We sing our songs, and we think of a gentle mist, but the way that God’s righteousness comes is through a storm, through the sharp smacking of water and air onto a shocked and complacent earth.
Tag Archives | Suffering
Love means you keep showing up
I was too ill to speak to anyone, so they could not love through words or presence.
Our church loved us with food and ironed clothes.
God, Depression, and Me {guest post}
I don’t know many people who are eager to take medication, especially for those “invisible” psychological needs. And in the church there is often a peculiar bias against mental unhealth, an implicit or explicit message of “If you had enough faith, depression would not be an issue.”
When Loneliness Sat Beside Me
I heard pastors and church people tell me that loneliness was a sign that I don’t quite love God enough, that I need to try harder to be satisfied by Him alone. That the cure for loneliness is to draw closer to Jesus. I think they were wrong.
Light in the dark {guest post}
The Bible, which talks of the God I know, is full of people who struggle, who get it wrong, who misunderstand, who get depressed, who are far from perfect. I fit into that crowd. I can know their God.
My friend is hurting – what do I say? {my post for Relevant}
How do you respond to a friend who’s hurting? I have a post-graduate qualification in counseling, I have been a paid Christian minister for over a decade, I have also experienced suffering. But nothing in my experience or training is as useful as this simple verse:…
Brokenness under the skin {guest post}
Half an hour earlier, I’d sent my wife and kids off to school. Normally I’d get up before they went but it’d been a bit chaotic so I was grabbing some breakfast, and about to go for a shower.
“I’m in an ambulance. Sam has had a massive seizure. Get to the hospital.”
Troubles {guest post}
Because I have lost my son and I miss him every day. And seven years hasn’t begun to heal the hurt of not being able to hold him. And Jesus is still enough.
