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.
10/24/2025
🌱 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! 🤗
🎙️🧠 In this episode, Pastor Brad interviews Ruby Lucas, author and mental health advocate. Ruby was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 19, but her struggles with anxiety began much earlier in childhood.
Her teenage years were marked by depression, sadness, and panic attacks. While studying abroad, Ruby experienced her first manic episode, which led to her diagnosis. The following years were challenging, marked by denial, lack of proper treatment, psychosis, and even times when people took advantage of her vulnerability—But God broke through. 🙌
Ruby’s story is one of faith, hope, and recovery. She shares how God restored her life, gave her renewed purpose, and continues to sustain her journey toward healing.
Don’t miss this powerful and inspiring episode that reminds us that no one is beyond hope. 👇
💛 If this episode encouraged you, please share it with a friend or family member who might need to hear Ruby’s story. Together, we can spread hope and remind others that healing is possible!
10/14/2025
☕🌞 Hey there! Happy Monday.
Today, we just wanted to remind you that we are here for you! Whether you're navigating the challenges of a mental health diagnosis, managing daily anxiety, or simply feeling overwhelmed, keep in mind that hope also blossoms when you reach out for connection and find a community that truly understands (because we've been there too).
What if we start this week choosing support over isolation?
🧠🌎 Happy World Mental Health Day! This year's focus is on ensuring support is accessible when life throws an emergency, and we know a crisis isn't always a headline—sometimes it’s the quiet, overwhelming feeling that you can’t navigate alone.
👉 You deserve help, no matter the size of the storm you’re facing. Please know that recovery isn't built in isolation. The most practical, powerful act of self-care you can take is simply to let someone else in. The hope waiting for you is real, and it begins the moment you decide to access that support. Your well-being matters, and we’re here for you. 🫂
Have you felt isolated in your grief over a beloved pet? We understand. 💔
Grief is hard, especially when it meets mental health challenges. It can make you feel profoundly alone when a deep loss—like a pet who felt like family 🐾—is dismissed by others.
Mike Jacquart shares his experience of losing his dog, Baxter, and the depression that followed. His story reflects that your pain is legitimate, even when others don't understand.
If you need Biblical hope and support, this post is a reminder that suffering is temporary. You don't have to carry this heavy burden alone. 🙏
🧠📢 When your mind is loud, don't let your feelings build up inside. Externalize your feelings and stop the inner swirl.
Journaling isn't a cure, but it's a powerful tool for managing anxiety and depression. Writing moves the overwhelming chaos from an internal feeling to an external problem you can observe, manage, and take to prayer. 🙏
💡 Tip:
🧠 The "5-Minute Brain Dump", which is a quick, unstructured technique for mental decluttering and stress relief.
It involves:
⏱️ Setting a Timer: Usually for 3 to 5 minutes.
📝 Writing Everything Down: You rapidly unload every thought, worry, idea, and task currently in your head.
🚫 No Filtering: Write without structure, judgment, or concern for grammar.
The goal is to move the mental load from your head to the paper, which helps:
📉 Reduce Overwhelm and Anxiety
💡 Gain Clarity on what's important
🎯 Improve Focus
Give your thoughts a voice on paper! Let us know if it helps.
10/07/2025
🏋️ Are you holding onto something so tightly that it’s completely draining you? 😓
It’s just human nature to cling to things, but the sheer cost of that constant struggle—the energy, the anxiety, the heartbreak—is always far greater than the pain of finally setting it down. You don't have to keep fighting all the time.
This is where your truest strength lies: in wisdom. 💫
When you bravely choose which battles are worth your time and energy (and which are not), you aren't quitting; you are choosing your peace. You are freeing up your hands and your heart for the joy, healing, and opportunities that are genuinely meant to be yours. This is an act of self-love.
Stop what you're doing. Take a deep breath. Let it go.
The power to drop that heavy weight is already within you. Your peace is worth protecting, every single time. 🙌
10/06/2025
🍵 It's a beautiful, brand-new week, and before the pace picks up, let's set an intention: to treat ourselves with the same care we give to everyone else. 🫂
As you look at the week ahead, please be sure to put yourself on the list of things to take care of.
Your peace, your rest, and your mental space are not luxuries—they are the essential fuel that allows you to be amazing. Give yourself permission to pause, breathe, and nourish your soul this week. You absolutely deserve it. 🧡
10/04/2025
🧠❓ What happens when a diagnosis—medical or mental health-related—isn't what you hoped for? That heavy feeling of shock, confusion, and fear is a normal part of processing grief.
In our latest blog post, Fresh Hope trainer Peggy Rice shares her personal story of feeling derailed after a doctor's visit. She walks us through the reality of disappointment and doubt, and the quiet moment she found an unshakeable truth: God's got this.
This story offers a supportive, faith-centered perspective on moving past difficult feelings and embracing acceptance—the courageous first step toward healing. It's a reminder that your burdens are lighter when you share them in a community that understands.
✨ Peggy's encouragement to you today:
"I am called to trust Him. To rely on what I know about God – that He is always good, always working, always in control, always faithful."
🧠🍂 Welcome to October! As the seasons shift, let's start this month choosing to focus on comfort, grace, and steady progress. If your journey feels heavy today, we invite you to lean on the hope that surrounds you. You don't need a huge breakthrough—the most important thing is that you simply choose to take the next, small, brave step.
We are here, celebrating every step you take.
If you are feeling hopeless today, please get in touch with us. We have more than enough hope to share with you:
🌐 https://freshhope.us
✉️ info@freshhope.us
09/30/2025
🍂☕ It is a good day to start a good week! — Take a moment for a small, physical reset to create a moment of peace anytime you need it:
1️⃣ Unclench your jaw: Seriously, let your teeth separate.
2️⃣ Relax your shoulders: Drop them away from your ears.
3️⃣ Stretch your body: A simple, easy reach or twist.
4️⃣Take a deep breath: In through the nose, long exhale through the mouth.
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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!
