Creating suicide-safe churches (Steve Austin tribute)

Two years ago, my friend Steve Austin, an author, mental health advocate and former pastor, died by suicide. Ever since then, I’ve intended to dedicate an episode to his memory and his work, and this is that episode. Including a powerful interview with Lindsey Austin, Steve’s wife, along with a selection of readings from Steve’s book, Hiding In The Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church, this is a vulnerable and sacred discussion that filled me with more hope and joy than I expected. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have reached out to me this Spring while hitting really dark patches in their mental health. Pastors, it is our job to help, but not always in the ways we expect or assume. This episode is for all of us, so we can learn to create suicide-safe spaces. Order Hiding In The Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church by Steve Austin. Learn more about Steve’s legacy at iamsteveaustin.com Grab my latest book, Mornings with God: Daily Bible Devotional for Men (good for women too) Check out my trauma-informed 30-day devotional, You Are Enough: Learning to Love Yourself the Way God Loves You. Support the show and my other work, at jonathanpuddle.com/support Find every book or resource I’ve talked about recently on my Amazon storefront, in Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom.