For the Thanksgiving week program, Dr. Jeremiah Johnston leads listeners in a reflection of thankfulness. “This is a unique time of year,” he says. “Having lived for a couple of years in the United Kingdom and even in Canada, we are unique in the United States in that we have a federal, national holiday where we’re reminded that this country wouldn’t exist without God and His good providence in all of our lives.”
He refers to Luke 17, in which Jesus heals a group of 10 lepers, but only one returns to offer thanks. Luke 17:7: “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”
Johnston emphasizes the importance of thankfulness for one’s mental health. “Guess how you can get healthier, strengthen your immune system and lower your blood pressure? You can become a person of gratitude,” he says.
Taking it even further, Johnston quotes Romans 1:21: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
“Paul taught that not being thankful was actually the first step in apostasy,” he says. “Make sure you take steps in your life to be a grateful person.”
Johnston welcomes renowned mental health treatment expert, Dr. Gregory Jantz, to the program. The first step toward recovery is reaching out for help, Jantz says. “When we don’t ask for help, we can be on a pathway to create sin,” he says.
At The Center: A Place of Hope, Jantz and clinicians seek
God for wisdom on how to address and treat the problems that manifest for each person. “If we just rely on one single approach, we will never get care for the whole person,” he says. “We know the spiritual piece has to be the foundation.”
Dr. Gregory Jantz is the founder of The Center: A Place of Hope, a mental health treatment facility in Washington state. As a pioneer of whole-person care, Dr. Jantz has dedicated his life’s work to changing lives for good. He has authored dozens of books and is a sought-after expert.
