Dir. Dome Karukoski

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Laura Donnelly, Colm Meaney, Derek Jacobi

Reviewed by Rob Santer (@RobSanter)

 “It’s about journeys…. journeys we take to prove ourselves, …. adventures………courage…. and…. fellowship”

If you are a fan of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ you will thoroughly enjoy this film. It takes you on a magical, yet insightful journey through the early years of RJJ Tolkien, drawing you in to his wonderous thoughts and passion for adventure, mystical beings & language! 

I have always been an optimist. As a young man starting out in the Financial Services profession in 1990, I relished and devoured numerous books and tapes on Personal Development and Positive Mental Attitude. Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracey and Dale Carnegie were just some of the individuals who greatly influenced my life, forming and fuelling my thinking.
Commission only sales was not an easy profession and we regularly practiced positive affirmations. ‘Tough times don’t last, tough people do’, ‘Keep on, keeping on,’ and ‘I plough through every barrier and I’m hungry for more!’ These were the days when one of the catchphrase mantras was ‘lunch is for wimps!’ There wasn’t much spoken about mental health, just mental attitude. And strong mental attitude was everything. There was not the patience or understanding surrounding ‘mental weakness’. It seemed to blur into Mental Illness, which many refrained from talking about. I must admit, the few times when I had a client sitting in front of me completing a medical questionnaire and declaring a period of depression, I was naively sympathetic, but did not have any real idea as to what it meant. I moved the conversation on. Depression, stress and anxiety were all conditions that made getting insurance cover from providers more difficult and costlier.
In 2010, and after a period of 20 years in the profession, my business (along with many others) was forced to cease trading overnight. This was a huge blow as it left me unable to work and with no source of income. The following few years were tough, and my efforts to get work with a salary that could still pay the bills were not very fruitful. In the end, I had no choice but to seek advice from a debt management agency and enter hardship programmes with all my creditors.
Was all this influencing my mental health? You bet. Stress and anxiety. Could I see it? No. In all honesty, I kept pressing ahead, trying to keep plates spinning all over the place whilst believing I could get on top of it. I can remember visiting my doctor during this period, suffering with stomach problems, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. I said to him half joking, ‘Do you think I am going mad’? He was a small Indian man who was previously a client of mine. I will never forget him pausing from writing notes, looking up at me, putting his hand on mine, saying ‘It’s going to be OK’. I smiled and can remember thinking ‘He’s serious! Hang on a minute, I’m a Christian. I am the one who should be offering kind words of hope and encouragement to you!’
He gave me a prescription saying that this would help relax me a bit. Did I go to the chemist and get the prescription? NO! My thinking was………I am not taking pills. Pills are not good. It’s a sign of weakness. I will work this through with my thinking and with my faith.
There its lots more I can tell you about this journey. However, at the time of writing, and from a state of contentment and happiness, I can reflect on this episode from a position of increased mental health awareness. I am very fortunate to have good friends around me who I have been able to open up to, wise people of faith that have spoken truth into my life, a loving wife, and a deep faith in Christ which has shown me a peace above all human understanding.
Being on team with CVM, most of my work is geared towards men. With suicide being the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK today, I am learning all the time about aspects of Mental Health. Just recently, I heard a talk from Patrick Reagan from Kintsugi Hope. One of the slides put up said:

‘Depression, anxiety and panic attacks are not signs of weakness, but signs of trying to remain strong for too long’.

That was me. I was trying to be strong, living in denial from what the dashboard warning lights of my heath were displaying about my circumstances. I am fortunate that my journey was not as extreme as some. I have never felt suicidal. Depressed? Yes. Alone? Yes. Times of low self-worth? Most definitely.
And this is one of my reasons as to WHY I do what I do now, and why we at CVM encourage men to form trusted relationships. Friends to whom we can be vulnerable and talk about real life issues with one another that have a positive impact on our mental health. In many cases, these conversations are literally life-saving.

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If you need to reach out and begin the journey away from the precipice the starting point is to tell someone. Talk to someone you trust, let family or friends know what’s going on for you, they may be able to offer help and support. If you find it difficult to talk to someone you know these free helplines are there to help.

• Samaritans – Available 24hr for everyone – Call 116 123
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – Available 5pm to Midnight for men – Call 0800 58 58 58

Help and support is available right now if you need it. You don’t have to struggle with difficult feelings alone.
If you’re worried about someone, try to get them to talk to you. Ask open-ended questions like: “How do you feel about…?” Don’t worry about having the answers. Just listening to what someone has to say and taking it seriously can be more helpful. See Samaritans’ tips on how to start a difficult conversation.
Image Credit: Alex Iby

This blog was originally published by The Diocese of London and can be found here.
CVM seeks strategic partnerships to be able to encourage and enable others to share the gospel. One such involvement is with the Diocese of London and its Sports Network Initiative. This month, our Director for London Rob Santer reflects how churches can creatively engage with sport to enable outreach into its local community.

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Recently I watched a programme about Russian Football Hooligans and how they trained mentally and physically to engage ‘in battle’ with fans of opposing countries during Euro 2016… and win. Let’s be clear. Violence is unacceptable, especially within a sport which is considered a family game. However, what I found admirable about these young men was their discipline and motivation to come together as a band of brothers with a common vision and purpose.

As I listened to how these men described themselves, the training they undertook and the cause to which they were committed, I found myself in conversation with God expressing enthusiasm as to what it would be like to see Christian men rise up with the same passion, discipline and strategic consideration, but towards the vision and purpose of sharing their faith and the gospel message through the medium of sport.
At CVM, this is what we are encouraging through our Rawfaith initiative, which fits neatly with the Diocese of London Capital Vision Plan 2020 objective of engaging more closely with sport and physical activity.
Sport can be very emotive. Nothing brings men into close proximity and community with one another quite like sport. We have witnessed this at our annual CVM Sports Week in Lanzarote and The Gathering Weekend Festival held in June, during which many participate in sport and physical activity. Whether it is football, rugby, golf, cricket, boxing, motorsport, cycling or running. It is an environment where men are more open to conversation and where friendships can be forged easily over time.
Not long ago, a mate of mine from one of our groups shared how he was watching the football in his local pub and got talking to a fellow fan he didn’t know. The conversation developed to a point where he shared his faith with this guy, who responded by saying he wasn’t religious and then separated himself from my friend. However, later in the game, their paths crossed again, during which this fellow fan shared more about his physical problems. My mate offered to pray for him and he accepted. In a packed pub!
Quite often, it is a lack of confidence due to a perceived lack of competence that can stop us from courageously sharing our faith with others. Like any game, we have a better chance of winning by working together, developing a strategy, undergoing some training and taking intentional action. This is what we at CVM want to see happening across London and indeed the whole of the UK.
Sport is an activity, whether played or followed, that we recognise as being a catalyst to reach others with the good news of Jesus in a relaxed and relational manner. And anyone of any age can take part. There is a growing movement of individuals aged 50+ taking part in Walking Football which is a relatively new phenomenon. At my home church, planning is underway to set up an early morning spinning class where members of the community can come and exercise, make friends and listen to some life leadership resources at the same time.
So, how can your church creatively use sport to reach the local community? The possibilities are endless.
Hooligans we are not, but faith-filled fans developing a strategic focus on sport outreach we can be!

Image Credit: Tim Mossholder