Missing the Miraculous–churchkins and Jesus

Notes from sermon (8/22)
Churchkins Agin
Luke 13:10-17

I. Interrupted

What do you see when you see someone? Are other people obstacles or opportunities?
I was trying to head up the stairs at the Kaiser WC parking garage, but there was a line of people traffic trying to come down. The holdup was an older woman with a cane.
I [...]

Can godly people get depressed? Missing point

there’s not going to be time this Sunday to include this point in the sermon. But I think it’s important enough to post…
Elijah’s bout of major depression. Lacking health insurance and available psychiatric care God sends a messenger—an angel—to take him through the process of healing. (Incidentally, God always seems to send a [...]

Depression, Sailing, Heaving to, too

We were at the early stages of a 60 mile crossing of Lake Huron on a very windy day. Those who have never sailed the Great Lakes think of them as quiet little ponds with no threats and little challenge. Those who have sailed them know that some of the worst sea conditions on the [...]

Almost too late

“I stood there with a handful of pills ready to end my life…”
One of the most insidious aspects of emotional depression is the way our brains begin to process/interpret our reality.  Instead of being rational and objective our minds literally begin looking for a reason to validate how badly we feel. Everything is skewed.  A [...]

the Jesus prayer

Been talking to a lot of people about depression, anxiety, ptsd, etc. these days. One person was telling me about how when she’s stressing her breathing becomes faster and faster. Someone else has the opposite problem. When this person stresses they just stop breathing.
I told them about the ancient practice of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord [...]

From the Inside Looking Out

Does any of this sound familiar?
“It feels like one of those movies where time stands still except that instead of being the only one who can move while the others aren’t  you’re the one frozen in numbness. ”
“It feels like you cannot move like you can’t get your brain to do what you want to [...]

Success!

25 servants, 60 cars, countless blessings!  The absolutely no donation accepted car wash was an incredible experience for those who served and those who were served.  I think of the guy who asked me why we were doing this–not taking donations. “We just want to serve our community in the name of Christ,” I told [...]

Guilt and Depression and the brain

Research using fMRI (functional brain imaging) has positively linked guilt and depression.
“The brain region we have identified to be associated with proneness to guilt has been shown to be abnormally active in patients with severe depression in several previous studies, but until now its involvement in guilt had been unknown.”
more info: http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/08/26/brain-scans-show-depressions-link-to-guilt/2826.html

Depression Symptoms

Here’s a ton of material on what to look for when trying to figure out depression…
Signs & Symptoms: Collected
descriptions from NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), Mayo Clinic (WebMD quotes Mayo); DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Health Disorders, IV edition)
NIMH
What are the signs and symptoms of depression?
People with depressive illnesses do not [...]

Visible Love

THIS SATURDAY, 9-12 No Donations Accepted Car Wash!
Imagine selfless love made visible. Imagine a car wash that wasn’t really a car wash.  Imagine the shock to those who are told, “We absolutely will not accept any donations.”  Imagine the power of a team of people reaching the community in a simple act of love (like [...]

Next Page »