Category Archives: Hidden Disabilities

4 thoughts on being a church leader with alcoholism

Bring your stories of redemption, we say. Your testimonies of sobriety are welcome here. But if you’re in the muck right now, we’d really rather you clean yourself up because we don’t really want to get dirty. Continue reading

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Dr. Karen Crum…10 Ways to Make Bible Camp Successful for Children with Autism and Related Challenges

Here are ten ideas for staff wanting to help children with autism succeed at a camp for typical kids. Continue reading

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Dylan Dodson: Can a Christian Suffer from Depression? My Story

Pain and grief were emotions created by God, you should not feel guilty for feeling them. Being depressed does not mean you no longer love Jesus or that Jesus no longer loves you. Continue reading

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10 ways to be a safe church for sexual assault survivors

How can our churches be safe places for survivors like me, even those who will never disclose their stories? Continue reading

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Why church leaders need to be talking about sexual assault

70 child abuse allegations are made against churches in the US each week. Continue reading

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Gillian Marchenko…Re-engaging into life after a depressive episode

Allowing myself to thaw, I find, takes way more guts than staying frozen. Frozen means no emotion. Frozen means lost days and weeks. Frozen means standing still, not thinking about others or myself. But now, the more I know, the more I work the program, the more I heal, the more I thaw. I drip emotion. I realize the toll my problems take on people around me that I love. And it hurts. Continue reading

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Motherhood and depression guilt…

I may not be the best mom. I may not even get back to being the average mother I once claimed to be. But I’m here. I’m getting back up. I’m not leaving. And I’m the mom God ordained for these four souls, and therefore I am their best mom.
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Why are rates of completed suicide exploding among the young?

What the statistics don’t tell us is WHY we’re seeing such a significant increase in the rates of suicide among children, teens and young adults, along with sizable increases in suicide rates among adults of middle age, especially women. What might be causing the increase? I’d like to put forth a few “educated guesses.”
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Why are we witnessing an epidemic of mental illness in kids?

As the church, we’re called to share God’s love with kids with mental illnesses and their families, REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE. Continue reading

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Life with depression is not a waste

God intimately knows the days I can’t function. Regardless if they are lost to me, they are not lost to him. He is not unaware of my numbed mind and aching limbs crawling towards the next minute. No, he is right there with me. He is sovereign. He is the one providing the next patch of light in my life. Even if his purpose escapes me, purpose exists nonetheless. Continue reading

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