IN THE NAME OF JESUS When first getting to know us, love might be hard to show without first understanding . But do show kindness. Show you care, as you would for anyone who isn’t feeling good about life and about who they are. Yes, we who struggle need kindness most of all. If we […]
Read More...IN THE NAME OF JESUS You have probably heard me say the following before, but it bears repeating. Much is being done to reduce stigma. But reducing stigma is not nearly enough. Something important is being overlooked. The voices of those who are to benefit, those with lived experience, are not being heard. And it’s […]
Read More...ACTION REQUIRED The pain caused by stigma can no longer be ignored. It needs to be addressed by all who care. All who want to follow Jesus are called to be involved in a supportive care ministry—a ministry to serve the stigmatized people of today in the way Jesus once cared for those the world […]
Read More...IN THE NAME OF JESUS When I consider the many who receive unjust treatment, the collective amount of pain is huge! The resulting damage done to their sense of self-worth and ability to lead a meaningful life is considerable. So good that God carried me through to where I am today, where I can share […]
Read More...IN THE NAME OF JESUS More than anything, I’d like to help caregivers understand what it’s like to experience the pain caused by stigma—to get into the heart and mind of the sufferer. Only then will they know how important it is to fill their needs. But the one who wants to give care needs […]
Read More...LIVING ROOM Something I found in a blogpost from April 2011: My thoughts have been going back lately to the Good Friday service exactly five years ago in 2006 when my pastor invited me to read a bit from my not-yet-published A Firm Place to Stand. With the reading I shared some of the emotional battles I […]
Read More...What can happen when we – through Jesus – bring healing to people living with mental health challenges? Along with us, they will grow in faith. They will gain hope for a better future. They will be more confident, feeling better about themselves.. They will have the courage to try new things – to grow. […]
Read More...People with mental health challenges live with the following: They are looked down on, They are not understood, Their truths not believed, They are shunned, rejected, excluded, They are made to feel ashamed, Their intellect is often underrated, Their opinions not respected. They are not taken seriously in the way well people are. This should […]
Read More...HEALING THE WOUNDS OF STIGMA Help with our mental health has come from many areas of the secular world. The medical profession and mental health professionals help us deal with symptoms of our illness. We have medications. We’re taught coping skills. We have counselors to listen to our day-to-day problems. But none of these […]
Read More...July 2017 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can […]
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