Suicide | Stuff We Don't Talk About | Keith Stewart | Springcreek Church

SUICIDE
Stuff We Don’t Talk About (But Probably Should) - Part 1
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
April 30, 2023
We may not want to talk about it but not talking about it is what has led to so much confusion and pain. Practically everyone you meet has had their life touched in some way by suicide. But because we treat it like a taboo topic, unsettling questions are turned inward where they do incredible damage. Honest conversations about suicide are what is needed most of all. Not only does that decrease its likelihood in those who are struggling but it also helps individuals and families who are dealing with the aftermath. That’s what this weekend’s message is all about. My hope is that you’ll never need it, but if you do you’ll be grateful your understanding of suicide begins with grace and truth.
SERIES: Stuff We Don't Talk About (But Probably Should)
People tend to hold in what they find upsetting, uncomfortable, or the things they fear. But our fear and avoidance of distressing topics actually magnify the distress and discomfort we’re feeling. There’s a better way. Honest, loving, and candid truth can dispel the distortions, erase our fears and liberate us to face life’s most discomforting truths.
SUICIDE RESOURCES
Recommended by Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
RECOMMENDED READING
Dark Clouds, Silver Linings, Archibald D. Hart, PhD., Focus on the Family
Publishing, 1993, ISBN 1-56179-248-9
What to Do When Someone You Love is Depressed, Mitch Golant, PhD.
And Susan Golant, Villard Books, 1996, ISBN 0-679-45154-4
Bright Days, Dark Nights: with Charles Spurgeon in Triumph over
Emotional Pain, Elizabeth Ruth Skoglund, Baker Books, 2000, ISBN 0-
8010-6192-X
ONLINE RESOURCES
kaywarren.com/...
www.compassion...
988lifeline.org
www.healthline...
REACH OUT - CALL OR TEXT 988
Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat
at 988lifeline.org. The Lifeline provides free and confidential support to
people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, across the United States. Call 911 in life-threatening situations.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Take some time as an individual or group to think about and discuss (if you’re comfortable doing so) how your life has been personally impacted by suicide. How did it affect you? What questions did you have? How did others respond? What, if any, direction were you given?
2. Why do you think this is such a taboo topic? Have you been in a church or religious environment that addressed suicide? If so, what was said and did you find it helpful?
3. There is no question, suicide rates are skyrocketing even as the average age for suicide is getting younger and younger. What do you think is driving this phenomenon? What can we do as a society to better address these issues?
4. Pastor Keith suggested those who struggle with self-destructive thoughts to construct a Hope Kit. Whether this is a journal, scrapbook, or box of mementos, the idea is to have a plan and be proactive when troubling thoughts arise. What are some of the things Pastor Keith suggested? What are other things that might be helpful to include in a Hope Kit?
5. Our identity, who we actually are in Christ, is essential in battling lies both the enemy tells us and we tell ourselves. Lies must be countered with truth and truth must be put into practice. In the list provided in the message notes, how do you put those truths into practice? How do you live like the truth is truth?
6. Grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide compounds normal grief and adds a dimension of guilt, hurt, and anger. This is normal - expected - what most people experience. What have you found most helpful in working through negative emotions like these?
7. As Pastor Keith wrapped up, he spent some time unpacking how grace and forgiveness actually work and then applied that to the person who takes their own life. How does this align with what you have been taught about suicide? Do you struggle with this explanation at all? If so, why?
www.springcree...
Text RESOURCES to 96995
#realspringcreekchurch #stuffwedonttalkabout #stuff #suicide

[@moneymechanics77]

More churches need to talk and preach about this!

[@Prettygirlcn5]

I loved the 🦋 connection 👍🏽

[@Rolog21]

YES

[@Lynnda86]

This is the first message I went to Spring Creek Church in person. I'd lost my best friend to suicide 10 days before my 21st birthday. 😭💔 My twin attempted and almost succeeded when we were 15 years old. I've lost many more since. (I'm 56 now) I've even attempted myself and contemplated it countless times. During the message, I broke down. The pwrson behind me put their hand on my left shoulder. I had no idea who it was... as it was my first time in peraon. This is SUCH a blessing!!! Thank you, Pastor Keith, for speaking the truth in love! Im so grateful for Spring Creek. And to Lola, eho was the beautiful person who put her hand on my shoulder. She came around to me after the service, hugged me, and introduced herself. This chur h is probably the moat real chur h I've EVER been to!

[@nunurbzness95]

Easily said except for chronically ill people

[@pastorkeithstewart]

Besides the reality that nothing I said in the video was easily said, I readily admit that those struggling with chronic illness face some unique challenges. It’s part of the reason I quoted from Joni Ericsson Tada’s book on when is it right to die. She has walked that path and I have not. At the same time, the high level of regret among those who attempt suicide (as high as 90% according to most studies) should give anyone pause.