Surge in young women’s mental health issues, Baptist Press with Shane & Shane, Improve church leadership in 7 ways.

Young people’s mental health is in trouble, especially young women’s. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows a whopping 57 percent of young women said they felt “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” during 2021. That’s up from 36 percent just 10 years ago.

Even more concerning is that 30 percent of women surveyed said they seriously considered attempting suicide in the last year, with 24 percent making a plan.
But there is hope.

Kathy Steele, a licensed professional counselor, former IMB missionary and longtime counseling professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary says counseling will help parents as they try to shepherd their children.

She also says involvement in a local church that points people to Jesus Christ will greatly benefit young women as they wrestle through identity issues.

Shane & Shane believe they have found a pathway to experience God’s love in deeper, richer way. And it’s through Scripture and song.

The Dove-award winning artists have just released a live album featuring songs from their Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs recording. The title is a phrase used by Paul in Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19.

Shane & Shane were guests on Baptist Press This Week to talk about the new album and worshipping God through music.

Shane Barnard calls it a “promise of God” that when Christians sing Scripture there is a “pathway” to the fullness of God’s love.

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs (LIVE) features five songs from the previous studio recording with the same title and five new songs. It was recorded on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Sam Rainer offers seven way a person can be a better servant in the local church:

  1.  Take the initiative. When you know someone is hurting, reach out. Don’t wait on others to ask for help. Instead, make that extra phone call or visit. Send a text of encouragement when you pray for someone.

  2.  Learn to offer genuine apologies. Most people recognize a fake apology the moment it is offered. Sincere apologies are rare. Servant leaders own theirmistakes and genuinely say, “I’m sorry.”

  3.  Give sacrificially to your church. A key part of serving is giving. If you are sacrificing for a particular people, then you will give sacrificially to the body to which they belong.

  4.  Be the first to give up your personal preferences.