Welcome to Loving Life with Faith and Mental Health. I'm Dave Quak—nice to meet you.

Over the next four weeks, we’re going to explore what it looks like to live fully alive in Christ while navigating mental illness. And just so you know from the start—I’m not speaking from theory. I’m walking this road too. I live with bipolar disorder.

You’ll hear more about that as we go, but in short, bipolar is a condition where you fluctuate between extreme highs and lows. I’ve been diagnosed for about six years, but if I trace back through my adult life, I can see the signs reaching back much further.

We’re filming here on the beautiful Gold Coast at Palm Beach, and this course is all about discovering how to thrive in your faith and your mental well-being.

Let’s be real—mental illness sucks. It’s hard. It’s complicated. You can feel misunderstood, judged, even like an outsider in church settings. But what I hope to do through this course is help you hold both your faith and your mental health in the same hands—and learn to flourish in both.

Just a heads up: I’m not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical professional. Any advice I give is general in nature. But I have been a pastor for 20 years, and I’ve worked with loads of people dealing with anxiety, depression, OCD, and more. And here’s what I know—every single one of them is made in God’s image, and He cares deeply for them.

And if we support each other, we can all grow.

🛠️ How the Course Works

Each week starts with a short teaching—about 10–12 minutes—where I’ll introduce that week’s theme. Then, each morning, you’ll get a short one-minute clip we’re calling Tea Time.

What does Tea stand for? That’s up to you:

• Maybe it’s literal—grab a cup of tea.

• Maybe it’s for your T-break (toilet time—let’s be honest, most of us are watching something on the toilet anyway).

Whatever works. Just take that minute to connect.

Alongside the videos, there’ll be journaling prompts and simple activities to help you engage and reflect. Like anything in life, the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.

🌱 What to Expect

Over 28 days, I believe your faith will grow, your relationship with your mental health will shift, and you’ll be encouraged that God really is for you.

If you want to explore more, check out sunburntsouls.com or listen to our podcast, Sunburnt Souls, on all major platforms.

Thanks again for joining us. I’m pumped for the journey ahead.

God bless—
See you tomorrow.