Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Christian support (page 3 of 17)

When pastors are too kind . . .

DON’T SET US APART In February 2018, I had the following article published by Church for Vancouver. I mentioned how Sanctuary Mental Health ministry was helping churches show God’s love to individuals with mental health challenges through Living Room. Unfortunately, later that year, Living Room was removed from its mandate and only two or three […]

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Not our work, but God’s

FOLLOWING JESUS  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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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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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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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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And I thought I was so humble!

HUMILITY I journaled the following in 2022 when I was staying at a retirement home while my husband was away on a holiday. Writing it helped me see the flaw in my thinking. It was a good exercise to stand back and examine my motivations. God helped me see the truth about myself. I believe […]

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