AN IMPOSSIBILITY? Think of this: Many Christians seem to have lost track of what Jesus’ message was. They forget that he was a radical—a revolutionary—wanting to change the status quo. He taught forgiveness. He taught us to love our enemies. He taught us not to be judgmental. He ate with fraudulent tax collectors, prostitutes, and […]
Read More...OVERCOMING THE EFFECTS OF STIGMA: a revolutionary idea for this world of today: The pain of medications, coping strategies, and other world remedies cannot heal the ingrained wounds of stigma. The pain of rejection, shunning, exclusion, feelings of shame, and being looked down on, can only be relieved through spiritual means. Overcoming the Effects of […]
Read More...In the Name of Jesus: Spiritual Support for Mental Health Challenges I’ve been talking about this book for such a long time, but was surprised yesterday that it was only released by Amazon on April 26th. The description on the back cover reads: Medications, coping strategies, and other world remedies cannot heal the ingrained wounds of […]
Read More...REJECTION – AN EXAMPLE OF SPIRITUAL FOOD – Some devotional material does not necessarily comfort or encourage, but helps us gain understanding about Jesus—a perspective we might have missed. I wrote the following in 2018. It could very well draw readers closer to him as they see him as a kindred spirit who knows their […]
Read More...JESUS THE FOUNDATION I was reading a journal entry from May 31, 2010, and read what I have repeatedly written there. “I wouldn’t be afraid to die—but before I die I want to build Living Room into something firm and strong. With its foundation being Jesus Christ—all he is and was. All he showed himself […]
Read More...MY NEED FOR HIS COMPASSION – MY STORY – Part of my personal journey with stigma: I learned the excruciating the pain of being considered a good and faithful servant of God for many years, and then suddenly to be treated as “evil.” I learned how hopeless it is to report a wrongdoing to authorities, […]
Read More...SHARED COMPASSION Weeping with another person is love at its most powerful—especially when that other person who shares with us is Jesus. It’s compassion going two ways—flowing from Jesus to us and from us to Jesus. It’s a fellowship. There’s comfort in it. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she […]
Read More...LIVING ROOM – MY STORY We called the group “Living Room,” a name coined by Dr. John Toews, a proponent of better church support who inspired its organization. The founding of Living Room became an outreach project in partnership with the Mood Disorders Association of BC (MDA), who trained us how to facilitate. We advertised […]
Read More...UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – Psychiatrist Harold Koenig, M.D., in his book, New Light on Depression, wrote: “Love—unconditional love—is the ultimate long-term antidote for depression, for at its core love is connected with faith and hope.” I’ve liked that statement ever since I first read it. I have found out how important it is to have the love […]
Read More...STIGMATIZED . . . STILL? MY STORY 2011 was a busy year for me as a mental health advocate, offering quite a few speaking engagements, something I welcomed, even though I was sometimes nervous about it. I’m just so very grateful that God has given me the passion and the desire to speak. So grateful that […]
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