Since the Bible is essentially the history of the heroes of faith and their interactions with God, you might assume that none of these titans of holiness were depressed in the Bible. Perhaps these heroes of faith might have been surrounded by depressed individuals, certainly they must have been …
17 Psalms for Depression: The Complete Guide
If you’re like a lot of people, you might feel like the Bible doesn’t have much to say about depression. Well, if that’s you, I’ve got great news for you. Because the Bible is composed of the stories and lives and experiences of real people who actually lived, these very real people experienced very …
What I Learned about the Church in a Psych Ward
Christianity and Depression I recently spent a week in a mental hospital. There. I said it. Family life had been a bit stressful, work was going well, and my side business was growing. Oh, and I was editing a new book about mental illness. But for the better part of a week, I realized I was not …
3 Myths About Chronic Illness Pastors Should Know
There are unfortunately pastors who believe it is not a high priority for them to understand the challenges of an individual with a chronic illness. But the truth is that how well you understand a chronic illness be the difference between isolation and community. Note that for this discussion, we …
Balance is Hard When You Have More Priorities Than Appendages
I remember the days when I only had one project to work on at a time. I zeroed in one thing and stayed focused until it was done. Whether a book draft, an analysis for my job, or a blog post, I could stay in my sweet spot until it was done. I was overreacting to the myth of multitasking. Did you …
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Broken Hallelujahs
Confession time: I don’t like most Christian music. I find it trite and disconnected from the challenges of daily life, as if we are not allowed to acknowledge struggles in our songs. I believe it is a symptom of the biggest lie we tell as Christians –we are all okay, all the time. Every once in …
Depression and Heavy Water Create a Warrior
The cursor won’t stop blinking. Even when I don’t look at it, I know it’s there. Mocking me for the empty page in front of me. I know every page starts empty, but I feel the mockery nonetheless. The lack of words proves the whispers in my ear – You have NOTHING to offer. This is what it feels …
Jamie Coots, Doctors Are Not God’s Enemies
Jamie Coots, a famous snake-handling preacher in Kentucky, died this past week due to a snakebite. Something about this story unsettles me. This is not because I have a history with snake handling pastors, and I don’t have any long-standing issues with reptiles either. Actually, it’s not even his …
When Life is the Roadrunner and You are Wile E. Coyote
Some days, life feels like the Roadrunner, smarter and faster than us. Quietly mocking our inability to catch up to it and feast upon it, no matter how many Acme products we use. It feels like we are hanging over the edge of a cliff, tenuously clinging to the branch of a tree that is slipping …
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Jeremiah, Droughts, Heat Waves and Thriving
Together we have looked at many people’s initial responses to the word THRIVE. I have shared why I am tired of overcoming. I even broke one of the cardinal rules of blogging. Before we go any further, let’s pull back for a different perspective. Truth is, only one Person knows what it really means …
What Sin City Taught Me About Honoring God
Less than 48 hours after celebrating the birth of Jesus with my kids, I left them at home and went to Sin City. I don’t regret it for a single moment, because I learned a lot about how to honor God with my life. It is never too late to have some fun There is a lie in the Christian world that says …
Saturday Musings — Rain Pour Down
For the past several weeks I have been writing Saturday Musings. I talk about pain and hummingbird and giants. If you want to read all of them, you can click here. But today, the topic is rain. It rained all day yesterday here in Phoenix, and started me thinking about rain. Rain is a …