Battling Depression & Suicide as a Christian

I have spoken frequently about my mental health struggles and the journey of the last few years. What I have not done is be as open about my faith struggles along the way. 

How do one's belief in Jesus and their faith coincide with battling inner darkness that does not stop...

In an attempt to help fight the stigma and create an avenue for hope, this past Sunday, with the Lord's help...I shared my depths and story of depression & suicide. If you need the message of hope or know someone who does...please share and help all know they are not alone. 

Trevor

How You View the Path Will Direct Your Path

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Colorado for an ASCD curriculum leaders conference.

After the conference, of which I got to spend three days with two of my Generation Esports colleagues, Chris Shima and Dr. Mike Russell, 

I took a few days to ski at Loveland Valley.

Loveland straddles I-70 over the top of the Eisenhower Tunnel on the continental divide.
While I'd consider myself a competent enough skier to handle most terrain, I found Loveland to be right on the edge of my skill set.

Yet the most challenging thing was the ability to judge the terrain confidently through my goggles.

A few years ago I bought a cheap knock-off brand from Amazon...and I now regret that decision.

Eye protection is a must while skiing due to the cold, wind, snow, and sun that bombard your eyes. BUT, just having a pair of sunglasses or goggles will not cut it.

If the goggles you have are made for sunny days and it's overcast, all of the terrains will look the same. You will have a very difficult time telling if a bump or drop-off is coming your way. Especially when you are flying down the mountain at warp speed. Additionally, if the goggles you use are designed for overcast days and allow lots of light, you will feel almost blinded on full sun days.

The majority of my time on the mountain was overcast and snowing..much like the picture below. Thus visibility and the goggles I had made skiing even more challenging. 

There was a time when I decided to hike a ridgeline to get to a power bowl, and upon making it to the drop-in point, I couldn't tell if I was on the edge of the mountain or the sky...my visibility was so poor. 

Three Years Ago...

 At the start of the pandemic, I started a VLOG...Video Log...of my experiences as a school principal during the pandemic. 

While doing some Google Drive cleaning, I came across this video I made in early April after we had been shut down for a few weeks to remember what we did to serve kids and function as a family. 

Click on the image to watch the VLOG from 4/7/2020

Interesting to think back on the initial start of the pandemic...how we operated, and how we made decisions as school leaders. 

While there are many actions we now look back on and heavily question and second guess, the reality is that God was in control through it all. 

He will ALWAYS be in control. 

Even as the world feels like it is spinning out of control, God has never promised us peace while on this earth, and the sooner we accept that, the sooner we can go about the work of helping bring our brothers and sisters closer to Jesus. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him". Jesus