Episode 11
Do People Like Me Ever Get Better?
WHEN YOU CANNOT SEE THE JOY
Tim spent years in pastoral ministry loving Scripture, prayer, worship, and the work God had given him. Then, almost overnight, his world became dominated by fear, sadness, anxiety, and depression.
In this conversation, Tim shares what it was like to keep serving while feeling almost completely empty, why depression became a lens that distorted everything he saw, and how God met him with unexpected reminders of His presence.
Jon and Tim also talk about therapy, medication, prayer, suffering, honesty with God, and the hope that comes from believing God can redeem what feels irredeemable.
The question underneath the whole episode is one Tim once asked in an emergency room: “Do people like me ever get better?”
Tim Buchanan
Episode 11
Tim spent about fifteen years serving on pastoral staff before moving into ministry with the Activated team, where he now helps care for other church and ministry leaders.
In this conversation, he speaks candidly about depression, anxiety, pastoral ministry, and how suffering reshaped his understanding of God, himself, and the people he now serves.
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In this conversation
01
WHEN DEPRESSION ARRIVED
Tim describes the rapid descent from enjoying life and ministry to severe anxiety, sadness, exhaustion, and eventually asking whether people like him ever get better.
02
MINISTRY WITH NOTHING LEFT
Tim reflects on continuing to pastor when he had almost nothing to give and learning to depend on the Holy Spirit instead of his own reserves.
03
CARING FOR THE WHOLE PERSON
Tim explains why he does not separate mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health—and why his approach includes prayer, therapy, medication, exercise, and practical care.
04
WHAT SUFFERING CAN PRODUCE
Looking back, Tim describes humility, intimacy with God, compassion, and greater capacity to care for hurting people as fruit that emerged through a season he would never have chosen.
05
BRING THE REAL YOU
Jon and Tim talk about bringing anger, despair, confusion, and uncensored honesty into God’s presence instead of pretending to be someone they are not.