About the Book

Book: Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward

Author: Chris Morris

Genre: Christian Living / Mental Health

Release date: June 11, 2024

God cares deeply about you and your mental health. Author and mental health advocate Chris Morris has battled depression and suicidality his entire adult life. Even coming to Christ didn’t change this, which is something many fellow Christians don’t seem to understand. He still had to face the grief of unrelenting illness, the shame of struggling, and the pain of poor guidance.

In this compassionate and engaging book, Chris shares how he overcame these challenges and invites you to do the same–no matter your diagnosis. Weaving biblical truth and personal stories with thoughtful strategies and hard-earned wisdom, he helps you move past fear and shame to combat the specters of depression and suicidality.

God is still there, even in the darkest of places. May this book be a step in the process of healing and help you find hope in your battle.

Includes reflection questions, Scripture meditations, and a bonus video course.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Chris Morris is a certified mental health coach dedicated to promoting understanding of mental health issues within the church. Because of a lifelong struggle with depression and suicidality, Chris became committed to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging others to seek after holistic health.

As a writer and speaker, Chris has shared his personal story and insights with audiences across the country, inspiring many individuals to take control of their own health, break free from poor theological teaching placed upon them, and seek the support they need. He has published several books on mental health, the most recent being Resilient and Redeemed. His work has been featured in a number of media outlets, including CrossWalk, The Mighty, and Fathom Magazine.

Chris is deeply committed to creating a more compassionate and supportive world and church for individuals living with mental health issues. Through his writing and speaking, he is a powerful voice for change and a beacon of hope for those in need.

More from Chris

Resilient and Redeemed is a book that the Christian community needs. For too long, those with mental health conditions have been forced to be shamed or to hide their struggles. Especially in a post-COVID world, mental health has to come to the forefront of the conversation. This book details in an unapologetic way my struggles with depression and suicidal ideations. The core message of this book is that God doesn’t write people off because of their struggles with their mental health. No, God is with us and for us no matter what.

Resilient and Redeemed is full of hard-won, battle-tested tools that will help people fight the battle for their mental health. There are no easy answers given, because no two mental illnesses present the same. Ensconced in story, this book gives a full toolbox of practices to support better mental health, ranging from how to find a counselor that will work for you to daily rituals that will ground your days and affirm your agency in your life.

I also put together a video series talking about resilience to accompany this book. As a member of the blog tour, you’ll gain access to over 40 minutes of me talking about resilience. We cover things like where does resilience come from, what does resilience have to do with faith, and so much more. I’m especially proud of the work I did for this video series, and I think you’ll find it incredibly valuable.

Interview with Chris

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was in high school, I had dreams of being a journalist. That’s not your typical path to publishing books, but it’s what started me down the path. I even went so far as to apply to USC for their journalism program, but God had other plans for me. Instead of USC, I went to a small Bible college and got my degree in biblical studies. This put my dream of being a writer on hold for a few decades.

It resurfaced in the early 2010’s, in the form of my first blog. It was charmingly named Sometimes Hope, and on there I chronicled my journey through being a special needs parent. I talked about a lot of the same themes I talk about now in the context of mental health—finding God when he seems absent, misunderstanding biblical themes about illness, and centering an often-dark life on hope in Christ. I quickly found a decent following, which encouraged me to update my blog and take my writing a bit more seriously. Chris Morris Writes was born.

I independently published my first two full-length books in 2017 and 2018, Perfectly Abnormal and Whispers in the Pews. Both books did quite well, and they led to me finding an agent. The rest, as they say, is history.

What are your favorite books to read?

I am a bit of a theology nerd, and I actually just graduated from seminary in case you needed proof. Most of the books I read are non-fiction books that center on making some abstract theological concepts very practical. A good example is Start with Welcome: The Journey toward a Confident and Compassionate Immigration Conversation by Bri Stensrud. This book takes the heady concept of welcome and applies it directly to the immigration conversation. Since I live in Arizona, a border state, this is a supremely relevant topic for me. I love the way Stensrud starts with the scriptural mandates around welcome and applies them to a conversation that matters today. This is my favorite type of book. I hope actually that my books are much the same type of book really.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

I have lots of ideas for topics that could be books. Sometimes even just a working title will pop into my head, and I don’t necessarily understand what the idea behind the topic is. I just store that away and remember to come back to it later. This leads to the hardest part of writing a book for me. I have to make sure that the idea I am in love with is actually a book-length idea. Sometimes what I initially think is a book is really just a blog series, and once in a while it’s just an article.

I have to carve out the time to outline an idea to see how much there is to it. No matter how hard I try, I’ve yet to be able to figure out how to determine the depth of an idea just by thinking about it. The very manual process of outlining the idea is what lets me know if it’s a full book concept or not. This is complex and sometimes frustrating, mostly because I’ve had some very excellent ideas turn out to NOT be book ideas.

Another related challenge that helps me figure out if I have an actual book idea or not is determining the felt need that this book idea might meet. In other words, what problem is the book solving, and is that problem broad enough to convince a publisher that thousands of people need to solve that problem? For example, with Resilient and Redeemed, the felt need is the combination of an expected tsunami of psychiatric disorders in a post-COVID world and the reality that the Church doesn’t deal well with mental illnesses. My book stands in the gap, coaching individuals, families, and church leaders how to support those who are struggling.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have written a total of 5 books. Okay, technically I have written 6, but one is really just an extended business card for my CPA business—I don’t really count that one.

Choosing your favorite book is like choosing your favorite child. It’s just not possible because you love them all. Each book I’ve written is a reflection of my heart for the season in which it was written, and I see myself in every book.

I will say that I am probably most proud of Resilient and Redeemed because I gave the most of myself into this book. In my other books, to a certain degree I have on my “expert hat,” where I am guiding people on a journey that I have already walked. With this book, though, I am simply sharing my journey. I have jokingly said that most people hide their skeletons in their closet, and so do I, but then I conduct tours of the closet in this book. I am proud of myself for talking so openly about the struggles and failures I’ve had alongside the successes. I think this makes my story more relatable.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

My hub for all things me is ChrisMorrisWrites.com. Joining my newsletter there is the best way to keep up with me. You can also find me on Instagram at @chrismorriswrites, on Facebook at @ChrisMorrisWriter, and once in a while on X at @CMorrisWrites.

Blog Stops

Vicky Sluiter, July 27 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 27

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 28 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, July 29 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, July 30 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, July 31

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 1 (Author Interview)

Through the Fire Blogs, August 2 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 3

Blossoms and Blessings, August 4 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 5

Stories By Gina, August 6 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 7 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, August 8 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 9 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, August 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Chris is giving away the grand prize package of a $75 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book, and an Audible copy of Whispers in the Pews: Voices on Mental Illness in the Church!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2dbd9/resilient-and-redeemed-celebration-tour-giveaway