Month: September 2022

#CW #TW Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide

Next Gen Pastor Phyllis Myung speaks personally from her lived experiences of surviving suicide attempts and what it was like to be at that moment of despair, being overwhelmed with pain. 

By the grace of God, working hard to find her way to living healthy now, she shares what can save the life of someone who might have suicidal ideation and normal struggles with the stresses of everyday life – whether that’s school, work, marriage, or family. Thank you Phyllis, for sharing words of life.

Show Notes

• Are you in a crisis? Please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Or, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

• QPR Institute https://qprinstitute.com – 3 steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide.

• The Best Way To Save People From Suicide – “What if this is what we should be doing? What if it’s that simple?” https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/how-to-help-someone-who-is-suicidal/

• Caring Letters Prevent Suicide https://sparq.stanford.edu/solutions/caring-letters-prevent-suicide

#CW #TW trigger warning: depression, suicide, suicidal ideation.

DJ Chuang and his Son Jeremiah Chuang (Chinese American) talk about depression and suicidal ideation, based on their lived experiences and how they’ve been impacted by suicide loss, and suicide prevention warning signs.

SHOW NOTES

• DJ’s personal crisis in 2017 djchuang.com/my2017

• Are you in a crisis? Please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Or, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

• September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org

#RealConvo Guides from AFSP

• How to Start (and Continue!) a Conversation About Mental Health
• If Someone Tells You They’re Thinking About Suicide

Having a mental health ministry in any church can be very challenging. It’s all the more challenging in ethnic Asian American churches because of our cultural contexts. 

We take a closer look at the practical details for how to start a mental health ministry in an ethic Asian church, based on the experiences at Chinese Christian Church of Thousand Oaks, in California. You’ll hear about the divine provisions that made it possible for mental health to be addressed in their church; and then again, isn’t all that we have a gift and provision of God anyways? Our hope is that your church will be encouraged to address mental health too, because this is such an urgent need for many.

Pastor Curtis Lowe and wife Carol started the Enlighten Mental Health Ministry in 2018 to enlighten, encourage, and educate people facing the realities of mental illness to lighten our burden. 

And, you’re invited to come in-person or join online for the free Enlighten Seminar on October 1, 2022 – get seminar info and register at enlightenmentalhealth.org/2022-seminar

Show Notes

Personal mental health experiences of Pastor Curtis Lowe and Carol (Sept 2019)
erasingshame.com/mental-health-ministry-in-a-chinese-church

#CW Content Warning #TW Trigger Warning: Suicides. 

How do you make sense of your own life and everything else in world, when someone you love dies by suicide? Research has found that each suicide affects around 115 lives, with 1 in 5 reporting that this experience had a devastating impact.

Korean American Erica Kang opens up and shares her poignantly honest story of surviving suicides in her very own family. She shares how she got through those devastating hard times and what she does to stay healthy and caring for herself and others. 

Our prayer is that her honesty will empower you and those you know to take the first step to get help when/if you need to express your painful feelings. Call 988 anywhere and anytime for the crisis & suicide lifeline. You’e not alone. There are people who care and can help.