The Obligatory New Year Post

We are nearly into 2013 now, so I thought I’d do one last post of 2012. Overall, I’ve had a pretty good year, and I thought I’d run through my ups and downs: Positive I have been mostly well this year, bar two dips (one around the time of my ESA tribunal, and another when […]

Merry Christmas!

Things have been a bit hectic here recently, getting ready for Christmas. Tonight, Christmas Eve, we are finally ready. The presents have been bought and wrapped, the turkey is cooking, the vegetables are ready, we are ready for Christmas day. Christmas can be a hard time for those of us with mental health problems. Amidst […]

Prayers from Time to Change

As I mentioned in another post, I recently came across some worship ideas from Time to Change (pdf). I really recommend looking through this resource as it contains prayers, readings, a suggested sermon and so on. I am being a little bit naughty here, as I’m going to reproduce some of the prayers they have in […]

Hope in Hopelessness

Writing a speculative piece for elsewhere earlier today, I described how I felt that God gave me hope during my worst illness, that when I came to believe in him, I felt a change. God is indeed our hope and our deliverer, and trusting in him makes things better. But not always. There are times […]

Biblical Figures and Madness

I have quite regularly heard those who argue against Christianity say that Jesus, Paul, and other Biblical figures were mentally ill. Indeed, there were people who thought that at the time they were preaching – Mark 3:21 records that Jesus’ family thought he was insane and in Acts 26:24 Festus accuses Paul of insanity. It […]

Fear Not

I have been meaning to write a little about Christmas. I know this can be a hard time for many, particularly for those who have little money yet see others feasting all around them, or few friends and family around them to celebrate with. There are, of course, also people who have lost loved ones […]

Skies Full of Promise – Some Prayers

I have recently found some excellent resources for something called “Blue Christmas” – services celebrating those for whom Christmas is not a happy time, those suffering, and those grieving. When reading some suggested services for this celebration (links at the bottom of this post) I came across some prayers which I thought might be helpful […]

To Touch, Or Not

When I was younger I had a marked fear of being touched, to the point where, if someone touched me unexpectedly, I would freeze up and be very uncomfortable. This presented some problems, particularly when I visited churches where the peace was exchanged and, especially, some of the continental churches were congregants kiss one another […]

The World of Mentalists Awards

Well, I have some more good news to share. The excellent blog, The World of Mentalists has awarded me Best New Blog jointly with The Maniac’s Path. Many thanks to the blog and to the lovely people who nominated me for the award. Do check out the blog as there are many other categories and much […]