Every parent's nightmare, part 2

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Lindsay Comes for Comfort and Prayer

At about 3:00 in the afternoon, I heard Lindsay come in the front door of our house. She had to go and cash her check and Bill told her to get gas in case the gas prices spiked. She told us we should fill up, too; so we did. Then we all came back to our house and Steve sat down with her to explain some of what was happening. She told me she felt much better after their talk.

A Very Special Prayer Meeting

Meanwhile, our Pastor called to tell us we were having a special prayer meeting for our nation and the victims’ families of the then known terrorist attacks. Two of our sons were still living at home. Brant was sixteen and Tyler, eleven. Steve, Jr. was living in his own apartment. The two younger boys had just started school a couple of weeks previous and said they had homework. We told them this was an important thing to do, to go and pray for our nation and assured them they would have plenty of time to do their homework afterward. Lindsay stated very emphatically that she wanted to pray and even said that the girls at work seemed more open to the gospel and she was excited about some evangelistic opportunities. She stayed and ate dinner with us and then we rushed out to pray for our country. Bill was to get out of work at 8:00 pm, so Lindsay drove her own car so she could leave early if need be to get him on time.

Our pastor spoke briefly about trusting the Lord in difficult times such as these, and then we went to prayer. We were all finished at about 7:40, so Lindsay and we left at the same time. Our family spoke briefly outside church and I remember giving her a hug and a few suggestions about setting up the crib. Then off we went toward home. I was driving because my husband, Steve had just gotten out of the hospital. The boys were in the middle van seat and we waved as Lindsay pulled ahead of us. She smiled her beautiful smile and we all watched something else we will never forget as we added these new images to the ones shown on television.

Oh No! He is going to hit Lindsay!

Unbeknownst to us, coming toward us was a drug addict who was passed out and slumped over the steering wheel. He crossed four lanes of traffic and we all watched as he hit our precious Lindsay head on. He completely spun her car around so she was facing the opposite direction. I pulled over and we all ran to her aid. We did’t have a cell phone at the time and I started yelling to the gathering crowd, Somebody, call 911. This is our daughter in here and she is 8 months pregnant! Brant, our sixteen-year-old son and Steve tried to pull the wreckage off of her. Steve said his feet felt like they were on fire and then we noticed the hot gasoline running out of the engine; the gas Lindsay had so recently put in her tank. It just seemed so ironic to me. Cars began to pull over. Brant yelled to some big, burly guys from a nearby restaurant to come and help. They couldn’t do anything.

The worse, She has passed

The worst moment of our lives was being played out in front of a hundred complete strangers who were powerless to do anything useful. I had run over to the open car window and was calling to her, “Linds, open your eyes, honey. It’s Mom. Come on, honey, open your eyes.” Before very long, the ambulances arrived…many ambulances. Brant was actually assisting the paramedic with CPR or something and they put the rest of us behind the huge fire engine so we couldn’t watch everything, I guess. It all became so strange and so terrifying! An already horrible day now became chokingly horrible. We had to call our eldest son, Steve Jr. to the accident scene and Lindsay’s husband, Bill. We had the police call our pastor whom we had just left a few minutes before at church. The paramedics and the officers told us, “We’re doing everything we can.” Later, “We have a pulse.” Still, later, “She is in cardiac arrest.” Then, “Please get in the vehicle, we have to talk to you.” In a moment, we heard, “She has passed.”


The terrorists at home

We sat on the ground on an otherwise calm, quiet night --shaking our heads. This was a different kind of shock than we felt in the morning watching the suffering of others. This was our day of terrorism. This happened in Grand Rapids, Michigan; in the suburbs returning from church. There were three guys in this vehicle, their weapon of death. Two more were passed out in the car as well as the driver. There were open syringes in the car and the Michigan State Police said the driver had enough heroin in him to put down six men, besides cocaine and marijuana. They were trying to go to a rock concert and because of the terrorist attacks it was cancelled. So, as Steve said later to the sentencing judge, Two destinies met that night; one returning from a prayer vigil for others and one car load of drug addicts who were shooting up as they drove home.

This An excerpt from a unpublished book, to be continued.

Why you should have a "blessed" new year

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!

Mental Ilness and its Stigma, Part 2

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
__________________________________________________________________________

Is Hell Real?

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.

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

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

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

For Lindsay and Emily

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.

The Escape of Hopes and Dreams

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.

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.

Writtten in 1990 after finding out Lindsay had separation anxiety

(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.

Lindsay and Emily, Two more on 9/11

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

Suicide, My Sister Cyndi and Matthew Warren, number two in a series

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From vain regrets down this is a 2010 re post.

Because of stigma, most obituaries do not mention the word suicide. It seems to me the most common label used in obituaries is "died unexpectedly," or “died suddenly" A very sad report came out of the Saddleback Church in the last couple of weeks. Rick Warren is the well-known pastor of this mega church in California. His son, Matthew, committed suicide Friday.

Because of Pastor Warren's fame (much of it has come after he wrote (A Purpose Driven Life), a window has been opened that creates an opportunity for a national discussion about suicide.

Suicide is responsible for 49.1% of violent deaths worldwide. This is much more than both homicides and war related deaths. It is a global problem.

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. Survior's guilt is a common thing when someone is close to you commits suicide.
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.  The largest chapter is on suicide. 
If you would like to learn more about our book, including the table of contents and actual content of the book, please go to:

http://books.google.com/books/about/Broken_Minds.html?id=HQAzGHfmdJUC

God's purposes in letting us have mental illness

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

Pray for one another

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

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.

CAMI - Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness

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

Christ our Advocate, Intercessor and High Priest.

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

Insanity The Invisible Plague

“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.

Are You serving God's purpose for your life?

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

A young mans letter to His parents about his panic disorder

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