Keep Calm and Carry On: Five Secrets to Overcoming Depression

Coffee mugs, t-shirts and other decorative items have advertised this popular meme for a number of years. This phrasal fad extends to a wide variety of spin offs "Keep Calm and you-fill-in-the-blank". Originally produced by the British government in 1939, this slogan was intended to boost the spirit of the British people on the brink of the Second World War.

Why has it become so popular in today's culture? Is it just a clever quote with numerous spin offs or is this meme pointing to a deeper need in our messed up world? Last December I was going through a stressful time trying to juggle the normal holiday busyness while also preparing for our trip to Australia. I was busy, stressed, worried and sleep deprived.

A week before we left for Australia I received a Keep Calm mug as a gift. Late nights at my desk, my gaze would drift to the writing on that cup. "Keep Calm and Carry On!" but to tell you the truth, I was too exhausted to "carry on". 

Our culture has adopted a positive thinking attitude with the mindset that we are invincible. But research from the Anxiety and Depression Association of American shows otherwise: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population).

Whether you and I admittedly label it a bad day or a difficult season of life, the fact of the matter is that we all struggle with depression at some point or another.

The Father Factor

In the U.S. 15 million children in America (one out of three) live without their father. In an article published by The Washington Times Luke Rosiak explains, "The near-total absence of male role models has ripped a hole the size of half the population in urban areas."

After talking with hundreds of girls from all over the United States and internationally, I am convinced more than ever that young people lack a father's positive influence in their lives. Even the best of dads become busy and don't always spend sufficient time with their children. Many young people believe their dad loves them but doesn't understand them.  Once a girl shared with me, "I have a Christian dad who takes care of my needs but he has never asks me how I'm doing spiritually".

10 Things Jesus Taught His Disciples About Prayer

Prayer. Christian bookstores are filled with books on how to pray. Inspirational stories stirs our soul in response to the beckoning call to prayer from the great prayer warriors of times past. These men and women of faith seem to possess something that is lost on today's society. Curiously enough we (including myself) have displayed with our actions that prayer is not needed and we are invincible.

In our last post I shared a statistic that the average Christian only prays about seven minutes a day. Do you realize that is only 0.49% of your entire day? Can we really follow Christ without spending time with Him? Of course not! That would be as absurd as driving a car off of a teaspoon of gas.

Is Social Media Taking Over Our Lives?

Prayer is an interesting subject because whether or not we like to admit it, praying does not come naturally for most of us including myself. Last week during the APJ summer camp one girl made a statement during our lunch break, "I'm always looking to the next event or the next Christian camp to give me a spiritual high". Her comment caused me to think about the fact that prayer really is a lost art in our generation.

Let's explore some of the reasons why this is happening: