Power to Change » suicide

Take a Step of Faith

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:00:24 +0000

Have you ever heard God tell you to talk to someone but fear took over instead? God may be working in your life to reach out to someone who is at his or her rock bottom. You could be the person to change their life – you might even save their life. God can reach our world through you. He has a plan for your life. Do you know what that plan is? Watch the video

Take the next step:
Join the conversation with “Take a Step of Faith” discussion questions
Evangelize? Who, me?
God in every day conversations

I Felt Abandoned by Life

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:52:24 +0000

According to Health Canada and Statistics Canada, nearly 1 in 10 people (7.9%-8.6% of adult Canadians) will experience major depression during their lifetimes. For Marie-Eve, it wasn’t any particular life circumstance that was causing her depression. Friends, family, work, music, everything seemed to be humming along fine. Yet she felt abandoned by life.

Have you ever felt this way? If you are struggling with depression or “dark thoughts”, contact an online mentor to talk about it, privately & confidentially.

Connect in the Comments

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:33:07 +0000

One of the most active and honest places in online ministry is the comment section. Claire Colvin recently moderated a comment from a young girl who’d been bullied and already tried to commit suicide once before. She wrote: “I’m 13. Maybe I’ll turn 14 in September.” Volunteers who help respond to these kinds of comments have the opportunity to reach into a person’s life right in the moment when they most desperately need it. “It’s not going to be as tidy and clean as it might be on a Sunday morning, but what’s in there is real,” says Claire.

Connect With a Community

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:28:56 +0000

While living in Geneva, Switzerland, Susan learned the critical importance of community. She saw how people—even ones in important corporate and international agency jobs—all needed to connect. In an environment with high rates of depression, divorce and suicide, she understood: If people didn’t connect, they literally were not going to survive living there.

Related
Does God care about me?

Why Isn’t Fame Enough?

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:35:46 +0000

When Mandy walked through the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art she was struck by his brilliance but also by the sadness and despair that she saw in his collections. She says, “For someone who had so much fame and greatness in his art, I wonder why he decided to end his life.” What do you base your life on?

Questioning Suicide

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:55:50 +0000

At age 17, Brad stood next to some railroad tracks watching the trains going by, contemplating ending his life. His felt that, “If this is all there is, then I’m ready to get it over with.” Thankfully Brad did not follow through. Suicide is a permanent and tragic conclusion to a problem that is often temporary. If you are contemplating suicide, contact us immediately to talk, or explore these other options to talk with someone today.

Rules without Relationships leads to Rebellion

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:45 +0000

>> Watch part 10 of this series: A Father’s Impact on Michael Jackson

New to this series? Watch the introduction video here

What forms our beliefs and our values? What forms our children’s beliefs and their values? Join internationally recognized speaker & scholar Josh McDowell as he explores how to have a positive impact on the lives of young people.

In part nine of the “Relationships that Transform” video series, Josh explains why truth and love are both necessary for a child’s development. He begins this segment by saying:

“Love and truth. It’s not love. It’s not truth. It’s love in the context of truth that impacts a child.”

>> Watch part 10 of this series: A Father’s Impact on Michael Jackson

Battling Suicide

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:54:14 +0000

Are you or someone you know thinking about suicide? Please check these resources including toll-free help phone numbers:
http://mag.thelife.com/interactive/Suicidehelp.html

Immense sadness and emptiness surrounds you. It seems as though there’s no purpose left for your life. Have you ever felt this way? God truly loves you and has a passionate desire to bring you comfort at all times. If you’re feeling like there’s no hope, take this study.

Through God’s Word, we learn that He created us: “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) And because God created us, we know that He created us with a purpose. We are each given a special collection of individual gifts that no one else in the world possesses in quite the same way. Each and every one of God’s children (that means you!) is a unique, important member of God’s family. 1 Corinthians 12:12,22 says “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ … In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.” (NLT) God assures us that “all of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of” His family. (verse 27)

The fact that you are still alive today means that God still has amazing purpose left for you in your life! Think about it … if God gave you life, He could also take it away. But He hasn’t. Your life is precious to God, and He is the reason you are still here is to live it. In fact, God has already made the sacrifice of death for you so that you will live! He made this sacrifice on the cross. Jesus “was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.” (Romans 4:25, NLT)

God doesn’t want you to have just any life. Jesus says he wants you to have a full life: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Please pray for wisdom as you continue this study, and please take your time as you answer the questions below.

1. What have you been dealing with that has led you to feel like ending your life? More thoughts...

Be as honest as you can. Your mentor needs to know where you hurt to be able to help.

2. Have you ever felt this way in the past? Who have you turned to for help? (Friends, family, a teacher, professional counselors ...) More thoughts...

Often speaking with a qualified professional counselor can help. He or she can speak with you confidentially and it's often a good idea to contact a professional who can advise you.

3. How would committing suicide affect those who know, care, or love you? More thoughts...

Have you told those who love/care/know you how you're feeling? Would they want to help you? If you don't know anyone you could talk to, please visit the link at the top of this study.

4. Do you think God created you for a purpose? Why does God so highly value your life? More thoughts...

Even if you don't know what that purpose is, God knows. Consider Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

5. What are some options other than committing suicide? Could your problems someday, somehow, be solved? More thoughts...

Is it possible that some good might come from enduring certain suffering rather than ending your life? The apostle Paul says that "you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering." (2 Thessalonians 1:5), and Peter says that "those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:19)

6. Where in your life can you see beams of hopeful light breaking through the dark clouds? More thoughts...

God loves you so much. In John 3:16 He says "For God so loved the world, the he gave his one and only son, so whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

7. Consider how much God loves you ... Have you accepted His love? Why or why not? More thoughts...

The apostle John explains God's love this way: "God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (1 John 4:9-10, NLT)

8. Do you have any questions or comments regarding this study? Please feel free to ask any questions you want to below.

9. Do you have any specific prayer requests? We'd be happy to pray with you and for you.

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Saving lives this holiday season

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:00:28 +0000

Everything about the holiday season comes across as being joyful and magical, but that isn’t always an accurate picture. Many people sit down with their laptops or mobile devices and go online to search phrases like “alone at Christmas” and “what happens if you commit suicide”.

A young woman recently shared her thoughts with us, “I’ve been thinking about suicide recently because of certain things going on in my life…but I read on many websites that if you commit suicide you burn in hell for eternity…is that true?” In these times of darkness, people think of eternity. A search on Google lands them on PowertoChange.com. We are able to connect them with our mentors, who give encouragement and the message of hope. At Power to Change, we have the unique privilege of connecting people who want to talk with Christian volunteers who are ready to make a difference in someone’s life. What an incredible and overwhelming opportunity this is!

Recently, we made a discovery: people love videos. They watch, comment on and share videos with their friends. To respond to this, we created the iTV Network (Internet Television Network) on PowertoChange.com. iTV communicates the gospel to this visual and relational generation.

Here’s how the iTV Network works:
> Jane is struggling with thoughts of suicide.
> She sees a compelling video clip from iTV that was shared through Facebook.
> After watching the video, Jane connects with a Christian mentor through The Mentor Center <http://truthmedia.com/thementorcenter/> who encourages her and shares the Gospel with her.
> The mentor sends Jane links to life stories, chats, online lessons and other articles as she continues her spiritual journey. Her mentor walks with her every step of the way, always an email away.

See more on iTV by watching this video <http://powertochange.com/itv/spirituality/why-itv/>

Since the launch of iTV, an average of 82% of visitors who viewed a video went on to visit key ministry pages including mentoring and Gospel presentations. From there, a mentor begins a spiritual conversation. iTV is a phenomenon. People are coming to Jesus, it really works!

Will you partner with us as we use every tool we have to share Jesus with the world? Your gift will help us connect mentors to people struggling through life. Lives are being saved for now and eternity. We are in a time of financial need. Please help us by giving a monthly gift or a special one time gift to enable us to keep moving forward with this very effective ministry.

Donate today: http://secure.powertochange.org/p-410-truth-media-internet-group.aspx.

Serving together,

Karen Schenk
Director, TruthMedia

A Life or Death Decision

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:47:23 +0000

No one seeing Kerry Bradley sitting on that park bench at Auburn University that afternoon in 1976 would’ve guessed he was contemplating suicide. However, he was doing more than contemplating it, he was trying to figure out the best way to do it. Today he is the COO of Luxottica Retail (which includes Lenscrafters and Sunglass Hut among other companies). Discover what changed his mind. If you are dealing with thoughts of ending your life, please don’t wait and seek help today (http://powertochange.com/life/suicidehelp/), your life is not meaningless as Kerry Bradley discovered.