January 2018 revised in October 2022 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot […]
Read More...EXCERPT FROM A FIRM PLACE TO STAND (PAGE 198) – MARJA BERGEN (2008) In the introduction to his book, No Man is an island, Thomas Merton said that loving ourselves properly is “desiring to live, accepting life as a great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of […]
Read More...October 2015 For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be. Romans 5:2 (TLB) Do you ever feel that there’s so much […]
Read More...Many people would call me stupid. Why would a person diagnosed with a shameful condition like borderline personality disorder (BPD) want to let everyone know about it? She must be crazy. But you see, I don’t believe there’s a good reason to be ashamed of BPD. I’m a person like any other. My illness is […]
Read More...I believe that by openly talking about an illness to which shame is normally attached, that sense of shame will be greatly reduced.
Read More...June 2018 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:22-23 I had thought I was a good person. I always tried to be. Like other Christians, I tried to follow […]
Read More...Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 Let’s pause for just a moment: So far, you have seen three significant people who came into the early part of my adult life. There will be more. Note how the emergency room […]
Read More...Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 It would have been so healing if I could have been forgiven for who I am—a person with mental illness. Wouldn’t the attitude towards me have been kinder? […]
Read More...When we tell the truth, a truth that needs to be known but that no one wants to hear, we’ll most likely lose friends—possibly a lot of friends. We’ll be ostracized. That’s what happened to Jesus. And that’s what happens to people who call out for Jesus’s truth to be heard today. With pain […]
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