by Jeff Thomas

I have suffered from depression for years. It began when I was sexually abused by a school teacher when I was in my early teens. I have taken medication off and on for the last 20 years and have gone through a great deal of therapy with Christian counselors. I was excited to see the workshop entitled “10 Biblical Ways to Deal with Depression” by Brenda Poinsett at the Summit this past year. For years depression has been looked at with a stigma that causes most Christians suffering with it to remain silent and to hide it vigorously.

I attended the workshop expecting to be one of a few that did, but I was very surprised when the room began to fill up and ended up standing room only. Brenda and I visited before the session began and she actually asked if I would share a small part of my story about some of her talking points, which I was more than happy to do.

The content of her workshop was extremely helpful to me on a personal level and she is a wonderful and amazing person, but the one thing that stuck out to me was the attendance. Apparently the stigma is gone and people are willing to admit that they don’t have it all together. The fact that the room was filled to capacity encouraged me that perhaps people in general were finally ready to be open about their depression.

It was during this workshop that God placed it on my heart to come back to Arkansas and offer the same hope to the people in my community. “Hope in the Darkness” was born at the Summit. It was an idea to offer those suffering from depression the hope we all have in Jesus Christ to overcome any obstacle in our lives.

So, for 4 months I met with a few family and friends, who have battled this enemy of the soul, to plan a one night event aimed at sharing the gospel of hope and victory. I also enlisted the help of a local licensed Christian counselor to co-host the event with me. Brenda was also a huge help. We emailed each other several times and she was more than happy to send me all the info I asked for. We advertised this free event with flyers, every door direct mailers and on Facebook.

Our goal for the event was two-fold. First we wanted to inform and educate people about depression. We explained the different types of depression, the symptoms of depression, the different types of treatment including medication, therapy and the biblical principles Brenda shared in her workshop. Second, we wanted to offer continuing help with either group sessions or one on one counseling. Our desire was to help the hurting find healing through the power of the Holy Spirit and to look at life with hope instead of despair.

So, on November 11, 2017 the team gathered to see what the attendance would be. We had about 20 pre-register for the event, but ended up with about 60 showing up. We had a panel that shared testimonies of their battle with depression and how these biblical principles helped them be victorious. I ended the night with a message of God’s love and desire to make us whole again. From this one event I now have about 15 individuals I’m seeing one on one to help in their battle with depression.

God began His plan at the Summit with a simple workshop held by a veteran of depression. Through that simple workshop He is now bringing healing to others hundreds of miles away and the work isn’t over yet. We are already planning another event after the first of the year on emotional wounds and getting to the root of our depression.

Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”(NLT) Yes, Jesus suffered so we could be forgiven and have eternal life, but He also came to give us an abundant life. For those with depression the abundant life seems impossible. Isaiah says He was beaten to make us whole, to put back together the broken pieces of our fractured mind and emotions and that every lash of the whip was to heal our broken hearts so that we can have the abundant life here and now. God desires for us to enjoy the gift of life we have now. The promise of God is not just joy and peace when we get to Heaven, but true joy, peace and life now.

I’m so thankful for the executive team for thinking outside the box and making things like this available at the Summit instead of just focusing on church growth. There is so much out there for us all to learn and grow from that we can take back to our own churches. I’m also very thankful for Brenda Poinsett and her willingness to share her struggles and victories with perfect strangers in such an authentic way. I wish we were all as open and honest as she is. Most importantly I thank God for His leadership, guidance and power. He had a plan long before I decided to go to the Summit and He showed up. Then He showed out by changing lives forever. I am in awe of Him always and forever.

I encourage our denomination to keep offering things like this. I also encourage the members to realize that workshops like Brenda’s are a church growth workshop. If your members aren’t healthy then the church won’t be either. So, take a chance next year and attend one. You never know what God may have planned.