Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Christian support (page 1 of 17)

The power of faith-based confidence – part two

OVERCOMING INJUSTICE AND LOW SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH GOD’S PERSPECTIVE Guest blogpost by Sharoon Jamil The Healing Process: Grit, Grace, and God Let’s be honest: healing your confidence is slow work. It’s not just reading a verse and suddenly feeling empowered. It’s: Unlearning the lies you internalized when you were young. Rebuilding your voice after years of […]

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Do not be afraid

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS I want to tell you a story about Joshua. When God was preparing him to cross the Jordan River into the land He would give him, He said to him: Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your […]

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“Do it for me”

Photo by Abdullah Habib LET’S NOT DELAY A Rohingya man in a camp housing over a million refugees prepares breakfast for the vulnerable during Ramadan. The King was asked: “When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in […]

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Rohingya in dire need

Photo by Ro Miyanot Ullah Dear friends, I feel bad, knowing that I am letting down my personal contacts with the Rohingya refugees by not helping them with the many financial needs they have asked me for—noticing that their contact with me has dropped. They have lost faith in my ability to truly help them. […]

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The immense value of peer support

MENTAL HEALTH AND THE CHURCH It’s wonderful how much work is being done to raise mental health awareness in the Church today. At the beginning of this century there was so much ignorance that individuals with mental health issues were leaving their churches because of the hurt inflicted on them by fellow Christians who told […]

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The immense value of peer support

FAITH-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT Christians and their churches in Canada have been learning about mental health—the various illnesses and how they present themselves in those who live with them. They learn to accept and support the individuals in their church who live with such challenges. They learn how to respond to their needs. But have […]

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Listening, caring, and compassion

CHRISTIAN SUPPORT – In her book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna Weaver relates Robert Boyd Munger’s story about how he showed Christ around his house room by room. When they got to the drawing room they both liked it best and decided to meet and start every day together in this room. They […]

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Part 7 – Teach us to love

LIVING ROOM’S OPEN DOOR – Jesus was a radical in the way he treated social outcasts like prostitutes, the poor, the sick, lepers and others. He treated them in a way that was completely contrary to social conventions of the day. Christ’s love brought a sense of dignity and value to those on the margins. […]

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Part 4 – Thinking of being a facilitator?

LIVING ROOM OPEN DOOR – Have you had thoughts about facilitating a Living Room group? Perhaps you would like to share how your faith has helped you live with your mental health problems. You may have learned coping techniques that you would like to pass along so that the people in your group could learn […]

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Part 3 – Our peers give best support

Tulips at Keukenhof Gardens in Holland LIVING ROOM’S OPEN DOOR – All members of the Living Room Open Door faith-based peer support groups, including the facilitator, have suffered, or are suffering from mental health issues. It’s this commonality that pulls them together. Groups are not led by professionals and don’t offer clinical therapy. They don’t […]

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