Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Month: June 2024

We are not victims

PEER SUPPORT – As most of you who read here know, I’m working on behalf of individuals who live with mental health challenges. I’m trying to help those who don’t understand what it’s like to live with stigma, to better understand how they could help heal the pain caused by stigma. It must be stated […]

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With thanks to New Life

MY STORY – From my journal, written in 2006, as the plans for Living Room were unfolding: My disorder had made a regular job impossible for me. I had never dreamed of doing anything like forming such a group. I had never heard of faith-based support groups addressing mental health problems. This was a brand-new […]

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Living Room and Sanctuary

MY STORY – A network of faith-based support groups sprung up, starting in 2008, only a couple of years after I founded Living Room in 2006 at Brentwood Park Alliance Church in Burnaby. It had the potential to be a huge ministry, but I could not carry it forward. I was glad to have the […]

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Teach us to love

 FOLLOWING A RADICAL JESUS – SPIRITUAL SUPPORT Dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus’ sermons; but this caused complaints from the Jewish religious leaders and the experts on Jewish law because he was associating with such despicable people—even eating with them! Luke 15:1-2 (TLB) Jesus was a radical in the […]

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My forgotten story

CHURCH AWARENESS As a result of the many painful things that happened to me, the good parts of my story that occurred in the years between 2000 and 2015 have been forgotten. I led a vibrant life during those years, accomplishing much. Speaking and writing, raising awareness in the Christian Church. It made a difference. […]

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Misdiagnosed with bpd – my tragedy

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING – PART TWO – Imagine, having something very important to tell someone, but you’re not listened to. There are nine symptoms that determine whether or not a person has BPD (borderline personality disorder). I had only three, but still received the diagnosis. It was official—put in my chart. And I believed […]

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Jesus knows – He hears

SPIRITUAL FOOD – Please share this with a friend who can’t forget their pain. They talk and talk about it till we get tired of hearing it. I pray that this writing will give them the comfort they long for. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalm […]

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He came for the lost

SPIRITUAL FOOD – Please share this message with someone who feels lonely or doesn’t feel good about themselves. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:5-6) The Bible […]

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I wish he would hear me! – part one

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING To listen to others is to be shown the respect every human being deserves, even if a person does have bipolar disorder. Not to be heard indicates that you’re not considered to matter. From my blog, on March 9, 2012: I’m delighted. My new medication has helped me stabilize well. No […]

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Have you ever . . . ?

AN EXAMPLE OF SPIRITUAL FOOD – Try sharing the hope this psalm describes with a friend who’s suffering through a time of darkness – a darkness that seems it will never leave . Waiting patiently – trusting and hoping – can cause things to happen that would be hard to imagine while in the dark. […]

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