Encouraging Songs in Troubled Times
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Lights of Hope in Times of Darkness – Encouraging Songs in Troubled Times

I tried many different ways to show these videos, and doing a playlist on YouTube ended up being the easiest way. Whatever you’re going through, I hope these songs bless you. The first song in this set means so much to me. It’s called “You Alone” and this version is by The Sisters. I first…

Codependency and Christ: A Reflection on a Reflection 
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Codependency and Christ: A Reflection on a Reflection 

In the cold, gray quiet of a January morning in 2015, I was sitting on my couch … weeping. I held a paperback book in one hand and wadded up corner of a blanket in my other that I was using to muffle my sobs so I didn’t wake anyone. It was a messy cry…

3 Ways to Shine a Light into the Darkness
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3 Ways to Shine a Light into the Darkness

The fear comes at night when the lights turn out. I can feel the darkness as a tangible sadness. It feels real, the darkness of depression. Sometimes it feels like a weight on my chest. Other times it feels like a heavy fog, clouding my thoughts. Most of the time I can’t breathe. Under the covers,…

Why I Need to Trust God When I Suffer
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Why I Need to Trust God When I Suffer

As a small child, I was terrified of storms because I thought each one carried a tornado in it. When the storm warnings would come on the T.V., the atmosphere around me was one of fear and anxiousness, so by default, I picked up that energy. I would suffer through intense fear because no one reassured me…

Praying Scripture: A Light unto My Path
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Praying Scripture: A Light unto My Path

There is no question that life is full of mountain top highs and deep valley lows. It’s easy to trust God from the heights, but what about those valleys? Where do we turn to for hope when we find ourselves shrouded in the darkness of difficulty? I believe there is only one source of true…

Why I'm Free to Wear Shorts in the Light
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Why I’m Free to Wear Shorts in the Light

I put on shorts already this year. It’s back to being cold, because that’s what New England life looks like, but that’s not noteworthy. That happens almost every year; a few warmer days, a few colder days. God must get a kick out of the prayers of sun those in Massachusetts pray for. But the…

Glorifying God in the Darkness of Depression
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Glorifying God in the Darkness of Depression

The darkness of severe depression seems opposed to life in a God who is Light. Can God be glorified in and through the darkness of mental illness? Stigma Depression pulls us into ourselves. We lose our capacity to enjoy life, and meaningfully interact with others. Sadness gives way to apathy. Hopelessness seeps in, and can devolve into despair. How…

My Depression Fighting Regimen
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5 Heavy Hitters in My Depression Fighting Regimen

As most of you know, I’ve fought depression since I was a teen. Then hormones added PPD for each of my babies. Now, after all these years, I know my depression is closely tied to something called PMDD, which means Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It’s like PMS on steroids. And one of the biggest problems with…