Marja Bergen

author, mental health advocate, follower of Christ

Page 82 of 143

Rejection at church

In the previous post I talked about how some people with mental health problems go home after church with feelings of rejection. I confess, that happened to me many times in past years. Often those feelings of rejection led to depression. I don’t know whether I’m different than I used to be, but in the […]

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Good came from bad

Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. Romans 8:28-29 (PHILLIPS)   […]

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Forgive them, Father

There came a time when the entire truth surfaced. Pain intensified and anger did as well. All that had been her life, the present and the past, stolen. Multiple betrayals. Reputation destroyed. Mental health damaged. Jesus told us to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) She had obeyed as […]

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Search me, God, and know my heart

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me […]

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Who’s to be believed?

  Very sad, but very true. Too many, even those close to her, question the truth of her story. And I wonder, how can a hurting person possibly convince others when wrongdoings have taken place behind closed doors? How can a person with mental health issues possibly defend herself against a powerful leader – a […]

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Praise God

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

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Beauty, please?

Lord, I’m doing exactly what I know I shouldn’t. Thinking of the past. Writing about it. There’s so much that is wrong. So much that’s evil. Please help me forget, Lord. Please turn my mind and my heart to beauty. To love. These are the tulips I’ve been photographing. They’re still in the vase, but […]

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Our new song

  I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of […]

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My church history – 2005-2016

  I’ve spent much time trying to write my Living Room history. There’s a lot I haven’t covered and, as I’ve said, I would like to move on. But I do want to leave this capsulated form of my history. It offers a clearer overall picture of how things went for me. 2005 or so […]

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He came for the lost

  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 tells us that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. Wealthy – almost certainly because he had […]

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