Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Category: Day by Day (page 4 of 29)

It is well with my soul

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3 At the last Living Room meeting in Burnaby, someone […]

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How much land does a man need?

Jesus told the following parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store […]

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The door is open to all

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT I’ve focused a lot on the needs of people with mental health conditions for spiritual support via Open Door groups. But today I realize that in the situation the world is experiencing today, there are far more people who could use such support. Open Door could offer opportunities for all of us—to voice […]

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The man who turned the world upside down

. . . WITH HIS LOVE – Along with the rest of the world I’m deeply distressed about what is happening in the United States—and the whole world. And some of the people who are most being affected are those I care about—people with mental and physical disabilities. They are people who are being cared […]

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For those who worship others

  HIS LOVE IS FOR ALL His unconditional love is extended to all, and it is this love upon which the Open Door is founded. Everyone is welcome to enjoy it. Followers of Christ should be the first to rejoice in seeing their Lord’s love spread out to all who need it, even to those […]

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As they saw him

At Open Door it is not necessary for participants to accept the divine nature of Jesus as the Son of God. They most need to hear about the man he was 2000 years ago during his ministry on earth. Simply the man who did and said wonderful things—the man who was kind and spent time […]

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SPIRITUAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

WHAT IS IT? Spiritual mental health support had its beginnings in 2006 when I founded the faith-based Living Room peer support ministry. This was at a time when the Christian Church knew very little about mental health and those with symptoms were often made to feel ashamed, told that there was a problem with their […]

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Caring – Jesus’ way

The following piece was written from the perspective of a person needing care. Have you ever needed care in the way this person did? How would you like to have someone like the Samaritan looking after you? Can you imagine how good it would be to have someone like him—someone so much like Jesus—taking care […]

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Part 14 – He turned the world upside down

LIVING ROOM’S OPEN DOOR When we decide to follow Jesus, we are called to be like him. To do what he would do. To say the kinds of things that he would say. To love as he loved. But how could we possibly emulate a person as remarkable as Jesus? Many of us feel inferior […]

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Are you a wounded healer?

LIVING ROOM’S OPEN DOOR – In his book, Faith and Mental Health, Harold Koenig, M.D. wrote that mental illness could be viewed as a gift. “It can sensitize the emotionally or mentally ill person to the pain and suffering of others, uniquely equipping them with the insight and ability to help.” Through our own needs […]

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