When Faith Meets the Diagnosis With Sheldon Lee Stovall (Ep 172)

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Jason McConnell: Thank you for listening and welcome to the podcast. I'm your host, Jason McConnell. Guest is someone who has built his entire ministry around one of the more important and often overlooked conversations in the church. Pastor Sheldon Lee Stovall is a pastor, licensed counselor, and Christian author whose heart beats at the intersection of scripture and mental health. He serves as the lead pastor of Temple of Deliverance, where he and his wife co-lead a thriving Bible study ministry. His books, including Kept By The Lord, Anchored in God, Restored and Unbroken, are packed with scripture, prayer, and practical tools to help people walk through grief, trauma, addiction, and mental health struggles. if that weren't enough, he has also developed the Faith & Feeling Sunday School series so children and teens from kindergarten through twelfth grade help the next generation understand their emotions through the lens of God's Word. truly sets Pastor Sheldon apart that everything he teaches, he has lived.

His faith was forged in the fire of real loss and real crisis, and what he brings to the conversation today is not theory. It is hard-worn, scripture-tested, God-given hope.

[: 00:01:10

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Jason McConnell: So Pastor Sheldon, welcome to the My Ministry Mission podcast.

Sheldon Stovall: All right. And thank you for having me. What a wonderful introduction. Thank you

Jason McConnell: You're welcome.

[: 00:01:31

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Jason McConnell: So before we dive in, I love these, these things that happen that, that help pave the way for lessons, and I wanted to share something with, with the listeners out there. So what you're listening to right now is actually the second time, uh, Pastor Sheldon and I have recorded this conversation. The first time we ran into some technical in- issues, some difficulties, honestly, I think something more was at work than just bad internet connection. You see, none of us are above the fight. Every pastor, every author, every podcaster, every believer experiences peaks and valleys. what you hear on this show with any of my guests or even with me alone, a- and on most shows like it, is usually each of us at our best, prepared, focused, ready to share.

But behind the scenes, it's a different story sometimes. enemy doesn't take days off, and neither does life. So I, I wanted to be transparent about that because I think it, I think it matters. I wanna a moment to honor my guest, Pastor Sheldon Stovall, for his perseverance. You know, he showed up the first time, and he's showing up again, kind of faithfulness to get his message out, especially when it would've been easy to just walk away, says a lot about the man and the message he carries.

So Sheldon, I don't know if you have anything to add to that, but I, I wanted to get that out there.

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Sheldon Stovall: Yes, uh, you're absolutely right. Mental health struggles are real, and during the time, uh, that we met the first time, that was the time a year ago exactly that I had lost my brother. Um, and the loss of my brother changed my life. It pushed me into one of the darkest seasons I've, I had ever experienced. I dealt with real grief, um, depression, emotional isolation, and questions for God that I wasn't ready to hear an answer to.

But through prayer, yep, but through prayer, uh, counseling, scripture, and God's presence, I slowly began healing

Jason McConnell: Yep, absolutely. And thank you for sharing that. that, that's tough. You know, I, I've been open about my sister passed away almost a year ago, and, and it's tough. It's, it's like, a loneliness you don't expect when you lose a sibling.

Sheldon Stovall: Yeah. And sometimes people in church are suffering silently because they think faith means hiding pain. And for me, as a licensed counselor, someone who sees clients on a daily basis for depress- severe depression that hit me as hard as it did, I couldn't hide it. I could not hide it. And then another thing, I was embarrassed.

All right? So I want people to know that healing starts when we acknowledge the pain and bring it before God

Jason McConnell: I love that. that being said, I wanna jump into the conversation because I think, I think this conversation was worth fighting for.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

[: 00:04:22

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Jason McConnell: to kick things off, um, let's get to know you, starting with your favor- b- favorite Bible verse. I'm gonna be stumbling over my words this whole time.

Sheldon Stovall: No problem. I do that to people. No, I'm just kidding.

Jason McConnell: all good.

Sheldon Stovall: so my favorite Bible verse. Wow. So, uh, Psalms 23, "For God's..." Oh, sorry. Whoa, I'm about to give the wrong one. Psalms, "The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want." So I was, uh, that was my first memory verse, uh, that I can remember when I was five years old in Sunday school, and, uh, that verse has stuck with me through the good and the bad

Jason McConnell: I love it.

[: 00:04:59

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Jason McConnell: you grew up a pastor's son, one of six kid- kids.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: I mean, that, that's a lot of kids. What was it like growing up in that environment?

Sheldon Stovall: Oh my God, smelly feet, smelly socks. Oh my goodness. All right. Well, I have brothers, so five, five brothers, one sister. Uh, so my sister was the oldest. Um, that did not mean that we were safe. We were actually in more danger 'cause she beat us all up at any time. Um, but more importantly, um, you know, church was my life.

Church, so service started at: 11:45

Uh, so that was life. Uh, so I learned to sing. You know, I sang every week. Uh, when I got older, I also sang praise and worship. Um, so once I found out I had some talent, I showcased it as much as I could. But, uh, yeah, um, I played the organ, uh, personally for the choir, for my... I was a backup organist for my father preaching.

Um, and then I did regular prayer and service. Uh, so I played three times a week. We had regular service every Tuesday, every Thursday, every Sunday.

Jason McConnell: That's

Sheldon Stovall: was.

[: 00:06:34

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Jason McConnell: So when you're not writing, counseling, or pastoring, uh, what would a normal day off look like for you, assuming you get a day off?

Sheldon Stovall: Yes. So, um, I really enjoy my nieces and nephews. Um, so that's something that I wish I had more of growing up with my aunts and uncles. So I try to go to, like, my nephew's, uh, soccer games, and their football games, um, and their baseball games. My young nephew, Jace, he's playing soccer, so I went to his game on Saturday.

Uh, so I wanna try to spend as much time as with the young ones as I can. And also, I j- recently moved to town with the rest of my family, so now I see my brothers a lot. Um, so my brother is getting me into golfing, so that's something I'm looking forward to shortly.

Jason McConnell: I'd never done it. I have no desire. I can't even play putt-putt. Like, I'm just, I'm the guy that's gonna chuck the, the, stick

Sheldon Stovall: We're both, we just have a reason to go to a country club, but I think, you know, we're both in the same boat.

Jason McConnell: Fair enough.

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Jason McConnell: So you wear a lot of hats. Your ministry spans books, podcasts, Sunday school, speaking. Is there any hat that you love wearing more than others?

Sheldon Stovall: So there's a new hat that I just put on. I did my first live on last Monday, and, um, God is, God has called me forward to speak.

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Sheldon Stovall: We're hearing, as a pastor, we're hearing-- Well, just as a person first, we're hearing about UAPs, w- uh, disclosure, um, the government releasing files on UAPs, right? Um, and then I don't know if you heard about this, but there was some type of secret pastor meeting, right?

Um, so a good friend of mine kinda gave me a call, a rundown of what that sounded like, um, which I will share with you if you don't mind. Um,

Jason McConnell: I would love to hear that.

Sheldon Stovall: I, I was told, um... And it's interesting 'cause I just talked about this on Monday. Uh, I was told that basically that whatever is going to show itself, right?

So what I, what I did was I came forward to acknowledge what's going on in the world, right? I watch a whole bunch of programs. I watch everyone. I can't mention, I'm not gonna mention anyone in particular on your channel, but I'm gonna say it. I watch preaching videos every day, and I've been watching this for the last two or three years.

I have like a cycle. Like, um, you know, the Head of Church, God in Christ, uh, Bishop Sheard. I watch, uh, Jamal Bryant, you know. So I watch Mark House, I watch different ones, right, every week. No one's talking about it. No one's mentioning anything, and I just don't feel like that is where we need to be. This is something that the church does not need to ignore.

And so what was said to me was that there was a warning that went forth that, um, these beings, whoever, whatever they are, um, are going to tell us, tell the world, but tell us that they're the ones who created us. They've been here for millions of years. They're the ones that created our civilation- civilizations and us, and it's gonna shake the very foundation of the church.

So that's what I was told. And so it kinda quickened my spirit because at the end of the day, with what the deception is already out there, right? So we don't... Are there aliens? Are there not aliens, right? You got AI-generated photos. You got things that you might think are real, right? They're finding materials that are carbon-dated over 12,000 years ago, way before the Bible, way before Jesus, right?

So this is a setup that's coming through, right?

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Sheldon Stovall: Then we have a war in Israel. Please let me know if I'm talking too much. We have a war

Jason McConnell: good

Sheldon Stovall: going on in Israel, right? And even that kinda raises concern, right? Because, um, is this the Israel that Jesus walked among, um, in? Is this the same Israel that when you've never been to the Holy Land, they show you the tomb and all these things?

hat Israel was established in: 1947

That's what history tells us. And then boom, Israel was born and established as a, their own state, right, their own country. So deception, right? So now is this, this Israel, if, if according to the Word of God, right, this is, this is not a fight that anybody wants to fight coming after this country, yet they're being decimated, right?

We're not seeing cameras. Uh, they've taken down the cameras, so we're not seeing what's really going on, right? What I'm hearing from different websites, reading different... You have to read papers from other countries to get some truth, right? I'm reading that the, the, Israel is, is under full attack, right?

So all these things going on, right, this is a time that we need our pastors, especially our prophets, there's so many of them out there, to step forward and say something. We need to hear what the Spirit has to say to the church. And so my recent thing now is going live. That was my first time, so it's called Mental Health Mondays, and the Spirit really moved on me, and I talked about h- um, how are we safe?

How, where do we fit in?

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Sheldon Stovall: And the subject matter that I had spoke on, I think I preached a little bit, was that you need to be sealed with the Holy Ghost.

Jason McConnell: Yeah. And, and you know, it's, it's interesting you bring that up 'cause it's, um, Matthew 24, um, he talks about you'll hear wars and rumors of wars, but see

Sheldon Stovall: Yeah

Jason McConnell: are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Sheldon Stovall: That's right

Jason McConnell: nations rising ag- against nation, kingdom against kingdom, um, famines, earthquakes, and all of these are the beginning of the birth pains.

Sheldon Stovall: That's right. And it's... Yep

Jason McConnell: I don't know, maybe it's happening. We'll

Sheldon Stovall: it is. And again, no one's, uh, we're not hearing anything, right? I go, I go to, um, you know, my dad's church once in a while. I've even asked my brother, "How come you're not preaching anything about it?" He said, "Well, listen," he said, "God's not given it to me." He said, "If God's given it to you to talk about, you need to get out there and talk about it."

So guess what? I got out there and talked about it. I'm not afraid, right? But we have to have a solution as saints of God, and I don't know why we're going this way, but the solution is that whatever's out there, when Jesus came down, right, whatever's out here, right? 'Cause I don't know. I haven't seen anything else but a human, right, so far.

But whatever's out there, Jesus was established on this earth as the Son of the living God, right? And he conquered death. He woke up, right, the third day, and stepped back on this earth, and people seen it, right? Mary saw it. Um, uh, Thomas saw it. Disciples saw it. He stayed an extra 40 days. So we know one thing.

Jesus, right, established himself as our, our savior and the Son of the living God, right? So with that said, he sent the Holy Ghost... Oh my God, I feel like I'm preaching again, which the comfort, right? In Acts 1 and 2, right, he sent the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is here to seal us until the day of redemption.

And just one quick interesting thing about that, uh, Jason, the Holy Ghost, receiving the Holy Ghost, when the, when the appearance of the Holy Ghost came in in Acts, that was the beginning of the church. Am I right? That was the beginning. Okay.

Jason McConnell: absolutely

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Sheldon Stovall: somehow the Holy Ghost is being phased out, has been phased out of the church Now I grew up, I grew up in a place called Holy Ghost Temple.

That was the name of the church I grew up with, and I promise you, Jason, every week we had tarry and prayer service where people got on their knees, called on Jesus. My father's old school, like Southern, right? Get on Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and do not come up until you are filled with the Holy Ghost. And I would know 'cause I was down there at about 7:00 calling, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."

I think I finally, um, received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongue when I was 12. Okay? Um, but other than that, I was down there every Tuesday calling on the name of Jesus to receive the Holy Ghost. I didn't even know what I was calling Jesus for, I just knew I had to get down there and do it, right? But we helped people receive the Holy Spirit, people that didn't know anything about God, people wanting the Holy Spirit, right?

They came to our church. We used to have revivals for a week. You know, that's how it happened, right? I haven't seen that since I left my dad's church 20 years ago, number one. And then I remember the language of the Holy Ghost changed, right? When you see these people dancing and doing all these dances, I kept hearing people say, "Oh, they're getting the Holy Ghost," right?

So the enemy started changing the language, right? And then you had these people coming up saying, "Oh, um, you know, it doesn't take all that." Right? "Who says you have to speak in tongues?" And so, so the c- so the controversy came in, right? So then church started separating more. Christianity started separating more, and more, and more.

And now we're at a place where the Holy Ghost is not even mentioned, right? And a lot of us... Go ahead.

Jason McConnell: funny because, you know, we, all, the Olivet Discourse is, I think Matthew 24 and 25, chapters 24, 25, and that's, that's the big scary one. That's his last major sermon, uh, that Jesus did. And, you know, that, that part that I, um, that I mentioned earlier, it, the next part talks about being handed over to be persecuted and put to death, being

Sheldon Stovall: That's right

Jason McConnell: nations. and then it talks about will turn away from, you know, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear to deceive many people,

Sheldon Stovall: Ooh

Jason McConnell: and it just grows from there. it's, it's ki- you know, I feel like you're, you're saying that same thing. You know, we're going completely off script, but I always say if the, the Holy Spirit takes this conversation a different way, we're, we're going with it.

Sheldon Stovall: Yeah.

Jason McConnell: it's almost like it's saying the same thing.

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Jason McConnell: And, and I, I mean, we've talked before about, uh, I, you know, the, the core fundamentals of the faith are, are important. And then beyond that, there's convictions and then opinions and then questions, things that aren't answered, and there's a hierarchy of it in the ESV Study Bible.

Sheldon Stovall: Correct

Jason McConnell: core, you know, convictions are hard because they're things that are not core doctrine, but they, but you believe, you're convicted on. You're very, you believe it very, very, very devoutly. But beyond that, I take the, the opinion, who cares?

Sheldon Stovall: That's right

Jason McConnell: you know, i- if, if women can preach, who cares if you

Sheldon Stovall: Correct

Jason McConnell: or old Earth, who cares? know? H- how does any of that tie to my is the question that I ask. if, if it, if the answer is none, I don't care. You

Sheldon Stovall: That's right

Jason McConnell: go whichever camp you want to. and but I think people are letting those small- smaller, you know, less convicted... I mean, maybe the women is more of a conviction, but, but you know what I mean. The smaller things, we're letting that stuff divide us instead of just having conversations and, and being okay having a different opinion.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes. And since you said that, I, my mom was a dynamic preacher, so I don't care what they say about women preachers. Um, and, you know, I've never forgotten anything she preached, and one of the things she o- you know, she did often preach, I mean, her message, she would say, "The word is hidden to those who are lost."

Right? So there are people, when they're reading the Bible, they're just seeing words. They can't see it through the light, right? You need the spirit, right, to connect with that word so th- that it becomes life to you, right?

[: 00:18:45

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Sheldon Stovall: So, so as it go, so just talking about the seal of the Holy Spirit is the mark that God, that God, the mark of God that is upon believers' lives, right?

So when you believe, you are marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Ghost, and that's Ephesians 1 and 13. So the seal is evidence-- Go ahead. The seal-

Jason McConnell: the sealing has historical context

Sheldon Stovall: Cor-correct

Jason McConnell: Rome there's a lot of trade, a lot of shipping, and before something went out, it became sealed the mark

Sheldon Stovall: Yes.

Jason McConnell: who owned

Sheldon Stovall: That's, woo. Come on, Holy Ghost. Yes. And the seal is evidence that we belong to God and have been accepted into His family through Christ, right? So that, that is how we know, and that's what the message that the Holy Spirit had come out of me. And I just wanna give you the, the funny part to this. It's, it's so hilarious 'cause all of my shows I've ever done, my brother owns a studio, so his studio's down for right now.

So I decided to try to do it on my own on Monday, right, without the studio. So literally, when you go to listen to it, it's perfect, but the screen is frozen with my hand

Jason McConnell: I love

Sheldon Stovall: But do you know that people are still listening it, to it and sharing it? Because you know what? Sometimes you don't have to be perfect, right? Sometimes-- My brother, he called me, he said, "I don't know if you planned it or what, but when I saw your hand on there, I listened to the whole thing, and boy, you talk about the whole-- You, you did a good job."

You know? So, you know, sometime when you think that something's gonna be perfect, it turns out to be a mess. But at the end of the day, this message had to go out, and it did. And I thank God that I'm able to even share it on yours. So I'm gonna be doing this every Monday, um, live, but I'm gonna-- I'm h- uh, my feet have touched the ground, Jason.

My feet are on the ground, okay? I am going to do what God said.

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Sheldon Stovall: Y- I, I'm tired of being played with. If somebody else told me that they prophesied, tells me that they prophesied about COVID before it came, like, I'm, I'm gonna lose it, okay? You did not prophesy about COVID 'cause you would've said, "COVID is coming," right?

Stop, right-- We're listening to these false prophets, promise you they're lying. I mean, come on. I'm not here for that. If there is gonna be something that's gonna appear, then guess what? God would be the one to tell us. Am I right?

Jason McConnell: I, yeah

Sheldon Stovall: But the prophets are silent. And that's my point. God is exposing it. So you might, you must be onto something with Matthew 24.

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Sheldon Stovall: God, this is-- God does not have time for this anymore. They're playing with us. We're getting played with so bad, and it's so public, and it's-- and you're thinking because you're not seeing anything happen to them, like destruction's not coming, is that, you know, you're scared or thinking, "Oh my God, they might be of God."

No, they're not. Because God will let you know. If you read any- about any prophet in the Bible, okay, they walk to the king. Actually, the kings would say, "Go ask the prophet." And the prophet would have to turn and say, "Yes, you're gonna die tomorrow." Okay. And then the messenger would be afraid because guess what?

He, the king's gonna kill him, right? We read that in some of the-- right? So prophets tell you what's going on. There's no question mark, right? And so we're now in a situation where those who are real, if they can or are-- if they're not, they're being showed up today. What's going on?

[: 00:22:28

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Sheldon Stovall: Are there UAPs? Are there other beings out walking this earth?

We need to hear from you. Silence across the board

Jason McConnell: Yeah. And, and you know, it's funny this, totally off. I may have to change the subject title of this episode. Um, but what's, what's interesting about it is I, I have people, you know, I talk to a lot of people online and in pers- I've had people come up to me and share videos. They're like, "What does this guy mean about this end of time thing?"

Or what... And I'm like, "Guys, stop, stop watching YouTube.

Sheldon Stovall: Yeah. Yeah

Jason McConnell: now I can, now I can say, "Go watch Sheldon," and s- and instead of that. uh,

Sheldon Stovall: Seriously. I mean, it's a joke. Even the war in Israel, I'm sorry. Like, we're, we're in the c- we're in the dark. We're in the dark. We have no idea. What war do you know has went on that we did not have news personnel on the ground invest, report the news?

Jason McConnell: Right. Right

Sheldon Stovall: just being honest with you. This is dead silent, right?

We have Navy ships, I have to find out 'cause I know people in the... We have Navy ships all on the water right outside of Iran, tons of Navy ships out there, scare, like trying to scare them, but we're not doing... Iran and Israel, they are at war. Lebanon, they are, they are sending missiles in. They said it's looking like Gaza.

What they did to Gaza is what Tel Aviv and all these different places are starting to look like. That's what I'm hearing. But, but are you seeing it though? No. Why are, why is it being hidden from us?

Jason McConnell: That's a good question.

Sheldon Stovall: Exactly

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Jason McConnell: you know, if, if we, if we wanna tie this back into kind of the, the core subject, you know, these things, l- these question marks, these unknowns, uh, these false prophets

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: will impact mental health.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes, they will

Jason McConnell: especially people who already suffer with anxiety

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: depression or whatever it is. And, and that's where I, you know, bring this back to the subject.

Sheldon Stovall: Amen.

Jason McConnell: That's kinda where you come in

Sheldon Stovall: Yes, mental health struggles are real, Jason. Christians can experience depression, like you said, anxiety, grief, and emotional trauma. So seeking help is not a weakness, and I w- I w- my personal testimony is that I, I didn't know where to get help, right? I have colleagues in the field of therapy, right? I have friends and relatives and people that are pastors in the ministry that I'm not saying they're bad people, but this would be, "Oh, the counselor needs counseling now," right?

These are things that I heard even in family, right? So therapy, prayer, support systems, and faith, they all can work together, but sometimes we, we cannot even move. So prayer is powerful, but sometimes God also works through counselors, doctors, support groups, and community. So faith gives us... Go ahead.

Jason McConnell: oh, as I said, I mean, I tell people, you know, pe- people have weird ideas about e- a medical or psychological, mental health, getting help there, my response is always the same. It's like God gifted somebody with the ability to do heart surgery. God gifted somebody with the ability to reach into your brain and help unscramble things. Why wouldn't you use that? Those are gifts from the Spirit

Sheldon Stovall: Yes.

[: 00:26:05

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Sheldon Stovall: And, um, just even going forward with that, so my devotional series was born out of real pain, right? Grief, healing, and restoration. So they're just not... They're not just books, but they're like testimonies of how God can heal the brokenhearted. So each devotional focuses on emotional healing through scripture.

It helps readers deal with grief, depression, anxiety, fear, rejection, also spiritual exhaustion. Um, so I pulled this up for you because, um, this is kind of a preview of what I'm going to be working on m- on Monday. Um, but I'm going to be talking about one book in particular, which is the first one that I, that I developed called Restored.

Um, and that i- that works from the entire Book of Kings. So this is the entire book of 1 Kings. So what God has shown me in reading that book is that God restores broken hearts and renews hope. No matter the past, restoration is possible. So each story, each, um, Bi- daily devotional starts out with a prayer, so there's a prayer included.

Um, and then I give a chapter summary, and it's the best that I can do because I do understand about reading the Bible, especially if you're not used to reading the entire book, right? So I, I really do explain the chapter as much as I can, um, and I simplify it for everyone. Uh, but I still want to encourage you to read the chapter because that's part of your mental healing, right?

So if you're anxious... So again, so it deals with depression, right? David's depression. So there's a mental health connection attached to each chapter. So when you read it, it's gonna talk about the mental health aspect of the chapter. And then right after that, um, there's a spiritual goal for the day. Um, after that, there are reflection questions, just something that you might have gotten.

It comes personal to you today. And then we have a mental health exercise Right? So there are different ones for grief, for anxiety, for trauma. You may not need them all every day, but what I've learned is, as a counselor, um, working in rehabs and rehabilitation programs and doing daily-- doing all these things I mentioned daily that are now available to you all, um, you slowly get better, right?

So just for example, any, any kind of accident you've ever been in, physical accident, and you got... I had my shoulder broken, right? Each day I had to go to rehab, and they started to move my arm, and they started moving my arm and move my arm, right? I couldn't walk. They still told me to stand up. "How long can you stand up?"

I stood up for a second, sat down. "Okay, go back. Go back to your room." Next day, I stood up for a minute and a half. "Okay, great, Sheldon." Next day, I stood up, took a, took a step, right? So each day, it's the same thing with your mental health. Each exercise is designed for you to get better e- like take a step each day.

Now, will you be done after the first book? No. But guess what? Now your mind is now retraining itself, right? So that whatever symptoms you're dealing with, you're aware of them now, and now you know how to work on them.

Jason McConnell: I like that.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes.

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Jason McConnell: we underestimate the, the psychological impact of the Bible. I mean, the, you look at the Book of Lamentations. Everyone... It's one of my favorites too. Everyone loves Lamentations 3:22-23, the,

Sheldon Stovall: Mm-hmm.

Jason McConnell: of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his passions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

So, you know, we take that and we put it on coffee mugs. And, and I'm actually, I'm actually working on a series that I wanna do called Read It Again, which is kind of taking those, those coffee mugs, graduation card verses, let's read the, the verse before, the verse after, and let's get the full context of what's going on there. Because th- Lamentations, this is happening in the middle of rubble.

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: the, Jerusalem is decimated. And, and I think it was, uh, David, right?

Sheldon Stovall: Yes.

Jason McConnell: Was in the middle of all of... Was it David or... I forget who now. Um, anyways, th- the, the point is, is that there was no reason for the author to have that kind of hope,

Sheldon Stovall: Correct

Jason McConnell: at least no worldly reason. So, you know, we, we love this verse, but we gotta look at the context that these appreciations, this gratitude is coming from a place where completely everything that you've ever cared about is gone.

Sheldon Stovall: Correct. That is, you're absolutely right. So

Jason McConnell: i-

Sheldon Stovall: It was, uh, Prophet Jeremiah. But, um, I do want...

Jason McConnell: you

Sheldon Stovall: Yes, I do wanna mention to you that, um, that was my last and final devotional. It's not my final, but that was the last one I wrote. It's called One Lost- Once Lost, Now Found, and that's the first time that God put two books together.

So it's with Lamentations and Nehemiah, and that's available on Amazon. So I want you to get it because... So each chapter I had to, again, transcribe, right? Bring it into mental health connection. It dealt with loss of purpose, chronic grief, PTSD, anxiety, life transitions, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.

Jason McConnell: Wow.

Sheldon Stovall: So it, it shows us that once lost, once chosen to God restores direction and purpose after seasons of loss, helping us find hope and renewal, right? So the Lamentations discuss the loss, but then God added in Nehemiah, which is how the rebuilding happened, right? So you go from one place and God brings you to another.

Yeah, I've come to learn that although there's 66 books there, no one like really came and said, "Okay, hey guys, here you go. This is, uh, the word of God, and, uh, just, you know, read these chapters here." But as I'm now noticing it through mental health, I'm starting to see how these books group together.

Jason McConnell: That's awesome.

Sheldon Stovall: Yeah

Jason McConnell: and another part of your message, and I don't wanna miss this, is, is the, the idea of miracles. So we have people get healed, cancer, um, you know, all sorts of miracles happen in the medical field that we hear about, and you're basically sitting there going, "Well, God heals mental health too."

Like, that can be a thing

Sheldon Stovall: Ye- yes. Yes.

[: 00:32:37

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Sheldon Stovall: Yes, and if you have a couple seconds, I will tell you really quick how this came about. So I s- I, when I got my, uh, gra- my master's, when I graduated with my master's rather, so my first job was in a rehab, and it was during COVID, and I got trained really hard that first day. I was wondering why.

Like, I was writing everything down, and she's like, "Okay." Th- she said, "You got it? You think you can take a new client on Monday?" I said, "I think so." And, uh, believe it or not, when I got back there on Monday, the director walked away, walked out. The s- nursing supervisor walked out, and also the, uh, residential counselor director walked out.

So I, I was the only clinician there, just started, 16 guys in a complete rehab. It was called RRS, which is a six-month rehab. So long story short, I had people with, with what they call dual diagnosis, so they had substance abuse and then some type of mental health, whether it was schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, or all.

So dur- that was also during the time where people were getting those large pandemic checks, so these guys could have walked out and went and got high any second. But through it all, I, you know, I've the, the director they brought in, he was 80 years old, so I had to do a lot of running around, but he took me under his wing and he said, "Listen, we're gonna make real results.

These are lives they're responsible for, we're responsible for, and we're gonna have to do it." So I did three meetings a day. I met with two guys a day. I had to meet with all of them twice a week, updating treatment plans. I had to show how it got better every day. So when I tell you that God will take you through the fire, did you.

So I had to give real results, so with these exercises that I did with them every day. It wasn't a Bible, but, um, the exercise we did, the, the group meetings that we had, each day I saw them getting better and better. And do you know, at the end of the six months, I had to go to each guy that their day, the last day was the six months, "Dear, dot."

I had to go to them and say, "Hey, it's time for you to go home." "What do you mean it's time for me to go home?" "You're better." "I'm better?" "Yes." I said, "You wanna go, go get high right now?" "No." "How much money you got in the bank?" "I probably got about 17,000." You know, 'cause they were collecting those checks while they were there too.

"Okay, so, um, you ready to go home?" "I can go home?" I said, "Yes, you're better." I said, "Do you feel good?" "Yes." "Do you wanna drink?" "No." Their mental health was better. They got on the medications, they took their, they were compliant with their medications, whatever ones had to. And it got so bad that the guy that we had with schizophrenia, um, he almost didn't get into his next place, which was a group home, because they really couldn't tell if he was schizophrenic until at the end I'm sitting there like, "Come on, say something."

So finally he said, "Now, who this, who is this again?" And they're like, "Okay, perfect. You're in." And so they said, "Sheldon, he almost didn't make it." I said, "Why?" He- they said, "We couldn't tell." Right? When you're, when the s- when God heals the symptoms, right? You're not, your condition is not your conclusion. God can heal your symptoms.

He can get rid of what it is that's ailing you. You're not your diagnosis. But of course, are they gonna tell you that? Are they gonna say, "Hey, by the way, um, if you do this, do that, and do this, you're gonna get better in six months"? No, you never hear that in mental health. But does that mean that God does not heal your mental health?

No. Of course, God is healing your mental health, and that's where I came from. I'm here to bring it to the world that, um- God, God, God did not create you to stay in the same situation. Yes, when I was in that grief and severe depression, I'm not gonna lie to you, my brother's the closest thing in my life. I was born and he was sitting right there, right?

I mean, he was with me every day, all the time. Anywhere he went, I went. I mean, I don't know if you've ever experienced something like that, but I'm telling you, it's a very different feeling. We had- we slept in the same room, you know, like same school, same baseball team, so everything. So for that to happen, um, it just knocked me out of who I am.

It took me out. And if it wasn't for God to let me see that He actually cares about my mental health in His Word, I probably would be-

Jason McConnell: Wow. That's, that is... You have an amazing testimony. I love,

Sheldon Stovall: you

Jason McConnell: I love it. I, I've basically thrown my notes away. Is there anything else you wanna mention about your books before,

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: start wrapping this up?

Sheldon Stovall: Yes. If my story helps even one person keep going, seek healing, or draw closer to God, then everything I went through had a purpose, right? So I want your listeners to hear that healing is possible, and that God can still use broken places to build something powerful, right? This has taken me into a whole different place.

So, um, you can, I would encourage you, even you Jason, go on amazon.com. Once Lost, Once Found, that is with Lamentations and Nehemiah. You will find some other things in there that you would really enjoy. Um, they're on TikTok shops now, so you can actually get it free delivery. Um, Barnes & Nobles as well.

[: 00:38:05

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Sheldon Stovall: And then, um, I do-- God did not forget about the young people.

We do have Faith and Feelings, which, uh, we have quite a few people, uh, even churches, parents, if you get them for yourself, there's a teacher-parent version. Um, and also there is a, uh, a children version, and it's K through four, fifth through eighth, and ninth through 12th. These, these are very simple. You don't have to be a counselor.

You don't have to be licensed in any way. Very simple. The first one is fear, and the reason why God-- Now I understand why God had me put fear in as the sa- everyone has the same chapter, uh, um, subjects, but fear is the first one because God did not give us a, a spirit of fear. And right now, what's going on in this world, social media, parents, if you wanna act like it's not happening, I'm sorry.

It is. When I scroll, I see nothing but UAPs, aliens, and I know the young people are seeing it. It's-- They're trying to invoke fear. God hates fear, right? You, you, you're not-- You see an alien, you, you think you just drop on your knees, "Oh God. Oh my God, help me." And he's just gonna say, "Oh, let me come help you, Jason."

No, he's preparing you now. You, you are being prepared now. You're being preached to now. Now is the time. Get your kids involved with the word of God. Sit down and start teaching them, and I give you all the tools. The biggest thing the enemy is doing right now is deception. He is deceiving you, right? And like you said, there's gonna be a great falling away because guess what?

Think about what I told you in the beginning. Some alien or some being appears and says, "We're the ones that created you from the beginning. We've been here for twenty-five million years, and this is how we did it." Are you gonna believe them? Yes, you will. You won't.

Jason McConnell: I'd like to think no because, you know, the word of God, if you,

Sheldon Stovall: But your kids will.

Jason McConnell: yeah.

Sheldon Stovall: Your kids will, right? They're, th-they will because they're gonna be afraid. So they're gonna believe it, the great falling away, deception, right? So now, like I said, it's all making sense why God had me do these. It's because you need to give kids- An understanding of God and how to get to Him, and this is the time.

And I wanna say thank you so much, Jason, for having me on. Hopefully you'll have me on again. And please go out, get, get a copy. Go to TikTok Shops, go to Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and, uh, you will be blessed and begin your healing journey

Jason McConnell: I'll make sure there's, uh, links in the show notes so that people can get, uh, can get your materials.

[: 00:40:46

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Jason McConnell: Uh, it reminds me, you know, going into the broken pieces and fixing people, reminds me of that, uh, Japanese art, Kintsugi. Have you heard about that?

Sheldon Stovall: No

Jason McConnell: The... It's, uh, so they take lacquer and gold dust, and they use it to repair broken pots,

Sheldon Stovall: Oh

Jason McConnell: out of it is a, is a stunning, beautiful, new creation. And it seems like just that's a perfect analogy for what God does. God loves going into the most broken situation

Sheldon Stovall: Yes

Jason McConnell: fixing it, and, you know, a lot of times you just gotta let Him. That's all you gotta do.

Sheldon Stovall: Amen.

Jason McConnell: Him.

Sheldon Stovall: Amen. And happy Pentecost Sunday tomorrow,

Jason McConnell: yes, Pentecost Sunday. Uh,

Pastor Sheldon, thank you so much for being here. I think what you've shared today is gonna... It's gonna reach somebody, and it does take courage to open up about, about things, about your brother at the beginning, about your own dark seasons, and then turn that into ministry that helps others find healing in, in God's Word, whether it's healing, mental healing, emotional healing, whatever it is.

Um, it- it's nothing short of a testimony of God's faithfulness. Um, you've reminded us today that the church can and should be a place where people bring their whole story. You mentioned, you know, at the beginning you were embarrassed, you were hiding it, and we do that all the time. We're surrounded by the people we love the most, and we're hiding so much from them when we're in pain, and that's terrible.

We shouldn't do that. Um, to the listeners today, if you... If this conversation has stirred something in you, I want to encourage you to take one step. Pick up one of Sheldon's books. You've heard a few of them. Look at the one that you've maybe clicked in your brain and said, "That's the one for me." Bring this topic into conversation with someone you trust, or simply just sit with, like, Romans 12:2 and let God begin the work of renewing your mind. We serve a God who does not turn away from hard things. He walks right into them with us. So if someone you know or you love is walking through mental health crisis, grief, or a season that feels impossible to navigate, Pastor Sheldon's books are the kind of resources that can meet you right where you are. His devotionals, Kept By the Lord, Anchored in God, Restored, Unbroken, scripture, prayer, and practical tools to help you find your footing in God's Word, no matter what you're facing. you can learn more about his books, his Sunday school curriculum, his speaking ministry, and now his Monday morning message with his hand on the, on the screen. So, uh, I'll put all of that information in the show notes for you. Pastor Sheldon, I appreciate your time. God bless you, sir.

Sheldon Stovall: God bless you too, Jason. Thank you

Jason McConnell: Yeah. And of course, for the listeners, until next time, keep loving your neighbors, guide- dive into God's Word daily. May the Lord bless you and keep you and fill you with His peace. Take care, God bless, and I'll see you in the next episode

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