"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."-Ephesians 2:21-22, The Holy Bible

I saw a meme yesterday that asked which was I building...God's temple or Man's temple. I thought almost immediately thought about the scripture that it is derived from and then I said - that's what I'm going to talk about for the next update. The Building Fund is a strange name to have for this piece but if you bear with me, you'll see where I'm going with this.

Now- for those of you who are church goers, you may be familiar with your church's building fund. It is a subsidiary account that the church has to maintain the building in which you and the Holy Spirit dwell. It is funds set aside to make sure the broken things get fixed. A new door knob, light bulbs, replaced windows or carpet...anything that is a part of the church that needs to be kept up on a regular basis. I've been told that there are businesses with the same sort of funds setup to take care these needs as well but my mind went to the church.

I don't want to preach. I'm not good at it and people in general turn their ears off to it- so instead I am going to speak to you like I speak to my family, because in a sense, this is what you are becoming to me. Not just readers or followers but friends and family. Family looks out for one another, we make sure that all is well with each other and that our needs are met with each other. We want to know if each other are well and if there's anything we can do to help. This is the nature of family-we get in your business, we become nosey and overbearing. But it's all done out of love, trust me.

The body being a temple - that temple has specific needs. Sometimes our light bulbs go out and there is an inescapable darkness that settles within the chambers of our mind and our hearts. Sometimes we need to wash the windows to our souls to refresh and renew the spirit. These are things that we need to take care and are as much any other part of the body. These things are necessary for the upkeep of God's temple. But are we missing anything or neglecting a part of the temple that also needs care?

Quite possibly.

When we think about the temple (our bodies) of the Lord and what that temple houses (the Spirit of God) - we know that we must do all we can to make his dwelling a holy place. Because our bodies, the temple was indeed made to house the Holy Spirit. And therein we must maintain our temples so as to please the Holy Spirit. So what does that entail? Well let's discuss this because there is a very specific point I want to hit upon.

In what ways can we care for our bodies? Our Building Fund so to speak, for these are the things that our temples need regularly maintained.

Proper Diet

Exercise and maintain fitness

Feeding the Spirit

Emotional fitness

Fellowship with others

Serve the Lord

Serving the community

Living fruitful lives

Recreation

These are awesome and healthy ways to maintain the building that was consecrated by God for the Holy Spirit. But there is something that we don't speak much about, something that needs our attention.

Rarely, do we discuss mental health. This too should fall under your list of things to maintain in your Building Fund. I urge you all to set aside the time, the place and the funds to care for yourselves wholly. The body is a temple and we must take care of it from its rafters to it foundation - head to toe. Our minds - Our beautiful minds can come under the same stresses the body does and can suffer as much harm as say - your hands, things you depend on every day. Mental health is something that we should all stay on top of. We get check-ups on the body to make sure we are in tip top working order- we should do the same with our minds, especially if there is question about whether or not you have a mental illness.

The Building Fund & You

As hard as it may be, as tight as the funds may be week to week or month to month, allocate some of these funds to go towards this expense. You won't be sorry and you'll be better off for it. It doesn't have to be much. Five to ten dollars at the end of every week for a month is a good place to start.

Did you know that there are places with free counseling? There is!

-Pastoral Counseling

-Community projects and services

-counseling for veterans

and other mental health institutions.

You'll want to shop around for those that will help you become the best you, you can be. I sincerely believe the Lord has gifted individuals with a skill set to be able to help others in their time of need. We need only ask.

If you or a loved one suffer from a mental illness and need help with resources I urge you to visit the places below for information and other services. You are not alone. Please "ask, seek and knock" - don't suffer in silence.

My Prayer for sufferers of Mental Illness

Precious Lord,

I come before you today and I ask that you lay your healing hands upon those that are suffering in these times Lord.

Be the balm that you were to Gilead to those of us who feel the sting of this life deeply and make us well.

Be the Physician that you are and set your healing hands upon those whose spirits have been broken and made distraught.

Be the healer, Lord, that we know you to be and drive out every ounce of illness that we may suffer from head to toe, restore us to good health Father that we may continue to walk in the Spirit of your truth and Love us through these trying times, so that we know that you are always with us.

Be our light when we tread the dark places and our guide when the way is rough. We follow you, we praise you and we ask these and all things In Jesus' Name. Amen

Resources

Kids Under Twenty One (KUTO) 888-644-5888

National Alliance on Mental Illness 800-950-6264

Mayo Clinic - www.mayoclinic.org

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services www.mentalhealth.gov/

Department of Mental Health 800-364-9687 http://dmh.mo.gov

United Way 211 http://uwworldwide.com/our-impact/focus/health/

Adapt of Missouri 888-657-3201 http://www.adaptusa.com/

One Mind Institute https://www.imhro.org/

World Federation for Mental Health wfmh.com/

Office of Global Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov/.../office-of-global

Rainbow Youth Hotline (15 to 24 yr.old LBGTQ and support persons 877-5428984

Mother to Mother (postpartum & pregnancy) www.mothertomothersupport.org

MPACT (parent training and information) 800-743-7634 www.ptimpact.org

Medication Assistance

Partnership for Prescription Assistance 888-477-2669 www.pparx.org

Rxoutreach 800-769-3880 www.rxoutreach.com

TogetherRxAccess 800-250-2839 www.togetherrxaccess.com