sbloemreflections

Dementia, Can you beat it?

2012-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
For some reason we tend to not think of dementia as being a mental illness. I think this will change. Dementia (a more general category) is a result of something gone wrong in the brain. The result is a person is severely disturbed in the area of the intellect, the emotions and the will. This sounds very much like mental illness. At Heartfelt Ministries we do help (usually by a referral), persons who have dementia. We also provide family support. Please read a piece from the highly esteemed John Hopkins is below.

Advice to Keep Dementia at Bay

Recently, researchers looking into cognitive decline and dementia have made encouraging findings. Although it was believed that the adult brain could not develop new neurons (or brain cells), scientists have learned in the past decade or so that the human brain is pliable and adaptive. The brain can actually add new neurons even late in life and continually form new connections among existing neurons -- a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity

This means that while an aging brain may have signs of damage, it can often compensate for them, at least initially. And engaging in mentally stimulating activities like reading, taking a class or playing board games is one way to bolster this process.

This compensation process depends on your "cognitive reserve," the extra, perhaps unused, amount of cognitive ability that can make up for the loss of brain functioning when your brain shows signs of dementia due to the death of cells and their replacement by beta-amyloid plaques. Genetics, early childhood stimulation and education level can influence cognitive reserve but are essentially immutable once you're an adult.

Fortunately, studies have found that you can also increase your cognitive reserve and delay the onset of dementia through a variety of intellectually stimulating leisure activities in middle and later life.

You can delay Demnetia

A study in the journal Neurology, for example, found that among 101 people who eventually developed dementia, those who frequently participated in one or more activities, such as reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing card or board games, having group discussions or playing music experienced memory decline more than one year later than those who participated in these activities less often. These pursuits built cognitive reserve and delayed dementia as much as a higher education level did.

T.V. is too much of a passive activity.

It's worth noting that researchers have discovered that watching television is a passive activity that doesn't really stimulate your mind at all; on the contrary, watching television is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. One study found that TV watchers were 10 percent more likely than nonwatchers to experience cognitive impairments over a five-year period. A possible explanation: Time spent in front of the TV means less time for the mental, social and physical activities that can help delay dementia.

Posted on John Hopkines Health Alert on January 9, 2012

Suffering is a highway to usefulness and Heaven

2012-01-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Spurgeon near the end of his life.
He died when he was fifty seven years old.

Hi blog readers, I hope this part of the e-letter will help some suffering soul to take courage in their afflictions. Robyn and I have seen many days and even years of suffering. Suffering without purpose and a sense of God’s love leads to cynicism, burn out, despair and extreme discontent. The great pastor teacher, preacher, Charles Spurgeon has a word for those who are overwhelmed with sorrow and trials.

Here is the quote

He whom God would use must be taught sympathy with God’s poor people. Hence we get these words of David, in the sixth verse, I am brought very low. If the Lord means to bless you, my brother, and to make you very useful in his church depend upon it; He will try you. Half, perhaps nine-tenths, of the trials of God’s ministers are not sent to them on their own account; but they are sent for the good of other people. Many a child of God, who goes smoothly to heaven, does very little for others; but another of Lord’s children, who has all the ins and outs and changes of an experienced believer’s life has them only that he may be the better fitted to help others; to sit down and weep with them that weep, or to stand up with them that rejoice with them that rejoice. So then you, dear brethren who have got into the cave, and you, my sisters, who have deep spiritual exercises… You are to be tried, my friend, that God may be glorified in you. (Spurgeon, Charles. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, David’s prayer in the cave, (Psalm 142 May 18, 1890), pp. 90,91.

You can read more about Spurgeon's Post Tramautic Stress and Seasonal Affective Disorder in our book,Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. It is published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Fiend behind the persecution of the church

2012-01-21T10:26:00.001-08:00

Matthew 16:13-18

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi; He was asking His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist;and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of [Hell] will not overpower it, NASB .

Hell's Assault - powerful but not victorious

The gates of hell, as all agree are the power and policy of it, or the acting’s of Satan, both as a lion and as a serpent, by rage and by subtlety. He does not act in a visible manner, in his own person, but by his agents. He always has two sorts of them, that work for him. He uses one class of demons and through them carries out his intention, which is his rage,and by the other his craft; which is his seductions, he now is acting like a lion and then acting like a serpent.

The Satanic work of this kind is of a double nature; ---the one, an effect of his power and rage, acted by the world in persecution--- the other, of his policy and craft, acted by heretics in seduction. By both means he works so as to separate the church from its foundation. The Works of John Owen.

Help the Persecuted Church

Christ our Leader was treated by contempt, insults, slanders, false accusations, blasphemy of his doctrine, reviling of His person and the like. Christ has made it clear to His followers that for the most part, persecution will be their lot in life.

Application

Heartfelt Ministries reports show that one of the highest web page visits is that of the Persecuted Church. I am sitting at a computer in West Palm Beach, Florida. My wife and I went to the beach on the sunny Atlantic Ocean. I am not on the run. However our brothers and sisters are not so well treated.
I fear that I will leave some out. But these are some of the countries where severe persecution is the worse: China, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, South Sudan, Indonesia, Burma, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Pakistan, Vietnam and North Korea.

Let us obey the Scripture, Hebrews 13:3; Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body, NASB.

If a member of your physical body was hurting, you would take care of it and nurture it back to health. These persecuted people are evangelical believers, pray and go to our website for links to the Voice of Martyrs .

The Fiend behind the persecution of the church.

2012-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Why Have a Mental Illness Support Group?

2012-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone, (NASB (1 Thessalonians 5:13,14).

The Greek word (para-mutheomai), which is translated encourage in the above text of Scripture, is a compound word which means, to get close to someone (who knows Jesus Christ as Savior) and in a very friendly manner use narratives of Scripture to bring comfort and give hope to fellow believers who are suffering.

The word fainthearted in the New American translation is the Greek word, oligos-psuchos,which literally means small souled. The minds of mentally ill people are subject to great weakness. They possess a fractured mind, and the result is they have very very little inner resources to cope with depression, sorrow, mental illness, lack of assurance of their salvation and the like.

The need for this comfort is reflected in Proverbs 18:14, which says, the spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but a broken spirit who can bear (NASB)?

According to the great scholar, Gerad Kittel,the encouragement of the fainthearted, in the above New Testament text, indicates that comfort for the fainthearted is God’s comfort through the Christian community (Kittel, Gerhard. TDNT C.1967), Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans, See pages 816-823).

It cannot be emphasized enough that support groups for the mentally ill done in the right fashion will help accomplish the strengthening and edification of the mentally ill and their families and bring great blessings to their lives.

It is difficult for a member of church to start one of these groups without pastoral support. Please make your pastor aware of this blog.
If they are wary of the use of psychiatry, then you can show them our doctrinal statement which is available on our web sight.

Dementia, the facts

2012-01-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,
For some reason we tend to not think of dementia as being a mental illness. I think this will change. Dementia (a more general category) is a result of something gone wrong in the brain. The result is a person is severely disturbed in the area of the intellect, the emotions and the will. This sounds very much like mental illness. At Heartfelt Ministries we do help (usually by a referral), persons who have dementia. We also provide family support. Please read a piece from the highly esteemed John Hopkins is below.

Advice to Keep Dementia at Bay

Recently, researchers looking into cognitive decline and dementia have made encouraging findings. Although it was believed that the adult brain could not develop new neurons (or brain cells), scientists have learned in the past decade or so that the human brain is pliable and adaptive. The brain can actually add new neurons even late in life and continually form new connections among existing neurons -- a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.

This means that while an aging brain may have signs of damage, it can often compensate for them, at least initially. And engaging in mentally stimulating activities like reading, taking a class or playing board games is one way to bolster this process.

This compensation process depends on your "cognitive reserve," the extra, perhaps unused, amount of cognitive ability that can make up for the loss of brain functioning when your brain shows signs of dementia due to the death of cells and their replacement by beta-amyloid plaques. Genetics, early childhood stimulation and education level can influence cognitive reserve but are essentially immutable once you're an adult.

Fortunately, studies have found that you can also increase your cognitive reserve and delay the onset of dementia through a variety of intellectually stimulating leisure activities in middle and later life.

You can delay Demnetia

A study in the journal Neurology, for example, found that among 101 people who eventually developed dementia, those who frequently participated in one or more activities, such as reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing card or board games, having group discussions or playing music experienced memory decline more than one year later than those who participated in these activities less often. These pursuits built cognitive reserve and delayed dementia as much as a higher education level did.

T.V. is too much of a passive activity.

It's worth noting that researchers have discovered that watching television is a passive activity that doesn't really stimulate your mind at all; on the contrary, watching television is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. One study found that TV watchers were 10 percent more likely than nonwatchers to experience cognitive impairments over a five-year period. A possible explanation: Time spent in front of the TV means less time for the mental, social and physical activities that can help delay dementia.

Posted in on January 9, 2012

Antidepressant Medication “Poop Out”

2012-01-15T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hi to All,
I found this article interesting. I have experienced the 'poop out' effect while on Zoloft and Paxil. In my case adding a mood stablizer helped. Before the addition of Serquel (which is actually a Atypical Anti -Psychotic and acts as a mood stabilzer), I would cycle into a deep depression. If you have any more questions or comments, please leave them on this blog.
Thanks Rev. Steve Bloem B.A. M.M. CTPC
Johns Hopkins Health Alert

Antidepressant Medication “Poop Out”

A reader from Roswell, Georgia asks: “I have been taking 20 mg/day of Celexa (citalopram) for about a year and a half for depression. It was the first medication I tried, and it worked great. For the past two months or so, however, I haven't been feeling great. I have been sleeping a lot, crying a lot, and feeling antisocial. Is it possible for Celexa to "poop out" and just stop working over time? Should I talk to my doctor about increasing my dosage or changing medications? Or maybe this bout with depression is just extra bad and I should tough it out?” Here’s our advice.

Antidepressant tachyphylaxis -- known less formally as the "poop out" effect -- was first described in 1984 when researchers observed that some patients experienced relapse of mood symptoms on antidepressants that had previously been effective therapies. There is some suggestion that serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Celexa, are more prone to tachyphylaxis than other antidepressants, such as tricyclic medications like nortriptyline and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) like Effexor.

When antidepressants appear to "poop out," there are four options available to the physician and patient.

The first is to increase the medication dosage in an effort to boost the antidepressant effect, assuming the maximum dose is not already prescribed. For example, the maximum dose of Celexa is 60 mg daily. A common pattern with SSRIs is for there to be an initial response to a lower dose that is not sustained, requiring titration over time to higher doses. Increasing the dosage alone may be sufficient to jumpstart recovery.

The second option is to switch antidepressant medications, either to another medication within the same class or to a different class. This method has the benefit of simplicity, in that it continues to be a single medication regimen.

The third and fourth options involve augmentation of the current antidepressant, either with the addition of a second antidepressant or a non-antidepressant augmentation drug. If a second antidepressant is chosen, it is common to add a medication with a different mechanism of action. For example, if someone is already taking an SSRI, the physician might add a tricyclic antidepressant. Non-antidepressant augmentation strategies include lithium, low-dose atypical neuroleptics such as Zyprexa or Risperdal, thyroid hormone, the blood pressure medication Pindolol, or the anti-anxiety drug Buspar (buspirone).

Bottom line: In most cases like yours, the simplest intervention is to increase the dosage of the antidepressant medication you're already taking, particularly because it has been effective in the past and you're not currently taking the maximum dosage. The key to successful treatment of depression is ongoing communication between you and your physician and not settling for partial recovery or resigning oneself to "toughing it out."

Part 2, He is mentally ill; Should I divorce him?

2012-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Steve and Robyn Bloem
Heartfelt Counseling Ministries

What about a Definition of Marriage?

Marriage is a covenant union, ordained by God from creation. It is the joining together of one man and one woman by God in the presence of witnesses. This involves an unparalleled, physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological intimacy that can ever be otherwise realized on planet earth. Parenthood is transitional and preparatory but the marriage union is permanent in its origin and is rooted in God's creation of the woman from the man. Marriage is one man and one woman leaving their families and establishing a new unit, becoming one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 –For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

The word joined in Hebrew is transliterated dabaq - to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, join to, cleave to stay with, to be joined together, to cause to cleave to pursue closely to overtake, to be made to cleave

Here is a brief Word study of leave. The Hebrew word is aw-zab.'

to leave, loose, forsake to leave to leave behind,
to leave, abandon, to let loose, set free, let go, free

Implications of One Flesh

1. Marriage is a God ordained institution of society. Monogamy is one woman with one man until death do they part.

2. Marriage relationship is a oneness, socially,intellectually, emotionally, physically, economically and spiritually.

3. Never think of yourself as only a father or mother

4.Your loyalty is to your spouse, not to your parents. Your duty to love and honor your parents remains but not your devotion or your attachment.

This is taken from my seminar How to Keep the Honey in the Honeymoon.
Heartfelt does marriage counseling by phone.

Steve and Robyn Bloem also do a marriage seminar for those suffering from severe addictions such as heroin,cocaine, methamphetamine and any other drug that interferes with the marriage relationship.
Steve has spoken on dual diagnosis at Dunklin Memorial Camp,CAP program in Okeechobee, Floria and at the Transformation Life Center in New York State.

Antidepressant Medication “Poop Out”

2012-01-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

This Thing Is From Me

2012-01-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

1 Kings 12:24, Thus says the LORD, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel ; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.""' So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD. (NASB).

Life’s disappointments are veiled love’s appointments.” Rev. C. A. Fox.

My child, I have a message for you today; let me whisper it in your ear, that it may gild with glory any storm clouds which may arise, and smooth the rough places upon which you may have to tread. It is short, only five words, but let them sink into your inmost soul; use them as a pillow upon which to rest your weary head. This thing is from me.

Have you ever thought of it, that all that concerns you concerns Me too? For, “he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye.” (Zech. 2:8) You are very precious in My sight. (Isa. 43:4) Therefore, it is My special delight to educate you.

I would have you learn when temptations assail you, and the “enemy comes in like a flood,” that this thing is from Me, that your weakness needs My might, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, who never consult your taste, who put you in the background? This thing is from Me. I am the God of circumstances. Thou camest not to thy place by accident, it is the very place God meant for thee.

Have you not asked to be made humble? See then, I have placed you in the very school where this lesson is taught; your surroundings and companions are only working out My will.

Are you in money difficulties? Is it hard to make both ends meet? This thing is from Me, for I am your purse-bearer and would have you draw from and depend upon Me. My supplies are limitless. (Phil. 4:19) I would have you prove my promises. Let it not be said of you, “In this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God” (Deut. 1:32).

Are you passing through a night of sorrow? This thing is from Me. I am the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. I have let earthly comforters fail you, that by turning to Me you may obtain everlasting consolation. (2 Thess. 2:16,17) Have you longed to do some great work for Me and instead have been laid aside on a bed of pain and weakness? This thing is from Me. I could not get your attention in your busy days and I want to teach you some of my deepest lessons. “They also serve who only stand and wait.” Some of My greatest workers are those shut out from active service, that they may learn to wield the weapon of all-prayer.

This day I place in your hand this pot of holy oil. Make use of it free, my child. Let every circumstance that arises, every word that pains you, every interruption that would make you impatient, every revelation of your weakness be anointed with it. The sting will go as you learn to see Me in all things.
Laura A. Barter Snow

The Bohemian Martyr,John Huss

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

When John Huss, the Bohemian martyr, was brought out to be burnt, they put on his head a triple crown of paper with pointed devils, he said, My Lord Jesus Christ, for my sake wore a crown of thorns, why should I not for His sake wear this light crown, be it be it ever be so ignominious? Truly I will do it, and that willingly. When it was put upon his head, the bishops said, Now we commend thy soul to the devil.
But I,said Huss, lifting his eyes to Heaven, do commit my spirit into Thy hands, O, Lord Jesus Christ; to Thee I commend my spirit, which Thou hast redeemed. When the fagots were piled to Huss's neck, the Duke of Bavaria was officious enough to desire him to adjure, No, said Huss, I never preached any doctrine of evil tendency; and what I taught with my lips, I now seal with my blood. (From the Sword Scrapbook, complied by John R. Rice, Sword of the Lord Publishers, (1969).

Luther about Huss

Early in his monastic career, Martin Luther, rummaging through the stacks of a library, happened upon a volume of sermons by John Huss, the Bohemian who had been condemned as a heretic. "I was overwhelmed with astonishment," Luther later wrote. "I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill."

For a biography see the link below.

If you would like to share about someone who has endured persection, please join the blog and leave a message in the comments section, SB

Heartfelt Ministries New Year Resolution

2012-01-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

It is a new year and Heartfelt Ministries is in a new city, West Palm Beach, Florida. The mission of our ministry remains the same. Some think we only minister to the mentally ill population. We do this but we also have a ministry to those who are bereaved and to the persecuted church world wide. What do all these have in common? They are people who suffer from mind and mood.

This year Heartfelt Ministries is asking for your involvement.
This blog is two sided. If you join the blog, you can communicate with us and others.
I would like to ask a question and invite you to answer. How would you describe what depression feels like?

Happy New Year!
Please stay stay tuned for more blogs.

If you would like to receive our e-letter please go to the link below.
Rev. Steve Bloem
Co-founder Heartfelt Ministries
Executive Director

Why you should have a "blessed" new year

2012-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

What about happy new year?
I was going to say,” Why should you have a happy new year;” but really that is not very biblical. Being happy is not a bad thing, unless it is mixed with sin. But happiness is quite fleeting and can quickly turn to boredom, sadness and a spirit of discontent. Often, people who seek happiness and think they find it, attribute it to getting lucky or think it was a matter of destiny. Then at the zenith of their search they realize achieving it is a mirage or like an animal chasing its tail. For the true believer in Christ, a blood bought child of God, there is no such thing as luck. The biblical order is the Christian seeks holiness and righteousness and the happiness that follows is a byproduct.

Why Christians can have a blessed new year
I would like to give three reasons why you, as a Christian, can be wished and prayed for to have a Blessed New Year.

The first reason is because your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ purchased with his blood on the cross of Calvary an inheritance in heaven, for you, which cannot be taken away. Our Bible text is found in 1 Peter 1 3-4: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...

A second reason you can have a blessed New Year is because God's people are eternally secure and He powerfully keeps them in every trial and sorrow even to the redemption of their body when they are glorified. Our Bible text is found in Peter 1:5-7: ...who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Our third and final reason that you can have a blessed Christmas is because you have a Savior who intercedes for you at the right hand of God and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ.
Our Bible text for this is found in Romans 8:33-39; What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all day; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered, But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Have a blessed new year!

Do you feel like you've reached your optimal stress level?

2011-12-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Join the Club

You are not alone. When I had my first episode of clinical depression, I felt like my mind was put through a meat grinder. My nerves were shot.
I got into a car accident by using poor judgement; I cut myself with my razor and believed that I needed to go to the hospital.

Seeds of Depression

I was twenty nine years old and I could not understand why I could not cope.
Everyone including two doctors told me it was because I was under too much stress. They were partly right. I had stress and loads of it, but I also had a defective gene which meant when put under extreme stress my brain would in a sense be broken. Robyn and I discuss this in our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, chapter 2, Stress and the Gathering Storm) Kregel Publications,c 2005. If you would like to get a copy of this book, please go to the link below for a special offer.

The Father of Mercies providentially helps

Here is a poem that greatly helped me, when even my brain was failing.
It is from the classic, Streams in the Desert,entry, May 23

.. they were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses (Psalm 107:27b,28, NIV).

Are you standing at Wits' End Corner,
Christian with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember------ At Wit's End Corner
Is just where God's power is shown.

Are you standing at Wits' End Corner?
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain.
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy and dazed and numb?

Are you standing at Wits' End Corner?
You work before you spread,
All lying begun,unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember ------- at Wit's End Corner
The Burden Bearer stands

Are you standing at Wits' End Corner?
Then you're just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who fails you not;
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at Wits' End Corner
Is the God who is able proved.

- Antoinette Wilson

Come out and help others who are ashamed.

2011-12-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Stigma Websters definition- a mark of shame or discredit

It seems like everyone knows it. Most people with mental illness who attend church refuse to broach the subject. Why the silence? They are ashamed.
The result is a person who suffers from one of the most painful diseases known to mankind, faces it alone and then because of this error, the devil gets the advantage.

One reason for this misplaced stigma is many in church leadership regard the roots of mental illness as moral and/or spiritual. This non-shepherding approach assumes that spiritual people do not get depressed or hear voices. This approach breeds a critical spirit. It also drives the person away from the church and discourages transparency.

The Lord Jesus Christ and a weak spirit.

Another reason for this misplaced stigma is a failure to listen to what Scripture says about believers in a weakened state. It was said of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 12:20; A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory(NIV). A bruised reed represents a person who is emotionally damaged. This emotional pain could stem from problems with assurance of salvation, it could be from a strong Satanic attack or it could be the result of a mental illness. A bruised reed is almost broken, a smoldering wick is one that is flickering and its flame is almost out; while both are "almost" destroyed, they will not be because Jesus Christ makes sure they will survive. If He is so generous to His weak ones, why should others try to break the spirit of the depressed?

God has chosen the weak to confound the wise

Scripture tells us in I Corinthians 1:26-29 that God has chosen the weak and
foolish of this world to confound the wise. The apostle Paul said that he gloried in his weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9-11. No one really has it altogether.
We should glory that we have a vital union with Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
A third reason for this misplaced stigma is a failure to look at the experience
of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Mark 14:33,34- ; And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch . The word for distressed in the Greek is ekthambeho. It means to, throw into terror or amazement. Please notice the word is preceded by "very." He was very terrified and surprised at his suffering. The word in the NASB troubled is Ademoneo in the Greek.

Thayer who was a Greek scholar says about this word. It means to be troubled, in great distress or anguish, depressed.
This is the strongest of the three Greek words in the NT for depression.
Jesus Christ was wholly God but also wholly man, the theanthropic person, the God/Man. He felt depression and like the writer of Hebrews says, He was touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He is the One who understands your suffering and He does not condemn you or blame you; Christ is not ashamed of you and your illness. Take heart; He knows.

__________________________________________________________________________

A letter from a pastor in Myanmar (formerly Burma)

2011-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

I would like to share with you a recent email that I received from a pastor who has an orphanage in the country of Myanmar. I had emailed him about the news report of Christian orphans being killed by evil men in his country. His email below helps show how God has used Heartfelt Ministries in his life and ministry.

He has asked that we come and minister to his church and orphanage. We also have had pastors from Pakistan and Australia ask us to come and share our ministry. Our problem is we don't have the funding. I will publish his email as sent.
If you would like to support our non profit ministry please go to our donate now link at the bottom of the page. If you get the check in the mail before January 1 2011 you would be able to get a IRS tax reduction (America Only). You can also donate be credit card on our website.

The letter

Dear Steve,
Thank you for your continually praying and sharing for my orphans. Yes, this bombing in our country is very tragic. They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the orphans.(Psalm.94:6).I ask question myself that Why God allow the wicked people to kill theorphans, I thought, my tears felt down, I pray for them, I could notstop crying for them,as we the Christians excite to use thisChristmas, how the orphans would have hoping to use the birth day ofour Lord Jesus Christ.I, my orphans and Bible students have two daysfasting prayer for them,and we keep them in the hand of the Lord.I pray that, Remember this, O Lord, that the enemy has reviled, And afoolish people has spurned Your name, Do not forget the life of Yourafflicted forever. Consider the covenant, for the dark places of theland are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the oppressedreturn dishonored; let the afflicted and needy Praise Your name. Thank you for your great love and consider for my orphans.We pray that the Lord may fulfill your desire and visions what youwant to serve for His glory.may God richly bless you.
In His great Commission,
Name witheld

My letter to the judge who sentenced Lindsay's killer.

2011-12-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

Honorable Dennis Kolenda
61st District Court
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
April 7, 2002

Dear Judge,

I respectfully write to you as one who God, by His providence, has appointed to determine the judicial sentence of Timothy Fields according to the laws of the state of Michigan.

Lindsay was a law abiding citizen.

First, I would like to say that as a father of four children, I have always taught my children by example and by precept to obey the laws of the United States of America.

Secondly, I have also instructed them that the disobeying of those laws should be met with swift and just punishment.

In addition, Robyn and I taught them that ignorance of the law was no excuse for violating it. We taught them that our country is only as good as its individual citizens, and the laws are only effective to the extent that they are enforced. We painstakingly inculcated into them the truth that God had blessed this nation because of individuals and churches that cried out to Him for salvation, protection and welfare.

Call 911.

On the tragic day of September 11, 2001 when external enemies attacked our nation, our daughter Lindsay came to our house upset but interested in world events. During the conversation regarding the mayhem of the day, I told Lindsay that our church was having a special prayer meeting for the nation and the families of the victims. She said, Dad, I would like to pray for our nation's spiritual welfare and the hurting family members of those who were killed in the attack. Little did I know that I, along with many others at the scene of her accident, would be screaming, call911.

Our Lindsay had taken a separate car to church so that she could pick up her husband from work after the service. We were so thankful that she was living for Jesus Christ and that this nineteen year old citizen was a woman of prayer. Lindsay never hurt a flea. She often would go with me to help the homeless persons who were living under bridges in Grand Rapids. She was always for the underdog.
She was the opposite of Fields.

A New Baby, Emily Hope

The baby's name was to be Emily Hope. Lindsay was going to set up the crib with her husband on September 12, 2001. Instead of setting up the crib that day, we were in a funeral home setting up her funeral.

Two teenagers, two destinies

She had met Timothy Fields and the two other young men in a violent fashion on September 11, 2001. I remember seeing Fields without a care in the world slumped over the steering wheel, crossing four lanes of traffic and then crashing into Lindsay. The horror of that scene will be forever imprinted on my mind. I saw that two other men were also in Field's car.

We were behind Lindsay and saw everthing

We were following right behind Lindsay. She was trapped in the car and I could not get her out. I pushed back her lovely hair and kissed her forehead. Later, she lay in the casket with her beautiful baby in her arms; both showed severe trauma to their heads and faces.

The driver had enough drugs in his body to put dowm six men, Head of Michigan State Police Forensics Lab.

Fields was shooting up heroin with his friends while driving. Blood testing also showed that he had large doses of marijuana and crack cocaine in his body. He had stolen our precious treasures from us.

On that day our nation stood still, but not Fields and his friends. They partied on and became terrorists at home on a day that would live in infamy. Fields' heroin most likely came from the poppy fields of a Taliban controlled Afghanistan. Before the judge came into the courtroom, I said to any one would listen;
We talk about the terroists all over the world, what about the terroists at home? I meant by this, not only drunk drivers, but drugged drivers impaired. These home terroists use a car as their weapon and generally get light sentences.

When I later learned of the results of Timothy Field's blood tests and that our daughter was killed by a driving drug addict, I was tempted to kill him and his two passengers. However, as a believer in Jesus Christ and as a law abiding citizen I resisted this temptation.

Judge, we are powerless and you are in the driver's seat. We pray and expect you to impose a sentence to the fullest extent of the law on Fields and his companions.

With respect Steven Bloem Senior

Mental Ilness and its Stigma, Part 2

2011-12-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

Do Nerves Break Down?

Another reason why stigma persists in the churches and in society as well, is the continuing use of the term nervous breakdown to describe mental illness. This term began to be used at the end of the nineteenth century in the United States. It conjures up the images of women, lacking in energy, eating chocolates, popping downers to calm their frazzled nerves.

The term nervous breakdown is a misnomer arising out of Freudian and neo-Freudian psychology(see our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like Losing It Bloem Steve&Robyn(2005) Kregel Publications,pp 32,33).

I still remember being so depressed that I could not candidate at church in Florida. I had gotten better and tried to reapply. The head deacon said to me, in a smooth southern drawl, Steve, do you have a case of the nerves? They did not want me back.
Certainly, mental illness has to do with the central nervous system. But the term nervous breakdown represents a pejorative perspective on mental illness. Mental illness is biological in its origin. Christians cannot claim to have immunity from it.

Let’s Pray For Our Poor, Mentally Ill Member

Evidences of the stigma of mental illness in churches persist. For instance, when is the last time in a church prayer meeting that you heard a prayer request for someone who is in a psychiatric hospital? If people in your church or your town would really be honest, they would be amazed how many people are being treated biologically for a mental illness.

However, most church goers will not mention mental illness, their silence for themselves or their loved ones in the church speaks loudly to us. Instead, there are whispers in the foyer about someone not being able to handle stress, having a case of the nerves or some other inane comment.

Heaven Knows No Stigma

Thankfully, there is no stigma in Heaven about our subject. Millions of perfected saints in glory are praising God that the Lord Jesus Christ through His shed blood and resurrection has delivered them from the horrible pain of mental illness, which to many was feared more than death itself. Matt. 5:3 tells us, Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see the kingdom of God.

A pastor friend of mine contacted me about a godly man in his congregation who had severe mental illness. The tried Christian died suddenly, in the middle of reading his Bible one morning and went to be with the Lord.

My friend, the pastor said, “Now his torment is over forever.”
Let us be brave and face the horrible suffering of mental illness head on.
By doing this we will bring glory and honor to God. Romans 12:16, Be of the same mind toward one another ; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation

Bloem, Steve and Robyn, CAMI Leader Guide,(2007) available only from the authors. Study Guides are also available. Please follow the link to read reviews of Broken Minds.

Thanks, Steve and Robyn Bloem
My email is camimovement@yahoo.com
__________________________________________________________________________

Heartfelt Ministries is moving.

2011-12-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hello to all who read this blog.
I have not written a blog for almost a week. The reason for this is Robyn and I have moved to West Palm Beach, Florida where we will be temporarily staying with her Mother. Heartfelt Ministries has moved with us. Nothing has changed in regard to it except local contacts. Our new phone number is 616-427-0775.
If you are supporting us please use the same address in Grand Rapids. We will soon be switching to another address and phone number. We will let you know what they are. We still do phone counseling, seminars etc. Please be patient about my blog. It will take a while to begin blogging again.

Thanks
Rev. Steve Bloem B.A. M.M.
Director of Heartfelt Counseling Ministries

Is Hell Real?

2011-12-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

My flippant remark about Hell

When I was a teenager and did not know the Lord, I heard frequently the words, Go to Hell . My flippant and even blasphemous remark was, I got kicked out for selling ice cream cones. I had been taught the idea of a real hell in my church and from my parents but suppressed that teaching. After my conversion, I have come to know through the Holy Spirit and the word of God that hell is real and not everyone will be saved. Our Lord Jesus said, Enter through the narrow gate ; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction,and there are many who enter through it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (NKJV Matthew 7:13,14)

Without the wrath of God and the existence of a real hell we would not need a Savior. God's love won for us eternal salvation. The Father planned it, the Son executed it and the Spirit applies it.

Associated Press article - hell unpopular, it is not user friendly.

I copied an article some years ago from our local newspaper written by an Associated Press writer. The title was “Hell’s Fires Growing Cold among Americans.” The writer states,

The long running crusade by liberal Christians and Universalists against the eternal punishment idea seems to be getting somewhere. Religious observers say preachers increasingly avoid mentioning hell. And polls indicate increasing numbers of people don’t believe in such a place.

Why is this so? It is because hell is not a user friendly term. People are afraid of hell and they don’t want to hear about it.

Paul's exhortation to Timothy

This phenomena is spoken of in 2 Timothy 4:3-5,

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine ; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

We may contrast today’s “no hell preachers” with the honesty of the great English puritan/ preacher, Thomas Brooks. In his series of sermons “Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices,” he preaches about those who die without Jesus Christ;

But this is not all; thou shalt not be only shut out of heaven, but shut up in hell forever; not only shut out from the presence of God and angels but shut up with devils and damned spirits forever; not only shut out from those sweet, surpassing, inexpressible and everlasting pleasures that be at God’s right hand but shut up forever under those torments that are ceaseless, without remedy and endless.” He then quotes the great preacher Chrysostom; preaching about hell saying, Let us not seek where it is, but how we shall escape it.

Brooks, Mr. Thomas. The Works of Thomas Brooks, “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices”(1861). London: James Nisbet and Company, p.56

Make sure you have sincerely and surely trusted in Jesus Christ who bore the penalty for our sin on the cross to keep us from going to hell and to ensure everlasting life with pleasure and enjoyment.

Great Quotes from Great Men

2011-12-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

There are many who preach about the Lord Jesus Christ to no effect and we can see why. They have no doctrine of sin, they never convict or convince people of sin. They always hold Christ before men and say that it is enough. But it is not enough; for the effect of sin upon us is such that we shall never fly to Christ until we realize that we are paupers... The first two essentials to salvation and to rejoicing in Christ are the consciousness of our need, and the consciousness of the riches of grace that are in Christ."{Lloyd Jones, D. Martyn, (1959) }Sermon on the Mount Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, ( pp. 199,200).

"It is all very well for those who are in robust health and full of spirits to blame those whose live are sicklied o're with the pale cast of melancholy, but the evil is a real as a gaping wound., and all the more hard to bear because it lies so much in the region of the soul that to the inexperienced it appears to be a mere matter of fancy and diseased imagination. Reader never ridicule the nervous and the hypochondriac, their pains are real; though much of the evil lies in the imagination is is not imaginary."
Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, 3 vols. (Newark, De.:Cornerstone, 1869, 2.132)

"If you have so much business to attend to that you have no time to pray, depend on it that you have more business on hand than God ever intended you should have.” - D.L. Moody

He (man) is an enemy to His maker; a rebel against Jehovah; a blank-nay, worse--a blot in God's creation; dead to every virtue, dead to everything but sin;..... lost to every gracious purpose of his being; A withered branch, fit only to be plucked off, and cast into the fire; stubble, ready for the burning. "Let him alone!" said Reason. "Cut him down!" cried Justice. "I hate the workers of iniquity!" added Holiness. "He or I must perish!" exclaimed Truth.
"Spare him! Spare him! Spare him!" pleaded weeping Mercy. And Wisdom came forth, leading the Son of God, and said: "I have found a ransom!”Behold the Mediator!" And all the attributes met and embraced at the manger, and kissed each other at the cross"
Evans, Christmas. (c.1846) " Sermons of Christmas Evans" (Philadelphia: J.

Harmstead), p. 123.

Mental Ilness and Stigma of Mental Illness in the Church, Part 2

2011-11-29T13:20:00.002-08:00

Do Nerves Break Down?

Another reason why stigma persists in the churches and in society as well, is the continuing use of the term nervous breakdown to describe mental illness. This term began to be used at the end of the nineteenth century in the United States. It conjures up the images of women, lacking in energy, eating chocolates, popping downers to calm their frazzled nerves.

The term nervous breakdown is a misnomer arising out of Freudian and neo-Freudian psychology.(see our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like Losting It,Bloem, Steve & Robyn(2005) Kregel Publications,pp 32,33)

I still remember being so depressed that I could not candidate at church in Florida. I had gotten better and tried to reapply. The head deacon said to me, in a smooth southern drawl, "Steve, do you have a case of the "nerves?" They did not want me back.
Certainly, mental illness has to do with the central nervous system. But the term nervous breakdown represents a pejorative perspective on mental illness. Mental illness is biological in its origin. Christians cannot claim to have immunity from it.

Let’s Pray For Our Poor, Mentally Ill Member

Evidences of the stigma of mental illness in churches persist. For instance, when is the last time in a church prayer meeting that you heard a prayer request for someone who is in a psychiatric hospital? If people in your church or your town would really be honest, they would be amazed how many people are being treated biologically for a mental illness.

However, most will not mention mental illness, their silence for themselves or their loved ones in the church speaks loudly to us. Instead, there are whispers in the foyer about someone not being able to handle stress, a case of the nerves or some other inane comment.

Heaven Knows No Stigma

Thankfully, there is no stigma in Heaven about our subject. Millions of perfected saints in glory are praising God that the Lord Jesus Christ through His shed blood and resurrection has delivered them from the horrible pain of mental illness, which to many was feared more than death itself. Matt. 5:3 tells us, Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see the kingdom of God.

A pastor friend of mine contacted me about a godly man in his congregation who had severe mental illness. The tried Christian died suddenly, in the middle of reading his Bible one morning and went to be with the Lord.
My friend, the pastor said, “Now his torment is over forever.”
Let us be brave and face the horrible suffering of mental illness head on.
By doing this we will bring glory and honor to God. Romans 12:16, Be of the same mind toward one another ; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Bloem, Steve and Robyn, CAMI Leader Guide, (2007) available only from the authors. Study Guides are also available. Please follow the link below to read reviews of Broken Minds.

Thanks, Steve and Robyn Bloem
My email is camimovement@yahoo.com

Abasing in the Basement

2011-11-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

Trying to Figure it Out

It was proving to be very difficult living in the basement of our relatives house. I was having my ups and downs. Sometimes I would pray and feel God’s peace; sometimes I would pray and feel nothing. The strain was enormous. I was falling somewhere between total acceptance of God’s will…and the impulse to slam cabinet doors. Two resources helped. First, I read Edith Schaeffer's book, Affliction This books application of what Scripture says about suffering helped me to understand God in a deeper way. Mrs. Schaeffer forced me to stop asking "Why?” and start asking "Why not?"
With her book and my Bible spread before me at the table. I spent mornings trying to make sense out of our situation.

Serve God in the Alone Times

Second, I recalled a sermon I'd heard one Christmas Season. Our Grand Rapids pastor, John White, was considering Mary, the mother of Jesus. She had found herself going through labor and child birth in a small, smelly stable, without help except for her husband, Joseph. She could not understand the full import of that moment. That couple sat there alone, looking into the face of God, the Savior of the world.

In that sermon we were exhorted to serve God in the alone times, when no one knew what God might be doing.

I began to look at God’s providential hand in our lives. As I sat by myself,at the kitchen table reading His Word, remembering that sermon, and praying in my faltering faith, I knew the greatest event in history still was at work in my heart.

I was still His child. I had not run from the cross. He was still enabling me to trust Him by faith. It was not a faith that said “Everything will be okay.” It was a faith that said “God is in control". If things are not okay, we will still follow." I was finally able to accept God's will, realizing that I may never fully understand why He has allowed a certain trial. But His plan is good, even if the reason for what He is doing seems to be none of my business. This was taken from Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, Kregel Publications,p. 83

Help me, my brain is broken!

2011-11-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

When I am in a depressive episode it feels like my brain is broken. My first episode (also called age of onset) was when I was twenty nine years old. It lasted a long time and its intensity went from severe to moderate. The year was 1985. My psychiatrist was a retired medical director of a psychiatric hospital. He graciously agreed to see me as an outpatient because I was an ordained pastor.

On one of our visits, I mentioned to my psychiatrist that my mind still had not cleared, that it felt like there was a cloud over it. I also lamented that I was still depressed. His response was, Oh, medications don’t do everything,getting healing involves a lot more than pills .

His thinking that a medication only worked partially caused me grief and confusion, it did not make sense. I knew how my mind worked before it was broken. It was different and I was afraid it would never be the same. Since medication helped me part of the way, I desired full relief in concrete terms not abstract ones.

Because of my psychiatrist's age, (he was in his 70’s) and because this was 1985, he was steeped in Freudian psychological thought. At one point he talked about the little boy deep down inside me. He also related to Robyn and me some of the old treatments for depression. He said that they use to believe that helping depressed people expressing their deep seated anger would help them get over their depression.

One of the strategies used in days gone by was to have the depressed people scrubbing the grout between bathroom tiles with a toothbrush, until they were very mad. Anger turned inward is the hallmark of Freudian psychology. Its effect on the overall treatment of depression in America will be discussed later. It is needless to say that these interpretations only made things worse.

I was going for my Master of Social Work and I prepared to write a fifty page discourse on the treatment of mental illness in our time (1985).
In my research for the paper I studied many views of mental illness.
God, in His loving providence, helped me and I ran across an article, The Challenge of Chronic Depressions by Hagisop Askidal, M.D.

I fired my former doctor (not the one mentioned above) who called antidepressants poison. Robyn and I were living in Scranton PA at the time so I made use of public services offered at the Scranton Counseling Center. At this time I was working two jobs and going to Marywood Graduate School of Social Work.

When I told my new doctor that I was still depressed he said, You are under very much stress, I think this is your problem. I remonstrated, No; I have recently read an article by an expert psychiatrist who said that many people who are chronically depressed do not achieve full remission of depressive symptoms. The reason for this was, perhaps the doctor did not raise the medication dosage high enough or did not try a combination of antidepressants and mood stabilizers.

Thankfully, my new psychiatrist decided to give it one more try. I was wholly better in two weeks. I could have gone on for a number of years mistreated and suffering needlessly if I had not pushed the envelope.

Today psychiatrists have many tools by which you can be symptom free.
Of course, medicine will not help you if you recently lost your girl friend or failed a couple of tests at school. Emotional upheaval and external stresses are not the same as clinical depression. Please consider learning about depression and its treatment. One resource, of course, that we recommend is our book, Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. You can find some more information and help by visiting the link below.

7 Things to Remember About Sex by Bob Lepine

2011-11-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

Do Men and Women Think Differently about sex?? It’s no surprise that many husbands and wives think differently about sex. And these differences can easily become a source of conflict in marriage. With that in mind, I want to suggest seven things men need to remember about sex and seven things wives need to keep in mind as well:

What husbands should remember about sex

1. Hollywood sex is made up. It’s a fantasy. The people in romantic scenes in movies are actors. Don’t try to measure your marital sex against what you see in a romantic film.

2. Sex is probably (but not necessarily) a lower priority for your wife than it is for you. Are you as committed to meeting her needs and desires as you’d like her to be with your desire for sex? Could you even name her top three relationship needs? Here is one of them ...

3. Your wife needs a safe and secure relationship. In order for her to engage in sex with heart and mind and body, she needs to know that you will be there for her, that you are committed to her, and that she is your one and only.

4. Your wife wants to have sex with a companion, not with someone who simply shares her mailing address. If you’re not spending time having fun together in all kinds of settings, she’s going to be less motivated to be with you sexually.

5. You don’t need to have an affair to be an unfaithful husband. Whether you look at pornography or at other women, the Bible makes it clear that any lust for a woman who is not your wife is adultery.

6. There is no secret formula to arousal. If you think you have found a secret formula, and you attempt to repeat the recipe, your wife will change the secret. Women don’t want to be figured out. They also don’t want to be manipulated.

7. Your wife is insecure about her physical beauty. She sees all the flaws. Watch what you say to her.

What wives should remember about sex

1. Sex is God’s idea. He created it and gave it as a good gift to husbands and wives in marriage. It is a key part of His plan for how we become one in marriage.

2. For most men, this is a big deal—and it’s not because men are perverted or ungodly. God delights when a husband and wife enjoy marital intimacy.

3. How you respond to your husband when he initiates is critical. To be uninterested can communicate a lack of respect and honor for him. I’m not saying you need to say yes every time he initiates. But when you say no, explain why in a way that still affirms your desire for him.

4. Sex is a marital discipline. It’s a part of how we serve each other in marriage. It is wrong for a wife to use sex as a reward or a lack of sex as punishment. The Bible clearly teaches that husbands and wives are not to deprive each other in this area.

5. Men are visually oriented. No matter how you see yourself, he is stimulated by sight. Again, God is the One who made men with a desire to see women naked. And the only legitimate way for your husband to satisfy this God-given desire is for you to let him see you naked.

6. Men in romance novels and soap operas are made up. The strong, sensitive, caring men portrayed in most romance novels are fictional characters. No husband can live up to the near perfection an author presents.

7. Creativity is good. The Bible says that the marriage bed is undefiled. This means that a husband and wife have freedom to explore what brings them pleasure and enjoyment in the sexual arena of marriage. Neither of you should be pressured to do something you're uncomfortable with in the sexual relationship. But passion can be stirred by variety and creativity in the sexual relationship.

For Lindsay and Emily

2011-11-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

This poem was written by my wife, Robyn Bloem, in December of 2001, just a few months after our daughter, Lindsay, was killed on September 11, 2001. She was eight months pregnant with our first grand child, Emily Hope, who was also pronounced dead at the scene. Robyn and I were driving behind her when it happened and two of our sons were also with us. We firmly believe that it was no accident that Lindsay went to church that night to pray for the families of the victims of those dreadful terrorist attacks. She also wanted to pray for the first responders, our President and the terrified nation. She and Emily were brutally killed by a seventeen year old man who was returning from a cancelled rock concert that night; cancelled because of the terrorist attacks. On his way home from the cancelled show, he and his buddies were shooting up heroin as they drove. The police found open syringes in their car. A few months later, we finally were told the toxicology reports. When the examined blood results came back, it stirred this response by the head of the Michigan State Forensics Lab; This man had enough heroin, crack and marijuana in his blood stream to put down six men.
I believe Robyn's response in this poem is a testimony to the strong faith she has in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Something's happened in my heart
That words cannot describe;
Life on earth has changed for me
Since my precious ones have died.

The angels were attending,
Their wings were closed to wait;
The "accident" that took your lives,
We're left to contemplate.

Your purposes completed
"Early" seems so true-
For life is long and grief is ours
Continuing without you,

Plans for future, plans for us-
All stopped the day you slept,
Two little souls now rest in Christ;
We know His Word's been kept.

We, wet and somber clay,
This world does not entice.
Our happiness does not grow here
And grief is shared with Christ.

Meeting you again my Loves,
A day I think of often,
The curse so great and cumbersome.
Reunion thoughts do soften.

You both eternal rest enjoy,
Willing, loving servants;
Our prayers no longer needed
But our love is just as fervent.

The saints you've met we cannot know
Being so completely earthbound;
Consigned humanity we live
Traverse on curs-ed ground.

Soon, I pray, reunion's song
We'll sing with heaven's tune,
We'll cry no more for loved ones missed,
Nor visit grassy tombs.

For just a twinkling will you wait-
Without the fear and dread?
For then together raptured up,
The living and the dead.

O Come, O come, Emmanuel
With angels' wings extended,
The joy, reunion, no more strain;
Heart-gripping pain is ended.

We'll shout for joy as heaven claps
Eternity begins-
With tears of joy unspeakable
As He cups our weary chins.

Reactive Depression versus Biological Depression

2011-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

The term reactive depression is not used nearly as much as it was twenty – forty years ago. This is because it has been overshadowed by new research on biological depression also known as endogenous depression.

Reactive depressions are very distressing and often occur during holidays and anniversaries. Reactive depression is also known as exogenous depression. It comes from outward circumstances, feelings of loss and inadequate coping resources.

Reactive depression can be a response to particular life pressures and of course a reaction to loss of a cherished object or dream. For example, a person wants Christmas to be the way it used to be before the death of a loved one; when they sit at the holiday table there is an empty chair and it causes deep pain. The missed loved one's absence, in this case, permanent absence engenders a reaction of grief and loss. It may be a result of someone devastated by an unwanted divorce; they begin to think if only it could be like when it was when we were first married, we were so happy.” The loss of the past and the future haunts them daily.

Sometimes parents torture themselves with thoughts of what it would be like if their children were godly and they cry out like David, over the prodigal, “O Absalom, my son, my son.” Reactive depression should not be suppressed or suffocated. It is something that is very real and it needs to "run its course."

Reactive depression can also be spiritual in nature. Job, who had lost all of his children and everything he possessed, laments saying, Oh that I were as in months gone by, As in the days when God watched over me; When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent ; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; 6 When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil (Job 29:2-6).

Understanding God and His purposes are important in resolving this kind of depression. Job was boxed in by His sorrows and only God Himself could bring him through and out of the deep waters and the sorrowful pit from which he could not climb. A lowering of expectations can be helpful, as is being thankful for whom you are, and what you have in Christ. Recognizing God’s sovereign purposes in trials are an overriding theme in Scripture. Peter, in his first epistle after he spoke to his readers about their eternal inheritance and salvation tells them:

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a “little while,” if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials (1 Peter 1:6).
The “little while” is life between the dash (on a grave stone), in comparison with eternal glory. The distress is only a little while when compared to eternity. God has deemed it something that is needed during our stay on earth.
I will say more about spiritual depression in another blog.

I leave you with a quote from the great poet and song writer William Cowper who suffered from bipolar disorder which demonstrates the unyielding pain of being depressed, biologically.
He was a poet and a writer. When talking about one of his depressive episodes (which lasted about a year); he states It was with such a dejection of spirits, as none but they who have felt the same, can have the least conception of. Day and night I was upon the rack, lying down in horror, rising up in despair. I presently lost all relish for those studies, to which before I had been closely attached; the classic had no longer charm for me; I had need of something more salutary than amusement but I had no one to direct me where to use it. Thomas, Gilbert. (1943) William Cowper and the Eighteenth Century. London: George Allen and Unwin LTD, page 75
His endogenous depression was unrelenting, something he described as torture on the rack. In endogenous depression there is a certain detachment from those who around you. It lacks the elasticity of reactive depressions.
All of us should try to be pastors of the soul and realize the different types of depression there are.

Rob Bell's successor at Mars Hill on Hell

2011-11-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Rob Bells successor, Shane Hippel has written a piece on the subject of Hell. We don't have space to give you all he said. One statement which shows that he lacks a biblical theology is scary. He states, "I have never died, so I don’t have a theological position on heaven or hell. I can only entertain theological possibilities. There is a big difference."

My Answer
We are told in Jude 3, Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints, “The faith” here is the whole body of Scripture, the Old and New Testaments..

God's word is inerrant.
Faith is based on the inerrant word of God. You don't have to experience things to believe the Bible is true. The Bible was written over 1600 years by numerous authors who were all inspired by God.
2 Timothy 3:16, states,” All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” The Greek word for inspired is, Theopneustos, which translated means, “God breathed.”
The Bible is true on all subjects. It reveals God’s mind to us. And part of that revelation is the veracity of a literal eternal Hell.

Post Ascenion Statments by Jesus Christ about Hell

The doctrine of the eternality of Hell is clearly taught in Scripture. Mr. Hippel is in error when he says that the Lord Jesus Christ never talked with anyone about Hell after His resurrection. All you have to do is turn to the book of Revelation. Whose revelation is it? Look at verse one. “ The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” This revelation is from Jesus Christ. It is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The term the wrath of God is throughout the Bible

The "wrath of God" is used in the book of Revelation, seven times. Romans 1:18, tells us “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth unrighteousness.” The wrath of God must be satisfied. We need the shed blood of Jesus Christ by which He paid for our redemption. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Eternality of hell and the lake of fire

What about Rev. 20:10? And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
We would expect that Rob Bell would have associates like Mr. Hippel.
Please go to our website for more Scriptures about Hell.

Depressed, the devil wants you dead!

2011-10-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

I will share what I felt when I was twenty nine years old, dealing with my first episode of depression. Looking back I have been able to better conceptualize demonic devices.
I began to feel like I had the flu, my mood went from moderate to bad to severe in a short time. I was in the dark, emotionally and spiritually and I did not have a clue that what I had was a biological problem.
My doctor told me that it when I felt stressed to blow into a paper bag. One time when I was at a restaurant and depressed out of my mind I asked to be excused. I went into a bathroom, in the stall, blowing furiously but it did nothing to lift my mood. I thought, “How pathetic is this?”

At a certain point, suicide became a viable option as a way of escape. I remember thinking, while out to eat with my family, “I will go outside and jump in front of a car.” Then, I would not have to deal with this horrible agony.

I was sure that I was a terrible burden to everyone. Now I realize that this is a common scheme of the devil, (the Greek word for devil, diabolos means slanderer) to isolate the believer in Christ, slander God to him, saying, “He does not care about you anymore.” He will add insult to your own feelings of failure and your self-loathing. He will attempt to cover the biological nature of your depression and put on a masquerade that your problem is spiritual, Jesus Christ, who is God, said about him, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44)

If you asked most people who are depressed and suicidal, “Why do you want to kill yourself?” Most would say that their families would be better off if they were dead.
However, no matter who you are and what you have done; your family will never be better without you. They will feel sorrow, betrayal, anger, abandonment and confusion. Their grieving will be long and hard. Statistics tell us that numbers of your own family, (including nieces and nephews) will adopt for themselves your way of getting rid of the awful pain. Suicide will seem logical. Suicide is a sin, but God will provide you a way of escape that you may bear it, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
Do not commit suicide! Get help! This was taken from, CAMI Leaders Guide and Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You’re Losing It, Kregel Publications where the largest chapter is about suicide (chapter 4)

The Escape of Hopes and Dreams

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel as though someone left the lid off of your “hopes and dreams” jar and they all escaped?
I do. Disappointments can come into our lives over and over again, until eventually we are demoralized. There are so many enemies to dash those expectations and steal the anticipation of good things to come. Yesterday as I walked (rather aimlessly, I admit) through a department store, I felt robbed. I saw this jar and felt God had left me at the curb; I have been waiting for a ride that never comes, alone and very disappointed. We have followed The Christ since Steve and I were teenagers. We have been shameless idealists as we leaned into Him and put all the eggs in that one basket; that one that we presented to Him. We have had devastating bouts with mental illness in our family, death of our daughter, now foreclosure of our home. Where did my dreams go? Where is the hope? How did they escape the jar? Can they be retrieved? Each day we live is clear evidence that God is not finished with us. Maybe He is making us an example of perseverance or maybe we are just unlucky.
NO!
I do not believe that for a minute. God is a God of purpose and certainty. He is not aloof, arbitrary, or busy. He is totally faithful, totally involved and all powerful and wise. We do not live a life of positive thinking or lame anticipation. We live for God and the outcome, the results the onus is on Him. He has broad shoulders and there is purpose in our suffering. The Psalmist said, “The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” (145:13) Whether or not I feel my hopes and dreams have escaped, nothing has changed. He is the God of the weak and sad; He is the Hope of the hopeless and when man says, “Now, let’s see what becomes of his dreams,” God is working all things according to His purposes and revealing the fulfilled dreams of His children. Put the cork back in the jar and dare to dream again. God is at the helm and He is full of surprises. Don’t give up-your jar is not empty after all.
This article was written by guest blogger, Robyn Bloem

The Christian at death doesn't pass away, he passes to something.

2011-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

There are two important principles when it comes to grief and the Christian.
The first principle is, when faced with death, the born again believer has sure hope, because the Captain of his salvation has conquered the greatest enemy—death. In fact, the Bible proclaims that the death of saints is precious in the sight of the LORD, (Psalm 116:15).
When he dies, a born again believer immediately sees Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:1-9). All sorrows are forgotten. There is no pain or grief in Heaven. There is no more curse or sin. The saved one at death is reunited with saved loved ones who have died in the Lord before them. These things are sure because of the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), (1 Corinthians 15:12-26).
The second principle is that Christians, as humans, experience the overwhelming sorrow of grief, but not as others who have no hope, (1 Corinthians 4:13). Christians can be guilty of playing down the human nature of Christ and also of “sanitizing” the death of a believer. Those left behind can be in agony. Their humanity must be validated. Their hope of reunion must be proclaimed and made clear. A funeral of a Christian is a celebration of his life, and also a mourning of his death. The Christian believer is not immune to grief but participates in the mourning process; I Samuel 30:3, 4; John 11:33-35; Acts 8:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
Please pray about a new book we are writing based on the death of our daughter, Lindsay and granddaughter Emily Hope on September 11, 2001.

Reactive Depression vs Biological Depression

2011-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Writtten in 1990 after finding out Lindsay had separation anxiety

2011-10-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

(c)2011-Steve Bloem

In some ways, there is something worse than our own depression. It is our children having it. I have spoken in the past of our son, Brant, and his severe panic and depression.
Having to watch him go through all the pain that is involved in this disease proves to be a severe trial for Robyn and me.
He was not the first of our children to have a depression/panic disorder. Our daughter Lindsay who has been in heaven for about ten years after being killed by a drugged driver (along with her daughter, Emily Hope), was diagnosed with separation anxiety and depression when she was in the fourth grade.
I do not consider myself to be a hymn writer but I did write what is below after I realized that she had tasted and would taste the bitter cup of depression and also panic disorder. The "hymn" is entitled,Count it all Joy.

Faced once again with heartache and sorrow;
Once again praying, "Not my will but Yours;"
Finding today's strength and more for tomorrow
Submitting to your way to take care of hers.

You are our Father of Mercy to children;
Suffering is not wasted when suffering for Thee.
We count it all joy when the waves overtake us,
Praying in us that His image is seen.

The cup of sorrow from the Father is given
I will drink it again, as I have before;
It has never proved harmful- nor ever will be;
Then one day in heaven, I will suffer no more.

Our great God is for us, No foe can subdue
No harm present or future His love won't see through
He spared not His own Son, He smote Him for all
Christ Jesus, our High Priest; on Him we will call.

Is God with You in the Dark?

2011-10-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

If your brain has been assaulted by an endogenous (biological) depression you probably will feel deserted and forsaken. Dr. Theodore Mauger M.D. says, Many of the physiological expressions of the soul are in a very special part of the brain called the Limbic System. This system is ..involved in reflex responses to emotional (affective) arousal. { {Pine Rest Today, The Illness of Mental Illness, Pine Rest Marketing Department, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1990.} Mauger also says, one specific sign of knowing that your connecting with someone is that the lachrymal sac under the person's eye will swell. The sac swells as a reflect of the limbic system. If you are depressed in a clinical sense, you will have an inability to relate to others. Robyn has often commented that when I am depressed my eyes have lost their luster.

Another result of this failing of the limbic system is an inability to feel God's pleasure or to see His Face. This is what theologians call, Desertion of the Soul. The Puritans called this inability to feel God's sensible presence, desertion. However theologically speaking it is better called apparent desertion. This expression is a more accurate term.

Jeremiah felt this when he wrote I am the man who has seen affliction Because of the rod of His wrath. He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly all the day. He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones. He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship. In dark places He has made me dwell, Like those who have long been dead. He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer... My soul has been rejected from peace ; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, "My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the LORD

Lamentations 3:1-8 and 3:17-18.

In the first verse of Edwin Mote's hymn, The Solid Rock,
he spoke of where the tried believer's trust should be, both
in adversity and prosperity. He stated, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
The word "frame" meant, a feeling or affection. We dare not trust in these "frames" but in Jesus' name, who is the the Author and the Finisher of our faith.

Mote again says, When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on His
unchanging grace. Also here some theologians argue that darkness cannot hide the face of God, so they insert when darkness seems to veil His lovely face... Darkness in Scripture is not always a metaphor of sin.
For instance look at Isaiah 50:10, Who among you fears the Lord and
obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Again, in Psalm 139, 11,12, we are told,
If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

2011-10-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have researched the websites of many churches and have found it a rare occurrence to unearth a mental illness support group. Churches have grief share, divorce recovery, celebrate recovery, and many other support groups.
Many church leaders are like the proverbial ostrich with his head in the ground. It is almost a don't ask, don't tell, situation

Robyn and I have started a support group at our own church, Rockford Baptist Church in Rockford Michigan. The support group is part of a grass roots movement which we call CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness). We have written our own study guide material.
If only pastors knew how many of their sheep feel alone and misunderstood by their church. These storm tossed afflicted persons are very important to God, The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18.

Mental illness is a whole body disease and it has a devastating effect to those who suffer from it. The vegetative functionings of the body fail in major depression. They are sleep, appetite, and sex drive. The will is broken. The depressed person finds it very difficult to accomplish even little tasks. A depressed person's concentration makes it difficult for him to read. His memory is affected. God seems a million miles away.

The devil like a roaring lion seeks to isolate depressed people from God and church and make them think God has abandoned them. Then he presents suicide as a viable option to escape from the horrific psychic pain. The church of Jesus Christ should not neglect this people group. She will have to answer to her Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ for her treatment or non-treatment of the mentally ill.

Robyn and I have written a starter/study guide for launching this CAMI program in your church. We have a seminar which introduces the material and then goes on to explain every part of it. If members of the church attend the seminar then we will provide consultation for your church leaders, we will instruct them on how to start a CAMI group, and how to maintain it. Our group format includes eight guiding principles for Christians who suffer from a mental illness and/or their caregivers. We have a Leader’s Manual which spells out treatment goals for every lesson.

In the Leader's manual we have provided the answers to the discussion questions which are in the student guide. The Guides help the sufferer think through various issues and to see them in the context of suffering as a Christian. It has also been reported to be helpful for the caregivers who come to the groups. This is a very important concept for today’s Christian with mental health issues. Mental Illness begs for understanding, community and compassion. Are you with us?

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx

Does God Promise Christians will not get sick?

2011-10-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

God does not promise His people that they will be free from sickness, problems, poverty and more. People who buy into the health, wealth and prosperity gospel tend to believe that God will deliver everyone from all kinds of problems if only they have enough faith in Him.

There are examples throughout Scripture and in church history of people who have had sickness and weakness of mind. One example is that of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-6). The fiery preacher, who in his near past had great multitudes hanging on his every word, now lay imprisoned in a dark dungeon with its stale air and rodents. Why was this mighty and prophetic voice silenced? It was because he had preached the judgment of God to Herod and his so called wife, Herodias. Why did he do so? It was because of their incestuous and adulterous relationship. John was in a dark dungeon; he no doubt longed for the fellowship of his disciples and even of Christ. Instead, because of his identification with our Lord Jesus he was participating in His sufferings. John had not seen many of Christ’s greatest miracles. However, he had clearly testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John1:24).

Now he was haunted with doubts about whether or not Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. That is why Matthew records for us how John sent his messengers to ask Jesus about His claims to be Messiah. They said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else" (John 11:3 NASB)? Jesus answered John’s disciples, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind received sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who does not take offense at Me" (Matthew 11:4-6 NASB). The same John who had said, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 NASB) was now disappointed, lonely and out of the loop. He would die alone by the sword of the executioner (Mathew 14:8 NASB). But Heaven gave him a glad and abundant welcome.

“ Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you(2 Peter 1:10, 11).

The Merciful God, Does He fail us in suffering?

2011-10-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Bloem Hoover

Bereavement
Do you have to forgive God? Many counselors would say, yes but Scipture says no. It is impossible to forgive Him because he never has or will commit sin. Here is my testimony; In the middle of my great sorrow (Our daughter Lindsay had died along with her baby Emily about nine months before this); God met me in the most wonderful way. The story is taken from my journal.

My journal - July 3, 2002

Anger, - Tension in the house was everywhere. I was angry.
I felt like an animal in a trap. I was angry at Lindsay for not heeding the warnings of God. I was angry at that my only precious girl was gone. I was angry at the murderer of Lindsay. I was angry at society for not punishing perpetrators who drink, drug and drive.

Prayer
Everyone except Robyn decided to disperse. Tyler, being the youngest, went with me. I was praying and confessing sins while walking around the neighborhood. I was asking God for wisdom.

God came to me
I don't mean in a vision; I mean in the providential ordering of my finding a beautiful tract in a not so beautiful place.
Tyler and I walked by a little factory. The grass was long and the grounds were not managed. There was a small colorful looking paper which was on the grass. It was a tract. The title was Ten Reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering
It was written by someone at Radio Bible Class. I could tell that whoever wrote it had suffered deeply. I read the whole tract. I read the tract to my youngest son Tyler. God gave us strength that day, God met my deepest need for comfort, and He condescended to my lonely, tired heart and gave me peace.

The Merciful God of the Bible

Psalm 18:2-The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge ; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold

II. Corinthians 1:8-11-- For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively , beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life ; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead ; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Steve Bloem

Heartfelt Ministries

Does the Book Broken Minds advocate a medicine only approach?

2011-09-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Mental Illness Highlight
Some complain that Broken Minds, and for that matter, Steve Bloem advocates a “medicine only” approach. The first thing I ask them is, “Did you read chapter 17 of the book entitled Biblical Evidence?" Here is a quote from chapter 17, We talk about different kinds of ‘depression’ that are mentioned in the Bible. “We seldom have enough information to do more than speculate about whether individuals in the Bible might have had organic mental illness or whether their times of depression were strictly reactive to stressful events around them. That does not matter if we are looking for the Bible‘s counsel for those who are afflicted with depression or other forms of mental illness, whatever the source. Bloem, Steve and Robyn, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You’re Losing It (2005), Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, p. 201

Lindsay and Emily, Two more on 9/11

2011-09-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Please open the attached video that was recorded on September 11, 2011. It tells the story of our daughter, Lindsay Ruth Bloem Hoover and our grand daughter, Emily Hope.
Lindsay was eight months pregnant with her little daughter, Emily Hope when she decided to attend a special prayer meeting that was called by our pastor on September 11, 2001.
When we hear of the horrible death toll on that day of terror, we always feel there were two more deaths that resulted from September 11. Lindsay was a first responder in the sense that she was a prayer warrior/hero that night. As a Christian, she wanted to pray for our nation. On her way home from prayer, she was hit and killed along with Emily Hope by a man who was on cocaine, heroin and marijuana and had been partying with two of his friends all day long.
The Walker(Michigan)Police discovered heroin with open syringes indicating their use of the drugs even as they drove down the street that fateful day.
The two passengers and the driver were all passed out in the moving vehicle. The two in the back seat were never charged but the driver has been in prison for nine years.
Please watch the memorial we organized on the tenth anniversary of their heavenly departure. Lindsay and Emily were whisked from the accident scene by the angels of God to their home in Heaven. Life is like a vapor. Would you be ushered into eternal bliss or eternal punishment if you were to die today?
You may have to copy and paste the link into your web browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFtc5mU1h08&feature=share

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

2011-08-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

Monica Dra and her husband heard the marchers outside their small home in Nigeria on July 26, 2009. They heard the chants of "Allahu Akbar" and wondered what the night would hold for them and other Christians in their village.

"We had heard rumors all night that there were going to be problems," Monica told VOM, "and now I could hear them walking and slaughtering people as they went." Monica's husband, Daniel James, grabbed her, and they ran outside to escape the radical Muslim mob. But the radicals grabbed Daniel and hacked him to death with a machete.

Monica began to run, with her Bible and hymn book tucked under her arm. But members of the chanting mob grabbed her and began striking her with machetes. Seeing a cross on a chain around Monica's neck, a militant began to chop at her neck, nearly decapitating her. By the time Monica got to the hospital, she could only breathe through the gaping wound left by the lethal blade.

"I thought, 'I am a Christian,'" she said. "I am dying today."

But Monica didn't die. After six surgeries to repair her throat and close the wound in her neck, doctors were able to save her voice. Through VOM Medical, Monica, a poor widow with a 5-year-old child, received excellent medical care and post-op follow-up. Thanks to generous donations from VOM supporters, Monica is among the more than 600 Christians who have received medical care after being injured because of their Christian faith.

Monica now needs only one more surgery to regain her normal speaking voice. "Now that I have my strength back, I have forgiven my attackers," Monica said. "Now I have more courage to serve the Lord much more."

We don't know where the next attack will occur. Nigeria? Indonesia? China? But VOM Medical is committed to serving those who are injured by persecution.

THANK YOU for helping Monica Dra and other Christians who have been injured in anti-Christian attacks around the world. With your help, VOM was able to provide six surgeries for Monica, a Christian widow with a 5-year-old son. We will soon be providing one more surgery, which should restore her normal speaking voice.

Whispers in the Foyer, An Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Ilness

2011-08-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Steve and Robyn will be conducting a one-day seminar, Whispers in the Foyer...an Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Illness in Rockford, Michigan. It will be Saturday, October 15, 2011 Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the seminar will end at 4:30 p.m. WITF is a prerequisite for becoming a CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness) group leader. The Cost is $60.00 per person. This includes a free copy of Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It and one copy of seminar notes.

We offer church group rates as well as discounts for CAMI Members.
Prices: As stated above the cost is $60.00 per person. If you have a CAMI Gold Membership, your discounted cost is $40.00, Silver Members pay $45.00 and Bronze Members pay $50.00. Church and student rates are also available. If you cannot afford payment, there are some scholarship funds available from Heartfelt Ministries. Contact us in regards to your particular situation.
If you wish to pay by credit card please go to: http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx . You may also pay by check or credit card over the phone by calling 616.447.9064. Please email us at camimovement@yahoo.com to let us know you are coming.
You will receive an electronic ticket after you register.

My sister Cyndi committed suicide

2011-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

My sister Cyndi had read our book that my wife Robyn and I wrote. It is called Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. The largest chapter in our book deals with suicide. She ordered about 20 copies to give away. She was proud of us for getting my depression out in the open. Cindy had bi-polar disorder and for years my wife Robyn and I (and our kids) tried to snatch her from the dark clutches of mental illness. She lived in Florida and we lived in Michigan.

Vain regrets

I am a pastor and a mental health clinician but she hid her dark thoughts from me. Cyndi visited my parents in Michigan a month before she shot herself and we spent time with her. While she was with my parents and us, she put her fingers up to her head in the shape of a gun and pulled the trigger.
I asked her not to do that but did not probe further. I wish I had done so.
Two days before the act I had called her and talked to her about some problems that she was having with her children. She made a veiled comment about "taking less responsibility" in regards to her children. I mentioned it to my Mother, but neither she or I thought it warranted a response. I regret this. Some people have wondered why I could not stop her. I don't have the answer to that question.

But the real culprit is the disease. Fifteen percent of those who have major depression successfully end their own lives. The best answer to suicide is early detection and, crisis intervention. The church of Jesus Christ must talk more about the subject of suicide.

The Perfect Storm

A suicide is like a perfect storm. Cyndi used hollow point bullets and had checked the Internet about how to commit suicide without maiming herself. There are many web sites today, that press others in the chat room to end their lives. Stresses in the environment, alcohol and drug abuse as well as the biology of mental illness all intersect to set the stage for suicide.

I have had depression for over twenty five years. Suicide is a great temptation for me when I am in an episode of depression. It is because I want to move away from the horrible brain storm that is in my head. Robyn and I are dedicated to help those who are in the throes of mental illness. I encourage you to get our book and read it. http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

God's purposes in letting us have mental illness

2011-08-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Mental illness is the same as any other disease. The contracting of this mental disease is part of God's providence. It is not happen-stance.

I remember when I was first diagnosed with major depression. I was deeply depressed, obsessed and having panic attacks. I began to question why I had to become mentally ill. My father-in-law said to me, son, you have to play the hand that’s been dealt to you. After this, I began to realize that though I was so very disappointed about losing the pastorate, because of my depression; I knew that God had ordered my steps. I also later read what George Muller said, “Not only the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, but also the stops are His doing.”

You may have to cut this address and put it in your web browser. http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Elijah the demoralized, depressed prophet, a champion of God

2011-08-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011
Elijah the demoralized, depressed prophet, a champion of God
Scripture - We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone, I. Thessalonians 5:14.

The word “encourage” (para-mutheomai) in the above text of Scripture, in the original language (Greek) is a compound word which means, to get close to a person in a very friendly manner and offer them consolation and comfort using narratives of Scripture.

The word "fainthearted" in the NASB is the Greek word, oligos-psuchos, which literally means “small souled.” The minds of mentally ill people are subject to great weakness. They possess a fractured mind and the result is they have very little inner resources to cope wth their sorrow and depression. This is reflected in Proverbs 18:14, The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but a broken spirit who can bear?--(NASB)

The word para-mutheomai(encourage) indicates that comfort for the fainthearted is God’s comfort through the Christian community (Kittel,Gerhard. TDNT (1967) Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans), pp 816-823. It cannot be emphasized enough that support groups for the mentally ill done in the right fashion will help accomplish the strengthening and edifying of the mentally ill and their families.

There are in the church of Jesus Christ, those who feel their job-title in regards to the mentally ill in the church is that of sanctified obstructionists. They won't hear of Christians being depressed, they say, it is against the whole tenor of Scripture, for a person to be depressed, we are told in the Bible to have unceasing joy in the LORD.

My response is, look at Elijah in 19. He was extremely disappointed. Proverbs 13:12says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Israel had no spiritual revival following the Mount Carmel, Jehovah/Baal Encounter. Ahab had seen the fire of God come down after Elijah prayed and he did not believe. Jezebel boycotted Mt. Carmel; She was willfully ignorant of the LORD's power and she swore to Elijah that she would have him dead by the morning.
What does he do? He resigns from the ministry to which the LORD had called him.

Elijah could have taken solace in Judah, who at that time had a godly king, but he went beyond Judah into the wilderness, defeated, depressed, demoralized and probably dehydrated, it is there the mighty prophet in despair pleads that the LORD would end his life.

As a loving father, the LORD let him sleep and by His angel gave him food and drink who told him he needed to walk to the mountain of God (Horeb). Why was the LORD, telling Elijah to go to Horeb? It was so that His ministry might be refined and revived and restored. He did not throw buckets of water on Elijah. He did not call him a loser and tell him to buck up. He did not strike him in the side and then tell him to gird up his loins, stop acting like a wimp and go back to Israel. God was gentle towards him and later he would be dealt with by the gentle Holy Spirit asking the instructive question; what are you doing here Elijah?

Keil and Delitzsch summarize the meat of the text of God's loving correction of the miserable prophet's instructive journey, it was that he might know that the LORD was still the same God who had nourished and sustained His whole nation in the desert with manna from Heaven for forty years. And just as the forty years sojourn in the desert had been to Moses a time for the trial of faith and an exercise in humility and meekness (Numbers 12:3), so was the strength of Elijah's faith to be tried by the forty days wandering in the same desert and to be purified from all carnal zeal for the further fulfillment of his calling, in accordance with the divine will, Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 3 I Kings. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing House, reprinted, 1983, page 255.

Or if you please, go to 2 Corinthians I and see where a whole missionary team which included the Apostle Paul, despaired of living. For more on this subject, see our book Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, chapter 17, The Biblical Evidence, pp 200-218, http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187.

If you would like more about Elijah you could order a CAMI Study Guide from us and turn to Lesson 3, Elijah a Depressed Man. You can only order this from Heartfelt Ministries. Just send an email to me at camimovement@yahoo.com and I will send it to you for $7.00, + $2.00, shipping. You can pay by cash or go donation page and put in the cost section, put in $9.00.

Pray for one another

2011-08-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons why I chose to have a blog was so there could be profitable fellowship between true Christians especially in regards to their mental illness. Prayer is a very important means to bring about mutual encouragement and comfort to those who suffer from such a devastating disease.
The Bible tells us, in James 5:16b, " The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (NIV).
If you have a prayer request, I promise that I will pray for you or someone else(please don't list names but use initials). If you want to use your own name, go right ahead. If you join the blog then you can put your request in the comments section.

I guess I should start. Pray that Robyn and I will be able to present our seminars in churches. Pray for out son Brant that he would get on the right medications for his awful depression. If you don't feel comfortable giving a request by putting it on my blog then email me, camimovement@yahoo.com

If you can't figure out how to join this blog, then please email me with your prayer request.

Thanks, Steve Bloem

Bilogical Depression, the horror described

2011-08-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Please note the following is a quote from Timothy Rogers,from his book, Trouble of the Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, . It was first published in 1691 and reprinted by Sol Deo Gloria Publications in 2004. Charles Spurgeon refers to the book in his Lectures to my Students.
I do not stand by all the content in the book. For example, Rogers felt many times he was under God's wrath. Scripture tell us that Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God in His Person on the Cross for our sins. We are saved from God's wrath through Justification by faith,Romans, 5:1-2.

Furthermore, in my opinion; Pederson in the preface infers that Rogers had a full recovery from his depression. I believe this is historically incorrect.
But as far as hearing what depression is like it is Rogers, forte. He gives graphic descriptions on what it felt like to be depressed.

Here is one quote, "melancholy ceases on the brain and spirits, and incapacitates for thought or action; it confounds and disturbs all their thoughts and unavoidably fills them with anguish and vexation, of which there is no resemblance in any other distemper(disease), unless it is that of a raging fever. I take it for granted, and I verily believe, that I say nothing but what is true. When this ugly humor, (a humour was basic to Elizabethan Medicine -- it had to do with temperaments and blood types from which a disease arises), is deeply fixed and has spread its malignant influence over every part, it is as vain a thing to strive against it as to strive against a fever, a pleurisy, the gout, or the gallstone, which are very grievous to nature, but which a man, by resolution and the force of briskness and courage, cannot help. One would be glad to be rid of such oppressing things, but all our striving will not make them go away," Preface page 24.

Revolutions in Psychiatry

2011-07-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

What is meant by the term Revolutions in Psychiatry?
There have been three, so far. The first was inaugurated by
the French psychiatrist, Philippe Pinel around the year 1791.
Pinel vigorously attacked cruel treatments foisted on the insane
by the 'mad' doctors of the 18th and 19th centuries. Pinel stopped
the the use of chains, bloodletting, vomiting, cold water dunkings,
etc. in his psychiatric Salpetriere Hospital in Paris.
The second revolution of psychiatry was around the year 1900.
This was ushered in by Sigmund Freud (1856-1936).
Freud originally was a neurologist like Pinel. He never gave up
the idea that all psychological illnesses were due to organic causes.
However, realizing that there was no cure, Freud turned to hypnosis
and "psychoanalysis". He became convinced that all neuroses
stemmed from sexual problems and child hood experiences.
The third revolution in psychiatry was in the1950's when the mentally ill
responded to powerful anti-psychotic drugs and antidepressants.
Countless years of misery, suffering and psychosis have been
done away with for those who have had the good fortune to
be able to access and adhere to psychotropic medication.
Please see our book Broken Minds, Kregel Publications,
(c,2005) especially, chapter 15, A History of Mistreatment, pp. 171-180.
Please also see Ibid. http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Is Life Fair?

2011-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Person of the Month

When Life Isn't Fair
A Conversation with Robyn Bloem by Nancy Lovell of T.D. Jakes Ministry

"People who haven't suffered are missing an important dimension of their lives, I believe."
—Robyn Bloem

In 1984, when mental illness and Christianity weren't supposed to mix, Robyn Bloem and her husband were slammed head on with the disease that won't go away with the right verses or a better quiet time. Steve Bloem was freshly ordained for ministry and narrowing the candidates to his first church when "flu-like" symptoms graduated into full-blown depression and eventually bi-polar disease. That's only part of what the Bloem's tell about in "Broken Minds: A Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It," a dense blend of personal candor, Christian realism, and professional insight into the problems of mental illness—often aggravated by well-meaning Christians who misunderstand. Twenty-two years down the road, they also head Heartfelt Counseling Ministries a non-profit ministry to the mentally ill and their families.

Here TDJakes.com talks all too briefly to Robyn Bloem about unfair blows and why she still believes in a just God.

Robyn, tell us briefly—and I know that's not fair—about Steve's mental illness.
In 1985 while doing his candidating trail, Steve became terribly depressed and for four months we did nothing except try to keep going. I sent him for walks to have his devotions and he'd come back worse. Nothing seemed to work. We came down to the last church we were candidating in before the Sunday they were to vote him in, and he had to tell them he couldn't do it. I had a five year old, a three year old, and a four month old. I looked at the three kids and a father crying, not sleeping, wringing his hands and pacing endlessly and I could only picture the old black-and-white movies of the state hospitals. I was 29 and thought my life was over. And his too. We ended up living with my sister and his brother who are married. Little by little we started to understand that mental illness is a physical illness. And that was 22 years ago.

Who was your husband in those 22 years?
People say to me, "I can't imagine living with a husband who struggles with depression for 22 years." I say he's not gloomy and negative. He's perfectly fine. He's a good husband and a wonderful father all the time except when he's in a depressive episode. And it can last up until three months until we get the medication straight and he's back on track. It's always scary—for him and for me. It's something that overtakes him. He doesn't get a little down, he gets hand-wringing, pacing depressed; he can't even drive a car. But when he's not, he's capable of anything.

As you learned to manage Steve's illness, you put up with a lot of misconceptions in the church—the very place you should be able to expect understanding.

We decided we would try to break the stigma. We openly shared my our mental illnesses. In fact we do a seminar called "Whispers in the Foyer: An Honest Look at Christians and Mental Illness." But the moment we shared that mental illness is a physical illness and what we'd learned, within a week or two the pastor would be back to yelling at people who were depressed and accusing them of being self-centered. But we just kept plugging until Steve and I got the opportunity to write a book, writing from both of our perspectives. It was very cathartic to write about the church and mental illness, the stigma, the misunderstandings, what the bible says, and what people suffering with mental illness need both professionally and personally.

I like that you have so much information into your book. You've learned a lot.
That's thanks to Steve's training. When he first got depressed and a couple of churches said, "We don't want a pastor with a case of the nerves," he applied to do social work. He said at the time that his major was religion and his minor was Greek. They told him he was educated for social work. So he earned his Master of Ministry degree, another degree in social work, and changed his life vocation into becoming a counselor. We've pastored since then, but most of the time he's been in counseling or ministry like now.

I wish that were the only story about unfairness in your life. Will you talk about some of the other events?
For more about the subject of the question, Is Life Fair, when your daughter and granddaughter die, please go to this link,

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/islifefairrobyn.aspx and scroll down to pick up the story.

Fathers tortued for Christ

2011-07-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Some have asked me, "Why do you have helping the persecuted church in your purpose statement?" It is because the persecuted church is composed of born again believers whose suffering is most horrible, indeed.
Many of them spend their lives going in and out of prison because of their faith. They are like those spoken of in Hebrews;

Women received back their dead by resurrection ; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword ; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated; men of whom the world was not worthy (Hebrews 11:35-38).

The Persecuted Church page on our website is one of the most frequented. It, as do those with mental illness and bereavement, suffer greatl of body, mind and mood. We are commanded in Scripture, Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

This is found in Hebrews 13:3.

Pastor T, a Mennonite from Ho Chi Minh City, was arrested on June 26, then beaten and taken to an unknown location. Nu, Pastor T’s wife, said her husband left home around 10 p.m. and phoned 15 minutes later to say he was being held at Ward 26 of Binh Thanh District Police Station. Nu and other church members went to the heavily guarded police station, but authorities denied having Pastor T in custody. Nu called out to her husband from a back door, and he responded, “I’m here. They have brutally beaten me. My jaw and hand are broken, and they have shackled my legs and hands. I’m very tired and am in pain.” Nu pleaded with police to let her see her husband, but they refused. Later, she saw him being taken by car to another location. Pastor T’s condition and location are unknown, and his house has been raided. Please pray for Pastor T’s health, and pray that God will strengthen and comfort him and his wife.
Please pray for these Christians. For more information about people who are being persecuted go to: http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/persecution.aspx

I prefer death to an episode of depression.

2011-07-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say that I would prefer death to an episode of severe depression. The anxiety, the deep sadness, the whole body fatigue and the inability to sleep are truly horrible. Depression makes a person feel detached from the happy world around him. The affective disorders, especially, bipolar and major depression, are episodic. You may be minding your own business and wham! You are hit with mania of all sorts or with deep depression.

This begs the question: is the awareness and delivery of services equal to the pain and suffering it warrants? Many people who have suffered cancer and depression or heart disease and depression, say depression is far worse. It seems to me if those who are involved treating the mentally ill could experience the awfulness of it for a little while; they would reach out with great compassion and a sense of urgency to give timely, skilled treatment to them. (More)

I have seen a psychiatrist have his severely depressed patients admitted for electro/convulsive therapy and then go on vacation, without designating another psychiatrist to take his place. I have had outpatient psychiatric office personnel stop a process which was initiated by me and deny approval for free medications from a drug company, simply by saying to the provider something to the effect of, “we don’t really handle that aspect of his care,” and not saying anything about it until I enquired about it.

Why do you think that peer support in the management of mental illness has been so popular and effective in our times? I would sum it up with one word, empathy. I think every person who applies for any job which involves being a part of the therapeutic milieu of the mentally ill should, during the interview, be grilled on their empathy toward the mentally ill. This includes pharmaceutical, office staff and the like. To be sure, it must be a skilled, guided empathy but the treatment should be done with great compassion. In regards to pastors, I have seen them laugh at the mentally ill suffering. I have heard so much of their unfeeling advice to those with depression, that I could scarcely believe it. You can also put in the identification of our Lord in such things. Many pastors have censorious attitude toward the mentally ill and it is fueled by their ignorance of biblical theology and science. Let us pray for compassion and for those with diseases of mind and mood.

CAMI - Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness

2011-07-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Many of you have expressed to Robyn and to me the isolation and loneliness you feel while trying to cope with your “brain storms.” In many places the evangelical church does little to shed light on depression, bipolar disorder, etc. and in other places it actually belittles and mocks those who are mentally ill. Heartfelt Counseling Ministries has an answer to this lack of community and offers solidarity.

It is called CAMI, which stands for Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness. It is for those of us who are true believers in Christ and have a burden for the afflicted or are afflicted ourselves with a mental illness. We have copyrighted the name but it needs explanation.

CAMI Purpose Statement-- - CAMI exists to strengthen those who are spiritually, psychologically and physically impacted by mental illness. We will create a sense of cohesion and community among born again Christians who are affected by depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia, panic and other disorders of mind and mood.

What is CAMI?

God led Robyn and me to start Heartfelt Counseling Ministries in 2003. Since then our book, Broken Minds was published (Kregel, 2005) and through that medium, we have met and spoken to many Christians who are sensing the need for a Christian community to aid and support them as they deal with their own broken minds. We conduct seminars, provide counseling, advocate and educate for the evangelical, biblical and clinical treatment of persons suffering from mental illness. We offer a safe environment, a listening ear and practical help for treatment all the while offering the hope of Christ. There should be no shame or embarrassment; these illnesses are the result of faulty brain chemistry and those who suffer from them are not weak people! We have extended a new helping hand to the global community to aid in our passion for the mentally afflicted Christian. It is a concept and movement called CAMI.

Why Does CAMI Exist?

1. Because Secular alliances of mentally ill people, though they do some good, cannot meet the spiritual needs of Christians who have mental illness, nor minister to their caregivers.

2. CAMI provides a visible, tangible fellowship in local settings; and also makes
possible real interaction in real time in this global village, our world.

3. CAMI provides substantial help and support in training others to start
and conduct CAMI mental illness support groups and evangelistic outreach groups.

4. CAMI will help mentally ill Christians who are often misunderstood to stand tall for Christ and work together in stomping out the stigma that surrounds this type of illness.

What will CAMI look like?

 CAMI will be embraced by local evangelical churches in both national and international settings.

 CAMI will have regional speaking engagements and have an annual conference including speakers and workshop leaders. This includes fund raisers. CAMI will train pastors and lay leaders to start and carry on mercy ministries which will include ministering effectively to the mentally ill population in their churches.

 CAMI will have a substantial ministry of prayer for those who are having problems, needs and concerns with their own symptoms of mental ilness. We will also pray for others who consent to have their prayer requests made known. There will be means of stimulating and faciliting these very important prayer requests. These will include prayer chains by phone, email,facebook, skype, twitter or by postal mail. The level of saturation by prayer will be determined by the parties involved.These prayer requests will be prayed for in an international setting.

 CAMI has eight guiding principles which are found in the CAMI Starter/Leader and Study Guides. They can be emailed to you or sent by postal mail.
Are you interested in starting a local chapter of a CAMI support group?
E-mail us at camimovement@yahoo.com. You can also call us at 616-447-9064

What Should You Do Now?
You should become a member of CAMI. You do not have to be mentally ill to do so.
Pastors, lay leaders and caregivers are also encouraged to become members.
http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx

Singing Songs to a Heavy Heart

2011-07-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Singing Songs to a Heavy Heart
Romans 12:15: states, “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.”The church of Jesus Christ is in need of wounded healers. Like our Lord, who was a Man of Sorrows and well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), and who wept when He saw others weeping over the dead Lazarus (John 11:28-35); we too must suffer trials of all kinds so that we can comfort others with the comfort we have received from the God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-8). Some Christians try to offer comfort to another who is in sorrow, but their comforts fall flat because they are simply incapable of saying, doing or showing true sympathy; much like elephant trying to pick up a pin.

If you rejoice with those who weep, if you quote platitudes and sing them songs of victory, you are in violation of the norm of Scripture. The writer of Proverbs said, "Like one who takes away a garment on cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart."
I am from Michigan which can drop to twenty degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) in a hurry. You must dress for the weather. If someone took my heavy winter coat away from me and robbed me of my ear muffs, I would feel very violated and very distressed,
So, Please if I am sad, don't sing to me. If I am joyful, let us sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs together. If you don't know what to say, then say nothing, just be there. (SB)

Here is some great insight into the matter above. It is John Calvin's commentary on Romans 12:15. He says, “A general truth in the third place is laid down...that the faithful regarding each other with mutual affection, are to consider the condition of others as their own... He first specifies two particular things that they were to rejoice with the joyful, and to weep with the weeping. For such is the nature of true love, that one prefers to weep with his brother, rather than to look at a distance on his grief, and to live in pleasure or ease. What is meant then is...that we, as much as possible, ought to sympathize with one another and that whatever our lot may be; each should transfer to himself the feeling of another, whether of grief in adversity, or of joy in prosperity."
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Christ our Advocate, Intercessor and High Priest.

2011-06-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have been reading one of my favorite authors, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones again. He, by his expositions of the Scriptures, has been a mentor of mine for over thirty years. This particular portion has some great insight that I think is worthy of your reading.
Christ our Advocate, Intercessor and High Priest.

I John 2: 1,2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world, NKJV.

"The early fathers were very fond of putting it like this, and I think it is very good: they used to say that the Holy Spirit intercedes within us and Christ is interceding for us. The Holy Spirit is within us, building us up in Christ, teaching us and guiding us and showing us what to do and what not to do. And there the Lord Himself is making intercession for us and on our behalf, representing us always to the Father. It is a glorious and sublime conception. Is there anything that can be more comforting and more consoling than to know at this very moment, and always, the Lord of Glory is concerned about you, is watching over you and is concerned about your interests and is there representing you?

We are frail and we are weak and we fall and fail, but we have an advocate with the Father. Therefore, when you begin to feel, at the suggestion of Satan, that you cannot turn back to God and face Him, remember, beloved friend, you are not alone. I agree with you; I know the sensation but too well, the feeling that I have no right to approach God, but remember that you have an Advocate and He is there to represent you."
(David Martyn Lloyd Jones, Life in Christ, Studies in I John, Volume 2 (1993) by Elisabeth Catherwood and Anne Desmond, Cambridge: Crossway Books, p.38, 39).

"We have an advocate, says John with the Father. Now that word "with" is a most important little word; it means face to face with. It does not mean that He now and again enters in and is allowed to represent us, but rather that He is always there. And it means that He is always, as it were, looking into the face of the Father. We have a suggestion here of the great doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons yet one substance. He is face to face with God, not having, as it were, to make an application to God to plead for us to the Father; He is always looking into the eyes of the Father. What a wonderful idea, that the One who represents us is always there in that absolute intimacy with God." (Ibid 39).

Please note that Steve & Robyn will be hosting the seminar, Whispers in the Foyer...An Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Illness on Saturday, October 15,2011. Registration is at 9:00 am.with an hour for lunch and concluding at 4:30 p.m. It will be held at Rockford Baptist Church, 221 Courtland Street, Rockford, Michigan 49341.

If you are comng from out of town, there are a number of hotels with a varitey of choices as to cost, type, location, etc. Please visit the link below http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx

Pakistani Christians killed in cold blood.

2011-06-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

This post is unedited.

This comes from the persecuted church in Pakistan.
It is commanded in the book of Hebrews 13:3 that we are to:
Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

The prisoners mentioned in the above text are not criminals; they are those who have put in prison because of their faith. This is happening all over the world in real time. Hundreds are maimed and killed, raped and pillaged every day. Please pray for them, if you are a true born again believer. The Bible says those who are saved by Christ are believer priests, who by the Lord Jesus Christ can come immediately into the presence of God." It is our duty to plead the cause of our brothers and sisters before the LORD. The above Scripture presents an extreme command of empathy, sb.

"In the month of March these destitute Christians were coming out of worship and a dozen Muslim men were waiting outside to trouble Christian women as they always do.
When some Christian men told them politely/requested before them to please don’t do that but they did’t listen in spite they got angry and in order to satisfy their hatred as usual they started firing with the automatic weapons at the Christians randomly.
One of the Christian men who in his mid 40’s is survived by his wife and four children while another one who was young in his 20’s and married only a month ago also died. Some others were injured.
The Christians are destitute and do menial work to survive. This incident happened in the city of Hyderabad of Pakistan. The families of the victims/martyred Christians deserve help, if anyone would extend help for the suffering families that would be really great. The family of the martyred Christians needs protection in order to pursue to the matter since two of the culprits are still at large. Remember we cannot afford to abandon the already abandoned ones.
Keep them in your prayer please.
Name witheld, serving the most oppressed, neglected and abandoned brothers and sisters."

Insanity The Invisible Plague

2011-06-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

“The most remarkable thing about insanity in contemporary America is that its existence as an epidemic is unknown. Despite the evidence of its startling increase over two centuries, despite its enormous fiscal and human costs, and despite the fact that it still may be increasing, there is virtually no interest in this issue. Insanity has become accepted, like an unwelcome guest who slowly settles into the household and eventually is thought of as a member of the family. AIDS, tuberculosis, and cancer continue to evoke adversarial feelings---they do not belong. Insanity, by contrast, is widely thought of as part of the human condition and assumed to have always been with us in its present form. Such acceptance betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of its essence.” Torrey, E. Fuller, M.D. and Miller, Judy, The Invisible Plague, The Rise of Mental Illness from 1750 to the Present(2001), New Brunswick, New Jersey and London: Rutgers University Press, page 299

“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”
Angela Monet

Steve and Robyn Bloem of Heartfelt Ministries will be giving a seminar called, "Whispers in the Foyer, An Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Illness."
It will be on a Saturday at a date yet determined during the month of October 2011. It will be hosted by Rockford Baptist Church in Rockford, MI.
Ask us about early registration fees and CAMI Membership Discounts.

D.L. Moody, "This is the land of the dying"

2011-06-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

"We say this is the land of the living! It is not. It is the land of the dying. What is our life here but a vapor? A hearse is the most common sight. Families are broken into. Over there is one who has lost a father, there a mother, there a place vacant, there a sister's name is no more heard, there a brother's love is missed. Death stalks triumphant through our midst, in this world...
Death in front of us, death behind us, and death to the right of us, death to the left of us. See the hospitals in our land, and the asylums for the insane, the blind and the aged.

But look at the other world. No death, no pain, no sorrow, no old age, no sickness, no bending forms, no dimmed eyes, no tears. But joy, peace, love and happiness. No gray hair... River of life for the healing of the nations, and everlasting life. Think of it! Life! Life! Life without end! And yet so many men choose this life on earth, instead of the life in Heaven. Don't close your heart against eternal life. Only take the gift, only take it." Will you do it?

D.L. Moody, from a sermon preached in Kansas City when his life was approaching its end. "The Life of D.L. Moody" by Will Moody (1900) Sword of the Lord Publishers: Murfreesboro, TN, p.547

Are You serving God's purpose for your life?

2011-06-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I remember that not to long after Lindsay died (on September 11, 2001), I was wailing and crying in our bedroom. I thought that Robyn had gone to a friend’s house. Tyler, who was eleven years old came to me and asked me if I were alright. (It is not bad to cry in front of your kids, they realize how much you love your children). I thanked Tyler for checking and I told him that I was sad.

Shortly after this something remarkable happened. Robyn came to me and asked me about a verse in the Bible that I was fond of quoting. She wanted to place it on a calendar about Lindsay that she was making for "the boys." I found the verse for her and she left the room. Providentially, God was directing me to Acts 13:36. The verse reads,"For David, after he had served the purpose of God, in his own generation fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay." On that day, this verse began to take hold of me. I was to teach the college and career class at our church in the morning, and I decided this would be the text I would use. As I studied the passage,I realized that the only way to make something out of your life was to serve God's purpose in the generation that He put you. No one can know the time of their death. Nevertheless, God will take you home
to heaven (if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ) when you have served your purpose that He has planned for you.

I realized that Lindsay had done this. She had repented of her sin and come to the Lord Jesus. I mourned the life that I would have without her. In fact, I still mourn. Nevertheless, I was strengthened by God in the truth that He is the Sovereign God who gives life and also takes it away. She and her daughter were together in life, together in death, and together in Heaven.

Now we see that our time remaining is to find God's purpose for our lives and to serve God with our hearts, souls, and minds. After having served this Divine purpose, God will take us home to be reunited with all the saints who have who have gone on before us. http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Wife of Linfen Church Leader Released on Medical Parole

2011-05-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

China Aid Association

(Linfen, Shanxi province – May 25, 2011) One of the 10 house church Christians sentenced in late 2009 to jail and labor camp terms related to the government suppression of a vast house church network based in Shanxi province has been released on medical parole due to her seriously deteriorating health, church sources told ChinaAid.

Yang Caizhen, whose husband was one of the senior leaders of the Linfen Church, was transferred in February from a prison hospital to a local hospital where test results showed her to be in seriously declining health. Due to the high cost of long-term hospitalization at the prison’s expense, the prison director decided to release her into her family’s care at their own expense. Ms. Yang is now at home, being cared for by her mother, brother and sister-in-law.

Yang, formerly a medical doctor, was given an extra-judicial two-year re-education-through-labor term which she was serving at the Shanxi Women’s Prison in the capital city of Taiyuan. She is the wife of Yang Xuan, who has served as a pastor for the churches in Linfen since 1994, shortly after the churches split from the government’s Three-Self Patriotic Movement. (More details about the couple and their ministry is available here: http://www.helplinfen.com/2011/04/daughter-of-linfen-prisoners-appeal.html.)

Yang Caizhen’s health problems no doubt were related to the heavy work demands imposed on her by the labor camp. She was forced to work every day from 6 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m., for which she received the equivalent of $20 per month, with 77 cents for medical care and $1.38 for pocket money.

In February, Yang began to feel ill, started to run a high fever and complained of pain throughout her body. The prison clinic gave her a course of antibiotics, and two days later, the fever was gone. But she had no appetite and then experienced recurring fever that did not respond to three days of antibiotic drip in the prison hospital. She was transferred to an outside hospital, where a chest x-ray and test results from routine blood work showed her to be in poor health, including a high fever and liver inflammation. Treatment would require long-term hospitalization.

When she was released into her brother’s care three days later, Yang was barely able to speak. After paying her hospital bill, which the prison did not pay, her brother transferred Yang to a hospital in Xi’an, nine hours’ drive away. When they arrived, doctors there said her condition was so serious that any further delay in treatment might have resulted in her death.

Yang remained hospitalized for more than two weeks before going home.

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/persecution.aspx

A young mans letter to His parents about his panic disorder

2011-05-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

I gasped for air as I felt the life go out of me. I was repeatedly being plunged into darkness and brought up just long enough to know that air was available to the world around me, but not at my disposal. My throat was being fused together by an unseen force and I had the incredible urge to vomit, but my body did not have the strength to eject my stomach’s contents. Besides, I didn’t have the urge to vomit partially digested food anyway. The only thing that I thought would come out was gallons of blood. I fully expected to see sticky clots of blood and pieces of my internal organs hanging out of my mouth as my body was ravaged by the unseen enemy within. My chest tightened and my body contorted with pain as my mind raced. The pressure building in my head from the house of horrors made every noise I heard sound like the high-pitched whir of a band saw that was surely coming to slowly dismember me piece by piece. The thought of being cut to pieces was slowly fading as more important things took control of me. I could not breathe any longer, and the only thing left to do was to take my last frantic breath and die. That is when the real horror began, however. I was dying a horrible death, but death would not consummate its horrific union with me. I cried out to God to kill me, and feverishly looked around for some way out. I had to escape! Where could I go? How would I get out of this hellish torture chamber? Then the sinking realization dawned on me that there was no escape, and I would not have the good fortune of perishing. The prisoner, the prison, and the blood thirsty murderer seeking to destroy me all dwelt in the same place- my own mind.
I looked around the room and couldn’t help but notice all the smiling faces. Men chuckling, women beaming from ear to ear, and little children giggling was a common site that day. Cameras flashed and people murmured at how beautiful everything turned out. I wanted to stand up and scream for everyone to run for their life! Didn’t they know what was going on? We were all surely going to die. Were we being gassed? Was there an extremist group loitering in the wings that was using some highly sophisticated weapon to cripple our minds and take over our land? No one seemed to be concerned about the impending tragedy, however. They were living in blissful ignorance, I suppose, and attempting to enjoy the wedding.
That day, as I quietly sat in my shirt and tie, cleanly shaven with my pants pressed nicely, I was experiencing the most horrific things anyone could ever imagine. Two of my close friends were sharing their special day and showing the world how much they loved one another, but I was in a torture chamber. I was being beaten repeatedly, my family was being raped and mutilated in front of me, and I could do nothing to stop any of it. Actually, my brain (the small organ encased inside your skull so often taken for granted) was malfunctioning, and electrical impulses that are normally reserved for harrowing situations went rogue. The same chemical response one’s brain initiates during a time of the most intense crisis was happening to me that day inside a quiet Midwest church hall. I felt like a prisoner of war in my own mind. To the outside observer, I made have looked tired, or maybe even bored. Inside, however, was a different story.
Fortunately, there is help. Panic Disorder affects millions of people each year, and there are multiple pharmaceutical solutions to treat this disease of the brain. Much like penicillin will combat Strep throat, many different medications will help restore brain chemistry to its original setting. If you suffer from Panic Disorder, treat your brain like you would a broken bone. Don’t you think it deserves the care?
If you would like to more about Panic Disorder, please consider Steve and Robyn's book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, Kregel Publications. http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/bookpurchase.aspx If you are ot of the country please visit http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Pray for the Persecuted Church

2011-05-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 3:3-- Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
An average of 171,000 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith each year.

As I read about the horror of the persecution of born again believers I am led by the Holy Spirit, the Parakletos (Comforter), to intercede on their behalf. Some have asked why in our purpose statement Heartfelt Ministries has a section regarding the persecuted church. My answer is twofold:
(1) Because the above verse in Hebrews commands and exhorts us to have intense empathy for "those who are bound, as bound with them."
(2) Because their suffering involves a radical assault on the soul/spirit of believers, which is true of those who have a mental illness and Christians who are grieving. Helping the persecuted church is in accordance with our purpose statment. This blog is read by a number of believers who are undergoing persecution in other countries.

These brothers and sisters in Christ continue to need your prayers. God bless you and if your mind and body is well, thank the Lord for it, if not, continue to persevere and trust in these difficult trials.

Steve Bloem, for HCM

Whispers in the Foyer, An Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Illness

2011-05-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

“Whispers in the Foyer” is a much needed fresh voice to a controversial dialogue. Steve and Robyn Bloem have literally “written the book” on how to survive and thrive in the midst of the chaos of mental illness. Their honesty, candor, authenticity, and thoroughness of thought offer us a unique perspective at a critical time for the church in the US. Rather than hiding or running from their own struggles with Steve’s mental illness, they have faced them head on with incredible courage and a profound faith. Their book “Broken Minds” and now this resulting workshop seem to flow from a deep resolve to help shift the old paradigms that so many of us in evangelical circles are still working from when it comes to the issue of mental illness.

With rare candid honesty Steve and Robyn presented a detailed description of mental illness itself, a Biblical lens through which to engage it, and an inspirational story of struggle and triumph. Woven through Steve’s presentation on several types of mental illness and a solid Biblical discussion on it’s validity and implications, Robyn shared a story of intense struggle as they battled Steve’s depression early on in their marriage, the loss of their daughter and unborn grandchild to a tragic car accident, and ongoing journey as they continue to navigate the chaos and uncertainty defining mental illness.

As a pastor and counselor, I believe “Whispers in the Foyer” offers a refreshingly open appeal to rethink our intolerant and ignorant views on this issue. It also helps frame the dialogue in a more accessible way for so many of us in churches who want to help but are paralyzed by misunderstandings and fear. I want to thank the Bloems for their investment in writing an incredibly helpful and encouraging book, for crafting a workshop to open eyes and hearts to God’s perspective and heart for those impacted by this kind of brokenness, and for sharing their inspirational story of tragedy, despair, and ultimately hope. I believe many will be blessed, instructed, and encouraged because of their ongoing investment of time and energy by the profound faith they’ve displayed for so many years, as well as the celebration of God’s goodness in the midst of such a difficult journey.Review written by:
Pastor & Licensed Therapist Nathan Wagner

heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx

Our house is in foreclosure, please pray!

2011-05-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

We have seen many blessings from God in this last month. One that stands out is one thousand dollars that was raised for Robyn having a very much needed root canal. We are thankful for the people whom God has raised up to support us.

Heartfelt Ministries has been hit hard by the economy. Our donations have been considerably down. Because of this and horrible unemployment in Michigan, our house is now in foreclosure. This is a very difficult trial for us. This is the house that we put a large amount of money down from Lindsay's wrongful death suit. Please pray that we would be able to honor the Lord during this time of loss.

We are now considering leaving the state of Michigan. From our prospective there is an over saturation of counseling agencies in Grand Rapids area.

How can you help? First, pray hard for us! Second, check in your area whether there are ministry/pastoral care openings. Please also be on the look out for case-management job openings. If you would like to read about Steve and counseling ideas, treatment modalities etc. please go to: http://heartfeltcounselingministries,com/counseling.aspx

Don't forget our special sale on our book. Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, http://heartfeltcounselingministries,com/bookpurchase.aspx

For seminars we conduct see, http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/seminars.aspx
If you wish to learn more about our CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness) support group material and/or the movement itself, please visit, http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/camimovement.aspx
For our homepage, go to: http://www.heartfeltcounselingministries.com/
If you would like to view our e-letter go to: http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/heartbeateletter.aspx

How to find Courage in times of Disappointment

2011-04-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2008 by Rev. Steve Bloem

1. Understand the doctrine of Adoption, Galatians 4:4-6

2 Encourage yourself in the LORD our God. I Samuel 30:1-6

3. Take up the Armor of God, especially the shield of faith and helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6:10-17.

Adoption defined, It is an act of God whereby the believer in Christ is granted the full privileges and rights of sonship, that because of it the believer experiences a familial affection with God the Father and enjoys assurance of his salvation. This is brought about by the Holy Spirit, who is called, “The Spirit of Adoption.” It is because of Adoption, the believer is a son who has an inheritance of many blessings in Christ, the least not being the final redemption of his body. (Steve Bloem)
For the rest of the first point of this message please visit our website page,

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/sitemap.aspx

Description of Depression by those who had it.

2011-04-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

It has been said that you can't really understand depression unless you have felt it. I believe that this is true but these testimonies will help you somewhat understand. Please feel free to share how you would describe, depression or mania or hearing voices or OCD or panic, etc. Thanks, SB
bone crushing vortex sucking all will to live, mind numbing, black
agony,silent shrieking,disconnectedness,hopelessness,despair,distrust

A few words about how depression feels... In my aching hands I hold a thick rope attached to an anchor that lies at the bottom of a lake of molasses. I have the pleasure of hauling the anchor from one end of the lake to the other, over and over. heavy limbs, unfocused,worthless,empty,why? guilt, paranoid,deep sadness, non existence, broken nothing, sinking alone in silence,running from all including me, listening. Maybe music may spare me again tonight. writhing, consumed in fury, rage, hate, and fear crashing into the deepest darkness, shaking, alone.

Depression....

A dark tunnel with no light at the end. Heavy, cement arms and legs, eternal sleep without peace. disconnection: seeing the world from outside my skin, not able to participate in the fun of life no matter how much I want to. forced smiles, hidden feelings...despair...alone...hide from the world

What I really feel, desire to scream, but I have no voice. Sensory overload. Don't touch me, don't look at me, and don’t make noise in my presence, Noise hurts. Life, REAL life on the other end of the door, can't turn the knob...can't grasp the knob.

Depression is a link to send me under the blanket! Cement shoes are super glued to the chair, a vast nothingness all around having everything, but feeling nothing. feeling nothing, wanting something, but have no clue what that something is. mind static, a sudden realization of intense loneliness and disconnect even when smiling, feeling like crying.
A stranger in one's own home striving to make a difference, but never budging in that direction the never-ending treadmill of life, on an incline.

My mind is saturated with confusion. I have no direction, no place to go, lost.

Will someone help me remember
happiness?

The child is trembling under
her bed. Hopeless, silly dreams
crushed in a moments time.

The Darkest Chasms of your Mind"
Confusion never stops ....
Closing walls and ticking clocks

Depression, Bipolar, Panic, etc. No one is to blame

2011-04-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

“No one is to blame. Just as a diabetic cannot by sheer will power alone, control his or her blood sugar, a person with depression cannot simply decide to elevate his or her mood... Knowing this should help release those with depression from the painful suspicion which some harbor, that what really lies behind their illness is a personal failing or weakness. Personal strength can’t by itself, change the genes a person has inherited or the stroke a person has had. Seeing depression as a disease could help to remove the prejudice toward psychiatric patients that is cloaked in words like ‘crazy’. While it might be more comfortable for many to assume that their current good health (or good habits or good sense) protect them from a depressive disorder, this is not so. The fact is that everyone is vulnerable to depression. Once it is understood that each of us is a potential victim of this illness, it becomes more difficult to stigmatize those who are actually suffering from it." DePaulo, Raymond M.D. Ablow, Keith Russel M.D. How to Cope with Depression, A Complete Guide For You and Your Family. ( New York: Fawcett Crest, 1989) pp. 94,95 For more information like this, please see Robyn and Steve Bloem's book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like Your Losing It, Kregel Publications. http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?index=books&linkCode=qs&keywords=0825421187

Trapped in a Psychiatric Hospital

2011-04-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Psychiatric Hospitals - They are all across the world. It is a harrowing, upsetting experience to be in one. I have spent more than 70 days in three different psychiatric hospitals. Each time was a traumatic lonely experience. Some people go in to these hospitals voluntarily, others have to be committed, usually because they are a danger to self, others or cannot take of their basic needs.

My hospitalizations have always been voluntary but as a mental health professional I have petitioned the probate court to start the process for putting others in a psychiatric hospital. I have been on "both sides of the clipboard." Recently our son, Brant, was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Robyn and I visited him twice a day for one hour each visit. I was again reminded of what I don’t like about psychiatric hospitals. To be sure they are a necessary evil, but I am often disappointed with the way psychiatric hospitals deliver treatment to those who have mental illness...

One problem, I believe is that psychiatric hospitals do not have enough visiting hours. I feel so lonely when I am a patient in a psychiatric hospital. I suffer from one of the most painful diseases that exists among mankind, severe depression. Why was my chief support system only allowed to visit a couple times a week for a few hours? Why was my son given only two hours a day, to receive visitors, one hour at noon and the other at 7:00 pm?

Why was he allowed only two people to visit him at a time? When he was sick and hospitalized my wife and I, along with his pastor, went to visit him. We were sitting at a table interacting and laughing with other patients and Brant. A worker came over from behind the desk and told us to disperse. When I asked why, he retorted, waving his hand up and down,“too much turbulence.”

There are some basic problems that Robyn and I think need to be addressed. For the most part it boils down to an elitist attitude among the staff in psychiatric hospitals; it is a matter of control and corporate co-dependency. Robyn has been told about patients including me, “They need us more than they need visitors” or “we provide groups that keep them busy all day long. We protect their mental state by limiting sensory stimulation.”

In Brant’s hospital, I witnessed a patient getting in trouble for sitting at a table and “nodding off” during visitor hours. The staff told her that visitors did not need to see her do that. While working in a psychiatric hospital I have had a “charge” nurse tell me to take a patient to the “quiet room,” because she was at the front desk continually bothering this nurse. The patient suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The nurse in this case was guilty of a violation of the patient’s rights. But nobody filed a rights complaint.
I hope I never have to go into a psychiatric hospital again, but if I do, why can’t my loved ones be with me much of the time? If you would like to learn more about our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It please go to - http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing/dp/0825421187

Are you stressed out about your future?

2011-03-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

If we could see beyond today as God can see, If all the clouds should roll away, The shadows flee; O’er present griefs we would not fret, Each sorrow we would soon forget, For many joys are waiting yet For you and me. If we could know beyond today As God doth know, Why dearest treasures pass away, And tears must flow; And why the darkness leads to light, Why dreary days will soon grow bright, Some day life’s wrong will be made right, Faith tells us so. If we could see, if we could know We often say, But God in love a veil doth throw Across our way. We cannot see what lies before, And so we cling to Him the more, He leads us till this life is o’er, Trust and obey. —Norman J. Clayton Go to this link, about biological depression, Bi-polar depression,etc. It is a good educational video. It is three minutes and thirty eight seconds.
http://depression.emedtv.com/depression-video/depression-introduction.html

Seven Reasons why we should be content

2011-03-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

A Biblical argument for being content which is intended especially for the persecuted church in the world but it is profitable for all. --Steve Bloem

These comments are based on Philippians 4:10-12. This is taken from the book Spiritual Depression, Its Causes and Cures by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones.

1. Conditions are always changing; therefore I must obviously not be dependent upon conditions.

2. What matters supremely and vitally is my soul and relationship to God--

3. God is concerned about me as my Father, and nothing happens to me apart from God.
Even the very hairs of my head are all numbered. I must never forget that.

4. Gods will and God’s ways are a great mystery, but I know that whatever He permits is of necessity for my good.

5. Every situation in life is the unfolding of some manifestation of God’s love and goodness.Therefore my business is to look for this peculiar manifestation of God’s goodness and kindness and to be prepared for surprises and blessings because His ways are not my ways, neither His thoughts my thoughts. What for example is the great lesson that Paul learned in the matter of the thorn in the flesh. It is that: When I am weak then I am strong. Paul was taught through physical weakness this manifestation of God’s grace.

6. I must regard circumstances and conditions, not in and of themselves but as a part of God’s dealing with me in the work of perfecting my soul and bringing me to final perfection.

7. Whatever my conditions may be at the present moment they are only temporary, they are only passing, and they can never rob me of the joy and glory that ultimately await me with Christ.

Steve Brown's review of Broken Minds

2011-03-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Broken Minds: Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're "Losing It" (Paperback) - Steve & Robyn Bloem Wow! What a great book a book that we’ve needed for such a long time. With clarity, Biblical faithfulness and grace, Steve and Robyn Bloem lead us from their personal experience to hope for the rest of us who have experienced, or loved those who have experienced, the pain of a "broken mind." This is a book that should be mandatory reading for every leader in the church. It is one of the most (perhaps "the most") helpful books I’ve ever read on mental illness." "I really do think this is a great book and will be making in mandatory reading for my practical theology classes." http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/bookpurchase.aspx

Where are the evangelical support groups for the mentally ill?

2011-03-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Mental Illness and the Health Wealth and Prosperity Gospel

2011-03-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Does God promise his children that they will never be sick of heart, depressed or weak of mind?
No, the present day, health, wealth and prosperity version of the gospel teaches this. But the Bible teaches otherwise; for instance, Job 9:27,28; “If I say,I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile. I am afraid of all my sufferings." Again the word of God in Job 6:1-4, states, “Then Job answered and said, “Oh, that my grief was fully weighed and my calamity lay with it in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea, therefore my words have been hasty. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, my spirit drinks in their poison, the terrors of God are arrayed against me (NKJV).”
David states in Psalm 55:4-5,“My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me (NKJV).” Please also note Psalm 116:3, “the pangs of death encompassed me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord.”
How about you blogger? Do you have a prayer request or would you like to share how others have told you depression is a flaw, something to be confessed as sin before God?
Steve and Robyn Bloem
Please go to the following link that will provide you with key reviews of our book Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan---

"I Hate Happy People," part 2.

2011-03-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the evening of September 11 was beautiful. The weather, which could be very inclement at times, was warm, dry and calm. Lindsay told us that she wanted to go to church to pray. She said she thought that the Lord would use this catastrophe in our nation as an opportunity for her with her friends at work. She wanted them to know her as a Christian who would trust the Lord in these difficult times. Her new husband had to work that night; since they shared a car, she would pick him up when his shift was over at eight o’clock p.m. Our youngest son, Tyler, rode with her to church. It was so good to see her interact with her brothers. We had been estranged for about 14 months.

Lindsay had gotten into trouble in her junior year of high school. She had actually gone to summer camp and confided in her counselor about some issues in which she was involved that did not honor the Lord. The following Sunday night, her youth pastor called us into his office and told us, “I don’t think people in the church should know things about your daughter that you don’t know.” He proceeded to tell us the things that Lindsay had been doing. I remember telling him that we knew something was wrong, but it was like we were swinging a bat in the dark. Her attitude was very rebellious and not only was she spending an excessive amount of time with her friends but also being cagy about her activities. We were quite saddened that Lindsay had gotten into trouble and we were worried about her. When she came home, we told her about our conversation with the youth pastor and confronted her with the facts. She denied everything the pastor told us. Steve told her, “Look, Lindsay, this is just like my job. I deal with clients lying to me all day long about their drug use. We find out what they’re doing with a urine drop. Obviously, I am not going to do that, but I know you’re lying.” After awhile, she finally admitted her wrong. We had a moment of prayer with her, affirmed our love for her and we all went to bed.

Her senior year was upon us in no time. We laid down certain parameters we expected her to follow and set up some guidelines for her after school job, etc. Things seemed to be better for quite a while. Toward the end of her senior year, we started having some very familiar scenarios with her. She became evasive; she smelled like smoke again and her whereabouts were always a little vague. Her anger was getting out of control and her behavior was upsetting everyone in the family. Night after night we had contention. The phone would ring after eleven or eleven thirty and if I answered, the person hung up. The caller ID was always marked “unavailable” and the calls persisted. More than once, Lindsay picked up her back pack and threatened to leave with her friends for an unknown length of time to some unknown destination. As a mother, she was scaring me to death. I knew the dangers that lurked out there in the world for a couple of high school girls trying to prove their independence.
A fleshly person is not a fun person.

It doesn’t matter if the person we are dealing with is a son, daughter or best friend, when one is “in the flesh”as the Bible calls it, it can be an ugly mess. Lindsay reverted to some real nastiness when she was on the run. I have a friend who calls her daughter’s rebellion, “her time with the donkeys,” a reference to the bad behavior of Pinocchio and his cohorts. Lindsay had some donkey friends that were a real source of grief to us.

As her senior year was drawing to a close and she seemed to be repeating some of the old patterns, we had to have one of those talks with her. We were saddened again at her return to the old ways of the previous year. We gave her the ultimatum: either forsake the sin or else. She stood in stubborn opposition to us. The phone kept ringing, her support system egging her on to the wrong things over and over again. One day, she announced that she had made her decision and she would not graduate if it meant she had to give up her boyfriend and her other “friends.”

They supported her decision, of course, what was it to them? They had nothing to lose. It reminds me of a game show where the contestant looks for advice from members of the audience. He stands with thousands of dollars in the balance while the mob screams for them to risk it all in some maneuver of the game. What do they have to lose; and yet the contestant listens to them and many times takes a ridiculous risk. That was Lindsay; she stood listening to people who had already graduated or were about to and let them decide for her; the risk taker listening to the mob.
After that decision was made, the tenor of our Christian home ratcheted downward. Lindsay felt and stated emphatically that she had nothing to lose, there was no longer any reason to obey the family rules and she felt “that was that.” She began staying out all night; we didn’t know where she was going or who she was with. But we believed strongly in what we required of her and we were trusting in the Lord for His guidance.

Robyn Bloem, Author, Co-Founder, Heartfelt Ministries.
The portion above is part of an unpublished title which we are submitting to
publishers. If you interested as a publisher please let us know. (We do not wish to self publish it), thanks.

Our other book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing It When you Feel Like You're Losing It,Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications can be found on our web site and many others which will yield to a google search, bloem,broken minds

I Hate Happy People

2011-03-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

Copyright 2011

Sitting at the high school basketball game with my husband, Steve, and our eleven year old son, Tyler, I glanced furtively around the gym. The bleachers were filled to capacity in our mostly parent area, and to both sides and above us, sat the students. We were slightly out of style compared to them; even the coolest of us looking more like our own generation than we hoped. The kids were mostly excited to be together on a Thursday night supporting their team and the parents stood, talked, laughed and bounced an age-old bounce to age-old tunes being blasted by the high school band. I sat there quietly, with my broken heart and suffocated spirit. I had one thought, “I hate happy people!”
How could happiness even exist tonight? Was I observing true reality? Could others have joy, happiness and contentment so close to the surface of their hearts, changing their faces from interest to pleasure to hilarious laughter at some dimwitted comment from a mere acquaintance? How could someone even conjure up a laugh? How could a person find anything close to amusing come out of another person’s mouth? I was deeply struck by the giddiness of others and also deeply troubled. Yep, I hated happy people!
Roughly three months before this high school game observation, our nineteen year old daughter was killed. She was returning from a special prayer vigil called on Tuesday afternoon on September 11, 2001. Our pastor wanted us to come and pray for our nation, the President and the many families who had lost loved ones the day of those horrific terrorist attacks. Our only daughter, Lindsay, was a young married mother-to-be. She was eight months pregnant with our first grandchild. About nine o’clock that morning, she started calling us from work.
“What’s happening, Mom? Is this the end of the world?” That may sound silly at this point in our nation’s history, but at the time, as a fearful young woman, she needed reassurances. I told her that these types of things had been happening in other places in the world for years and years but it was unusual for any enemy to penetrate our borders and successfully commit such crimes against America.

Lindsay’s work day ended at three o’clock p.m. and she was running up our front steps minutes later. Still anxious and worried, she hugged me and then standing upright looked right into my eyes and said again, “What is happening, Mom?” I shrugged and said something like, “I don’t know, honey, but remember God is in charge of all of this today.”
This is to be continued because of length.
Robyn Bloem
This is from our unpublished book about Grief.
Here is a link to our book which is already published--

My Training with Marsha Linehan

2011-03-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

DBT

Marsha Linehan.

I had the privilege of studying under Marsha Linehan in Seattle, Washington at the University of Washington. She is a brilliant behaviorist and also an unashamed Buddhist. And I am an unashamed evangelical Christian. Our world and life views clash, especially when it comes to absolute truth. Linehan holds that truth is always changing. It consists of a thesis, an antithesis and then a synthesis. Philosophically, Linehan and I differ as far as the Bible being absolute truth; but I have been able to understand certain dialectics that exist in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder such as:

 Emotional Vulnerability v. Self-evaluation
 Active Passivity v. Apparent Competence
 Unrelenting Crisis v. Inhibited Grieving

--Linehan, Dr.Marsha; Cognitve Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, (New York, London: Guilford Press, 1993) p. 67 figure 3:1.

Her skills training manual is outstanding.When I teach mindfulness to my borderline clients who are Christians, I concentrate on the reflective wisdom books, especially the Psalms.
The God of the Bible is a Loving, Holy God who makes Himself known to those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior (John 1:11, 12).

In the Old Testament He is known as El-Shaddai, Jehovah and One who is a Strong Refuge for those who know Him and seek His help. In the New Testament He is the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1) who comforts His children in all their troubles, afflictions and in their darkest hours.
I believe that the God of the Bible, as made known through His Son, Jesus, by the Holy Spirit is far superior to any religion; having said that when I do DBT therapy and teach skills training I constantly use the DBT approach.
What about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Steve is a certified DBT therapist; actually, he was personally instructed in DBT by Dr. Marsha Linehan. He and a coworker were the first in the area to set up and run a DBT group. It was very successful for a number of years.
Steve also has done personal therapy with scores of those who suffer Borderline Personality Disorder. He subsitutes some of the Budist principles which are inherent in DBT with Christian priniciples of biblical meditation and contemplation.
At this point, Steve is considering opening a DBT group in Grand Rapids, MI.
He also has success in doing DBT phone therapy.
Please call me at 616.447.9064 or email me at camimovement@yahoo,com

Borderline Personality Disorder
The main tenet of the biosocial theory is that the core disorder in Borderline Personality Disorder is emotion dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is viewed as a joint outcome of biological disposition, environmental context, and the transaction between the two during development.
The theory asserts that borderline individuals have difficulties in regulating several, if not all, emotions. The systemic dysregulation is produced by emotional vulnerability and by maladaptive and inadequate emotion modulation strategies. (Linehan, Marsha, Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. (1993) New York, London, Guilford Press}, p.2
What about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Steve is a certified DBT therapist; actually, he was personally instructed in DBT
by Dr. Marsha Linehan. He and a coworker were the first in the area to set
up and run a DBT group. It was very successful for a number of years.
Steve also has done personal therapy with scores of those with Borderline Personality
Disorder. He subsitutes some of the Budist principles which are inherent
in DBT with Christian priniciples of biblical meditation and contemplation.
At this point, Steve is considering opening a DBT group in Grand Rapids< MI.
He also has success in doing DBT phone therapy.

Pretreatment targets orientation to treatment and agreement on goals.

First stage targets

1. Decreasing suicidal behaviors
2. Decreasing therapy-interfering behaviors
3. Decreasing quality-of-life-interfering behaviors

4. Increasing behaviors skills

A. Core mindfulness skills
B. Interpersonal effectiveness skills
C. Emotion regulation skills
D. Distress tolerance skills
E. Self management skills

Second stage targets

5. decreasing post-traumatic

Third stage targets

6. Increasing respect for self

Table 5.2 Linehan Behaviors that Interfere with Quality of Life

1. Substance abuse (examples “alcohol drinking; abuse of illicit or prescription drugs).

2. High risk or unprotected sexual behavior (examples: unsafe sex practices; abusing others sexually; excessively promiscuous sex; sex with inappropriate persons).

3. Extreme financial difficulties (example: overwhelming unpaid bills, difficulties in budgeting; excessive spending or gambling; inability to manage public assistance agencies).

4. Criminal behaviors that if not changed may lead to jail (examples: shoplifting; setting fires).

5. Serious dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors (examples: choosing or staying with physically, sexually, and/or emotionally abusive partners; excessive contact with abuse relatives; ending relationships prematurely; making other people feel so uncomfortable that few friends are possible; incapacitating shyness or fear of social disapproval).

6. Employment or school related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: quitting jobs or school prematurely; inability to look for or find a job; fear of going to school or school related work; inappropriate career choices; getting fired or failing in school excessively.

7. Illness-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: inability to get proper medical care; not taking necessary medications; overtaking medication; fear of physicians; refusal to treat illness.

8. Housing related dysfunctional behaviors (examples; living in shelters, in cars, or in overcrowded housing; living with abusive or incompatible people; not finding stable housing engaging in behaviors that cause evictions or rejections from housing possibilities)

9. Mental Health-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: going into psychiatric hospitals; shopping; not finding ancillary treatments.)

10. Mental-disorder-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: behavior patterns that meet criteria for other severe or debilitating Axis I or Axis II behaviors in the DSM IV manual.
If you are interested in DBT counseling from a certified DBT therapist please go to the link below

My Training with Marsha Linehan

2011-03-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

My Training with Marsha Linehan

I had the privilege of studying under Marsha Linehan in Seattle, Washington at the University of Washington. She is a brilliant behaviorist and also an unashamed Buddhist. And I am an unashamed evangelical Christian. Our world and life views clash, especially when it comes to absolute truth. Linehan holds that truth is always changing. It consists of a thesis, an antithesis and then a synthesis. Philosophically, Linehan and I differ as far as the Bible being absolute truth; but I have been able to understand certain dialectics that exist in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder such as:
 Emotional Vulnerability v. Self-evaluation
 Active Passivity v. Apparent Competence
 Unrelenting Crisis v. Inhibited Grieving
Linehan, Dr.Marsha; Cognitve Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, (New York, London: Guilford Press, 1993) p. 67 figure 3:1.

Her skills training manual is outstanding.When I teach mindfulness to my borderline clients who are Christians, I concentrate on the reflective wisdom books, especially the Psalms.

The God of the Bible is a Loving, Holy God who makes Himself known to those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior (John 1:11, 12).
In the Old Testament He is known as El-Shaddai, Jehovah and One who is a Strong Refuge for those who know Him and seek His help. In the New Testament He is the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1); who comforts His children in all their troubles, afflictions and in their darkest hours.
I believe that the God of the Bible, as made known through His Son, Jesus, by the Holy Spirit is far superior to any religion; having said that when I do DBT therapy and teach skills training I constantly use the DBT approach.

Borderline Personality Disorder

The main tenet of the biosocial theory is that the core disorder in Borderline Personality Disorder is emotion dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is viewed as a joint outcome of biological disposition, environmental context, and the transaction between the two during development.
The theory asserts that borderline individuals have difficulties in regulating several, if not all, emotions. The systemic dysregulation is produced by emotional vulnerability and by maladaptive and inadequate emotion modulation strategies. { Linehan, Marsha, Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. (1993) New York, London, Guilford Press}, p.2

What about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

Steve is a certified DBT therapist. Actually, he was personally instructed in DBT
by Dr. Marsha Linehan. He and a coworker were the first in the area to set
up and run a DBT group. It was very successful for a number of years.
Steve also has done personal therapy with scores of those with Borderline Personality
Disorder. He subsitutes some of the Budist principles which are inherent
in DBT with Christian priniciples of biblical meditation and contemplation.
At this point, Steve is considering opening a DBT group in Grand Rapids< MI.
He also has success in doing DBT phone therapy.
If you would like to learn more about Steve and how link up with DBT,
please call, 616.447.9064
You can also email him at camimovement@yahoo.com

Pretreatment targets orientation to treatment and agreement on goals.

First stage targets

1. Decreasing suicidal behaviors
2. Decreasing therapy-interfering behaviors
3. Decreasing quality-of-life-interfering behaviors

4. Increasing behaviors skills

A. Core mindfulness skills
B. Interpersonal effectiveness skills
C. Emotion regulation skills
D. Distress tolerance skills
E. Self management skills

Second stage targets

5. decreasing post-traumatic

Third stage targets

6. Increasing respect for self

Table 5.2 Linehan Behaviors that Interfere with Quality of Life
1. Substance abuse (examples “alcohol drinking; abuse of illicit or prescription drugs)

2. High risk or unprotected sexual behavior (examples: unsafe sex practices; abusing others sexually; excessively promiscuous sex; sex with inappropriate persons).

3. Extreme financial difficulties (example: overwhelming unpaid bills, difficulties in budgeting; excessive spending or gambling; inability to manage public assistance agencies).

4. Criminal behaviors that if not changed may lead to jail (examples: shoplifting; setting fires)

5. Serious dysfunctional interpersonal behaviors (examples: choosing or staying with physically, sexually, and/or emotionally abusive partners; excessive contact with abuse relatives; ending relationships prematurely; making other people feel so uncomfortable that few friends are possible; incapacitating shyness or fear of social disapproval).

6. Employment or school related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: quitting jobs or school prematurely; inability to look for or find a job; fear of going to school or school related work; inappropriate career choices; getting fired or failing in school excessively.

7. Illness-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: inability to get proper medical care; not taking necessary medications; overtaking medication; fear of physicians; refusal to treat illness.

8. Housing related dysfunctional behaviors (examples; living in shelters, in cars, or in overcrowded housing; living with abusive or incompatible people; not finding stable housing engaging in behaviors that cause evictions or rejections from housing possibilities)

9. Mental Health-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: going into psychiatric hospitals; shopping; not finding ancillary treatments.)

10. Mental-disorder-related dysfunctional behaviors (examples: behavior patterns that meet criteria for other severe or debilitating Axis I or Axis II behaviors in the DSM IV manual.
If you are interested in DBT counseling from a certified DBT therapist please go to the link below

Have ever thought,"God get with my program?"

2011-02-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

God does not promise His people that they will be free from sickness, problems, poverty and more. People who buy into the health, wealth and prosperity gospel tend to believe that God will deliver everyone from all kinds of problems if only they have enough faith in Him. There are examples throughout Scripture and in church history of people who have had sickness and weakness of mind. One example is that of John the Baptist(Matthew 11:1-6). The fiery preacher, who in his near past had great multitudes hanging on his every word, now lay imprisoned in a dark dungeon with its stale air and rodents. Why was this mighty and prophetic voice silenced? It was because he had preached the judgment of God to Herod and his wife Herodias. Why did he do so? It was because of their incestuous and adulterous relationship. John was in a dark dungeon; he no doubt longed for the fellowship of his disciples and even of Christ. Instead, because of his identification with our Lord Jesus he was participating in His sufferings. John had not seen many of Christ’s greatest miracles. However, he had clearly testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John1:24).

Now he was haunted with doubts about whether or not Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. That is why Matthew records for us how John sent his messengers to ask Jesus about His claims to be Messiah. They said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else"(John 11:3 NASB)? Jesus answered John’s disciples, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind received sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who does not take offense at Me" (Matthew 11:4-6 NASB). The same John who had said, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 NASB) was now disappointed, lonely and out of the loop. He would die alone by the sword of the executioner (Mathew 14:8 NASB). But Heaven gave him a glad welcome.
Bloem, Robyn and Steve CAMI Leader Guide,support group for Christians with mental illness, (copy right 2010) self published.

Suicide - Breaking the taboo

2011-02-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

I will share what I felt when I was twenty nine years old, dealing with my first episode of depression. Looking back I have been able to better conceptualize demonic devices.
I began to feel like I had the flu, my mood went from moderate to bad to severe in a short time. I was in the dark, emotionally and spiritually and I did not have a clue that what I had was a biological problem.
My doctor told me that it when I felt stressed to blow into a paper bag. One time when I was at a restaurant and depressed out of my mind I asked to be excused. I went into a bathroom, in the stall, blowing furiously but it did nothing to lift my mood. I thought, “How pathetic is this?”

At a certain point, suicide became a viable option as a way of escape. I remember thinking, while out to eat with my family, “I will go outside and jump in front of a car.” Then, I would not have to deal with this horrible agony.

I was sure that I was a terrible burden to everyone. Now I realize that this is a common scheme of the devil, (the Greek word for devil, diabolos means slanderer) to isolate the believer in Christ, slander God to him, saying, “He does not care about you anymore.” He will add insult to your own feelings of failure and your self-loathing. He will attempt to cover the biological nature of your depression and put on a masquerade that your problem is spiritual, Jesus Christ, who is God, said about him, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44)

If you asked most people who are depressed and suicidal, “Why do you want to kill yourself?” Most would say that their families would be better off if they were dead.
However, no matter who you are and what you have done; your family will never be better without you. They will feel sorrow, betrayal, anger, abandonment and confusion. Their grieving will be long and hard. Statistics tell us that numbers of your own family, (including nieces and nephews) will adopt for themselves your way of getting rid of the awful pain. Suicide will seem logical. Suicide is a sin, but God will provide you a way of escape that you may bear it, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
Do not commit suicide! Get help! This was taken from, CAMI Leaders Guide and Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You’re Losing It, Kregel Publications where the largest chapter is about suicide (chapter 4)
http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/bookpurchase.aspx

A young man's letter to his parents about his depression

2011-02-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Dad and Mom,

I decided to write you a letter to you know what is going on with me. For lack of a better term, I suppose it could be called an “emotional audit.” It is very difficult for me to express how I am feeling because everything I say sounds very cliché and melodramatic. At the risk of being melodramatic, however, I will describe exactly what has been going on with me in the hopes that something I say will trigger something within your brain to figure out the best course of action to take to help me.
I have felt very forlorn for a long time. Ever since I can remember I have had a sort of heaviness that has permeated my consciousness. The only way I discovered this was through conversations with numerous individuals who talked about themselves in such a way that I found very odd. First, many friends have discussed an innate fear of death that I seem to lack. I do not find death glorious or romantic, but rather a well-needed and well-deserved rest from the suffering of this present world. To say that my quest for happiness (or wellness maybe) and my zeal for life is a battle is vastly understating the truth. Every day for at least the past 4 months (and on and off for many years), I have rolled out of bed and willed myself and prayed myself through the motions. I have always believed in Darwin’s model of only the strong surviving, which is surprising considering he had panic disorder (actually maybe he thought that because he survived panic attacks, he could conqueror anything.
Getting back on topic, death has always seemed so far away out of my grasp. Many times I have almost attempted to put myself into its way to be consumed by it, but I was never fortunate enough to die a martyr’s death. To me, being a martyr is not one who dies for what he believes in, but rather someone who continues to live despite life’s grisly grip on them. I feel as if I need a vacation from myself, much like a nap, but not. If it were possible to die for six months and then return, I believe I would like that very much.
The biggest obstacle I have found in my twenty-two years is the fact I have to be alone with my thoughts. Maybe I don’t want a vacation from life, but most certainly from the horrid thoughts that plague me so many times. If I stay busy enough, I can push the thoughts out of my head, and feebly attempt to ignore the sensation of gripping pain. I am afraid of virtually no one. The only thing I fear is alone time with me. Thinking has become such a painful process that I many times almost have a panic attack just thinking about when I will be alone next to face the truth- every day drags on and the only thought I have is that of my family and my Lord. I could not disgrace either of them with suicide, but OH how I long to be rid of this horrible “thing” that is weighing down on me. I feel relief primarily in two different ways. One way is when I am doing vigorous exercise (not right away, but after maybe 25 minutes of pushing hard). Another way is when I either intake a significant amount of caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine eventually makes me crash and I am more depressed after, and alcohol does the same, and also is a sin to consume to intoxication. I have not drunk recently, but it is always a temptation because it seems to help for a while. However, the next day I would not just have a “hangover,” but rather an intense, sharp pang of guilt coupled with an overwhelming sadness that could bring me to tears, or even worse-no tears.

I really think that crying would be quite a catharsis for me, but ever since I have been on Paxil I have not been able to cry (I have no idea if that’s connected to anything, but it is something I have indeed noticed).
I am not trying to be morbid or bring down your new years, but I figured I would at least mention some of these things to you. I really would like to have ECT if it were possible, but I understand that that is probably not an option for many reasons. Please pray for me so I can stay strong through this, and MOST of ALL, please do not treat me any different than you have. You have both been fine, but I do not need someone asking me every 3 minutes if I am depressed. The answer will unequivocally be YES.

Thank s for reading this, I appreciate it.

Love you both, and talk to you soon.

Spiritual Depression

2011-02-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

Copyright 2011--Steve Bloem

Spiritual Depression -
One of the major causes of spiritual depression is that believers began to look at their own personal sins and feel that God the Judge and Lawgiver is condemning them... Satan presents our Heavenly Father as always angry with us, always disapproving. Christ is seen as a Judge more than a husband... The Holy Spirit is presented by Satan as a nag, ever haunting you about former sins but never giving relief. The answer is to focus on Christ and His redeeming love and not to look at ourselves. The Father is well pleased with us because we are in His Beloved Son.

Ephesians 1:5-8 (NKJV) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

You should no longer look on yourself as a law breaker but as one who has been adopted as a son through the work of Christ. The Holy Spirit does not play hide and seek with your sins. He will show you them if you ask Him. Confessing and forsaking sin is part of walking in the Light and having fellowship with God (c.f I John 1:5-9)

The terrors of the law and God
With me can have nothing to do
My Savior's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.
Augustus Montague TopladyT (1740-1778), Christian Minister, Poet and Hymn writer.

Depression and Acceptance

2011-01-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was first diagnosed with major depression. I was deeply depressed, obsessed and having panic attacks. I began to question why I had to become mentally ill. My father-in-law said to me, “Son, you have to play the hand that’s been dealt to you.” After this, I began to realize that though I was so very disappointed about losing the pastorate, I knew that God had ordered my steps. I also later read what George Muller said, “Not only the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, but also the stops are His doing.”

Oh Love that will not let me go

2011-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

The song title above was written by George Matheson a blind Scottish preacher, George Matheson. Born with poor vision, Matheson’s eyesight gradually worsened until he was almost totally blind. However, he was academically gifted, and his sisters learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew to help him study. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh (MA 1862), then became a minister in the Church of Scotland. He pastored in the resort town of Innelan for 18 years; due to his ability to memorize sermons and entire sections of the Bible, listeners were often unaware he was blind. In 1886, Matheson became pastor of St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburgh, where he served 13 years. He spent the remaining years of his life in literary efforts.
This song has meant very much to me as I have traveled the road of suffering and glory to be with the Lord Jesus forever.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oh+love+that+will+not+let+me+go+david+phelps&aq=7

Christ's love for His vineyard

2011-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

As of late, due to financial pressures and other trials, I have tended to minimize what it means to be loved and cared for by our gracious God and Savior. A couple of years ago, I began to read through Baker’s Encyclopedia of Spurgeon’s sermons and found them to be a great help.
This particular sermon, Christ’s love for His Vineyard has proven to be a great blessing, to me. Spurgeon's text was “My vineyard, which is mine, is before me,”Song of Solomon 8:12

“There is a sweet thought here for all who love the Savior. You, as His Church, and each one of you who are His people, are specially preserved by Him. Then, ‘why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?’

I tell you, soul, that He sees you as much as if there no others for His eyes to look upon; and He cares for you as infinitely, and with as undivided a heart, as if you were the only soul that He ever bought with his blood. If you were His only elect one, His only redeemed one, His only loved one, He could not deal with you more tenderly and more lovingly than He is dealing with you now.

If you are Christ’s, you are never behind His back, you are always before Him. He can always see you, though you cannot always see Him. When the eye of your faith is dim the eye of His care is not. When your heart seems dead and cold, His heart is still hot with infinite affection; and when you say, ‘My God has ceased to be gracious,’ you misrepresent Him, and slander Him. He is really manifesting His graciousness in another fashion.

He has changed the manifestation of His purpose of love and mercy; but His purpose is the same as ever,----to drench you with floods of mercy, to wash you with streams of grace, and to fertilize you until you shall be like that Eshcol ‘branch with one cluster of grapes,’ which was so large and weighty that, ‘they bore it between two upon a staff;’---- no, more, until the great Husbandmen will make of you such a vine as earth has scarcely seen as yet, and will, therefore, have to transplant you to a better vineyard, even to the hill- top of glory.”

Spurgeon’s Expository Encyclopedia, Volume 4 (1984) Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, Page 61.Editor: There are minor changes such as thou to you that take nothing away from the text but make it more readable, in present English.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

2011-01-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Copyrighted 2011
I live in the United States of America. On the map the state I live in is Michigan. We have warm summers and cloudy winters. I was a case manager for many years in one of our public health agencies. This was about fifteen years ago. My lovely wife, Robyn, and I had been married for about seventeen years. We had lived as a married couple in the state of Florida for about nine years. We moved from sunny Florida which is at the southern part of the USA to snowy cloudy
Michigan.
A local psychiatrist had done a special in the newspaper on SAD, also known as seasonal affective disorder. I talked to my supervisor at our mental health agency about our need for SAD information. She said we could go ahead and have the psychiatrist come and speak to us about this little known illness. SAD is quite prevalent in Michigan because of the lack of sunlight we experience especially in the winter time. The psychiatrist came to our agency and lectured us on
the disorder.

As I was studying his material and the diagnostic criteria for SAD, I had a light bulb moment. Robyn, who is known for being vivacious and funny, met many of the criteria for it since we moved to Michigan. This was mostly in the fall, winter and spring seasons. Some of the symptoms were tiredness, fatigue, over sleeping, depression, crying spells, irritability, decreased activity and craving food, especially carbohydrates. She also presented with a 'grim' facial expression and it looked like the normal luster of her eyes was gone.
Robyn did not know she had SAD until she moved from Florida to Michigan. She was brought up in West Palm Beach, FL which is about as far south as you can get in the USA. Florida is known as the sunshine state and she had plenty of it. But when our family moved to Michigan, she had the above symptoms. The psychiatrist told us the standard treatment for SAD, especially in the North, was a special light which put out over 10,000 lux. The agency bought a light for our clients and I bought one for Robyn. The results were remarkable; those symptoms subsided. She sits in front of the light for about an hour each day. If we take a trip to Florida during the winter months, she does not need to take the light along.

In our book, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It, (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications) we talk about the famous 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon who ministered in London, England. We make a case that he suffered from SAD. After the age of forty he had to travel from London to Menton, France, six months out of the year, every year until his death. Why? Menton had plenty of sunshine.
I will put a link on this blog where you will be able to get more information about SAD.
If you have depression and think it may be SAD, the best thing to do is visit a psychiatrist, psycho-pharmacologist.
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Seasonal_Affective_Disorder_(SAD).htm

Lindsay and Emily

2010-12-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

To our Precious Lindsay,
You lived your life to the fullest while on earth. On the horrible tragedy of 9/11/01, the last thing you did was to pray to a God that you knew and then after that act of worship, you were ushered into Heaven along with your baby Emily Hope.
We miss you terribly and we miss Emily Hope. Your testimony continues to bear fruit and we are left behind to share with others what we have learned in the school of suffering. We will see you in a little while. We will then have eternity to worship and play on the new Heavens and new Earth, where there will be nor curse and where the Lamb of God and His throne will be.

Revelation 22:1 -3 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruit, yielding its fruit every * month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
There will no longer be any curse ; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;

Love, Mom Dad,

Review of the Christian and Mental Ilness since 2005.

2010-12-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

It has been five years since our book Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like
You're Losing It has been published. It was nominated for the best non/fiction for 2005
by Foreword Magazine.
The sales have been steady. We wrote the book with what is
called "staying power." We tried to keep away from 'theology fads' and biblical proof
texting. Many people have used our contact form on our web site to tell us how
our book has helped them. They are usually either mentally ill themselves or have a loved one who is.We have friends in England, Australia, India, Singapore, Trinidad and other places.
Since our writing there are some things which continue to hinder or help us minister to
the mentally ill. and those who treat them.
A great help to us is that our publisher Kregel Publications of Grand Rapids, MI has given Broken Minds an academic status and it is now available in Kindle and e-book. This hopefully will aid theology classes throughout the world since it involves electronic communication.
What are some of the problems that we have faced in helping others who have mental illnesses, especially born again believers and evangelical churches?
(1) The guarding of turf in regards to counseling agencies and pastoral staff in local churches, which put a stop to seminars that we offer. The process of having one of our seminars in local churches which has been started usually by those who suffer from mental illness in the church is halted, as it works it way through churches power structures. This happens time and time again and we cannot get the important messages we have to Christians who are depressed, have bipolardisorder, or schizophrenia. This is why we have started a grass roots evangelical movement called CAMI, (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness.) We explain this movement on our web/site. We need advocates in local churches who will pray and work hard at getting us to come to their church.
(2) The Stigma of Mental Illness -- This seems to be stronger in evangelical churches than
those who are outside of those churches. Suicide remains a taboo subject and the statistics in the church and the world continue to be the same. Fifteen percent of all those with major depression successfully commit suicide. I lost my sister Cyndi to suicide a few years back. We must bring the discussion in the open and deal with it. In Broken Minds, our largest chapter is on suicide. It was written to help those who are tempted to end their lives.
(3) Biblicists in Reformed movements and Bible churches who continue to muddy the waters
as to what mental illness is and how it should be treated. This problem is a huge one
and must be prayed about and change agents need to be raised up to help.
(4) It continues to be difficult for people who don't have money, insurance, etc. to get good treatment that is affordable and skillfull. Church benevolent funds are woefully small.

Heartfelt Counseling Ministries needs an increase in monthly supporters so we can
help 'bridge the gap'. We are a non-profit agency with the U.S.A. For those in the U.S.A.,
your gift should bring you a tax deduction. One way of supporting us is to join the CAMI movement, whether you are in the U.S.A. or elsewhere.
Please go to http://www.heartfeltcounselingministries.com

Panic Disorder

2010-12-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

Panic Disorder - About 6 million American adults ages 18 and older have panic disorder in a given year. The median age of onset is 24 years old. About one in three people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is a condition in which the individual becomes afraid of being in any place or situation where escape might be difficult or help unavailable in the event of a panic attack. Panic attacks are intense anxiety states of panic, fear, or dread that can come upon a person instantly, with or without a trigger from surroundings. Some panic attacks are accompanied with phobias. Panic attacks are accompanied by such symptoms as shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, and a fear of dying or "going crazy." No one really knows the terror of panic unless they have the disorder. If you would like to read more about panic please go to http://familydoctor.org/137.xml.

I have panic disorder myself. But it has been controlled by antidepressants, mostly Selective Serotin Reuptake Inhibitors for many years. I have been on two of these for over ten years. One is fluvoxamine (Luvox) and the other Sertaline (Zolfot). Their are others such as Celexa, Lexipro and Paxil. Panic which develops into Agoraphobia has been shown to be helped by some forms of Behavior Therapy.

Why don't you help the poor and needy

2010-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Pastors, practitioners and pundits
What are your excuses for not helping the poor and the needy?
These thoughts reminded me of our responsibility to the mentally ill in our churches. I have been reading Spurgeon's Expository Encyclopedia, Volume 4 on the parables of Christ. If you get a chance read his sermon, The Good Samaritan. I especially like his 7 excuses why the priest did not help the wounded Jew.
(1) The priest and Levite were both in a hurry to get back home
(2) He was not a surgeon/doctor and was afraid he might "mangle things."
(3) The priest felt the man was half dead and soon would die, why waste his money?
(4) Also, the Levite would be coming along soon, he could help him.
(5) He thought that he should not stop in a place where another man had been killed by thieves who could return for him.
(6) The man might die, and the person found near the body could be charged with murder

(7) He may have not wanted to be defiled, {Volume 4), pp 111,112

2010-02-23T10:29:00.000-08:00

Burn Out versus Depression
Exodus 18:17, 18
17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 "You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Please see also, Bloem Steve and Robyn, Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel
Like You’re Losing It. (2005), Grand Rapids, Kregel Publications, pp 207-209, go to http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/bookpurchase.aspx .

Facts
I. Moses was wearing himself out, not by standing but by sitting as a judge (shaphat), exerting mental and spiritual strength and counseling people. He was “going it alone.” The Hebrew (Strong’s #5034) translated wearing out has a primitive root; to wilt; generally to fall away, fail, faint; figuratively to be dishonored, lightly esteemed, fade (away, -ing), fall off, wither. (NASB, is wear out NIV, wear yourselves out.)

If you look at other references in the Old Testament this word carries the idea of “fading away.” Now, this consists of actually putting too much of a strain on your mental resources. It is due to a lack of prioritizing. Moses did not see that he had limited time, resources and healthy brain neurons to handle the burden of the people.

II. Moses was depleting resources that could not be restored by an evening rest and/or a holiday here or there. He was inviting burn out that could lead to depression.
His father- in-law told him (Numbers18:18). You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task, is is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” From (Strong, H3513); heavy; in a bad sense (severe, difficult, stupid ; great, grievous, hard (-ened), (too) heavy (-ier), laden, much, slow, sore, thick.
Moses had too much sensory stimuli. He had an unequal distribution of people he was serving. He was not working smarter but harder. He failed to recognize his superior leadership abilities and that God works through means, through good men. Moses, according to his father-in-law was to focus on teaching God’s laws (v.20) and judging the difficult cases from among the people. He was to share the Spirit with other men who were honest and holy
Are you in a ministry? Pray that God will give you holy men and women to complement you in ministry. Another Scripture to think about I Corinthians 12:4-7: 4 now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

(1) Assign to your leaders groups of people. You must assign able, (NIV capable) in the Hebrew (H2428) , From H2342; probably a force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength:—a who will be able to teach others:
Paul advice to Timothy is appropriate for application; You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also ( 2 Timothy 2: 1,2).
(2) We must teach God’s ordinances and laws which build, edify or inform to
good, holy men who are filled with the Spirit. We must show these men: (a.) the way in which they must walk (their character) (b). The work they must do (their God given labor) (3) the power that is available to minister, the Spirit of God.

(3) Watch out for symptoms of biological depression, especially vegetative functions of the body, i.e., sleep, appetite and libido.

Israel's Great Bereavement

2009-06-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Zechariah 12 - 14. One of the greatest occasions of grief in the history of mankind will be when the regathered, unbelieving national Israel will be surrounded by Anti Christ and all the non-Israeli armies of the earth. This will be at the end of the second half of the tribulation period known as "the time of Jacob's (distress) trouble" Jeremiah 30:7 ). Two thirds of Israel will have been destroyed by God's judgment (See Zechariah 13:8, 9). When the anti/Israeli confederation plunders Jerusalem, raping women and killing innocent children, Israel will be in unbearable distress.The Spirit of God called the Spirit of Grace in Zechariah 12:10 causes Israel to have conviction of sin over their rejection and killing the Prince of Life as they view His pierced hands and feet. Their repentance for sin will be accompanied by deep sorrow, which includes weeping and wailing. Some of the strongest words in the Hebrew language are used in describing this mourning. The Spirit of grace also shows them that their unbelief can be forgiven as they accept God's gracious provision of redemption. As a result they call on the name of the LORD (Spirit of supplication). Romans 10:13 says, "And whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. One third of the nation the remnant of Israel, will be saved both physically and spiritually. Now see Romans 11:25,26 A person cannot be saved unless they believe that they are lost in sin and darkness. Christ died for sinners. Christ died for Israel.

Lindsay & Emily Hope - Gone Forever?

2009-05-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

I do not frequent the grave site of my daughter Lindsay and my granddaughter, Emily Hope as often as I did the first and second year of her death. Besides planting and watering flowers all through the summer, Robyn, goes every Easter morning before sunrise to remember the promise of our Lord, found in John 6:40 "For this is the will of My Father that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
People vary in how often they go to a cemetery. There is certainly no biblical mandate for how often it should be done. My visits are usually not planned. And so it was with this visit. I happened to be going by the cemetery and decided that I would visit Lindsay and Emily’s grave site. When I go to the there, I begin to cry almost immediately.
I still remember the day when our precious daughter with her own daughter in her arms was lowered into the grave. My grief on that day cannot be described.
This time, seven and a half years later, as I looked upon the grave stone with both Lindsay’s and Emily’s picture on it, I was strongly impressed with the Scripture of an angel at the empty tomb of Christ saying, to the women who stood by , "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?” (Luke 24:5 NAS)
The angel was speaking to them of a Christ that is raised. But I knew that all that are in Christ are living for and unto Him, whether they are on earth or in Heaven. This is the reason we had engraved on the stone, “…to be with Christ, which is far better.”
Beloved, no matter how great your sorrow is, God will someday, in that day, cause it to cease. It is not wrong to visit a grave and to grieve. But we must do as Paul told Timothy,
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8, NASB).

Nervous Breakdown

2009-04-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Nervous Breakdown - It was also called "nervous prostration" a condition of irritable weakness. Today people who have anxiety disorders, depression, and/or bipolar disorder would all fall under the rubric of "nervous breakdown."
In the USA, from about the early 1900's until about the early 1970's, the term 'nervous breakdown' was very uncomplimentary in its use. Similarly, terms were used for the person such as, 'freaked out' or became a "wacko" or "nuts."
We know in mental illnesses, neurotransmitters and other aspects of the central nervous system are out of sync and result in all kinds of mental and bodily symptoms. The term continues to persist and in my opinion should be taken out of the English language.{Please see Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You’re Losing It by Steve and Robyn Bloem, (c 2005) Grand Rapids, Kregel chapter 2 "Stress and the Gathering Storm, pp. 27-35.

Spiritual depression

2009-04-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Spiritual Depression - One of the major causes of spiritual depression is that believers begin to look at their own personal sins and feel that God the Judge and Lawgiver is condemning of them.. Satan presents our Heavenly Father as always angry with us, always disapproving. Christ is seen as a Judge more than a husband.. The Holy Spirit is presented by Satan as a nag, ever haunting you about former sins but never giving relief. The answer is to focus on Christ and His redeeming love and not to look at ourselves. The Father is well pleased with us because we are in His Beloved Son.

The old hymn of Toplady mirrors the Biblical truth of justification by faith.

The terrors of the law and God
With me can have nothing to do
My Savior's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.

Augustus Montague TopladyT (1740-1778), Christian Minister, Poet and Hymn writer.

Depression or Brainstorm?

2009-04-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Depression - We know that not all depression is of biological origin. William Styron felt that using the word depression for a biological (clinical) depression is a misnomer. He says, "As one who has suffered from the malady in extremis yet returned to tell the tale, I would lobby for a truly arresting designation. 'Brainstorm,' for instance, has unfortunately been preempted to describe, somewhat jocularly, intellectual inspiration. But something along these lines is needed. Told that someone's mood disorder has evolved into a storm--a veritable howling tempest in the brain, which is indeed what a clinical depression resembles like nothing else--even the uniformed layman might display sympathy rather than the standard reaction that "depression" evokes, something akin to "So what?" or "You'll pull out of it" or "We all have bad days." The 'phrase nervous breakdown' seems to be on its way out, certainly deservedly so, owing to its insinuation of a vague spinelessness, but we still seem destined to be saddled with "depression" until a better, sturdier name is created." (Darkness Visible A Memoir of Madness. Styron, William. { Random House: New York} pp 37,38). I think that we who have been and/or are depressed should begin to try to use more descriptive words for it. And a tip for those who have never been depressed, please let go of the ad infinitum, non-validating commentslike, "So you think a magic pill will help you" or "This too shall pass" .Charles Spurgeon likened those who offer such unsolicited advice to the afflicted to an elephant trying to pick up a pin. You can find out more about depression and mental illness in Steve and Robyn Bloem's. Broken Minds, Hope for the Healing When You Feel Like Your Losing It. c. 2005), Kregel Publications. e-1