Let’s look at the last three common misconceptions we may have about those who are depressed. Misconception: It’s shameful to discuss mental illness openly. Reality: Church community should be a safe environment for people to discuss mental health without judgment. Sadly, some Christians can be very judgmental about mental illness, but that is not a biblical response.
Read MoreSometimes when I am not feeling my best, either physically or emotionally, I become very self-accusatory. I’m hard on myself. Perhaps you have experienced the same thing. “I need to just kick myself in the pants and get going!” In thinking more about this I think it is based on a common misconception: Misconception: Depression
Read MoreIn the next few blogs I will be addressing two areas of the “troubled heart” …namely depression and anxiety. We all have “blue” days when we are a bit melancholy or lethargic. It’s common to the human condition. But the rates of people reporting longer term depression and anxiety has significantly risen in the post-Covid
Read MoreToday we look at the Third Principle that Jesus teaches us about dealing with our anxiety. Principle #3: My Anxiety is Related to My Trust Level in God After Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, the disciples and Jesus embarked on a ministry trip so that Jesus could teach His disciples and model for
Read MoreIn our continuing look at Troubled Hearts, we looked at the first principle Jesus teaches us about anxiety. This week we look at the Second Principle. Principle #2: My Anxiety Reflects My View of God Tim Keller writes, “Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong.” How
Read MoreMy sister-in-law works in a medical clinic and recently I asked her what health problem do the doctors there deal with the most. Her reply didn’t surprise me. She said that anxiety and depression are the biggest issues. Now, everyone worries. Everyone has a problem with anxiety. Despite the fact that we generally think God is against
Read MoreI want to continue this week on the topic of a troubled heart. Especially…worry. Do you ever get overcome by worry? Do you get anxious about the future? Does fear creep in and overtake your thoughts? Trust me, you are not alone. If you are human, you have been there. We can go from 1-100
Read MoreIn the next few articles I’m going to focus on: Worry, Anxiety, Depression…basically “troubled hearts.” Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, but believe in me.” Well, for me at least, that’s often “easier said than done.” Jesus says these words to his disciples. And you might
Read MoreFor the first part of this story, see my previous blog post! So what happened between the two brothers and the shotgun? They forgave each other and it had amazing results. The brothers felt like brothers again. The original shotgun was returned to the brother to whom it was promised. But…the brother refused to take
Read MoreHow do our personalities contribute to our ability to forgive others? My brother and I are alike in many ways. Most probably because of a combination of genetics and identical upbringing. But in a few ways we are quite different. In the positive, my brother is more organized, tends to be a bit more thorough
Read MoreLast week we learned what forgiveness IS. Now let’s take a look at what it IS NOT. In Rick Warren’s well-known book, The Purpose Driven Life, he explains that many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiving others must be immediate, whether or not a person asks
Read MoreImage by Klára Hlaváčová from Pixabay As Spring nears we begin to see the stirrings of new life. My tulip bulbs are about 2 inches through the topsoil now…and I hear birds chirping in the morning. I like the Season of “fresh starts.” In our relationships, there is no better way to start anew than
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