Category Archives: caregivers

Our Great Physician

February 19, 2012 · by · in affliction, brokenness, caregivers, death, disease, fibromyalgia, healing, Jesus Christ, Linda Kruschke, medications, miracle, poetry, rest in God, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, sickness

I wrote this poem the other day for Thankful Thursday on my own blog. Knowing that many who visit Broken Believers struggle with illness and pain, I thought this would be good to share here as well. There are plenty of cracked clay pots around this place, and God is in the business of using [...]

What’s Your Pain Number?

January 15, 2012 · by · in affliction, caregivers, disease, fibromyalgia, frustration, Linda Kruschke, pain

If you have fibromyalgia, suffer from migraines, or have some other chronic pain illness, I think you can develop a skewed view of pain. Then when you go to the doctor because of some new or acute pain, and they ask “What’s your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?”, I wonder if [...]

Out of the Blue: The Remarkable Role of the Caregiver

January 6, 2012 · by · in advice, believer, bipolar disorder, caregivers, counseling, depression, encouragement, hope, listening, mental illness, personal comments, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, suicide, understanding, Very helpful

~Dedicated to my lovely wife Lynn, who cares for me so well~ How can I help a friend or relative who has bipolar disorder? If you know someone who has bipolar disorder, it affects you too. The first and most important thing you can do is help him or her get the right diagnosis and [...]

Counseling Others

November 14, 2011 · by · in believer, brokenness, caregivers, counseling, crisis, discipleship, hope, humility, Jesus Christ, mental illness, personal comments, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, Very helpful, wisdom

by Bryan Lowe In the last several months, I have grown very skeptical of my own ability to give out sound counsel.  For the most part I have refrained from doing so, and rather have attempted to introduce them to the wisdom and love of Jesus.  Its like a triangle; Jesus, them, and myself occupying each corner.  [...]

Rainy Day People: Counseling Others in the Storm

September 10, 2011 · by · in believer, caregivers, comfort, compassion, counseling, depression, despair, discernment, discipleship, gentleness, giftedness, Jesus Christ, mental illness, personal comments, psychotherapy, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, understanding, wisdom

“Rainy day people always seem to know when it’s time to call, Rainy day people don’t talk, they just listen till they’ve heard it all. Rainy day lovers don’t lie when they tell ‘ya they’ve been down like you. Rainy day people don’t mind if you’re cryin’ a tear or two.” – Gordon Lightfoot, 1975 [...]

24/7 Crisis Lines

January 23, 2011 · by · in alcohol and drug abuse, anorexia, autism, believer, binge eating, bipolar disorder, Borderline, BPD, bulimia, caregivers, children, counseling, crisis, crisis hotlines, cutting, depression, despair, difficulties, drug abuse, dual disorders, failure, faith, GAD, gay, mental illness, mixed states, dysphoria mania, mood swings, OCD, pain, panic attacks, paranoia, PTSD, runaways, SAD, schizophrenia, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, sexual abuse, suicide, talk therapy, teens in crisis, Very helpful

List of Hotlines–1-800 Phone Numbers In general, hotlines have three things in common: 1) they are available to call 24/7 2) they are 100% confidential 3) they are free Here’s a list of hotlines that may help you in whatever situation you find yourself in: Christian Counseling Services-General New Life Clinics 1-800-NEW-LIFE National Prayer Line [...]

Improving Your Serve

September 3, 2010 · by · in believer, caregivers, devotional, discipleship, ministry, personal comments, servanthood, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, understanding

Improving the Way You Serve One of the weightiest issues of caring for a mentally ill spouse, child, or friend is that it is so dang relentless.  The disease is so unpredictable, in its intensity and its spontaneity.  You think you have the situation in hand, and it breaks out somewhere else, and often in [...]

Combat’s Hidden Toll: 1 in 10 Soldiers Report Mental Health Problems

June 9, 2010 · by · in alcohol and drug abuse, caregivers, depression, hospitalized, mental health, PTSD, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, suicide, understanding, Very helpful

Soldiers Report PTSD Symptoms and Other Mental Health Problems   By KIM CAROLLO ABCNews Medical Unit June 9, 2010 Even though he’s retired from active military duty, CSM Samuel Rhodes still suffers from deep emotional wounds. “I had to take this afternoon off from work today because of anxiety,” he said. “And sometimes, if I’m [...]