Hope Again

A 30-Day Plan for Conquering Depression

Mark Sutton, Bruce Hennigan

• Publisher: B&H Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781433683695
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Religion

Depression is a largely overlooked and much misunderstood disease in the Christian world of books, yet there are vast numbers of Christian men and women who are looking for help with this problem. There is hope! With an interest stemming from their own experiences, Dr. Bruce Hennigan and Mark Sutton take an approach to overcoming life's difficulties that is grounded in both spiritual and medical principles. Hope Again: A Thirty Day Plan for Conquering Depression provides step-by-step encouragement and instruction to manage and win over depression.

Section 1

What’s Wrong
with Me?

I (Mark) had a normal, happy childhood, something I now realize many adults cannot claim. My parents were Christians, actively living out the Christian life. They had a great marriage, and though we were what today would be called “lower middle class,” I never really knew it. I was, and still am, the class clown, the kid who is good-natured and sees humor in everything.

In my nineteenth year, however, something happened. A darkness fell over my life. It went on for months, and I couldn’t shake it, no matter how I tried. My energy plummeted; my grades suffered; all I wanted to do was stay in my dorm room with the lights off. Normally a very social person, I now craved being alone. Tortured by negative thoughts and guilt that I couldn’t even name, I remember saying often, “What’s wrong with me?”

Perhaps you can identify. I now know that, for whatever reason, depression had descended upon my life. It has remained there ever since. HOWEVER, and that’s a big “however,” though it took me about fifteen years to figure out what was happening to me, I now have a battle plan.

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I know what is happening to me, and it doesn’t scare me anymore. I have a plan that I put into practice daily, no matter what my emotional outlook, and it works!

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I know what is happening to me, and it doesn’t scare me anymore. I have a plan that I put into practice daily, no matter what my emotional outlook, and it works! So does Bruce. In other words, we practice what we preach. Through the grace of God, and through the strength of Christ who indwells us, we have conquered depression!

Now turn to Day 1 and begin your journey out of the darkness and into the light. Learn what’s wrong, and discover the plan that will conquer depression.

Day 1

The Power to Conquer

The rain drenched the parking lot. Swirling winds tried to pull the umbrella from my hand. Conquering Depression had been published about a month before, and I was on my way into a bookstore for a book signing. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a figure approaching fast. I turned, slightly alarmed. A woman I’d never seen before ran toward me. She raced through puddles and around cars, ignoring the wind and rain. Before I had time to really do anything, she had flung her arms around me in a tight hug. Her head pressed into my shoulder, she began to sob, and said over and over, “Thank you, thank you. You and Dr. Hennigan really understand, don’t you?”

After a moment, she stepped back quickly. Wiping her eyes, she said, embarrassed, “I’m so sorry! I’m not usually like this. But your book . . . I’ve never seen anything like it. You know what I’m dealing with. You understand the emotions trying to rule me. Thank you for understanding.”

With that, the woman walked into the store to buy a copy of Conquering Depression for a friend. Thanking God for letting me be a part of her healing process, I followed behind, ready to meet others like her . . . and like me. You see, all of us involved with depression, we understand each other. And, used properly, that unity and understanding can become a powerful weapon against the disease.

So let’s get started. Whatever your problem, we want to give you immediate help. In a moment, we’ll explain how the book works. You’ll receive some great tools and a lot of encouragement in the days to come. But if you are currently struggling with depression—or any other difficult emotion—you need something to help you right now!

I repeat what the woman in the parking lot discovered in reading this book: We understand!

Both Dr. Hennigan (Bruce) and I have struggled with depression in the past, but now we have a plan that allows us to conquer it when depression returns. We will probably continue to fight it in the future. Now, however, through Christ and with this plan, we know we will win over depression.

If you’re depressed, you may feel alone and misunderstood. Perhaps friends or family members have told you to “cheer up,” “think positive,” or “quit feeling so sorry for yourself.” By their comments, you know they do not understand the seriousness of your problem.

We understand!

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Through Christ and with this plan, we know we will win over depression.

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Depression often can leave you feeling guilty about anything and everything. It can cause you to doubt God’s love for you. It even can make you wish life would end.

We understand!

That’s why we are writing this book for you. We not only know what you’re going through, we’ve also discovered some powerful tools that can help you conquer depression . . . forever!

One of the greatest helps we have is the wisdom found in God’s Word. Take a moment to read the Scriptures below. We’ll talk about them later in the week, but right now, just think about what they say to you.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6–7, emphasis added).

God loves you! And you can give Him your anxieties because He cares! As you progress through this book, you’ll discover how to actually experience this love and care in your own life.

Now let’s take a look at the makeup of this book.

First of all, it is divided into thirty chapters, or “days.” We have used this term for a reason: Though you might enjoy doing so, the book is not designed to be read in one or two sittings. Instead, Hope Again should be read one “day” at a time. These bite-size chunks won’t take long to absorb, are easy to digest, and should improve your spiritual and emotional health when taken on a daily basis.

For the next thirty days, we are going to be a team. In other words, you are not alone in fighting against depression. Remember what I said about those who fight depression understanding each other? We know, because we’ve been there, much of what you’re going through—the emotional hurricanes that sometimes threaten to sweep you away and the incredible guilt that comes with all of this. This understanding unifies us with you, and we pledge to help guide you out of the darkness. But Dr. Hennigan (Bruce) and I want your team to extend far beyond this initial month. So we are going to help you put together a strong team that can stay with you for the rest of your life.

Fighting depression alone is almost impossible. With a talented, caring team you can actually win the battle. In opening this book and reading this far, you’ve already started winning. Now let’s finish what we’ve started!

Knowledge Is Power

In the 1800s a prominent physician, Ignaz Semmelweis, made an astonishing observation. He noted that women on the obstetrics wards whose babies were delivered by midwives never developed fever. But women whose babies were delivered by obstetricians on the same wards often developed fever and died. The only difference between these two groups: the midwives would deliver one baby and then leave, whereas the obstetricians would deliver several babies in a row and would not wash their hands in between.

Semmelweis conducted an experiment with medical students requiring them to simply wash their hands between deliveries. “Puerperal fever” virtually disappeared in these women. This discovery had the potential to save hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Unfortunately, the noble physicians of the day were offended at the implication that their hands were the source of this fever. In that society, physicians were regarded as “gentlemen,” and gentlemen’s hands were never unclean! Thus, Semmelweis was ridiculed, ignored, and fired.

What was...

Table of contents

• Preface: Mark Sutton
• Preface: Dr. Bruce Hennigan
• Section 1: What’s Wrong with Me?
• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7
• Section 2: How Did I Get Here?
• Day 8
• Day 9
• Day 10
• Day 11
• Day 12
• Day 13
• Day 14
• Section 3: Where Do I Start?
• Day 15
• Day 16
• Day 17
• Day 18
• Day 19
• Day 20
• Day 21
• Section 4: How Can I Conquer Depression Forever?
• Day 22
• Day 23
• Day 24
• Day 25
• Day 26
• Day 27
• Day 28
• Day 29
• Day 30
• Notes