's like, "No, you do it," and I be like, "Okay."

This weekend starts three weeks that I'm going to teach on trauma recovery. I'm going to give you scriptures as hooks so that you can have it into what it is to really move forward from your trauma. Now, with that being said, I know that this is going to be three weeks of messages that are going to pull a lot of stuff up but it's being pulled up so it can be cleaned out.

Congregation: All right.

Tim: All right, so I just need you to take deep breaths with me through this entire series, all right. Breathe very, very deep. Let's do it together. [breathing in sounds] Let it out [breathing out sounds]. One more time. Good breath in, [breathing in sounds] let it out [breathing out sounds]. All right, so next week is Easter, and even though I love this series, I have to tell you that He got up, spoiler alert, He got up.

It's Easter, there's no way I'm going to be like, "Yes, He got up but let's go into the next portion of mental health." Next week, I will pause this series because I got to tell you He got up. Even though you already know He got up, it's Easter and I'm going to tell you again, He got up. There are some traditions that will never be broken because without Him getting up, we ain't here right now.

Since He got up, we got up, we're going to get up next week and we going to talk about the fact that He got up. Got it?

[laughter]

Tim: All right. Then I'll continue on after that but if you're taking notes on this message, today's message, the title of this message is very simple. It's called Recovery 101, and because I'm mad basic, the other two messages are just Recovery 202 and Recovery 3O3.

[laughter]

Tim: Okay so don't think that it's going to switch or get like fancier, it's not, okay. This is called Recovery 101 because I am tired of seeing believers, give their life to Jesus and just survive. They live the rest of their life as survivors. They never move into recovery and they never move into thriving in their relationship with God and each other because they're in a perpetual cycle of survival. You're just making it from week to week and you need King Jesus because you're always hanging on by a thread.

I don't want to pastor a church full of people who don't want to move into recovery. I don't want to pastor a church full of people who want to romanticize their pain. I don't want to pastor a church full of people who are always hoping they get a breakthrough. I want you to get it and then maintain it because you've recovered from your trauma. I don't want you to get it, lose it, have to get it again, lose it again because you're in a cycle of pain. This is why this is called Recovery 101.

I want to give you the definition of recovery first before I give you some context psychologically. Recovery by definition, to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like. Example given is to recover from an illness. To regain, I love this one, a former or better state or condition. I love this last one. Recovery, to regain one's strength, composure, and balance, strength, composure, and balance.

Wouldn't it be great if you didn't just get strong again, you were composed, and not just that you were composed, you were actually balanced, like you were no longer just reacting to stuff that's going on in life. Because you recovered, stuff can go on and it doesn't trigger you anymore. You're like, "Oh, I'm so sorry that you think that. I've recovered so your behavior no longer dictates what mine is. Yay, so you can continue to be a jerk. I will no longer go to jerk world with you."

[laughter]

Tim: There is a PhD in psychology. Her name is Janina Fisher and she talks about the state ages of trauma recovery and that's actually what we're going to talk about today using scripture, the safety and stabilization overcoming dysregulation, chunky big words but I want to give you the context that she has first. She has this great little flip chart, I actually got this last Monday in my EMDR session, so to tell you how fresh this is.

I was with my therapist last week and when I was going to my therapy session, the Holy Spirit said, "Your therapist is going to help you with your sermon this weekend." I'm like, "Really? How? Because I'm going in there to dump, so I hope what I'm about to dump ain't my sermon next week, Jesus," and she pulled out this flip chart by Janina Fisher and it's a psychoeducational flip chart to help therapists and clients understand psychological therapy.

What she read to me were the three stages of from trauma. Now there's some high achievers in this room that want me to give you all three right now. I'm not doing it and it's going to gnaw at your psyche for the next couple of weeks because you're going to be like, "What are the other two?" but we're going to go slow, all right.

Here's what it says, "As a step, the client must first be taught to comprehend the effects of trauma, to recognize common symptoms and to understand the meaning of overwhelming body sensations, intrusive emotions, and distorted cognitive schemas." I know that sounds deep, stay with me.

"The achievement of safety and stability rest on the following task. This is work that we have to do to achieve stabilization and safety in our minds, bodies and souls. First, the establishment of bodily safety." Your body has to be safe if you're going to recover from trauma, safe, from abuse, from others and abuse of yourself. You will never recover from trauma if you are continuing to abuse your body.

The second one, "Establishment of a safe environment," not only do you need a safe body, you need a safe environment. The examples given, a secure living situation, non-abusive relationships and that is not just physical but that's emotional as well, a job and or regular income, and adequate support. You need a safe environment with people around you that are supporting you in your endeavor to recover from your trauma. You don't need people that are going to perpetuate your trauma because they're going through the same things you're going through.

Let me slow down right here. You can have a trauma bond with someone and you think, "That's my best friend and we're ride or die," when really the only thing you have in common is your pain.

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: Well, if you decide to graduate from your pain, and go from being a survivor to a regulated person who's going to thrive and they've decided not to, they will pull you back into their orbit then gaslight you when you try to create a healthy boundary. "Oh, you think you good now? Oh, you must think you all that? Oh, I guess you too good for me now, started going to church, guess you found God. You're so spiritual now? Can't hang out. You're not loyal." "Oh, well, man, sorry, bye."

[laughter]

Tim: Just go bye-bye, okay. You do understand that social media jacked up a whole generation?

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: You do know that some of the people that you're in relationship now, you were never supposed to be in relationship now, and had social media never hit, you would never be still talking to your friend from 12th grade.

[laughter]

Let's slow down, they signed your yearbook, y'all cried and said goodbye because in the natural order of things, you were never supposed to see them again except for a class reunion, but stupid Zuckerberg said you need to stay in touch with them for the next decade and a half, and it's messy.

Here's the last one, "Establishment of emotional stability, ability to calm the body regulate self, regulate impulses, self soothe, manage post-traumatic symptoms triggered by mundane events." That's really good right now. Can anybody be honest beside me and say that when you're not in a healthy space, even the most mundane of things or stuff that just shouldn't even bother you bothers you.

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: This is what we want to recover from. We don't want regular like mundane stuff, ordinary stuff, to make us literally blackout and go to a bad place for like the next six hours, and then we regret whatever we did in those six hours trying to get back to a natural space, all right.

"The goal of this stage," I love this, 'The goal of this stage is to create a safe and stable life in the here and now," get this, "Allowing the client," us, "To safely remember the trauma rather than continue to relive it." If we get to a place where we can remember what we've been through without reliving what we've been through, we're starting to recover from our trauma.

The worst thing you can ever have is a testimony that you don't remember, you actually relive. This is why people should not share their testimonies until they're in a healthier phase far removed from what's going on. Because if you are still talking about it and you're bleeding from it, you're not healed. That's good. I think almost got my sermon for next weekend off of that statement right there, stay tuned.

I want to talk about the three things you need to recover, three things you need to recover, point number one, please write this down, I need a safe body, I need a safe body. Here's a question. I would like everyone in this room to ask themselves, everyone watching online, here's the question I want you to answer, please answer this question for me. How do you treat your body? Is your body safe? Now you might readily be able to answer that and say, "Yes, it's safe from danger and safe from harm, and I'm in Texas so I got guns, we good."

[laughter]

Let me be more specific, is it safe from you? Is it safe from you? When you are triggered? Do you eat yourself into an unhealthy place? Do you sex yourself into an unhealthy place? Do you drink yourself into an unhealthy place? Do you smoke yourself into an unhealthy place? Do you gummy yourself into an unhealthy place?

[laughter]

Tim: What's wrong with gummies?

[laughter]

Tim: There's nothing wrong with gummies, I'm talking about the medicated ones.

[laughter]

Tim: I'm talking about those Christian Baptist denominational ones, CBD.

[laughter]

Tim: Since y'all trying to be saved and justified, I guess there-- "What does CBD stand for?" That's just Christian Baptist Denominational gummies, there just the whole denomination voted and they were just like, "This is fine for us."

[laughter]

Tim: Is your body safe from you? Are you masturbating yourself into a coma because you don't want to feel pain? Is your body's safe from you? You need a safe body if you're going to heal. We cannot run from our trauma and re-traumatize ourselves by treating our bodies in any kind of way.

Let me give you some scripture, Psalms 69. Psalms and Proverbs are going to be our best friends over the next few weeks because this is nothing but a therapy session. Psalms is nothing but a huge therapy session. Read it from 1 to 150, you'll find it's nothing but a dynamic therapy session between David and a couple of other people talking to God. "No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice," David writes, "My body rest in safety."

Now I want you to write these verses down because these are verses I want you to use when you find yourself triggered in certain ways. If your body starts reacting, you need a scripture to stand on. You don't just need a good motivational quote. You don't just need some positive words of affirmation, you need the Bible, you need the book, the book is what changes everything in us from the inside out.

It's not just because we get a pep talk and we heard a great motivational speech. You can go to an Elks lodge and a rotary club to get that. You can sign up for Tony Robbins' next wave of, I don't know what he wants to talk about, but whatever it is. What makes us different than any other people in the world is that we have God's word and it's the only book that's alive and it's the only book that's breathing.

When you stand on a word and you start reciting scripture, it gets into your heart and your soul and it transforms you from the inside out. I'm uncompromising on this. This is foundation to us. Once again, "No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rest in safety." Proverbs 14 and 30 says this, "A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body. Jealousy is like cancer in the bones."

I love this first line, "A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body." If your heart, this is why this whole series is called Peace of Mind, if your heart and your mind are at peace, your body will be like, "We are good, we are regulated, we are not triggered, I will not slap you, I am fine today, I turned on some jazz and I am fine. I turned on my favorite Christian worship, and I am fine, I actually read the Bible and I'm fine."

"I did not spend the last 45 minutes flipping through seven-second, TikTok reels and Instagram reels triggering myself over and over again. I hate you, I like you. I hate you, I like you, I hate what you said, I'm going to have to say something back." Some of y'all need a social media break. Some of y'all need a divorce from social media. It has done more to hinder your recovery than it's helped.

[chuckles] Yes, I'm in here. I feel this is good, okay. Point number two, please write this down. I need a safe zone. I need a safe body, but I'll also need a safe zone. I cannot put a safe body in an unsafe zone because the safe body in an unsafe zone is dangerous.

Here's what it says in Psalm 4:8, "In peace, I will lie down and sleep for you alone, oh Lord, will keep me safe." Now if that's not a good zone, I don't know what is. Starting off, we understand we trust the Lord to keep us safe. "In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, oh Lord, will keep me safe."

Psalms 18:46, "The Lord lives, praise to my rock, may the God of my salvation be exalted. He is the God who pays back those who harm me. He subdues the nation's under me and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies. You save me from violent opponents." That is good stuff right there.

Do you see what happens when you get a word for your situation? This is why it's important to read the whole Bible, even the parts you don't like. You'll be amazed what you'll run into. If you decide to go on the exploration of reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. "Well, it just gets so boring in some parts, and I don't understand what the Lord be trying to say in other parts, and then he kills people and I was like, 'Dang, God, you, woo.' Thank God for Jesus because Old Testament, He was a little gangsta."

[laughter]

Tim: Just go on the whole journey. Because if you go on the whole journey you'll have context to why all of the things happen. If you nitpick, you'll be confused. Well, even the begat, Sam, just read them, just once. Just go through it. Just go through it. You're brave. You're brave, you binge-watched that whole Netflix series.

[laughter]

Tim: I'm pretty sure you can get through Leviticus. [laughs] Proverbs 2:11 says this, "Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe," please keep that thing up there. Woo, if my wife would let me get another tattoo, that might be it right there. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. If you're going to recover, it's going to depend on the choices you make.

Congregation: Yes, yes, yes.

Tim: Wise choices will keep you safe. You want to stay in a safe zone, use discernment, have some discretion, and make wise choices. I have seen so many people attribute a bad decision in their life to a wilderness experience God is sending them through. Boo, God didn't do that to you. Your choice did. He didn't tell you to date him. He didn't tell you to date her. "I just had to go through some things and I got out of a bad relationship and you know. The Lord just but he taught me some things though that. He let me go through that experience." I'm like, fam, the Lord-

[laughter]

Tim: -the Lord's like, "They didn't ask me nothing. They just literally-- I remember them coming to me with the prayer request. They didn't wait on my answer. They prayed it and ran out the room." They was like, "God, this has to be the one, thank you."

[laughter]

Tim: I once had a friend, and this is very, very sensitive I know but you have to have context for this. You have to have context for this. I have a friend who struggled with homosexuality. He was practicing very promiscuous, unsafe sex, and he wound up contracting HIV. He comes to me and we're both crying. We're devastated. We're like, "This is a horrible situation."

As he's weeping profusely and crying, he says, "I don't know why the Lord chose me to go through this, but for whatever reason, not my will, Lord, but thine be done." I was like, "Oh, boy, wow, woo, wow. Hey, boy. Oooh, so sorry, but I can't let you walk out of here thinking that God gave you this disease to teach you a lesson. That would be the worst daddy in the whole wide world." I said, "God gives boundaries. His love has always included boundaries with them."

When my kids want to go outside and play, they say, "Daddy, can I go outside?" Before I tell them yes, I tell them where the boundary is. "You can go in the front yard. You cannot cross the street. Now you can go play," because my love gave a boundary so you can enjoy what I gave you without running into something I did not give you.

Now if my son were to run in the street, God forbid, and get hit by a truck, what I would hate for him to say is, pinned under the truck still alive, thank you, Jesus, " I can't believe, I know exactly why this truck hit me. Daddy sent this truck to hit me to teach me a lesson not to go into the street."

[laughter]

Tim: The Lord didn't give you this disease, sir. Your choice put you in an unsafe situation. A wise choice will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Hear me, understanding not agreement. Oooh, I'm teaching? Oh my god. You don't have to agree with God's prescription, just understand it.

Congregation: That's good.

Tim: Just understand. "I don't know why you ain't going to let me do this Lord. I understand that you love me. If you say no, it must be for good reason." That will keep you safe.

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: If you don't want understanding, you will be in an unsafe zone. Proverbs 3:21, "My child, don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them for they will refresh your soul. They're like jewels on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way and your feet will not stumble, you can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap." Is that not good?

Congregation: Yes, it is.

Tim: I'm telling you, please get the scriptures and recite them, and use them as you create your boundaries for a safe body and a safe zone. You want to be in a zone where you are safe and protected. "How come you don't go over here no more, Tim?" "Because when I'm over there, I've worked on getting my body safe, but when I'm over in that zone, I'm unsafe. In that zone, my body gets triggered then it becomes unsafe and I get rid of the wall out."

Some of y'all don't need to go to happy hour with your friends. Your turn-up used to be too strong. Now you're trying to get your body back regulated and you think, "If I just go, it's my friend. Just going to have a couple of drinks. I'm not going to get drunk. The Bible says you can drink but not be drunk," but you ain't ever not been drunk.

[laughter]

Tim: Going to that environment might be too much of a temptation for you. Let's say you did survive the moment, "I didn't get drunk and I didn't go out there." What vibrated on the inside of you? How long were you thinking about it after the fact? We're talking about sustaining mental health.

Congregation: Yes, Praise God.

Tim: Why put yourself in a tempting situation knowing that you're going to be thinking about it for the next three weeks?

Congregation: Oh my God.

Tim: You didn't eat the doughnut at Krispy Kreme but you just stood in the lobby sniffing.

[laughter]

Tim: [breathes heavily] Just got a glazed contact high just--

[laughter]

Tim: "The sign was on so I just thought I'd come in and sniff. I didn't eat nothing." Oh my gosh. Proverbs 18:10, this is so good. "For the name of the Lord is a strong fortress. The godly run to Him and are safe." I know King James people, you don't like it. To make sure that you're going to be okay. The name of the Lord is a strong tower.

[cheering]

Congregation: Righteous.

Tim: The righteous run in and they are?

Congregation: Safe.

Tim: That's it.

[applause]

[laughter]

Tim: That's it. His name is safety.

Congregation: Amen.

Tim: You get into a tight spot, I dare you, good Lord have mercy. I know this is old-fashioned but I dare you to call his name.

[cheering]

[applause]

Tim: I double dog dare you in the middle of your trigger to call his name. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it, and they are safe. Jesus, Jesus

Congregation: Jesus

Tim: Jesus

Congregation: Jesus

Tim: I promise you demon still tremble at that night. Your trauma tremors at that name. Your past tremors at that name. It's banking on you to call on any other name except that name, Jesus.

I'm starting to revert back to my old ways, Jesus. Help me in this situation right now. I don't have enough strength. My flesh is too weak. Jesus, you died for this. You bled for this. You broke your body for this, Jesus.

[applause]

Tim: [screams] I'm in that pre-Easter flow y'all. I feel Easter coming so I'm already ready already. All right, so you need a safe body. You need a safe zone. I'm glad y'all tracking. Last thing, I need a safe mind. My body's safe. My zone is safe. Now I can get my mind. I got to get my mind because this is where it's all coming from. It's coming from my mind. I want to remember. I don't want to relive.

Grieving is fine but I'm tired of crying every time I even think about it. I got to get my mind. I need a safe mind. I can't recover if my mind's not safe. I can't recover if the only thing I have in my head are dark thoughts.

Here's what it says in Proverbs 4:20, "My child, pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart for they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else." I wish there was a period there. Guard your heart.

Now, my brain is lit right now. Listen, we live in a season of the church, the big sea church where secular culture has so permeated and infiltrated the Western church that we think holding on to any principles biblically is religion, and it ain't about religion, it's about relationship. Well, it is about religion, it's why we have church every Sunday. Religion's not the issue, empty religion is. Religion that can continue with or without God is empty religion, that's the religion we're trying to stay away from.

We do have some religious practices because it is in the rhythm of consistency that we grow deep into relationship with God and each other. If you are married and you start dating right now, I'll set my watch for the end of your relationship. Stop talking to your spouse, I'll set my watch for the end of your relationship. Stop having sex, I'll set my watch for the end of your relationship. Why? Because there are some practices you do religiously to stay connected to the person that you love.

Religion is not our issue. Good religion actually makes great relationships. Our issue is when we choose to practice our religion, whether we are with our partners or not. Guard your heart above all else. We live in a secular society and we've been low to sleep, in the name of "It ain't that bad." In the name of, "It ain't that deep." In the name of, "It don't take all that," we've allowed certain things into our eyes and into our ears, and out of our mouths and we still think we have this deep relationship with God while we're deepening a relationship with Satan.

Now, it sounds harsh. Guard your heart above all else. There's certain things I don't do. There's certain things I don't watch. There's certain places I don't go for one reason and one reason only, I'm trying to guard my heart. I have accountability all over the place, an Adobe surround sound for one reason and one reason only, I'm trying to guard my heart. Because if this mind is not at peace, at some point, my zone won't be safe and neither will my body.

Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk. Stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you, what's in front of you? Mark out a straight path for your feet and stay on a safe path.

Did y'all notice where that all started? Here, if you won't guard your mind, you can't guard your mouth. If you can't guard your mouth, you can't guard where you're going. If you can't guard where you're going, you can't guard where you're walking. It all starts here.

When I was a young adult pastor, we had 88% single people and they were horny, so if you are 25 and you want to get married and your sex drive is super high, then you're horny. There's nothing wrong with being horny. That just means you're normal. You work properly. If you have a sex drive and you're like, "I want to have sex," but you're not married so you can't have sex and you want to have sex, it just means you're normal. Doesn't mean you're bad, doesn't mean you're nasty. You're not a pervert. You're just a normal person with a healthy sex drive, but then you're like, "I got to wait till I get married and that's a thing."

We had people that would come into the office and they would be like, "Pastor, we had sex. We failed." They be crying and then I let them cry. Then I would say, "Was it good?" They would do exactly what you did. "What?"

[laughter]

Tim: Was it good? They would be like [sobs]

[laughter]

Tim: They would start crying again, and listen, these are all independent individual conversations that I had over four years with people that had sex before they were married. Here's what they all and ever will be said and it cracked me up because I'm a literalist and it never fly. "We went to the movies and the next thing you know."

[laughter]

Tim: Y'all were at the movies and the next thing you know? Y'all were at the movies and the next thing you know y'all was having sex? That doesn't compute. Now, living in America, you could be watching the movies, and the next thing you could get shot. That could happen. You could be in the car and the next thing you know you get T-boned, that could happen. That's unexpected.

There's no way, the way, I don't know if y'all know how penises and vaginas work, but they don't just, the way the Lord made it, there's just no way you can next thing you know yourself into a connection. Now I know some of y'all are a little bit like, "I don't like him being this graphic on a Sunday morning," and pastors are having sex and having to resign from their churches. I'm over trying to babysit and tiptoe around our body parts that God created in church.

[applause]

Tim: Stop, just get over yourself. They didn't guard their minds, their mouths, what came in and what came out, and then the next thing you know. [chuckles]

There's a remedy to that. After it came in, I said, "Hey, so how you going to stop? Because now y'all know each other, like for real, for real. How you going to stop? Because you thought, "It's two o'clock in the morning and I was just scared for his safety for him to drive home. He slept on the couch and I slept in the bed." I'm like, 'Your body parts don't care where y'all sleep," because then y'all went to have breakfast in the morning and then they had breakfast in the morning.

[laughter]

Tim: What are you going to practically do to stop? Do you see what I'm saying?

Congregation: Yes, that's good.

Tim: Safe body, safe zone, safe mind. Here's what it said, Proverbs 4:27, "Mark out a straight path for your feet." Can you go back to that one real quick? I just want to make sure I got that. "Mark out a straight path for your feet. Stay on the safe path," Proverbs 4:27, thank you, "Don't get sidetracked. Keep your feet from following evil."

Now, here's how we're going to wrap up. Philippians 4. I want to read the whole thing in context because this whole thing in context is how you're going to help your mind. "Don't worry about anything." That sounds daunting, doesn't it?

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: With all the stuff that we go through in our life, you're like, "What do you mean? Don't worry about anything? I got kids and bills and parents and situations. I found a bump in my body and all this kind of stuff is going on. Here, Paul is saying, don't worry about anything?" You can be concerned about stuff, don't worry about stuff. Two different things. "Instead, pray about everything."

Do you know you can pray to God on everything? You can pray to God about-- We usually only ask God for help when we want a bonus or a raise or somebody to die or you know what I mean? We're like, "Kill him, God. You did it in the past, do it again."

[laughter]

Tim: I'm reading through the Old Testament, "You did it, do it." We don't pray for ourselves the way we need to like, "God, would you please help me with my mind? Would you please help me with my body? Would you please help me with my environment? I want to be okay." "Don't worry about anything instead pray about everything, tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

I just helped somebody round out their prayer life. Because some of y'all go all needs and don't thank him for what he's done. Others of you go all thanking for what he's done and don't talk about any of your needs. Needs to be rounded and balanced. "Then you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand." King James people stay with me.

"His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Now and now dear brothers and sisters one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure and lovely and admirable." Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Could it be that the reason why so many people in the body of Christ have so much carnality is because they don't think enough about things that are true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable? Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Everything is not worthy of praise or your attention.

Congregation: Yes, that's right. Amen.

Tim: Verse number nine, "Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me, everything you heard from me and saw me doing, then the God of peace will be with you." That is just good. I need a safe mind and the only way I get a safe mind is when I have scripture to attach it to. It was my endeavor with this first message, Recovery 101, which I know in places got graphic and explicit. You probably like, "Oh, that was a lot," especially for your first-time visitor, you like, "I did not think. Who's pastor is this? Embassy City.

It is my desperate attempt and I might be off in some areas. Maybe I'm not doing everything right but it is my desperate attempt to normalize the conversation around mental health and especially trauma as it relates to people and the body of Christ. Because when I talked about fallen pastors earlier, I am not talking about them because I don't know the context to why they fell into that. It was because of trauma that when undiagnosed and uncommunicated because they were in a position of leadership and they thought they had gotten so high, they couldn't talk to nobody about what was really going on.

[applause]

Tim: Instead of saying to somebody, "I'm tempted by my secretary, she's attractive and I want to sleep with her," which would've never cost them their job, they held it in internalized it, and acted on it because whatever doesn't come up out of your mouth through words, comes up out of your body through actions.

Congregation: Yes.

Tim: I'm just trying to normalize this so people can talk about all the stuff that's going on, and we not be shocked anymore as if we ain't got our own dysfunctions that we're trying to regulate and we can actually be a body of Christ that can say, "Wow, thank you for the honesty." Do you know Paul wrote a letter to not one Corinthian church, all the Corinthian churches telling them about the weakness and thorns that he had in his flesh? He's the one that planted the churches. Why are we not following his lead?

[cheering]

Tim: Why would we talk about his weakness then I'm going to hide mine? I'm telling you I'm not going to be that dude. Now I'm riled up now so-

[laughter]

Tim: -let me finish before I go somewhere else. I don't even know if this is a good way to end the sermon, baby, but I'm going to just stop. Bow your heads. Let's go. Jesus. Thank you for the day. Amen.