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Caleigh Grogan, Intern Minister, The Community Church of Chapel Hill, Unitarian Universalist, "Love and Acceptance in the Internet Age"

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  Love and Acceptance in the Internet Age   —--Caleigh Grogan At some point in my early twenties, my mom commented on the fact that all of my close friends deal with some kind of diagnosed mental illness. Now, nearly a decade later it remains true that most if not all of my closest friends are managing some kind of depression, anxiety, PTSD, or a combination thereof. And if you spend a lot of time on the internet it may seem that the majority of the population is managing some kind of mental health related diagnosis. Though not exactly a majority, according to the National Institute of Mental Health , about 23% of American adults experienced mental illness in 2022. The percentage jumps to over 36% if you look at young adults ages 18-25. And among adolescents, just under 50% experienced some sort of mental health disorder. People much more qualified than me certainly have a better understanding of why mental...
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Rev. Melissa Culbreth, Asbury United Methodist, “Call to Community’’

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Call to Community ------ Rev. Melissa Culbreth, Asbury United Methodist   It was 2010 and I had just returned from my deployment to Iraq where I served as a chaplain with the North Carolina Army National Guard as the 230 th Brigade Support Battalion Chaplain for the 30 th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. In Iraq, I was responsible for medical and mortuary emergencies.   It was a challenging deployment and complicated by my being medically evacuated before my unit’s return due to a breast cancer diagnosis. Back at home, I faced re-acclimating to civilian life and processing my experiences in Iraq while undergoing breast cancer treatment. I went to my mandatory Army mental health assessment conducted by a civilian psychologist. He looked at my file, then looked up at me and said, “Oh, you’re a chaplain. You have God, so you are fine, right?” In that moment it became readily apparent that the mental health world was not going to be helpful in navigating my new reality. Retur...
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Rabbi Dr. Rachel Posner, Beth El Synagogue, "Compassion: A Jewish Path Towards Acceptance"

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Compassion: A Jewish Path Towards Acceptance —Rabbi Dr. Rachel Posner             Psychological flexibility is a cornerstone of mental health. It represents a kind of freedom, a graceful way to be in this world.  The skill of acceptance lies at the heart of psychological flexibility. Yet acceptance is one of the most misunderstood psychological concepts. Acceptance does not mean we approve or endorse behaviors that are misguided or abusive; it does not mean we enjoy our suffering, or glorify our pain. Acceptance does not mean that we give up working for positive change in ourselves and in the world.  Rather, acceptance means allowing and acknowledging what is. Acceptance is a way of gracefully being with the truth, of allowing ourselves to open up to reality as it exists both inside ourselves and in the outside world. Struggling against reality helps no one.          Acceptance may be particularly ...
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Rev. Cameron Barr, United Church of Chapel Hill, "Come Healing of the Mind"

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  Come Healing of the Mind ----Rev. Cameron Barr Mental health concerns are very common in the life of faith communities because - well, mental health concerns are very common in human life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 8.3% of all adults in the United States have experienced depression in the past year. Almost 20% of US adults have experienced an anxiety disorder in the past year. In 2022, it was reported that more than 23% of US adults experienced some sort of mental illness. Statistically speaking, it’s unlikely that you ever come to a place of worship without shaking hands with someone whose life is touched by mental illness.  People are often under a great deal of stress in their ordinary lives. There is enough pressure from the regular commitments in one’s life such as childcare, marriage, work, or caregiving for aging parents to cause even the healthies...
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Barrett Freeman, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, "Cultivating the Spirit"

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  Cultivating the Spirit                            ---- Barrett Freeman     “O God, you are closer to me than I am to myself. O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, you were within and I was outside myself .”   I don’t know if any of the preschool teachers witnessed it happen, but if they did, I imagine it was an awful site. One minute a 5-year-old boy is chasing friends across the church playground, the next minute he’s gone. Vanished. Although somewhat fragmented, I still vividly recall the scene. The sound of metal and concrete scrapping together, the earth giving way, and then, approximately eight feet later… cold, wet, and dark. That’s what falling into a manhole feels like. I know because that’s what happened to me. I can’t say I remember specific feelings and thoughts, but I do know the general details of the story because it’s...
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