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A Firm Place to Stand
Release date: July 19, 2008
Trade Paperback, 220 pages, ISBN: 978-1-897373-45-3
A Firm Place to Stand is a must-read for Christians who struggle with mental health challenges and the faith communities who minister to them.
For too long, society has misunderstood and feared individuals who live with mood disorders. This book dispels the lingering stigma attached to mental health conditions and encourages people to lovingly welcome the sufferers into congregations by understanding them better and supporting them in practical ways.
Most importantly, for the sufferers themselves, A Firm Place to Stand shows that it is possible to have a mental disorder yet be close to God and derive strong support from a growing relationship with Christ.
In her sincere and candid style, Marja Bergen reflects on her forty-two years with bipolar disorder, showing how faith in God can help a person with a serious illness turn weakness into strength. She describes how God transformed her from an insecure, withdrawn person into a leader, an activist, and the founder of Living Room, the growing Christian support group for people with mood disorders.
An excerpt from A Firm Place To Stand
"I’m not sorry for myself, though I may sound it at times. These moods are difficult to bear and I do everything I can to avoid them, but in general, life is good. I must live with this disorder and I’ve learned to accept it. I am not angry at God for having made me this way. I would not be who I am without it. Every episode has had an impact on me. Every time I recover, I find I’ve learned a little more about life. My faith grows. Each time, it’s as though I go through a fire, am tested and survive – a stronger person than before."
– Harold G. Koenig, M.D.A Firm Place to Stand is a significant contribution to building understanding about mental illness in the Christian community. Marja Bergen speaks candidly from over forty years of experience. Her story helps Christians learn to empathize and to give support to those who suffer from mood disorders.
Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor of Medicine
Duke University Medical Center
– NancieYou wrote so well and expressed so much of what I am going through or have gone through. Thank God for using you and your book to encourage me.
– Grant Mullen M.D., Mental Health Physician, author of Emotionally FreeIn A Firm Place to Stand, Marja Bergen cuts through the stigma and misunderstanding of psychiatric disorders to present a victorious story of how she has lived a satisfying faith filled life while coping with bipolar disorder. Having discovered how to combine medical and spiritual therapies, she is now teaching individuals and churches how to create healing communities for these very common conditions. It is an enjoyable and informative read for both mental health consumers and those who care about them.
– John Toews M.D., Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, Associate Dean, CME for the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, author of No Longer Alone: Mental Health and the Church.Marja Bergen has written a wonderful book, full of insight and faith. She understands both bipolar disorder and the Christian faith from the inside, and thus becomes a compassionate guide for those who want to discover a faith that supports us through both our difficult and happy times. The sustaining spirit that guided this work is revealed in her own words, 'When I seek God daily with an open and sincere heart, God\'s spirit is present in all my creative work.' A Firm Place to Stand is a gift to Christians who struggle with mental health issues.
– LJThe honesty you show in your book gave me the courage to be honest in church. It gave me the courage to stand up in front of the congregation and share about my own situation with bipolar disorder.
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Buy from Woodlake Books
Riding the Roller Coaster
Trade Paperback, 154 pages, ISBN: 978-1-897373-45-3
– Peter Griffiths, Rural RootsIt is excellent material, and presented simply and clearly. From her reading, research, and most importantly, her experience of living, Bergen has put together short writings on different aspects of depression and bipolar disorder, and in a very readable format.
This book needs to be read by sufferers of depression and mania, as well as by their family and friends. I also wish that psychiatrists who treat people who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder would hand out a copy of this book along with their prescriptions. If they did, they would be surprised to find out how much more effective the medications would become.
– BGI just finished devouring your book Riding the Roller Coaster and wanted to tell you how helpful it has been to me. I have struggled with unipolar depression (and fibromyalgia) for over 20 years and until now I have blamed myself for every single episode. You changed my thinking about it. Thank you!
