At the end of Mark 2, Jesus presents himself as the Lord of the Sabbath and further announces that the Sabbath Law was given for our benefit. This pushes the question back into our court. How will we use the time that God has given us? Jesus is in the Synagogue on another Sabbath Day.… Continue reading Life or Death? (Mark 3:1-6)
Tag: healing
The transforming kingdom (Mark 1:16-2:13-17)
We now begin to see what it means for Jesus to preach about the Kingdom and call people to repentance with a series of examples. It means calling people to follow him and leave behind other priorities (1:16-20 and 2:13-17) It means calling evil spirits out of people. Captives are set free (1:21-28) It means… Continue reading The transforming kingdom (Mark 1:16-2:13-17)
Towards a theology of depression
Last year I contributed to a short book called “The Pastor with a thorn in his side.” It’s a book which tells the stories of 7 pastors who have faced depression during their ministry. Steve Kneale edited the book and as well as telling his own story provides an introduction and a conclusion. In those… Continue reading Towards a theology of depression
The pandemic – faith and emotional health
Earlier this week, I shared the results of a survey that I had done among my twitter followers picking up on the impact of the pandemic. The survey showed that whilst quite a few people are able to talk positively about the impact on their spiritual health in terms of relationship to church family and… Continue reading The pandemic – faith and emotional health
Thinking about the effect of environment on mental health and depression
In his review of The pastor with a thorn in his side, Mark Pickett calls for further theological, ecclesiological and sociological reflection on the causes and consequences of depression among those in Christian service. I agree and believe that such reflection will be helpful not just for church leaders suffering with depression but as we… Continue reading Thinking about the effect of environment on mental health and depression
Depression, spiritual warfare and calling the elders to pray
Mark Pickett has written this helpful review of “The pastor with a thorn in his side.” In his review, Mark picks up on a number of things that he would have liked further analysis and discussion of in the book. I agree with Mark that these are crucial areas that we need some further discussion… Continue reading Depression, spiritual warfare and calling the elders to pray
Beyond Hope?
#TheDailyDose from Hosea 7. Are we beyond redemption? Ever feel like you or your church have gone too far to be forgiven by God? Audio Video
Anxiety
I’ve written before on Faithroots about depression and have recently contributed to a book on the subject. Here I want to talk about another aspect of mental health sometimes linked to depression. When I was signed off sick by my GP I was diagnosed with Mixed Anxiety and Depressive Disorder (no the anachronym for that… Continue reading Anxiety
When the wounds do not heal
In my review of “The Wounded Christian” I raised one small point where I felt the author hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head. I felt that the book whilst rightly talking about how healing happens may have given the impression that it always will or at least should happen in this life time. … Continue reading When the wounds do not heal
The Wounded Christian – love letter to a broken child of God – Book Review
The wounded Christian is a book by John Piper, no not THAT John Piper, but by another Christian with the same name although also based in the States. This John Piper is originally from the UK and as a child experienced a strong calling to serve God on the mission field. In his case, his… Continue reading The Wounded Christian – love letter to a broken child of God – Book Review