We guide and support those with a mental illness, along with their loved ones, to find hope based upon research. Fresh Hope groups are also online.
We do this through an international network of support groups, coaching, and resources. Fresh Hope is a non-profit organization which is made up of an international network of Christian mental health peer-to-peer support groups. Churches and Ministries sponsor the groups and the facilitators of the groups are certified by the international Fresh Hope office. Plus, Fresh Hope provides all kinds of free resources online: videos, podcasts, free e-books, which empower those who have a mental health diagnosis along with their loved ones, to live well in spite of the mental health challenge they face.
11/22/2025
⚠️ The need is more urgent now than ever! — Please consider giving a donation to Fresh Hope today. 🙏
Our 2026 mission is clear: 1 million hope-filled touches. 💙
We’re launching new su***de-prevention initiatives, creating a podcast for pastors, and expanding our Fresh Hope for Living Free program.
🫂 Every action is a step toward a more connected and supported community.
❤️🩹🧠 When the body hurts, the mind often feels it too:
We talk a lot about how movement and exercise can boost our mental health. But there is a flip side to that coin that isn't discussed enough: what happens to our minds when we are dealing with physical injury or chronic pain? 🤒
In our newest blog post, Mike Jacquart opens up about a lesson he learned the hard way. After a neck injury and a diagnosis of peripheral nerve disease, he realized that his physical pain was doing more than just limiting his movement—it was fueling his depression.
It wasn't until a thoughtful nurse practitioner asked, "How is your pain affecting your mental health?" that he realized the two were connected. 🩺
In this post, Mike explores:
🔹 The hidden cycle: How physical ailments can trigger or worsen anxiety and depression, creating an emotional "yo-yo" effect.
🔹 The importance of advocacy: Why we need to speak up about our emotional state during medical visits for physical pain.
🔹 New avenues for help: Helpful resources like Empowered Relief and Pain Reprocessing Therapy that address the mind-body connection.
🔹 Finding comfort: How specific scriptures, like Proverbs 3:5-6, offer perspective when the physical recovery feels slow.
If you are trying to manage physical pain right now and finding it hard to stay positive, this is a reminder that your struggle is valid. As Mike shares, sometimes the bravest thing we can do is acknowledge that we are hurting and lean into the One who offers rest for our souls. 🙏
😥 Do you ever feel like you've tried everything to calm your anxiety, but the deeper feeling of distress just won't go away?
For many years, that was the reality for Pastor and author Cody Deese. Despite seeking professional help and trying various treatments after a panic disorder diagnosis at age 40, his true healing began with a radical shift: realizing that his anxiety wasn't a problem to be fixed, but a meaningful communication about unaddressed pain from his past.
In this episode with Pastor Brad, Cody vulnerably shares how revisiting and gently processing childhood memories unlocked a profound new path to peace. This conversation is for anyone who suspects their current struggle is connected to their past, and who is ready to listen to their own internal messages for the sake of lasting hope.
🎙️ Listen to this powerful message on finding hope through deeper understanding:
What happens when your prayers asking God "Why?" aren't being answered? 😞
For years, Peggy Rice was blindsided by depression, leading to a profound crisis of faith. She knew her hope was in God, but she felt nothing but darkness. She tried begging and bargaining, repeatedly asking God: "Why am I going through this?"
💡 Her breakthrough came when the Holy Spirit nudged her with a simple truth: "You're asking the wrong question." 🙏
This story shares how she shifted her prayer life from asking "Why me?" to asking, "Lord, how do You want to use this experience to make me look more like Jesus?" This change wasn't an immediate cure, but a journey of surrender that deepened her faith and opened a path to serve others from her own pain.
If you've ever struggled to reconcile your spiritual life with your mental health, this perspective is a powerful gift. 👇
🎙️ Unprocessed pain doesn't just fade—it subtly keeps us captive, manifesting as frustrating patterns like self-sabotage and a victim mentality.
This week, Pastor Brad sits down with his long-time friend, Jimmy George, the Executive Director of Fresh Start Omaha.
For years, Jimmy served as a pastor at Relevant Church, and now he is dedicated to seeing people set free from the debilitating effects of offense, hurt, and loss.
In this powerful conversation, Jimmy explains the dangerous, subtle ways that unprocessed pain holds us captive. He describes how old wounds can manifest as:
✔️ A self-focused life.
✔️ A victimhood mentality.
✔️ Patterns of self-sabotage.
✔️ Negative thoughts and rumination.
✔️ False identities built out of past experiences.
This episode offers a clear look at the common traps of unhealed pain and shows you the path to forgiveness and the freedom that Jesus intended for you.
Don’t miss this practical, hope-filled discussion! 👇
When a loved one receives a mental health diagnosis, your first instinct is to take charge and protect them—managing meds, attending every appointment. For Bob Van D**e, those actions came from a place of love, but they were also fueled by his own fear.
He shares his honest journey of discovering that his attempts to "help" were perceived as control by his wife. His breakthrough started when he realized that the biggest change needed wasn't in her, but in himself. He learned that letting go of his anxiety, trusting his wife to manage her own care, and working on his own fears was the key to their mutual healing.
This encouraging story reminds us that focusing on the small changes you can make can lead to powerful, positive shifts for your entire family. The greatest act of support might be learning to step back and trust.
If you struggle with unresolved trauma in your life, we invite you to consider attending our November Trauma Healing Group.
Trauma Healing Groups are approximately 12 hours long and are a safe place to assist people in identifying heart wounds caused by trauma and to provide them with tools to help process and begin to find hope and healing.
Participants are taught both a Biblical view of how to cope with pain and suffering and proven mental health practices. The group's facilitators are Master Facilitators of the Trauma Healing Institute of the American Bible Society.
Friday 6:00-9:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am-5:00 pm. CST November 14-15-2025 Cost $20 Deadline November 12th
11/04/2025
💔 Have you ever felt like part of you is still holding onto wounds from the past—no matter how hard you try to move forward? Then this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear.
Pastor Brad talks with Dr. Audrey Davidheiser, a licensed psychologist who works with trauma survivors. She specializes in helping people find wholeness—especially those carrying the weight of religious trauma.
Dr. Davidheiser explains Internal Family Systems therapy and shows us how we can stop being at war with ourselves. Instead of pushing down the hurt, we can learn to listen to every part of our story with compassion.
In this episode, you'll discover:
🎙️ How IFS therapy can create real, lasting change
🎙️ Tools for processing religious trauma with care
🎙️ A healthier path through grief that honors your whole story
Dr. Davidheiser wrote Grieving Wholeheartedly: Bringing Healing to Every Part of Your Soul and founded a counseling center for the LA Dream Center. Her work comes from years of walking this out with real people.
If you're tired of fighting yourself, this episode offers a different approach.
💙 Your diagnosis is not your destiny—and God wastes nothing, not even your deepest brokenness.
Samantha Karraá shares her journey from mysterious symptoms and intrusive thoughts to a diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder. Through eight months of medical confusion and depression, one thing never changed: her armchair in the corner where she met with God every single day.
Her story is a reminder for anyone navigating mental health challenges or supporting a loved one who is. Even when all she could do was cry or sit in silence, God was speaking promises that became her anchor: "I will make your trial your message."
If you're struggling today or wondering if living well with a diagnosis is possible, this testimony shows that you can not only survive—you can truly live. What the enemy planned to destroy you, God can turn around for good. 🙏
🌱 Growth isn't always about moving faster or doing more. It's about finding peace and recognizing that God's faithfulness never changes, even when your energy does.
Peggy Rice shares her journey from tireless productivity (the constant pressure to do) to seeking deep fruitfulness (the quiet, internal peace of listening to God). Her book report is a valuable insight for anyone navigating a life transition.
If you’re questioning your purpose in this season or need encouragement to let go of the pressure, this post is a reminder that you can embrace the slow-down with grace and meaning. 🙏
👋📢 Hi everyone! Quick heads up for those of you who attend our '40 Days of Hope with Colleen' online group! We have an update regarding our schedule:
Meeting time and day:
🗓️🕗 Join us EVERY WEDNESDAY at 7:00 PM (CST) for our weekly session.
Looking for support and encouragement? This group is a warm, friendly space where we explore the Fresh Hope's 40 Days of Hope devotional book together. If you want to connect with others on a journey of faith and wellness, please join us—all are welcome! 🤗
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One out of every five children, teens, and adults in America has a diagnosable mental illness in any given year. And the lives of those who love them are also affected by their mental health challenge. This means that a mental health challenge touches approximately 50% of the American population.
And while the doctor, therapist, and medicine are necessary, they are not enough. Su***de rates continue to rise. The medical (the doctor, therapist, and medicine) aspects of mental health recovery can lead to a type of "learned helplessness."
So, when someone's life is interrupted by mental illness, it can be tough to see a practical way forward with day-to-day life, and a good future seems out of reach. And feelings of hopelessness begin to settle in. This hopelessness can lead to suicidal thinking and even death by su***de.
There is a serious gap between someone receiving the medical treatment for mental illness and them learning how to live well in spite of it. This gap is critical. So, we become the bridge, the guide from the point of diagnosis to living well. The research shows that finding a way to live a hope-filled life can be best caught, not taught, by peers who have "been there" and are now living well. Research also shows that the best antidote for hopelessness is a hope that is rooted in faith.
We provide those who are hopeless a safe place to process their pain and experience faith-filled hope modeled, shared, and given in support groups, classes, coaching, and resources that are led and written by peers who are living well in spite of their mental health challenge. This serves as a bridge between someone's diagnosis and living well in spite of their diagnosis. Our approach is based on seven mental health recovery principles and 25 years of clinical research on hope. And it works.
Because of Fresh Hope, thousands of people are living active, faith- and hope-filled lives. They are enjoying their relationships, their families, their work, and are feeling more hopeful than ever before. They are living well in spite of their mental health challenge. They are thriving!
