Dropping Our Masks to Confront Anxiety, Despair, and Real Needs: Ed Newton, Wendell Vinson, and Todd Lamphere

*This episode mentions suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. This week, we’ll hear from Ed Newton, pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas. Growing up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ed bridged the hearing and deaf worlds for his parents, fostering immense empathy but also hardship. Later, following his parents’ deaths, he faced a tidal wave of despair and suicidal thoughts. He sought professional help and openly shared his struggle with his church, who responded with grace. Now, Ed advocates for the church to be a hospital for the broken, urging people to seek help and recognize it’s okay not to be okay, but not to stay that way. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Wendell Vinson and Todd Lamphere from CityServe, an organization that helps equip and empower churches to serve their communities. They discuss CityServe’s mission to equip local churches and to meet the last mile of need in their communities. They highlight the church’s role in community transformation, citing reduced recidivism rates, and its essential “ministry of presence” before, during, and after crises like natural disasters or war. Finally, they acknowledge compassion fatigue, emphasizing that faithful service requires spiritual replenishment in order to continue to serve others well.    Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Erica Campbell Upcoming interview: Kathie Lee Gifford Jesus Calling app   Ed Newton CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Romans 8:28 www.ednewton.com Why Not You? Believing What God Believes About You   CityServe Canyon Hills Church Matthew 16:13-27 prison recidivism   Interview Quotes: “My mission was to actually be the voice for two people that could not speak and to help them understand how to aggregate and acclimate into a hearing world.” - Ed Newton “It’s okay not to be okay. It’s just not okay to stay that way. God can break every chain.” - Ed Newton  “I believe some of the healthiest people I have ever met sit on somebody’s couch. I actually think the red flag of danger is for somebody that says, ‘I’m good. I don’t need counseling.’ I would say watch out for that slippery slope of destruction that’s about to happen.” - Ed Newton “I just think for most people, life gets shaken up and they don’t know what to do with that. Don’t live life all bound up when you can find somebody that would love you, sit with you, and go, ‘Hey, let me tell you what I hear and see. You’re not alone.’” - Ed Newton “Sometimes churches get it wrong and we slap Bible verses on a chemical disruption in the body. And I want to say, ‘I’m sorry you got hit with a Bible verse when you just needed someone to sit in the puddle of your tears.’” - Ed Newton “We’re constantly hearing and listening and feeling, but when we do not align our heart to what God says, who is the ultimate voice, then it just conflicts with the directional, navigational component of our life.” - Ed Newton “There’s a God who never changes, who operates out of the character of sovereignty and goodness, and who’s always working for your greater good. So why not begin a day with Him, and let Him frame the filter of how you’re to see the world?” - Ed Newton “It’s a beautiful partnership that allows pastors and churches that have a desire to meet the practical, physical needs of the community it was called to serve, and to have an organization come alongside it to help make that happen. This is the beauty of the partnership between the local church and CityServe.” - Todd Lamphere  “When a person connects with the body of Christ and starts moving down a different path, it transforms community.” - Wendell Vinson  “What people need in times of disaster more than anything, is they need the ministry of presence.” - Todd Lamphere  “Compassion is scalable. You start where you are with what you have, and God will take you further.” - Wendell Vinson “Compassion fatigue is just a reality. You cannot give out what you do not have in you. This is why being saturated in God’s Word every day is so vitally important. It’s a non-negotiable to stay in God’s Word to commune with Him, to listen to worship music, to pray for God to just continue to be your strength, to be your source, to be your all in all.” - Todd Lamphere “If any of us think that we can in our own strength or power just live out what the Lord’s called us to, we’re mistaken. It all flows out of that personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Wendell Vinson ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7  Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw  Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C  Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj  Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u  What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj  Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY  ________________________  Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.