Offer much-needed hope

Share Little Book of Chaos with someone who is struggling with their mental health

The Bible is packed with stories about people who were full of hopes, dreams, and a whole heap of flaws and questions – just regular human beings like us. Struggling to understand life, happiness, pain… all the stuff we squash down in our deepest being.

We hope that Little Book of Chaos will continue to bring opportunity for vulnerability and openness about the ongoing nature of many people’s suffering. We recognise that God is at work in people where they are, and that he will speak through and in the midst of mental health issues.

‍

Discover our specialist resources

‍If you work with or know someone who has experienced sexual exploitation, or if you have experienced sexual exploitation yourself, we have a resource that was specifically designed and written in parternship with Azalea to speak into this context.

Consider the Wildflowers: Flourishing in the Chaos speaks especially to those who have experienced chaos, shame, even abuse, and combines Bible text with real-life stories.

Originally written for partners working with refugees, Finding Hope is used all over the world with people in situations of crisis or personal trauma.

‍

Walk alongside individuals who are grieving a loved one or dealing with serious illness

A number of our pastoral resources were also created for specific contexts and experiences. Developed with bereavement counsellors, Living with Loss deals honestly with heartache, anger, fear, and loss. Verses (many from the Psalms) are coupled with evocative photos. It is widely used by chaplains, clergy, and funeral directors and recommended by www.ataloss.org.

‍Why Me? asks hard and honest questions about serious illness and suffering. Written with experienced psychologists, this booklet is a tried and tested tool for sharing life words even in difficult times, and offers ways to pray and talk about the future.

Want to explore more...

‍

Listen to music from Lifewords' partners Nine Beats Collective

NINE BEATS Collective is a collaboration of musicians, artists, and songwriters exploring the ancient wisdom of the beatitudes.

Their highly acclaimed album Nine Beats to the Bar is an eclectic soundscape of R&B, soul, rock/pop, acoustic threads, classical, jazz, funk, African vibes, and a hint of gospel. Songs like Lament are inspired by the words of Matthew 5:4 - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‍

Help someone to make a care package or crisis box

A crisis box can have lots of different names: emergency box, hope box, self-soothe box, happy box – you can call it whatever you like really. The point is that it is a box you can make that contains things that ground you, help you get to a calmer place, that help you when you’re struggling with your mental health.

Perhaps a crisis box is something that would help you, or something that you could help a friend put together. Or maybe you could make a care package for a friend who is struggling, and share the idea with them.

Read more here: Creating a crisis box

‍

Signpost people to where they can get help in a crisis

As great as these resources, care packages or offers of support are, we recognise that sometimes they are not enough, and we can love people by signposting them towards further help.

• If you, or someone else, needs urgent mental health support you can call 111 and select the mental health option.
• ‍Call 999 or go to A&E now if someone's life is at risk or if you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone's time.
• Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans
• ‍Text SHOUT to 85258 to talk to Shout
• Mind have a support line on 0300 102 1234 from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, as well as information on ways to help yourself cope during a crisis.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) have a helpline (0800 58 58 58), Whatsapp service (scan QR code on their website) and Live webchat (click the speech bubble on their website) for anyone over 18 affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts.
• If you're under 19, you can  call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline – the number will not appear on your phone bill.
• Making these helplines available, and helping people to understand who they can go to in a crisis can be life-saving.

Read one of these stories of hope:

Melissa's story: Helping those in crisis find meaning

A supportive space

Calm in the chaos

Community, chaos and summer camps

Designed for life

Let God's words bring you hope

From You Matter to Day by Day at the YMCA

Finding hope at rock bottom

The Bible and mental health

Wildflowers: Stories of flourishing