This special conversation between Dr. Curt Thompson and Jedd Medefind was part of the series Living, Loving, and Serving Well in the Era of Coronavirus. Join as they uncover the neurobiology of fear and anxiety, explore how to approach worry with a view of God’s care and eternity, and explore practical ways to help both our children and ourselves keep peaceful hearts amidst a world turned upside-down.
In this episode, we'll explore:
- The long-term impacts of a sustained anxious state and its consequences for our body, mind and heart.
- The strong relationship between anxiety and human connection.
- How to think about anxiety and fear in the light of Scripture.
- Specific practices anyone can take to turn from anxiety, fear and isolation and toward calm and connection.
- What’s needed to accept God’s invitation and command to “not be afraid”.
- The key role of attention in both causing and healing anxiety.
Key Quotes
“Evil will use fear at every opportunity to turn my attention away from others, away from God, away from being a force of creativity, and towards being someone who only sees the world as a problem to be fixed – and, oh my goodness, I don’t have what it takes to do this.”
“We are made by a God and serve a God that, oddly enough, comes to us and says to us, ‘do not be afraid’.”
“The choice of turning our attention to do something in particular – and in specific terms – to the God of all strength and comfort and peace – that is the fundamental choice at the heart of this.”
Resources and Guests
Curt Thompson, M.D., is a psychiatrist in private practice in Falls Church, Virginia and the founder of Being Known, LLC., and The Center for Being Known, an organization that develops resources to educate and train leaders about the intersection between interpersonal neurobiology, Christian spiritual formation, and vocational creativity. He is the author of Anatomy of the Soul and The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves. He graduated from Wright State University School of Medicine, completed his psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital, and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is actively engaged in learning and education as he supervises clinical employees and facilitates ongoing education groups for patients and colleagues. Throughout his career, along with treating adults, adolescents, and families, his main focus of clinical and research interest has been the integration of psychiatry, its associated disciplines, and Christian spirituality. He is a frequent speaker on the topic at workshops, conferences, and retreats.
He has specific expertise in the field of interpersonal neurobiology and how it reflects important tenants of Christian faith, providing opportunities to comprehend and experience that same faith in fresh trustworthy ways. Much of his work is now committed to training other professionals across cultures and in multiple vocational domains in the same material.
He and his wife Phyllis are the parents of two children and reside in Arlington, Virginia. He serves as an elder at Washington Community Fellowship, a congregation of the Mennonite church, in Washington, D.C. His duties there have included preaching, teaching, and involvement in the fellowship’s healing prayer ministry.
Jedd has seen (and experienced!) that lives are turned upside-down when Christians begin to reflect God’s heart through adoption, foster care and service to orphans worldwide. This kind of love transforms not only vulnerable children, but also those who open hearts and homes to them. Churches begin to look different, too, as the entire community pulls together for children who’ve known great hurt. Finally, the change touches even onlookers, who encounter the Gospel not only in words, but made visible before their eyes.
Desiring to spur this kind of transformation through the Church, Jedd serves as President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.
Through CAFO, more than 225 respected organizations unite in shared initiatives, along with a wide network of churches. CAFO’s membership works in tandem to inspire and equip families, churches and organizations for effective service to vulnerable children and families — from adoption and US foster care, to aid and empowerment programs worldwide.
Prior to his this role, Jedd served in the White House as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, leading the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In this post, he oversaw reform efforts across the government to make community- and faith-based groups central partners in all Federal efforts to aid the needy, from prisoner reentry to global AIDS. As described by the Harvard Political Review, these reforms “fundamentally changed the government’s strategy for improving the lives of the downtrodden…”
Previously, Jedd held a range of posts in the California State Legislature. He also helped establish the California Community Renewal Project, which strengthens nonprofits in some of the state’s most challenged communities. He has worked, studied and served in more than thirty countries, with organizations ranging from Price-Waterhouse in Moscow to Christian Life Bangladesh.
Books written by Jedd include Upended and Four Souls. He also writes articles and op-eds for publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post to Comment Magazine, and engages radio interviews with both faith-based and mainstream outlets, from NPR and Al Jazeera to Moody Radio. Jedd’s most recent book, Becoming Home, offers a brief-yet-rich exploration of how families and communities can embrace vulnerable children with wisdom and love through adoption, foster care, mentoring and more.
