MENTAL HEALTH MONDAY

I started blogging a few(?) years ago as one of my strategies for coping with my depression & anxiety. Journaling, which, in essence, is what my blog is, is one method among many for coping. So, the main reason I bog is to help me cope, but I also hope that maybe those who are also coping with their own depression & anxiety might benefit from some of my topics in my Mental Health MON blog.

ANXIETY *

* Rev. Matthew Harrison, The Lutheran Witness, May 2021

"'God's kingdom certainly comes when our heavenly Father give us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word & lead godly lives here in time & there in eternity.' (Small Catechism, 2nd Petition) This word of promise helps us face our anxieties & cry out in confidence to our Lord & Savior:

* "I'm anxious! You bore on the cross all the anxiety of the world. Lord, continue to slay my anxiety & give me Your Spirit.

* I'm discontent! You, Lord, carried my anxieties to Golgotha. Lord, forgive my sin.

* I'm jealous! Lord, slay my sinful flesh by Your word of law, & give me Your kingdom anew in Your Gospel. Cause me to rejoice in the blessings You give to others.

* I'm worried! All worry was subsumed & sentenced to death when You said, 'It is finished' (John 19:30). Lord, grant me contentment in You & Your promises.

* I'm greedy & self-centered! You, Lord, gave Yourself totally, for the totality of my sin. Lord, create in me a clean heart & renew my feeble spirit.

* I'm afraid to confess Your name! You, Lord, confessed before Pilate. You confessed Psalm 22 on the cross. Lord, strengthen my feeble knees & open my lips, & my mouth will praise Your name 'to a people yet unborn' (Ps. 22:31)."

DR. FAUCI

"Thousands come to worship at miraculous mask stain that looks just like Fauci." Babylon Bee

THE WIT & WISDOM OF CAL THOMAS

"The rights of man, endowed by a Creator from Whom comes the law, personal responsibility, & accountability, were self-evident to the Founders. While there were energetic debates about how to preserve them for themselves & bequeath such values to their posterity, there was no doubt they existed for them & for all time. Today's cancel culture & political correctness argue against the existence of objective truth. The individual now gets to set the standard for himself or herself, even when they are contradictory Personal peace & happiness are now the highest goal, not the general welfare.

"There are consequences to embracing such beliefs, & we are seeing them played out today. Government grows in size & cost. Taxpayers who earn money are going to be told by Democrats to pay even more to subsidize ineffective government programs & the unproductive. Prosperity is to be penalized when it once was thought of as a worthy goal for individuals & the nation . . . You've got to be taught to love America, or we risk losing it." Column by Cal Thomas, Omaha World Herald, 9/19.

POTTY TRAINING CATTLE

"By now, many people probably have either read or heard about the story from the Associated Press that begins, 'If you can potty-train a child, you can potty-train a cow. At least, that was the theory a group of researchers in Germany decided to test, in a bid to find a solution to the environmental damage caused by livestock waste.'" Our View, Norfolk Daily News, 9/16  But just imagine how this would benefit the economy by enriching manufacturers of cow diapers!