I want to help you in your time of trouble. I really do. My heart burns for people suffering, for all suffering, for myself in times of illness. I long to answer the question “Why?” I wish I knew the words that would make everything all right, that would explain why we suffer for no […]
Review: Religion and Suicide
November 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
This is a review of the research paper “Religion and Suicide: An exploratory study of the role of the Church in deaths by suicide in Highland, Scotland” by Harriet Mowat, Cameron Stark, John Swinton and Donald Mowat (2006). I haven’t been able to locate a copy online, although the University of Aberdeen has a summary […]
#Headroom conference
November 5, 2012 by 7 Comments
Note: I may have got some of the details wrong about speeches – I was transcribing on the day so if you think something sounds weird, it’ll be me not them! These are my recollections, any mistakes mine! Well, I’m back from my trip up to Edinburgh. I went to attend the Premier Mind and […]
“It’s Ok, You Can’t Help It”
October 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
Remembering a comment my mother made some time ago when I was depressed has made me think a little. She said, “We didn’t know whether you were ill, or just being unpleasant.” It led me to question how much responsibility I really bear for my behaviour when I am ill. It is true that my […]
On the Road to Emmaus
October 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
(Luke 24:13-35) The story of what happened to the disciples Cleopas and an unnamed other on the road to Emmaus in Luke’s Gospel is quite a famous one. The scene is just after the crucifixion – Jesus has, apparently, died. His followers are bereft, and they don’t know what to do. Verse 17 says they […]
Is it a Sin to Take Medication?
October 19, 2012 by 1 Comment
Some people, if you say that you are suffering from a mental illness, will tell you not to take medication. Some say that the drugs will make you worse, that you will be addicted, that you should be able to “man up” and deal with whatever you are experiencing. Some Christians who believe this will […]
Review: God’s Will for Your Healing
October 11, 2012 by 3 Comments
“God’s Will for Your Healing” Gloria Copeland (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1972) I have to say that this is not my sort of book at all. Gloria Copeland, and her husband Kenneth, are prosperity gospel teachers. That is to say, they are charismatics who believe that God wants all believers to be healthy […]
Forgiveness and Mental Health
October 8, 2012 by 2 Comments
The Bible speaks frequently of forgiveness. Jesus taught that we should pray “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12) and explains, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your […]
10 Ways to Cope with Depression
October 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
Including Scripture references. Seek medical assistance. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Mark 2:17) If you are sick mentally, then you need to speak to a doctor, and follow the treatments they give you. This may include medication, therapy, or both. Look beyond. “This too shall pass.” Christian […]
Do Not Worry
October 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
In my life, I fight a constant tendency toward anxiety. I worry about things both rational and irrational, and sometimes those worries twist in me and produce nasty depressions. I have been searching my books for biblical examples of anxiety, and I found an interesting sermon outline in “Sermon Outlines on the Sermon on the […]
Believer's Brain 