Garden Convos

La salud mental de los hombres es muy importante y algo que no se habla sobre en nuestra cultura latina. El propósito de este episodio es ayudarnos a tener conversaciones sobre la masculinidad y demostrar como Jesús mismo tuvo emociones y se expresaba. Un hombre es alguien que depende en Dios y pone todo en su control. La commanded traer fruto y un espacio para que los hombres tengan personas con...

Men’s mental health month is June, and I wanted to take the time to discuss the importance of cultivating spaces where men feel safe to be vulnerable. Masculinity is complex and not tied to an unrealistic, stoic standard of what it means to be a man. The Bible gives us examples of what it looks like to depend on God and know that it is okay to ask for help.

In this episode I share my understanding of addiction and substance use disorders. We discuss addiction as both a choice and disease, while looking at the power of hope to help individuals through recovery. The hope is to advocate for those in recovery and increase our understanding of how addiction works, so we all may have more grace for the silent battles we all fight. 

In this episode we look at a specific category of mental disorders, “Feeding and Eating Disorders.” I share my own testimony of struggling with body image and eating, while sharing how we can grow in our understanding of these disorders from a spiritual perspective. Hope you feel encouraged to love more & be more aware of the silent battles people are walking through every day.

In a world where we long to be seen, the question is not only are you okay when you are purposefully being hidden by God, but are you fruitful in the midst of being hidden.

Ministry is a lifestyle, not limited to the four walls of the church. I have had times in my life where I questioned if I was living out God’s will because I was not in “ministry”, aka working at a church or being a missionary. And it simply could not be farther away from the truth. 

El ministerio es un estilo de vida, no limitado a las cuatro paredes de la iglesia. He tenido momentos en mi vida en los que me pregunté si estaba viviendo la voluntad de Dios porque no estaba en el “ministerio”, es decir, trabajando en una iglesia o siendo misionera. Y simplemente no podría estar más lejos de la verdad.

Community can be very difficult to navigate, yet one of the most fulfilling aspects of life. In this episode we discuss the importance of fruitful friendships from a systems theory approach and a biblical understanding of unity. 

Unveiling the idols in our lives can be one of the hardest yet fruitful processes we can go through in order to live a freer life both mentally and spiritually. 

El trauma es un tema muy importante cuando hablamos sobre la salud mental, y este episodio se enfoca en entendiendo como trauma afecta nuestro cuerpo, mente, y espíritu. Espero que aprenden algo nuevo y que crecemos en el amor por otros, especialmente personas que han tenido experiencias traumáticas. Con amor, Lau!

We discussed understanding trauma in the last episode, so it was important to also address this topic of making peace with your past because we all have difficult experiences that have marked us, but they do not need to define us. Hope you feel encouraged to live in peace because Peace lives in you!

Trauma is a very broad and complex term that cannot be healed in a moment. There is. A process to heal from trauma and the first step of that is do understand what trauma is and how it affects the human mind, body, and spirit. This is just a broad overview, and in future episodes we will discuss different types of traumatic experiences in detail. Hope this helps create a foundation for how you vie...

In a world of self-everything, could it be that true, sustainable self-care comes from getting over ourselves and living for Jesus? In this episode we discuss what it means when the Word of God calls us to die to ourselves daily, and how this brings freedom to every area of our lives. Our mental health cannot be built on pride or self-sufficiency, we need something deeper. 

Have you ever felt like you didn’t know how to come back to God? Life is full of many seasons and in this episode I share my own testimony of how I learned to come back to the Gardener even after being disobedient. There is victory in vulnerability, and I hope you feel like you can relate to my experiences and know that there is grace for you. It’s never too late to choose to grow.

The battle between the mind and the spirit is a a lifelong one. It is not about perfection, but progression. We discuss the concept of cognitive dissonance and how that is seen in the tension between our own flesh and the Spirit of God. I hope you feel encouraged to take on the NEW SELF that comes from following Jesus and know that it takes no striving, but rather leaving what’s dead and dwelling...

El primer episodio en español en mi podcast, donde hablo sobre el propósito de este proyecto y como vivimos una vida que tenga fruto. Hablamos sobre la salud mental y la salud espiritual. También hablamos sobre que significa conocer al Jardinero y vivir una vida como una nueva creación. Teniendo esta fundación nos va ayudar en futuros episodios donde se va hablar mas sobre la salud mental y prácti...

Before we seek any professional, we must seek the Provider. In this episode, we discuss the importance of prioritizing the ways you seek help, as well as what a healthy relationship with a counselor looks like. Therapy can be so restorative, but it is not what we are meant to depend on. 

Introducing the heart behind Garden Convos and breaking down what it means to live a fruitful life. Seeing people as gardens helps us navigate the areas in our lives that are not bearing fruit, and truly asking ourselves if we know the Gardener.  We will be discussing how mental health intertwines with spirituality and why this matters!