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 […]
Read More...MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS My Story 2007 was a busy year for me: developing the broader Living Room ministry, facilitating my group, helping individuals in crisis. I was also doing the big work of pioneering mental health awareness in the Church through much speaking and writing, which included writing the book, A Firm Place to Stand. […]
Read More...ITS GREAT FLAW Much Is being done to teach would-be supporters about various forms of mental health challenges. Yet I see a great problem with this. To put the primary focus on people’s mental health needs is to take away from seeing them as the people they are—people just like you and me. Those […]
Read More...HEALING THE EFFECTS OF STIGMA Introducing a booklet that will show you how. This 48-page book follows upon the recent publication of my book, In the Name of Jesus: Spiritual Support for Mental Health Challenges, which shows the pain and suffering of those who have been stigmatized because of their mental health challenges. It shows […]
Read More...A FIRM PLACE TO STAND (2008)- EXCERPT If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths you are there. (Psalm 139:8) The last straw, the final thing that started my mind working overtime and threw me into a dangerous mood disturbance—was my renewed recognition of the […]
Read More...In my roller coaster blog I wrote the following on November 8, 2011: Tomorrow I take part in Sharon Smith’s lecture at Regent College, speaking to upcoming pastors. Sharon is the founder of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. I will tell them what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder. I will describe what my life […]
Read More...GROWING Written in my blog, in November 2009: My moods continue to go up and down. And when I feel ok, it’s as though I’m walking a tightrope, trying to maintain my balance so I don’t fall one way or another. Amazing how many symptoms there are to watch out for. And each time one […]
Read More...THE CHURCH, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND US Jesus came to love and to heal those who are sick. And that should be the Church’s role. Teaching about mental illness is good, but it does nothing to remove stigma or discrimination. It does the opposite. It only serves to point out how our disabilities make us different […]
Read More...DISABILITY AS A GIFT As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. […]
Read More...HISTORY BOOK PROMOTES CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM Author Marja Bergen had many reasons for writing her recently-released book, Justice for All. The primary reason was to instill confidence in those who need encouragement to be all they can be—those who want a more meaningful life. The book looks at the stories of twelve of history’s […]
Read More...© 2024 Marja Bergen
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