Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Month: January 2018

The best medicine of all

  I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27   I […]

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Celebration

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150   It’s not spring. Not yet. But amid these grey days, I’d like to bring back a memory that often returns to me. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Some time ago I passed a bed of springtime flowers, a beautiful splash […]

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He lifts me up

  I waited patiently for the Lord;     he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2 Do you ever get swamped by ugly feelings and […]

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“But”

  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6   Good thoughts always follow bad. At least, I’ve found it so. And, in that we find God’s goodness. Again, and again. Though life is not always […]

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“If you can keep your head”

…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 “If you can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” I read the […]

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Thanks be to God!

And I will still be carrying you when you are old. Your hair will turn gray, and I will still carry you. I made you, and I will carry you to safety. Isaiah 46:4   All’s well. What hurt at one time is forgiven, pain forgotten. peace and kindness restored.   Confusion accepted by loved […]

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Doing what I don’t want to do

  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do […]

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Searching in the wrong places

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 Have you ever searched for love and found yourself in the wrong place? You looked where you thought God might live – where you thought you might find his warmth. How you longed for someone kind to know […]

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14. Healthy relationships with our supporters

Taking control: creating our own boundaries What can a person like me – a person who sometimes feels rather “small” – do when no boundaries are given? I wonder how many of you who are reading this feel “small’ like this? Small in your eyes. We too often forget that God does not see us […]

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13. Healthy relationships with our supporters

Our pastors as supporters Ministry leaders are often the most affected by the needs and demands of people with mental health issues in the church. They tend to be kind-hearted with great willingness to help those who are suffering. For them setting boundaries in the spiritual care of these people is especially important. Someone I […]

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