Category Archives: gifts

Tightrope Theology

Posted on July 1, 2017 by

As a person with a mental illness, it seems my issues are a matter of extremes.  Life seems uncontrollable; the wheels seem to always ready to come off of the wagon.  It strikes me as a semi-crazed place to be.  I look at the “norms” … Continue reading →

Posted in battle, believer, Bible promises, bipolar disorder, blessings, broken believers, brokenness, bruised mind, conflict, confusion, delusions, depression, devotional, discipleship, encouragement, endurance, failure, faith, following Jesus, giftedness, gifts, glory of God, God, grace, helpful, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lessons learned,, life lessons, lost causes, mental illness, mental or physical illness, mood swings, obedience, personal comments, pleasing God, ragamuffins, rascals and strugglers, rest in God, scars, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, spiritual thirst, transformation, trials, trust, understanding, Very helpful, walking, weakness, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

God’s Authentic Artisans

Posted on April 15, 2017 by

Sculpture is 3-D art. It can be made with marble, glass, metal, wood, plastics. It can be carved or cast, welded or painted. There can be sculpture using light, sound, water, kinetic (moving), land art, and environmental enhancements. It’s just … Continue reading →

Posted in alert, art, artwork, believer, Bible, confidence, creation, creativity, Creator, devotional, discernment, discipleship, encouragement, giftedness, gifts, grace, helpful, honor, lessons learned,, life lessons, meaning, mental illness, ministry, obedience, personal comments, pleasing God, rest in God, servanthood, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, special, spiritual lessons, strength, taste and see, transformation, truth, understanding, Very helpful, wisdom, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Apples of Gold

Posted on February 28, 2017 by

“The right word spoken at the right time        is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.” Prov. 25:11, New Century Version I’ve been thinking about this particular verse for years.  I had an older translation and I … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, alert, believer, Bible promises, blessings, broken believers, Bryan's comments, cheerfulness, complete surrender, contrite heart, cynicism, devotional, discipleship, encouragement, faith, fault finding, following Jesus, gifts, God's dealings, grace, humility, kindness, lessons learned, life lessons, love, ministry, oblivious, personal comments, rascals and strugglers, rashness, regret, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, sin, spiritual lessons, tongue, understanding, Very helpful, wisdom, words | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Should I Take Medication? by John Piper

Posted on February 1, 2017 by

What’s Your Take on Christians Using Antidepressants? by John Piper In the end I’m going to say that there are times when I think it is appropriate, but I want to go there cautiously and slowly, with warnings. Depression is … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, believer, blessings, bruised mind, contributor, darkness, decisions, depression, despair, despondancy, devotional, discernment, discipleship, faith, following Jesus, gifts, grace, hope, interview, Jesus Christ, John Piper, manic depression, medications, mental health, mental illness, moods, outside source, personal comments, presence of God, quite useful, ragamuffins, rascals and strugglers, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, stigma, understanding, Very helpful | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

When Others are More Gifted Than You

Posted on October 3, 2016 by

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.” 1 Corinthians 12:4, NLT “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, attacked, bad doctrine, believer, body life, brokenness, christlikeness, church, church life, comfort, devotional, discipleship, encouragement, envy and jealousy, giftedness, gifts, glory of God, grace, helpful, Holy Spirit, honor, humility, Jesus Christ, lessons learned,, life, life lessons, personal comments, pride, protection, quotes, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, supernatural, teaching, understanding, Very helpful, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are There Benefits to Being Bipolar?

Posted on September 23, 2016 by

Originally Published on July 20, 2010 in “Psychology Today” Let me start by acknowledging what is well known: Manic Depression or Bipolar disorder can be a devastating illness. Affecting at least 1% of the population, it can, untreated, result in … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, believer, bipolar disorder, birds, broken believers, delusions, depression, despair, difficulties, giftedness, gifts, life lessons, madness, mental health, mental illness, ministry, outside source, personal comments, pleasing God, psychologists, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, understanding, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Still Figuring It All Out, [Hopeful Wisdom]

Posted on July 26, 2016 by

And I’m Still Learning I’ve learned — 1 that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them. I’ve learned — 2 that no matter how … Continue reading →

Posted in 2:00 a.m., advice, alert, Bryan's comments, clueless, discipleship, encouragement, faith, friendship, giftedness, gifts, glory of God, grace, guest teacher, hope, humor, imagination, internet, lessons learned,, life, life lessons, love, meaning, music, my limitations, outside source, peace, people, promises, quite useful,, quotes, regret, Serving Mentally Ill Christians, spiritual lessons, transformation, truth, understanding, Very helpful, wisdom, writer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments