CATEGORY: Depression and Faith
The Awesome Power of Encouraging Words
May the true story that follows help you to see the heart-massaging power of well-timed words. Five Special Words That Sunday, the adult class teacher covered a chapter in 2 Timothy. He knew the material well, had a solid handle on timeless truths in...
A DEPRESSION-PRONE PREACHER’S THOUGHTS ON DEPRESSION
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) The renown preacher and pastor in England was known in his day as the "Prince of Expositors." Numerous books that he published remain in print, including commentaries, devotionals and an informative volume titled Lectures To My...
“But God”: The Ultimate Encouragement!
"But" is a conjunction with impact. It precedes a contrary opinion, or introduces a stark contrast to the start of a sentence. The term qualifies or completely negates what precedes it. "I know I promised we'd get away this weekend, but my boss expects this project...
What Does Depression Mean for My Faith?
How can she pack so much helpful information into a 60-page book? I pondered that question after reading Dr. Kathryn Butler's What Does Depression Mean for My Faith? (Crossway, 2024). And that page total includes Footnotes, Recommended Resources and a Scripture...
Praying In the Dark
Dear Heavenly Father, Right now, despair envelops me. Hopelessness makes me think I'll never smile or be happy again. It's as if there's a high humidity in my heart that leaves me gasping for breath, sapping my energy, draining me of motivation for things I...
A Prayer To Christ When I’m Tempted
I learned a long time ago that Satan is relentless with his temptations. None us ever reaches a state of invulnerability to his lures. No matter how long we've been a Christ-follower, or how long we've served Him faithfully with our time and gifts, the evil one...
The Scandalous Grace of Forgiveness
Have you ever thought, "Christ couldn't possibly forgive what I've done!"? Do you still feel guilty over a sin you repented of years ago? Is it difficult to forgive yourself, even though you acknowledge Christ's forgiveness? As a Christ-follower, do you engage in...
Is God Only Good When He Does What We Want?
The speaker offered a brief testimony before delivering his Bible message. "This week, a driver failed to yield the right of way to my wife and rammed into her head-on. But neither she nor the other driver were badly hurt. It could have been disastrous! Isn't God...
What If You Only Had One Year To Live?
Imagine you have one year to live. What difference would that knowledge make in how you live those 365 days? What would you do differently? What would you add to your schedule? What would escalate in importance? What would you drop from your daily or weekly...
Do You Forget To Remember?
If God whispered to you, "I am the God who______________," what would He be pointing to in your past that He's urging you to remember? Forgetfulness: A Threat to Vibrant Faith In multiple Old Testament books, this oft-repeated start of a sentence leaves an...
When Did The First Christmas Happen?
A Christmas Meditation that Will Encourage You and Inspire Worship When was Jesus really born? When did He die? Before I address those questions, I'll provide a context for considering the when. Why The First Christmas? At Christmas, we celebrate the...
What Would I Do Differently In How I’ve Handled Depression?
What untapped strategies for handling depression might have mitigated symptoms if only I had implemented them earlier in life? What decisions could have softened the intensity of symptoms or resulted in fewer episodes of depression? Here are my reflections. ...