Category: pastoral-care

The happy narcissist

It’s not too difficult to spot a narcissist. They are the ones who believe that the world revolves around them. They have an excessively high view of their own importance and abilities.  Now, to be clear narcissism should not be confused with confidence.  It is possible to have a natural confidence and awareness of your… Continue reading The happy narcissist

Pastoring Asylum Seekers

One of the privileges I had serving in an urban multicultural context was the opportunity to pastor asylum seekers and other immigrants seeking leave to remain.  As well as those with what you might call fairly conventional asylum claims and those who were primarily economic migrants we also saw a number of people who were… Continue reading Pastoring Asylum Seekers

Three anxieties

Is it a sin to be anxious  or is it simply a mental health condition that you don’t have control over? I’ve heard both extremes.  In the church we often emphasis the former whilst it is increasingly the norm to hear people saying “I have anxiety” and using that as a reason not to be… Continue reading Three anxieties

Because I say so? -what should I do with my doubts?

In presuppositional apologetics[1] one of the key arguments deployed for why we can trust the Bible is the claims that Scripture makes about itself. The basis for this argument is tht at some point, we have to accept that there is a final authority, an ultimate arbiter on belief. The question is “who” or “hat… Continue reading Because I say so? -what should I do with my doubts?

Trauma, grief and response to abuse

Over the past few years, I’ve written and spoken quite a bit about the problem of abusive cultures particularly in the context of church life. First of all, my concern is to see us doing better in letting what we believe affect how we live so that doctrines of grace lead to cultures of grace.… Continue reading Trauma, grief and response to abuse

Is it all in the mind?

“The body keeps the score” is the title of a book by Bessel Van Der Kolk about mental health and the affects of trauma. We sometimes describe particular health conditions as “all in the mind.” At one level, what we might simply mean by that is that we cannot find a specific and direct organic… Continue reading Is it all in the mind?

How Scripture can help with cases of depression and mental distress

I’m continuing a series of articles picking up on Mark Pickett’s call following the publication of The Pastor with a thorn in his side for further reflection and analysis concerning pastors and Christians experiencing depression. In this article I want to talk a bit more about how Scripture can be helpful to those suffering from… Continue reading How Scripture can help with cases of depression and mental distress

Sleep and mental health

One factor affecting mental health is rest and sleep. There are two aspects to this. First of all, when we are struggling with anxiety and/or depression this can affect sleep patterns but also disrupted sleep is likely to affect our overall sense of mental well-being.  So, it is possible to get into a vicious cycle. … Continue reading Sleep and mental health