Category Archives: despondancy
Poetry of the Broken
Last Saturday I purchased a wonderful find at Powell’s Books (Portland, Oregon’s own homegrown new and used bookstore) – a used book called “Invisible Light: Poems about God” – for only $4.50. And it is in excellent condition. It is a collection of poems by various poets, some well known and some not so well known, [...]
Sorting Out What is Real
It’s a terribly cold, gray day here in Alaska. Very typical for the end of November. Just as typical is that I have had a heaviness descend on me, just like when the fat kid sits on the little kid at the bus stop. This grayness seems to be a premonition, I feel, of what I face trying [...]
Overcoming the Darkness: An Interview with Philip Mitchell
Professor Mitchell, what is the difference between being depressed and just feeling bad about yourself? Sometimes it’s easy to tell the difference; sometimes you’re not certain. I look for clinical indicators of depressive illness:whether the person’s life is becoming impaired by these bad feelings, when it’s starting to interfere with people’s sleep, appetite and weight, [...]
Psalm 42, The Message for the Frazzled
This particular Psalm is often used by Christian therapists quite often in session. It strikes a wonderful chord for those afflicted with mental illness and the myriad of issues we all have to deal with. For me personally, it is a powerful anti-depressant and reading it cleanses me. I copied this selection from Eugene Peterson’s “The [...]
When is Suicide the Solution?
There are times, difficult times when we are maneuvered into a place where we start to think that suicide is an answer. There is a certain mechanism to it, almost an art, which has a limited “air-time.”. But I have several suicide attempts to my credit. Once in a psych ward (and being watched 24/7) [...]
Depression Deceptions
Bryan’s Note: On many occasions I encounter someone teaching on a blog that communicates so well that I think about doing a re-post. Today is one of those days. So, here is Pastor Winsor’s exceptional article on depression. I hope that his perspective will bless you and give you a deeper understanding of this mental [...]
Peanut Butter, Hot Lunch and Dreams
Warning: Rambling post, very tedious. Don’t operate heavy equipment for two hours after reading this post. I grew up in a big, brick house in Northern Wisconsin. Our beautiful home hid our desperate poverty, and it was quite difficult. My father and mother scraped by enough each week to feed and clothe us. But just barely. Mom would [...]
11 Warning Signs of Depression
By Stephanie Trelogan, Caring.com senior editor Copied from http://www.caring.com/articles/depression-signs# Is it really depression or just a case of the blues? It’s not always easy to tell the difference, especially when an older adult has what seems like good reason to be depressed, such as a chronic illness or loss of a loved one. But depression [...]
This Special Place, Where it is Always Christmas
“This Gospel anticipates a world far different from C.S. Lewis’s Narnia,where it is “always winter, and never Christmas.” But the promise of the Gospel is that it is “always Christmas.” To be “in Christ” is to enjoy each morning as a Christmas morning with the family of God, celebrating the gift of God around the tree [...]