Glen has a new book OUT TODAY! It’s 6 months of undated devotional thoughts that take you through the Old Testament. (In the new year, they’re bringing out the New Testament volume). Each day you get a little taste of the goodness of Jesus and over the course of a whole year you can see the bird’s eye view of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If you’ve been watching Reading Between the Lines on Facebook or YouTube you know …Read More
Here’s another brilliant guest post from Sharon, who’ll be releasing an AMAZING book on mental health next year. (Details to follow). Thank you my friend! Unforsaken: Bringing God’s love to a friend in the Mental Health Inpatient Unit “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 When someone is admitted to a Mental Health Inpatient Unit (sometimes still known as the psychiatric ward), it can feel as if they have really hit …Read More
This morning, my daughter was building the world’s biggest rocket out of lego bricks. It was all going brilliantly, until the very last piece. As she placed it on top, we watched it wobble and come crashing down. There was a two second pause when I held my breath… before she let out an ear-ripping howl and vowed never to build anything else, ever, ever EVER again. My daughter moved on, with a little help from Bruno Mars. But when …Read More
Huge thanks to T for sharing her story, in this brave and honest guest post. I first got a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) about 10 years ago. It was in many ways a relief, as there was finally a single condition that covered the different, seemingly disparate, symptoms that I had battled with over the years. It also validated the reality that the feelings and thoughts that often threatened to overwhelm me, and led to destructive behaviours, …Read More
Remember that Jesus comes for failures. He’s not shocked by this and neither does He condemn you. If you come to Him He will forgive you and restore you and redeem even your mistakes, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32). Look to Jesus. The greater your sin, the greater the cross that carries it. Yes, you’ve messed up – (and worse …Read More
What it is Also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder, (EUPD). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that makes it hard for sufferers to know themselves, control their feelings and impulses and relate to others. It’s called ‘borderline’ because in the past, mental illnesses were categorised as ‘psychoses’ or ‘neuroses’ and it didn’t fit into either category. What it’s not a myth chosen by sufferers untreatable How it feels: a disturbed sense of identity (not knowing who you are …Read More
Have you ever had your picture painted? It takes a gifted artist to capture a true likeness; but most of us will never have this experience. But what if you could? And what if, instead of having your portrait painted in oils, you could have it painted in music instead? That’s one of the ways that Epiphany, a group of Christian musicians, serve others. With their instruments and voices, they use improvised music as a means of creating a ‘sound …Read More
Today’s brilliant guest post is from Beth, who is a talented blogger and mum to two children, (a son adopted, and a 14-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome). Thank you, Beth for sharing your wisdom. … “Can I sit with my friends?” It sounds like a typical question from a teen. It was from my 14 year old daughter with Down Syndrome. I looked at the row of girls that my daughter was pointing to. I wondered, “would they welcome her joining their …Read More
I’ve been asked to do a video on good mental health habits; and I’d love to get your wisdom. Here’s some of mine; Talk it out – don’t bottle it up. Expressing feelings can be a big struggle for lots of us with MH issues. Sometimes it’s a trigger, (you feel bad, but don’t know why; you don’t have anyone to talk to; you learned that negative emotions are ‘bad’, so you look to other ways to ‘speak’ such as …Read More
Provide small group settings so that people don’t feel overwhelmed – both within church services (e.g. at prayer gatherings or events) and mid-week, (home groups, socials etc). Give events as much structure as possible, (unstructured social time is especially stressful for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, (ASD)) Let people know in advance (website/service sheets/notice-board) what to expect from services (including communion), and events. This helps to provide a sense of safety and minimises the stress of the unknown. Service leaders …Read More
