All Who Are Weary: Easing the Burden on the Walk with Mental Illness

by Emmy Kegler

We live in an age uniquely attentive to the problem of mental illness. More than half of us will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in our lifetime. It has been easy, for centuries, to relegate persistent emotional and mental struggles entirely to the realm of a failed personal work ethic ("Just don't worry so much!"), not enough faith ("Just pray harder!"), or, in recent years, a chemical imbalance in our brains ("Just take this pill!"). Yet, for those of us who live with mental illness, none of these suggestions provides the quick relief it promises, and the continued struggle takes its toll on our already burdened hearts and minds.

In All Who Are Weary, Emmy Kegler joins the reader on the long walk of reflection, understanding, and compassion, calling followers of Jesus back to ancient practices of lament, vulnerability, honesty, community, and hope. This book is not a map to a cure, nor a perfectly restorative prayer. Rather, Kegler joins the reader on the long walk of reflection, understanding, and compassion. Written with a wide community in mind--patients, but also parents and partners, coworkers and friends, pastors and therapists, and the whole church--All Who Are Weary points to the embodied grace known in Jesus, trusting in the promise of a lighter load for all.

Genres: Psychology, Theology, Self Help, Spirituality, Mental Health, Church, Faith

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Emmy talks about mental illness here, because she pushes back all the "shoulds." So many of us grew up (and still live) in spaces that tell us that there's one right way to do everything, especially when it comes to faith.

Emmy's approach in this book is to lay out possibilities and ways that different approaches can be integrated. She says, "It is not my interest to tear down experiences...that have been sustaining or salvific for other people and communities" (pg 40), because, "In the same way that Jesus' incarnation and his miracle healings were multifaceted, so too are the most successful treatments for mental illness" (pg 48). So sometimes that means prayer AND therapy, or medication AND sacraments. There's no one right way to be healthy that works for everyone, and that's okay.

[Bekah Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful resources for the church to know how to best care for those whose mental health is a battle. It provides great tools and conversation starters as well as thoughtful questions to consider if you or someone near you is experiencing a mental health struggle. It's broken up by type of mental health issue. Emmy scatters in personal stories from her mental health journey as well as examples for how she has cared for people in her church community. Some of this content may be preaching to the choir, but if you want to know about how you personally and your church community can care for those who struggle with mental health, this is a good starting point.

[Corina Dulecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that the church has needed for a long time, because sadly, mental illness is still taboo in a lot of Christian spaces.. Emmy Kegler comes at this topic with both lived experience and a wealth of biblical knowledge. People with mental health diagnosis who read this book will feel loved and valued while those close to them will come away with more empathy and better understanding. When the symptoms of mental illness weigh you down, the kind gentle message of this book will be something you can turn to again and again.

[Rachel | All the RAD Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

my sweet friend @pwor14 sent me this one and it was the most timely gift! so thankful friends who are in ministry too and get it, and who also know what it’s like to battle for good mental health in the midst of it all. 🤍

this book was both deep and wide, covering all kinds of mental health struggles with kindness, care, honesty, and a refreshingly inclusive and relevant perspective.

not all of it applied to me, but clearly based on the tabs, much of it did, and it was comforting and encouraging while also giving me language and better ways to love others i know going through their own battles.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for faithful people seeking to be more sensitive and compassionate as we seek to accompany people on their journey with mental illness. Emmy Kegler brings wisdom and graciousness to difficult topics, offering critique for where the church has failed and solutions for how to do better. She is an astute theologian, handling biblical passages skillfully and thoughtfully. Each chapter ends with helpful reflection questions (to practically guide caring, real-life conversations) and recommended resources for further learning. Read it all at once or each chapter as you may need. Highly recommend!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly, glory day, hot damn--as someone working on a MA in mental health counseling at a Wesleyan seminary, I think this should be required reading for everyone even thinking about counseling at my institution. I want to buy a copy for almost everyone I know.

And, yet, Emmy Kegler might as well have written this book just for me. As someone with a long interest (and a degree) in psychology, who loves people, who loves Jesus, who has been burned by the Church, and longs for justice and truth to have far greater presences in the world, this book was a balm to my soul and a salve for old wounds.

It's also a great introductory text to several of the categories of the current Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and I think helps one begin to integrate such information--and Kegler's lived experience as someone with mental illness and someone who has helped others in a pastoral capactity--with Scripture. And it calls on the Church to do better.

I love, love, love it.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what we weary people need going into 2022. For those with mental illness, those walking alongside loves ones with mental illness, and those pastoring their people with mental illness, this is an excellent and encouraging resource.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing about many popular progressive clergy today is that they are fundamentally just reactionaries against the (valid) issues they had with 1990s white evangelist culture. But they don’t necessarily bring anything valuable to theological discussions outside of dispelling certain harmful beliefs that a lot of people have already moved past.

With that in mind, I’m sure there is an audience for this book that will find it revelatory and helpful. I suspect most readers, though, will find it a collection of banal platitudes and a 101-level primer on mental health basics. That alone brought it down to three stars, but the chapter on suicide went beyond banality and felt like it could be actually harmful.

Even in a genre as bad as “books about mental health”, I wouldn’t recommend this.

[Julie Tonnesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By sharing some of her own thoughts/feelings/experiences as a pastor AND person who struggles with mental health, Emmy does the important work of destigmatizing these conversations and offering her readers a soft place to land. Particularly recommend this one to faith leaders and those whose journey with mental health has not been held with love and care in the church. This book is a great entry point into a complex and multifaceted conversation, and I’m grateful to Emmy bringing it up and getting it in front of us.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this book so much. Emmy writes with grace and lets her full Biblical nerd self shine through! As a longtime listener of a podcast she is a part of, I loved being able to hear this in her voice. The “questions to ask” piece at the end of each chapter was incredibly tender and smart. I appreciate this work deeply.

[Nicki Pappas · Rating 5 out of 5]

In All Who Are Weary, Emmy Kegler compassionately and vulnerably weaves personal narrative with biblical exploration to show how we can ease the burden on the walk with mental illness. She also included questions to ask and further reading at the end of each chapter. Emmy’s pastoral heart and the words she penned continue to be gifts to the church. I highly recommend All Who Are Weary.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great primer for someone trying to understand mental illness and reconcile Biblical stories that sound like they could be mental illness. I loved the "questions to ask" at the end of each chapter that someone can use to support someone struggling.

[Abby Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an encouraging read that centered around modern day justice with those walking with mental illness. While I do feel like this book would’ve been better suited for a book club or a group read, it was still insightful as an individual.

[Riley McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emmy gets all the credit for talking about so many important issues related to mental health that a lot of pastors avoid mentioning or even discussing.