Articles for tag: Wes Beavis

January 1, 2024

Christian Standard

Weeds in My Garden

HOW A SERMON SERIES ON MENTAL HEALTH BROUGHT HEALING TO A CHURCH  A perceived need among church leaders and church members led to a survey on mental health, which led to a dynamic and transformative sermon series.  By Clayton Hentzel  During the pandemic, I regularly participated in Zoom calls with pastors from across the country. One of those calls was with The Solomon Foundation. Early in the pandemic, Doug Crozier, the CEO of TSF, put counselor Dr. Wes Beavis on retainer. Dr. Beavis briefly shared some mental health tips on each weekly call. He provided everyone with a little help

January 1, 2024

Christian Standard

The Chemistry of Mental Health

By Dr. Wes Beavis  The church has shown a growing openness to conversations about mental health. I have been privileged to speak on the subject “Faith and Mental Health” at many Restoration Movement churches across the United States. Recently, Clayton Hentzel of The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, developed a teaching series called “Weeds in My Garden” that has become a tremendous resource to Restoration Movement churches across the nation. It is encouraging to see churches tackle the subject of mental health.   But I am aware of an underlying concern among believers that Christian theology and doctrine are being replaced by

November 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Christmas Is Good for Mental Health

Christmas Is Good for Mental Health

By Wes Beavis  The incarnation of Jesus Christ, God’s rescue plan for humanity, contributes to the mental health of the believer more than anything else. At Christmas we celebrate the advent of salvation through Christ our Lord. But people who celebrate Christ’s birth also typically experience three additional factors that have positive impacts on mental health.   Collective Effervescence   In 1912, French sociologist Émile Durkheim coined the term “collective effervescence,” which describes the euphoric self-transcendence that individuals feel when they are unified in focusing on a single subject or effort. Take a competitive rowing team, for example. Eight individuals climb into

September 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

How to Respond When the World Tries to Dismantle Your God-Given Identity  By Wes Beavis  “I hear voices inside my head.” This statement raises the sensitivities of a clinical psychologist. Hearing internal voices can be a sign of schizophrenia, which can drive people into homelessness. But schizophrenia is not just limited to the down and out.   John Nash, a brilliant mathematician, would carry on conversations with people inside his head. His story was made into a movie called A Beautiful Mind. Despite suffering from schizophrenia, Nash’s intellectual capacity and achievements led to him being awarded a Nobel Memorial Prize in

September 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Wes Beavis

Why Doesn’t God Stop School Shootings?

A tragic event like the unthinkable massacre of schoolchildren generates an understandable emotional response. The faith community often responds with the words “thoughts and prayers,” which incenses secularists who consider them to be “do-nothing” sentiments. But God uses the thoughts, prayers, and actions of dedicated Christ followers to change troubled young men into godly leaders. I know, because he used them to change me.

July 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Healthy Church Leaders Never Do This!

Healthy Church Leaders Never Do This!

By Wes Beavis Healthy church leaders do not spiritually abuse their church staff. Abuse of staff happens all too often, and it must stop. I’ll share an example. Recently, a senior pastor called the family life pastor into a meeting. The executive pastor also attended. It was a two-against-one coalition. The family pastor felt vulnerable. This vulnerability escalated when the senior pastor relieved the family life pastor of his ministry position. This was not a response to moral failure or professional misconduct. It was simply a case of, “We don’t feel like you are the right person for this position.”

June 9, 2022

Christian Standard

Why Doesn’t God Stop School Shootings?

A tragic event like the unthinkable massacre of schoolchildren generates an understandable emotional response. The faith community often responds with the words “thoughts and prayers,” which incenses secularists who consider them to be “do-nothing” sentiments. But God uses the thoughts, prayers, and actions of dedicated Christ followers to change troubled young men into godly leaders. I know, because he used them to change me.

May 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Charles Darwin and the Restoration Movement

By Wes Beavis What relevance does Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory, have to the Restoration Movement? A lot. As a clinical psychologist, I spend most of my time counseling RM ministry leaders. I can attest to the relevancy of Darwin’s oft-quoted phrase, “survival of the fittest.” Simply put, those organisms that can adjust favorably to their environment are the ones that survive. If they can’t adapt, they die out. Finding Support in Autonomous Churches This “survival of the fittest” concept is very much a part of our movement’s construct. Pastors who can adapt and overcome their prevailing difficulties

March 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Jesus and the ‘Bonding’ Chemical

By Wes Beavis Christian faith and science are not mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, secularized culture is convincing younger generations they must decide between the two. I constantly tell young people not to believe the secular voices that declare you must choose either science or faith . . . or worse, that if you are a Christian, you are by default a nonscientific Neanderthal. As both a follower of Christ and a clinical psychologist, I have developed a passion for discovering places where Christian faith and scientific discovery intersect—and there are countless intersections! For example, when the rich young ruler approached Jesus

January 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

‘Lead Like You Are the Colorado River’

If not for the obstacles standing in the way of the Colorado River, there would be no Grand Canyon. Without these natural barriers, the river would not have created dramatic ravines, horseshoe bends, and whitewater rapids. Instead of a Grand Canyon, we would have a “Grand Trench.” How awe-inspiring would that be? Not very. If I could give any counsel to Christians and ministry leaders in today’s world, it would be this: Lead like you are the Colorado River. Anticipate impediments to your progress. Don’t expect the way to be free and clear of obstacles. No matter what the barrier,

November 1, 2021

Wes Beavis

Holidays and the Broken Promise Effect: What Every Leader Should Know

By Wes Beavis A time-zone change hijacked our Thanksgiving last year. My wife and I needed a getaway, and when we stumbled across an extraordinary holiday package, we decided to go for it. We flew east across the country enticed by thoughts of long days relaxing in the sunshine. After a few days, however, we noticed the days going by quicker than anticipated. We finally figured out why. Our holiday destination was three hours ahead of our body clocks. We were waking up at about 10 a.m. and the sun was setting at 5 p.m. Our jet lag made the

September 1, 2021

Wes Beavis

Look After My Sheep . . . and You’re a Sheep Too!

Before I went to theological college to train for the ministry, I worked in a Christian bookstore. My official role was to manage the music department. It was a fun job that allowed me to play the latest Christian music over the store’s sound system. This usually led to a tug-of-war between me and Hazel, the bookstore’s manager. Hazel liked the music soft; I liked the music loud. In fairness to Hazel, she liked to be able to converse with customers without having to yell. I thought turning the bookstore into a dance floor would stimulate more music sales. Of

July 15, 2015

Christian Standard

Ian DiOrio’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Ian DiOrio, lead pastor of Yucaipa (California) Christian Church. ________ Doug Parks and Bart Rendel started Intentional Churches in 2013 after lengthy stints on the leadership teams at Canyon Ridge Christian Church and Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their vision is to create a movement of like-minded churches who learn, use, and collaborate about the best practices of growing

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