Welcome to the Eric Matexas show with your host Eric Matexas.

Oh, hello. I didn't see you come in. My name's Eric. This is my program. So I have to be here. I don't know why you're here, but maybe it's because I have some really exciting guests on now and again.

I'm going to be talking to John Cydall, Jonathan Cydall, since we're just introducing him right now. He has a new book out. It's called Finding Rest, a survivor's guide to navigating the valleys of anxiety, faith, and life.

The forward is written by Kirk Cameron. Oh, yeah, that's right. Must be an important book. If Kirk Cameron decided he would write the forward to it. Jonathan Cydall, you're a pretty big shot. How did you get Kirk Cameron to write the forward to this book? I just, I can't believe this. What is going on around here is my question.

Because I couldn't get Eric Matexas to write it. So, you know, I had to go to Kirk. So you had to go to Kirk. That's so sad. I'm so sorry Eric Matexas is such a jerk. He just doesn't care about other people. Let me just say this seriously. I've known you for a long time. You've been you've been all over the place in it in a good way. I'm trying to remember you worked with I am second. I've talked about I am second many, many times on this program.

People need to go to I am second.com. My testimony is there along with the testimonies of scores of very, very interesting varied people. I am second. You were with them. You've worked with Glenn Beck. I mean, you've kind of been all over the place. And now you're doing your own thing and you've written a book.

Is this a book where faith comes into the conversation. So I think I think it's a compliment that I got from someone who I told this is a faith based book on mental health and anxiety. And then they read it and they said, wow, I was really surprised by how much faith is in here.

And I said, well, I mean, that was the point. But so yes, to answer your question, it is really a faith based approach to how do we deal with our mental health issues, you know, especially in this time where they are popping up like crazy.

I believe this is my thesis. I've been saying this lately that the madness through which we are currently going. And by the way, folks, if you don't think this is madness, you are in fact mad. You're crazy.

If you don't think circumstances are crazy, they are crazy. And the same people know that they're crazy. But the fact is anxiety goes up because absolutely none of us has had to deal with this before most of us have not had to deal with the madness.

I mean, it doesn't I hardly need to mention it any direction you go in. It's it's very challenging. But I also say that the scripture commands us to be anxious for nothing. So clearly the Lord wants to help us. He doesn't want us to be anxious.

He loves us so much that he even commands us not to be so that we don't say, well, it's extra credit. This is somehow he's telling me I can be at peace even going through health issues, marital issues. We're all going through things.

So I know that's in part where you're coming from, but you're right, John. This is a really tough time. So I'm glad the book finding rest is brand new. So what is your advice to people?

You know, I what I talk about in the book and what I've my message has been to people just in the last couple of days is Eric, I think we need to really establish a proper theology of suffering.

And what I mean by that is we need to understand that we are going through trials, right? We are going through mental health struggles. We're going through sickness, right? And even though that's not God's plan and his original design, the truth is that Jesus told us in this world you will have trouble.

So then what what do you do with that? Right? And so for me, what I've had to learn since my diagnosis is I have to have an understanding that this is for my good and God's glory.

That doesn't mean that he's this maniacal person out there like just, you know, really taking pleasure in the fact that I am going through pain.

But I see a slew is my favorite author talks about I mean, God shouts to us in our pain and he's calling us and using it to call us to himself. And so that has been a foundational element of my understanding.

And it's a foundational element of this book.

Well, you know, and I know that what you just said, first of all, I completely agree I've said it myself about a proper theology of suffering because you get two different groups roughly speaking, right?

One group says suffering, hey man, that's yesterday Jesus died on the cross that it's finished no more suffering, no more pain, no more nothing.

I rebuke it, I rebuke it. And if it doesn't go away, it's because I don't have enough faith. Now, like every lie, there's a lot of truth in that.

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