At the local library I picked up publications produced by the MINISTRY OF HEALTH and the MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION OF NEW ZEALAND.
The names of the brochures are: “Coping with financial stress”, “Having suicidal thoughts?”, “Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand”, Postnatal Depression, “Retirement”, and “Anxiety and how to handle it”.
People with financial stress are pointed to Helplines ( Depression helpline, Lifeline, Healthline, Family Violence Information Line ) and Money and budget advice services ( Budgeting services, Sorted, Citizens Advice Bureaux).
Those with suicidal thoughts are pointed to information about suicide risk ( www.spinz.org.nz; www.headspace.org.nz ) and they are told where general support advice can be found ( www.youthline.co.nz; www.depression.org.nz). Those with Postnatal Depression are pointed to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand where they can purchase or loan books and videos on depression.
In the Bible we read that John is pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 1:29 we read:
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'”
But let us remember “…. that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” – Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4
The Lowdown – thelowdown.co.nz – is part of the Ministry of Health’s National Depression Initiative. The leaflet “GET TO A BETTER PLACE” explains the initiative. I picked the leaflet up at the local library today here in Kaitaia.
On the front page of the publication are eight questions. Here are the first four:
“Do you have the right friends? Do you listen to the right music? Do you wear the right clothes? Should you smoke?……..”
Inside the flyer I read: “One in seven young Kiwis experience serious depression, so don’t worry if you think you’re the only one feeling the way you do – …..” (For those who don’t know, Kiwis are New Zealanders.)
Do you have the right friends?
Let me tell you about my friends. And yes, I am sure that I have the right friends. You can find my friends all over the world. But I think that most of my friends are in Europe, in Germany. From Christmas 1966 until Christmas 2004 I worked as a missionary in Thailand and in New Zealand and my friends not only prayed for me but my friends also supported me financially all those years. It is only now that I realise that they prayed for me and supported me financially for almost forty years. That is a long time, you will agree.
How do I know that I have friends all over the world? How do I know that I have the right friends? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is my friend and I have many brothers and sisters in Christ!
And they are not only from different countries, but also from different races. Not all that long ago I spoke over skype to a pastor and leader in Thailand. We worked together in Thailand for quite some time.
