I get asked the question a lot: what books do you recommend for believers on the topic of mental illness and mental health? 

Up until this year, I didn’t have many options to pass forward.

That never sat well with me.

I prayed for the stigma to release.

For us to be able to talk about it more openly.

For authors to push through the threshold and share their stories in deep and vulnerable ways.

I have an answer to that frequently asked question now.

If you’re looking for a book that touches the landscapes of mental health, God, medication, and spiritual battles, you need to pick up my friend Jon’s book. 

In Finding Rest, Jon poignantly tells his story of fighting through OCD, crippling anxiety, and suicidal ideations. It’s raw and it’s packed with wisdom. It is, quite simply, a map for those who want to find peace, God, and rest within their circumstances.

It says in Revelation that the accuser is overthrown by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. This book is a testimony. It is hope to the weary travelers of a long, winding road known as mental illness. This book is a light in a dark culture. It is a song to play on repeat when you feel lost in the woods and you need a reminder of where God is.

As someone who battles with mental illness, I am so thankful for a book that doesn’t sugarcoat the journey or make promises it cannot keep. Mental illness and the fight for mental wholeness is not a one-size-fits-all story.

We need many stories.

We need Jon’s story and I think he will inspire you to step boldly into your own.

This is a book about God.

This should be said first and foremost. To know Jon is to know how his heart is wired for his Creator. Before he gets into the practical application (trust me, there is plenty), he plants the reader in proper theology when it comes to matters of suffering, mental illness, and where God is in the hard things.

He doesn’t devote a sentence or two to the “where” and the “how” of God in suffering, he devotes full chapters.

His words are a balm for anyone who has begged the question, “Where is God in this?” I know it’s a question I asked dozens of times within my own battles and Jon’s answers are beautiful, powerful, and in line with biblical truth.

This is a book about OCD.

This book is about so much more than just OCD but I think it will stand out and hold its own as a testimony for those who deal with OCD.

I struggle to find ample resources to give people dealing with OCD. I have never dealt with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder myself and I cannot begin to speak from a place of experience.

Jon’s book is a light in the dark for those who feel lost and confused with their diagnosis. For those who want tools to help them fight forward. For those who want to know where God is in the midst of their trials.

This is a book armed with a holistic approach.

Some of the most damaging words spoken over me during my battle with severe depression were ones that isolated my experience to merely spiritual matters. There were people who told me I had sins I hadn’t repented for or that I just needed to pray more and the depression would lift.

Mind you, Jon does get into the spiritual battle. He has chapters devoted to it. But I respect him for putting the physical battle within these pages and for speaking to every anxiety sufferer about paying attention to the body as part of the overall solution.

It’s 2021 and time we stopped isolating mental illness within the church to merely spiritual prescriptions. His chapter on the physical battle is one of my favorites because he speaks with authority, gets into the practical, and gives each reader a toolkit for how they can practice self-care in their own story.

This is a book for loved ones.

I love that Jon doesn’t just speak to the person in the midst of the battle, he speaks to those who are fighting alongside the person in the trenches. The ones who hold our arms up when they get tired. The ones who see us, and care for us, and love us through the storms.

This book is for people who have a loved one dealing with mental illness. It is a tool to help people understand mental illness better and the role they can play in the life of the sufferer.

This is a book for the church.

In Finding Rest, Jon speaks to the church. He prescribes helpful ways for the church to stand with those who are walking with mental illness.

Mental illness is a very real thing and, especially after COVID, the numbers of those dealing with it continue to be on the rise. The church needs to be a safe space for people to land. To be able to seek help and counsel. To be able to talk openly about it. To be able to understand– with proper theology– where God is in the midst of their battles.

It no longer suffices to talk about mental illness from the pulpit once a year. I could say a lot more (I get really fired up) but Jon breaks it down better than me and I think his words are ones you should read when it comes to the church and mental health.

…

Finding Rest releases into the world today and is available wherever great books are sold.

I am so thankful to know this book is now out there in the world. That it can be ordered at any time. It is seriously a roadmap for someone who needs to know that others have walked this path before them and walked it well. Jon is a trustworthy guide. He doesn’t have all the answers (and would tell you that himself) but he continually points to the One who sits with us in our questions.

I’m so thankful for his voice, his advocacy, and his willingness to share his story with the world.

Thank you, Jon, for your testimony. May it be kindling for the many who are freed from your message within these pages.