<p>Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of <em>The Anchored by the Sword Podcast. </em>Since May is <strong>Mental Health Awareness Month</strong>, I really wanted to continue having these important conversations surrounding faith and mental health—because the truth is, so many people are silently struggling while feeling like they have to pretend they’re fine.</p><p><br></p><p>And you guys already know… this topic is deeply personal to me.</p><p><br></p><p>Today, I’m joined by Pastor Steve Larson, whose book <em>The Four Keys to Mental Health: Feel Better, Think Clearly, and Enjoy Life Again</em> came out earlier this year, and this conversation was such an encouraging and practical one.</p><p><br></p><p>Steve shares his own journey of walking through depression and anxiety while planting and pastoring a church. After walking through a painful season of church division, he found himself emotionally exhausted and struggling mentally in ways he never had before. And I think what impacted me most is that instead of hiding it, he began learning, growing, and eventually helping others walk through their own mental health journeys too.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we talk about:</p><p><br>✨ Why the church needs to become a safer place to talk about mental health<br>✨ The difference between faith and pretending everything is fine<br>✨ Why mental health struggles are not a sign of spiritual failure<br>✨ How God can heal through miracles, medicine, counseling, community—or all of the above</p><p><br>✨ And the four key areas that impact our mental health:</p><ul><li>Physical</li><li>Mental</li><li>Spiritual</li><li>Relational</li><li><br></li></ul><p>One thing Steve said that really stood out to me was this:</p><p>👉 “If you have a body, you have physical health. If you have a brain, you have mental health.”</p><p><br></p><p>And honestly… that’s such an important reminder.</p><p><br></p><p>Mental health isn’t just “for certain people.”<br>It affects all of us in different ways.</p><p><br></p><p>We also talk about:</p><ul><li>The stigma surrounding medication in Christian spaces</li><li>Learning to let go of the illusion of control</li><li>Why vulnerability matters</li><li>And how even giants of the faith like Elijah, David, and Jeremiah wrestled deeply emotionally</li></ul><p><br></p><p>And I loved this reminder:<br>You are not weak because you need help.<br>You are human.</p><p><br></p><p>If you are struggling right now, please hear me:<br>It is OK to not be OK.<br>Just don’t stay there alone.</p><p>There are people who want to walk beside you. Reach out to someone or dial 988 today.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Bio:</strong></p><p>Steve Larson serves as lead pastor of <a href="https://ccc-kasson.org/">Community Celebration Church</a> in Kasson, MN. Steve is married to Tammy, and they live in Rochester, MN. They have two children: Dalton and Miracle. </p><p> </p><p>In 2002, he went through a severe season of depression and burnout. As a result, he was given a forced sabbatical from the ministry. During that time, he began to collect tools that would help him experience better mental health and spiritual well-being. He was asked to teach those tools to others in his association of churches. He has been teaching those tools for nearly twenty years to pastors in the Minnesota district Assemblies of God. He has also taught them at conferences, recovery centers, and other groups.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Anchor Verses:</strong></p><p>Luke 2: 52</p><p>Proverbs 3: 5-6</p><p>Zechariah 4:6</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Connect with Steve:</strong></p><p><strong>FB: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1bbf5iwtGF/?mibextid=wwXIfr">https://www.facebook.com/share/1bbf5iwtGF/?mibextid=wwXIfr</a></p><p><strong>IG: </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ccc.kasson?igsh=MTNuYzdia3owbm5qbQ==">https://www.instagram.com/ccc.kasson</a></p><p><strong>Community Celebration Church YouTube: </strong><a href="https://youtube.com/@communitycelebrationchurch?si=W3zriq6xHZPdFJuS">https://youtube.com/@communitycelebrationchurch</a></p><p><br></p><p>***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***</p>