Where is Jesus right now?
How Cognitive Therapy is connected to the Renewal of the Mind
Amanda Torre is a wife, mother, and full-time counselor for individuals, couples, and families. In 2020, before we set out on our mission to the UK, Gino and I were privileged to be one of those couples she counseled as part of our pre-field preparation. We were greatly impacted by our time with her and continue to utilize the tools she shared to this day. I recently had the honor of reading her book (twice, actually, as I loved it that much).
Introduction
The book’s title is #WhereisJesusRN: A Mindfulness-Based, Cognitive-Therapy Approach to Abiding in Christ. It came about because of Amanda’s desire for people to recognize where Christ is in their everyday moments. She had seen that when people notice and ask, as the title denotes, “Where is Jesus right now?” it dramatically impacted the three m’s derived from Aaron Beck’s cognitive behavioral therapy: mood, mind, and mission. For those unfamiliar with Beck’s work, this modality can be summarized as:
“The thoughts we carry in our minds impact our mood, which then also impacts our mission or the purpose that drives us.”
The Bible emphasizes the importance of our thoughts and what it means to renew our minds (2 Corinthians 1:5, Colossians 3:2, Philippians 4:8, Romans 12:2, to name a few). You may have asked, “How do I go about this renewal? Or “In what ways are my thoughts impacting my life?” I personally appreciate having something tangible to better understand the mechanics of how the brain works, how this impacts each part of our life, and what to do about it, and this book provides exactly that.
In a very clear and relatable way, Amanda explores how we can act in our day-to-day lives, even if things seem to be spiraling, when we stay in the presence of Jesus. She utilizes the acronym ABIDE, which I’ll break down below, to take the reader through the elements of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy while abiding in Christ.
Mindfulness
Now, I want to pause here and specifically speak to the word “mindfulness” as this may be the most important part for me personally, which I believe can impact others as well:
Part of my personal testimony involves a struggle with anxiety. When I first started experiencing panic attacks years ago, I sought out counseling. The counselor was one I found with no faith background, as I was unsure of my faith. She introduced the concept of mindfulness to me, but it continued to fall flat. I was no better after finishing my work with her, and that is when I was led to a dear friend who invited me to church upon hearing my heart. It was there I met the real Jesus, not the one I had created in my mind that was a far-off, strange “concept,” but the very real, transformative person of Jesus who changed my life. The issue I took with mindfulness was that it was focused on me and my own effort, and I found it frustrating as I couldn’t get anywhere after “noticing my thoughts and watching them pass.” For those who are unaware of the concept, here’s Amanda’s definition:
“Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and fully aware of what we are doing, without becoming overwhelmed or judgmental about what is going on around us…When we notice the present, we can practice accepting the moment without judgment or avoidance.”
Amanda then directly acknowledges the potential problem with this practice, saying, “Some people may feel uncertain about incorporating mindfulness into their spiritual lives because of its secular nature (as it) puts too much emphasis on us or our own experiences.” She states her desire to challenge that perspective with tools she shares, which are meant to draw us closer to God without emphasizing ourselves. Therefore, the missing link, what we do after we notice our thoughts and surroundings and how we rely on God’s strength to do so, is thoroughly developed in this book.
A.B.I.D.E.
Now, let’s move on to the acronym ABIDE, which Amanda uses to develop the book’s main content. Here’s the breakdown of the points with brief synopses for each:
A → Anchoring
B → Believe
I → Imitate
D → Decide
E → Engage and Exalt
Anchoring - Amanda examines our need for an anchor for life’s storms and why this must be Jesus. She introduces a helpful way to facilitate mindfulness in abiding in Jesus, our anchor, by noticing Him in the room at all moments and recognizing how He can be our anchor “right now.”
Believe - Amanda then explores how what we believe about Jesus as our anchor will determine how we go through life. From believing He’s distant and doesn’t care or we’re too far gone for His help, leaving us hopeless, to believing He loves us, is for us, and works for our good, allowing us to feel safe and comforted with a firmly established trust in Him.
Imitate - The next portion is pulled from John 15, wherein Jesus is depicted as the Vine and us as the branches who abide in and imitate Him. We must consider what we ask of God and whether those asks are an attempt to force our own will or if we desire what He desires. The main point here is that we can choose to imitate Christ in all situations we face, allowing us to do extraordinary things in His power.
Decide - Building on the previous concepts, we now have the decision regarding our Mind, Mood, and Mission in every circumstance. This is where the concept of cognitive behavioral therapy comes in. A mind that is filled with negative thoughts causes a lean toward anger, depression, and resentment, which can drive one toward fighting, retaliation, gossip, and so on. A mind that is filled with positive thoughts creates a more peaceful, optimistic mood with a mission centered on helping others or improving the situation. The next step is crucial, though, and I love how she takes this further: a mind that is filled with thoughts from the Holy Spirit and God’s Truth in His word will create a more joyful, loving mood with a mission to serve God through faithful obedience. The key difference between these two latter examples is that one is done in our own strength, and the other is done through God’s strength, which will outlast any strength we attempt to muster ourselves.
Amanda goes on to break Mind, Mood, and Mission down even further, weaving her way through noticing our thoughts and how to take them captive with an insightful journey into cognitive distortions (our skewed/distorted thoughts), then how impactful our mood can be and what happens when we react purely from emotions (with detail on mental health, which I greatly appreciated), and finally landing in the mission or drive behind why we make the decisions we do. She includes activities for the reader to do, which allows a personal and tangible way to put all of this into practice.
Engage and Exalt - The final component of the driving acronym of the book involves two very important tenets of the Christian life: engaging others to abide in Christ and directing our hearts towards exalting Him with gratitude, praise, and worship. She includes examples from clients she has helped and how these two practices make a difference.
Conclusion
The book wraps up by explaining how to put all of this into practice, providing moment-by-moment details on using these tools as we move through a day.
I really love this book, and I highly recommend it. It is one that can be read time and time again as a poignant reminder of how noticing where Jesus is in every moment can dramatically change our hearts, our decisions, our experiences, and our relationships with others. This book travels deep into the things that we may not even know we need to go into, but they can make all the difference in how we experience each component of life.
An all too easy trap to fall into is thinking we can do it all ourselves. We come to believe we are fine without God’s help as pride manipulates us into placing our faith and trust in ourselves instead (really consider what that means to place that entire burden on your shoulders or even that of a spouse, parent, or friend). The work of Christ in our hearts reveals just how in need we are, just how much we need a Sovereign, Holy, Almighty God to lead the way. We can exhaust ourselves and find nothing but pain if we grit our teeth and attempt to move mountains. But when we humble ourselves and recognize our weakness and our need for God, in His strength, and through Him alone, we can move that mountain. We can experience true healing. We can experience real freedom. We can see Jesus in every moment, right here, right now, and it can change everything.
What are your personal experiences with mindfulness?
What are some ways that you facilitate the renewal of the mind?
Leave your answers in the comments section!
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Subscribe to check out:
→ A list of Favorite Quotes from the book
→ A helpful chart of the Cognitive Distortions I’ve personally been working through (alternative thinking + Scripture)
→ 2 additional charts illustrating how I have used Aaron Beck’s Mind, Mood, and Mission (typical thinking VS alternative thinking)
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