In our last couple of posts we've been looking at Paul's advice to the church at Corinth, and to the church in general, about how Christians ought to serve each other. In the context of picturing the church as a construction project, Paul wrote: And each one must be careful how he builds. For no …
Continue reading "Building up the church – what are you building with?"
In our last post we saw that both Jesus and Paul describe the church in ways which make it clear that Christian faith is not about an exclusive relationship between you and God. Christian faith is about the church as a collective - more than that, as a family - having fellowship with God through …
Continue reading "Your relationship with God – what is your contribution?"
In the West today, many of us tend to take a rather individualistic approach to life. What does this mean? It means simply that if you live in the West you are more likely to see yourself as an individual - with your own private life and thoughts and feelings and freedoms and experiences - …
Continue reading "Your relationship with God – what it isn’t and what it is"
Our second example of a Bible character who may have suffered from some form of depression again takes us to the Old Testament. Saul, son of Kish, was the first king of Israel. He was chosen for this position by God when the Israelites demanded to have a strong military leader like the other people …
Continue reading "Bible characters with symptoms of depression: King Saul"
Are there any characters in the Biblical narrative who suffered from some form of depression? While we cannot know for sure, it's possible to identify some of the symptoms in at least a couple of men from the Old Testament. One is Elijah the prophet. He was one of God's spokesmen while King Ahab and …
Continue reading "Bible characters with symptoms of depression: Elijah"
If you have a friend or family member who you know is suffering from, or at least in whom you can recognise some of the symptoms of, depression, what can you do to support them? As I have already stated, I have no professional expertise in this area and only personal experience to speak from. …
If you yourself are aware that you suffer from depression, or if you have recognised some of the symptoms within your own thoughts and feelings, what can you do? The first thing is to speak to someone who can help. It's unlikely that this will be easy for someone in your position, but if you …
Continue reading "Bearing each other’s burdens: how can you start to overcome depression?"
What is depression? The simplest definition I can come up with is: a mental illness that negatively affects the way a person feels, thinks and acts. What are some of the symptoms? feeling sad or down or hopeless.loss of interest or pleasure in activities one used to enjoy.change in appetite, weight gain or loss unrelated …
Continue reading "Bearing each other’s burdens: what does depression feel like?"
As we in the UK approach the end of a fourth month in lockdown, restrictions are being relaxed and the number of COVID infections and death appears to be steadily declining, yet we are by no means out of danger. Even those who have not been infected may have found themselves at risk in other …
Continue reading "Bearing each other’s burdens: when social isolation takes its toll"
The last few posts have reminded us that all Christian behaviour should be motivated by a desire to enhance God's reputation and to demonstrate self-sacrificing love for others. Needless to say, that isn't always easy. Nobody likes to make sacrifices. We are always tempted to find a way to look as if we've done something …
Continue reading "What are we without love? No virtue without sacrifice"
Nihilist to Christian