It is that time of year again for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Have you ever heard of, "seasonal depression?"  It is known by the popular acronym, (SAD), Seasonal Affective Disorder. The farther you live from the equator the more likely you will have it.  I know that we have over a hundred countries that read this blog. These include, Russia, Canada, China, Ukraine, the United States (including Alaska); all of these countries and more struggle with SAD

Today[s Menton, France

I once asked my psychiatrist about the possibility of being a missionary to England and he said that it would be alright, as long as I sought out good psychiatric treatment. It was the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, who suffered from SAD.and his son Thomas also had a form of it. The reason is that London,  England often has cloudy skies that hide the sun. Charles found comfort in the sunny skies of Menton France.  Just about any biography about Spurgeon ( and I have read many) informs the reader that the loving congregation in London England, "allowed", him to go  every year after the age of forty to Menton, France.W  His son Thomas resorted to ministry in sunny Australia !Even today London, England  has many people who have SAD. . However modern science means you get help right in you home. It is not just as fun as the two places mentioned above. It is a light that is 10,has 10,000 Lux or more. You can easily find one online.(Ed) I am in no way connected to any company that sells lights for SAD.

When I asked my psychiatrist (medical doctor) about the possibility of  going to Alaska, a state that is not in the Continental United States, he almost shouted at me, "no!"  And I don't even have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I have lived in the state of Florida and no matter how much sunshine, I experience (and there is much sunshine in Florida) it did not help with my clinical  depression..
So those of you who suspect that you or a loved one has a seasonal disorder should go to a Medicine Net, website to learn about SAD and other types of depression.  You can also take a depression quiz.
Here is the link: /www.medicinenet.com/seasonal_affective_disorder_sad/wichita-falls-tx_city.htm






www.goodreads.com/book/show/968361.Broken_Minds













For an evangelical treatment of mental illness, please read a book that my wife and I wrote, Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. The book retails at $16.00 but  I will give you a brand new one for $9.00 + $3.50 for shipping, Please go to Heartfelt Counseling Ministries website;heartfeltmin.org/join-us.html. You can use this link and click on the donation button and put in the amount. you owe. Shipping outside of the U.S. can be done,  but send me an email at pathema@msn.com and we can find out what is the shipping price.and you can put the book amount plus the shipping in the space after you click on the donation button.You can also pay by check.

Have you ever known the terror of depression but you keep on without getting help?

The Private Terror in “Paradise”

The days progressed as we clung to our perch in south Florida. Steve was leading an evangelism team, leading an adult Bible fellowship in our home church, and planning his next preaching opportunity in central Florida. Every night and early morning we faced our private terror.

Terror is exactly what it was becoming. Steve looked so full of fear and in such agony. I could hardly bear to look at him. In fact, the phrase that kept coming to my mind was from Luke 16:23: “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.” That’s exactly how Steve looked. I remember standing over him while he sat in one of our kitchen chairs. He looked up at me with that “beyond pain” expression. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “I could whip you right now, couldn’t I?” He nodded, knowing he was weaker than I. This time we both cried.

More of the classic symptoms cropped up. Of course we didn’t know they were the classic symptoms. Steve began to walk and walk, around and around the neighborhood. He paced, wringing his hands and rubbing his head. This is called psychomotor agitation.

Mornings were always worse, an effect called diurnal mood variation. He cycled up a bit at around two in the afternoon and could almost function for a few hours. He used these precious hours to plan his next ministry opportunity. He was mostly using old material now because his concentration was gone. How could he expect to prepare new sermons and new presentations when he could hardly make a decision?

Years later I came across an interesting side note in a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. He was preaching on a Sunday night in 1869 and was horribly depressed. He states,

"My brethren, I am quite out of order for addressing you tonight. I feel extremely unwell, excessively heavy and exceedingly depressed, and yet I could not deny myself the pleasure of trying to say a few words to you. I have taken a text upon which I think I could preach in my sleep; and I believe that if I were dying, and were graciously led in the old track, I could with my last expiring breath, pour out a heart full of utterance upon the delightful verse I have selected. It happens to be the passage from which I first essayed to speak in public when I was but a boy of sixteen years of age; and I am sure it contains the marrow of what I have always taught in the pulpit from that day until now. The words are in the second chapter of  the first Epistle of Peter, and the seventh verse, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.

He went on to preach a wonderful sermon on the truths of that text. It was comforting to think that even so powerful a preacher as Spurgeon sometimes was so sick that he had to speak on something familiar. One time when Steve was horribly depressed, I hugged him and told him, “I always wanted to marry a man like Spurgeon—I just hadn’t known exactly what that meant.”

Steve preached one of his “familiar text sermons” in central Florida on the way down to West Palm Beach. Such preaching opportunities are called “pulpit supply.” Churches sometimes ask prospective pastors to fill in when they are without a pastor. It is understood that no strings are attached. Then if the congregation feels that God would have them pursue the man further, they ask him to return to candidate. On this Sunday, Steve preached, spoke with many people, and basically hid his depression from the church. I was amazed at how well he handled himself when I knew the full extent of his pain.

When that weekend was over, we proceeded down to West Palm, to a place of safety, tucked away from wondering eyes and questions. This isolation was so hard for me. If Steve had been diagnosed with almost anything else, or if I had even feared that he might have a heart condition or cancer, I would have gone to friends, praying acquaintances, or anyone else who would sympathize. I wanted to physically throw myself on the shoulder of someone who would have cared about us and our children. But I couldn’t. It was all too confusing and scary. Bloem, Robyn and Steve. Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. (Grand Rapids, Kregel Publications (2005) pp38,39 

The above paragraphs were taken directly from Steve and Robyn's book (picture is on the left,} The book is published by Kregel Publications of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  If you would like to order this book; in paper back, a signed copy  by

the authors, please go to:heartfeltmin.org/join-us.html  You will scroo' down to the donate button and put in $11:00 + 3 dollars shipping, for a total of $14.00.

 If you would like to buy it in kindle, please go to https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing-ebook/dp/B004EPYNLE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

God does not promise born again Christians that they will be fee of sickness, depression and poverty!

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 the Baptist  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 mainstream. He would die alone by the sword of the executioner (Mathew 14:8 NASB). But Heaven gave him a glad and abundant welcome.



An Abundant entrance into Heaven

“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). Taken from . Bloem, Robyn and Steve CAMI Leader Guide, support group for Christians with mental illness, (copy right 2010) self published.

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be evidence to convict you?

Steve Bloem All rights reserved, 2017

I was surprised , when I learned that a youth group of a church, of which I was a member, played a game called, "The Persecuted Church."  Part of the game include  to capturing believers and putting them in prison.  At least they had the persecuted church in mind, but  it is hard to simulate an actual persecuted church, the weeping, the torture, the years of not being with loved ones are difficult to imitate.

Perhaps of the greatest  sins of omission of the evangelical churches in the western world is apathy towards the persecuted church. Modern technology has made it possible to interact with those who are constantly and repeatedly being arrested and thrown into prison. But do we do it?

Persecution does take place in the United States of America

I lost a job due to persecution! But back to the question, Would you be tried and convicted or would the courts say, "no I am sorry there is just not enough evidence to convict this professing criminal."

You can start demonstrating that you know Christ by obeying the command in Scripture seen below.

This Scripture warns us against such apathy. Sympathy is important but empathy is commanded.


Go to http://sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/