Bethel Music founder Brian Johnson released a new book this week about his battle with panic and anxiety attacks but admits that the project almost never saw the light of day.
In a series of social media messages promoting the new book When God Becomes Real, the worship pastor revealed that he almost quit writing the book on more than one occasion.
“This book is the story of my life from the time I was 7 years old to now. It covers my experience with panic and also tells the Bethel music story,” he wrote on social media. “I quit writing this book twice cause I’m not a fan of ‘whoa is me’ stories but at the same time it was important to tell the real story start to finish to help others. This is why I wrote this book.”
For Johnson, it was important to share his story of victory.
“The terror I experienced was real and the miracle at the end was very real,” he wrote. “The real story is the victory of Jesus and how it played out in my life @bethelmusic#whengodbecomesreal.”
In his book, Johnson revealed that he was hospitalized after having a nervous breakdown for six months. In a promotional video for the book that has been posted on the Bethel Music YouTube page, Johnson spoke about the importance of speaking up about depression.
“Our culture often teaches us to man up instead of admitting that we’re hurting or feeling any pain. We were designed to feel the pain and bring it to the father,” he said. “That’s what Jesus did. He felt the pain and laid it at the Father’s feet. That season of darkness had opened my eyes to the reality of a better way. It was in that darkness when God became real.”
(Photo: YouTube/screen grab)