I remember when I had just graduated from college a friend of mine asked me if I could baby sit a man who had a psychotic break for 24 hours until he could be taken to mid Columbia mental health for inpatient treatment. They didn’t want to throw him in jail until then because he was a good guy with wife and kids who recently had this psychotic break.  So I went down where he was being arrested by our local police and they put him under my custody for a while. The problem was it was summer and my day off and I was planning on going bass fishing. When the patient heard I was going bass fishing he said I will go with that guy.

So there we were a bunch of my friends with this guy who had woken up that morning and thought he was Jesus Christ.  It wasn’t as bad as it sounds because it was a beautiful day and we were going fishing.

On the way fishing he asked me if I would follow him he would make me the next pope.  He said that knowing I was a lowly youth pastor and he thought I would welcome the promotion. I explained to him that I was a follower of the Jesus from the first century but I would be his friend and watch over him until we could get him into a hospital. Come Sunday and I’ share the rest of the story.


In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel 5 directions to diagnose mental health and mental illness. Every patient that is ever diagnosed for mental health or mental illness are directed by this Manuel.  When I began in the field of research psychology we were using DSM 1. Now all these years later it has expanded and sometimes contracted and changed in many ways and we are on DSM-5.

This Manuel describes broad categories in mental illness or mental health.

Broad analytical categories for mental health and mental illness can include:

1. Psychological Well-being: This category focuses on positive aspects of mental health, such as subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and overall well-being. It encompasses factors like positive emotions, self-esteem, resilience, and the ability to cope with stress.

2. Emotional Disorders: This category involves mental illnesses primarily characterized by disturbances in emotions and mood. It includes conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. These disorders often involve significant changes in emotional states, ranging from persistent sadness to extreme fear or worry.

3. Cognitive Functioning: This category examines cognitive processes such as perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving abilities. Mental health is associated with optimal cognitive functioning, whereas mental illnesses can impair cognitive processes, leading to difficulties in thinking, decision-making, and concentration.

4. Behavioral Disorders: This category focuses on behavioral patterns and disruptions that impact mental health. Conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and addictive behaviors fall into this category. Behavioral disorders involve difficulties in impulse control, self-regulation, and engaging in appropriate social behaviors.

5. Psychotic Disorders: This category encompasses severe mental illnesses that involve significant disruptions in thoughts, perceptions, and reality. Conditions like schizophrenia and delusional disorder fall into this category. Psychotic disorders often involve hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and impaired social functioning.

It's important to note that these categories provide a broad framework, and mental health and mental illness are complex and multifaceted. Individuals may experience a range of symptoms and conditions that can overlap across categories, and diagnosis and treatment should be conducted by qualified professionals based on a comprehensive assessment.

We are addressing each of these areas by asking two questions. 

(A.) What does the Bible have to Say about it

(B.) What can we as a community of faith do to build a sanctuary and launching pad for mental health.

Please join us this weekend for church and our independence picnic. I’m making a Key Lime pie only made with Blueberry and Lemmon instead of Key Lime.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White