Anxiety and depression are among the two most common mental health conditions today. Social stigma is still attached to mental health and sufferers can be under pressure to hide their condition. While good medical treatment and care are often necessary, what place does faith have in aiding recovery?Drawing on Jesus' own suffering on the cross, the author shows how hope, prayer, forgiveness, closeness to God and an understanding of his plan for our lives can act as powerful lifelines. There is a rich selection of considered, practical tips to aid readers, and a resource section with helpful contacts and recommendations on further reading.
Depression is so common that it has been described as 'the common cold of psychiatry'. It is particularly difficult for Christians - there is often a feeling that Christians 'shouldn't' get depressed, and that it and anxiety are the result of a poor or damaged relationship with God. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO FEEL LIKE THIS is an empowering and practical response to such common feelings. In the style of a workbook, with constant reference to the Bible, and the example of Jesus, it helps the reader to understand why they feel the way they do, and to draw on God's love and grace to find a path through depression and anxiety. The authors are all Christians, and experienced counsellors and psychiatrists.
Bracing and honest, Finding Quiet will validate the experiences of believers with mental illness, remind them they are not alone, and provide reassurance they can not only survive but thrive again. In May 2003 prominent philosopher, author, and professor J. P. Moreland awoke in the middle of the night to a severe panic attack. Though often anxious by temperament and upbringing, Moreland had never experienced such an incident before. Thus began an extended battle with debilitating anxiety and depression. More than a decade later, Moreland continues to manage mental illness. Yet along the way he's moved from shame and despair to vulnerability and hope. In Finding Quiet Moreland comes alongside fellow sufferers with encouragement and practical, hard-won advice. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly 20 percent of Americans suffer from mental illness, and people in the pews are not immune. Moreland explores the spiritual and physical aspects of mental illness, pointing readers toward sound sources of information, treatment, and recovery.
A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.
Twice as many women as men will experience depression sometime in their lifetime, and episodes for women are likely to start at earlier ages, last longer, and recur more frequently, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Many women are given medication to treat the disease, but medication alone does not always address the underlying emotions which trouble the mind and spirit. Counselor Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dr. Laura Hendrickson provide biblical guidance on how to balance medical intervention with biblical encouragement.
The church's relationship with depression has been fraught, and we still have a long way to go. Drawing on her own experience with depression, Diana Gruver looks back into church history and finds depression in the lives of some of our most beloved saints, telling their stories in fresh ways and offering practical wisdom both for those in the darkness and those who care for them.
God has spoken hundreds of promises over your life through his Word. From compassion to confidence, provision to protection, and forgiveness to freedom, his promises are for all people and all time. They reflect his character and his ultimate plan for you. Prayers & Promises for Life incorporates seventy different themes to help you find inspiration in the promises of God’s Word. Uplifting prayers and questions offer an opportunity for deeper reflection. When you’re so busy you can hardly think straight or you’ve lost your joy, peace, or purpose in life’s uncertainties, let the promises of God breathe life into your lungs and hope into your heart. Experience underlying joy and peace as you connect with your Father who cares deeply and loves unconditionally.
In this encouraging book, Chip Ingram reveals how readers can meet God in the midst of their most difficult circumstances. Chip's candid discussion, personal stories, and solid guidance will allow readers to move from "knowing about God" to profoundly experiencing his presence and power in their lives. Whether they're struggling with rocky relationships, unexpected crises, depression, or injustice, Finding God When You Need Him Most will remind readers that the Lord is faithful to hear their heart's cry and will be there for them, time and again.
Pray A-Z: A Practical Guide to Praying for Your Community will help you topically organize your prayer requests and lay the burdens of your community at the feet of our Heavenly Father. Whether you are praying for a friend's adoption journey, a neighbor's bankruptcy, or a family member's cancer, this book will give you Bible verses, prayer prompts, and prayer starts to guide you through praying for even the most difficult issues that affect the people you know and love. Perfect for either individual or group prayer, Pray A-Z will help you experience the peace that comes from communicating with God.
2023 College Theology Society Best Book Award 2023 Catholic Media Association Third Place Award, Theology – Morality, Ethics, Christology, Mariology, and Redemption 2023 Association of Catholic Publishers Second Place Award, Theology Dust in the Blood considers the harrowing realities of life with depression from a Christian theological perspective. In conversation with popular Christian theologies of depression that justify why this suffering exists and prescribe how people ought to relate to it, Jessica Coblentz offers another Christian approach to this condition: she reflects on depression as a wilderness experience. Weaving first-person narratives of depression, contemporary theologies of suffering, and ancient biblical tales of the wilderness, especially the story of Hagar, Coblentz argues for and contributes to an expansion of Christian ideas about what depression is, how God relates to it, and how Christians should understand and respond to depression in turn.
