Spending a week with your teenage daughter looking at colleges is one part absolute joy, one part incredible sadness.  That was last week.

As a family, we’re entering a season of transitions with both of our kids:  from living at our home to living on their own, from requiring more hands on care than I ever imagined possible at this point in their lives and ours to requiring no care at all.  With a little fear and trepidation, I state that we seem to be exiting a time of dramatic stress, long-undiagnosed illness and Mental trauma to a new season of peace, strength and healing scars.  2015 was my ‘year of tears,’ but not 2016.  Even with the presidential election process and all its horrors (kidding, sort of ).

One more transition:  over the next year, I’m winding down Catherine Boyle Ministries, the website, the Catherine Boyle specific books and materials.  But this is all good!  It’s because Outside In Ministries is ramping UP, in ways I couldn’t have imagined just a few short months ago when I started doing research and brand development and making the initial scary phone calls and meetings.  Heck, some days I still don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to do.  But I pray, and God speaks, and He opens doors, and He makes the most improbable of connections.  It’s been an amazing faith-filled journey so far, and it looks like that’s going to continue.

Many things are in the works now.  I covet your prayers, for Outside In to flourish (this isn’t about me, it’s not ‘mine’).  My own church is launching an Outside In-facilitated mental health pilot in May, and Outside In will host a community-wide event in Richmond in November.  Both have goals not for just a new program or event, but to start effecting cultural change, one believer at a time, one church at a time.

Jesus came to love and care for the ‘lost sheep’; His followers are supposed to do the same.  No one is a throwaway to God.  Our social culture has embraced this concept; our spiritual/church culture has to take the lead to make the end of mental illness stigma stick.

Special offer:  I have quite a few Hungry Souls Bible study books (both for students and study group facilitators); I have a small supply of the Hungry Souls books.  THEY ARE FREE FOR THE TAKING, with one caveat:  if it costs me something to get it to you, I ask that you pay for shipping.  And if you want to make a donation to Outside In Ministries (a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization), you’ll get a tax receipt for any donation, no matter how small.

Thanks for your support and friendship.

The post Transitions appeared first on Catherine Boyle.