Penetrating The Darkness

Resources and Practical Ideas for Enhancing Ministry to Depressed Persons A personal note from Terry:  Most people who are reading this are not pastors, associate church staff or board members. Yet even if you aren't a ministry leader, you can play a pivotal role...

An Extremely Encouraging Perspective on Your Future Fruitfulness   You've seen the ripple effect. Toss a pebble into the pond. Tiny waves, forming concentric circles, roll outward from the point of impact until they become too small to see. Figuratively...

Have you ever been decked by a verbal punch? During the fall semester of 2007, one succinct, unsolicited remark by a student sent me reeling. It came out of the blue, like a boxer who is far behind in points on all the judges’ scorecards, but who connects with a...

Personal Note from Terry: This is a story I revised from a post I wrote in 2015. Since subscriptions to my faith & depression blog came after this, you have not seen the full story of Ronnie. I did share a snippet from this incident within a 2018 post. I...

  "I hope you die first!" If someone spoke those words to you, how would you react? What thoughts would roil around in your mind? Most folks consider it a selfish, rude statement at best, or a hateful, spiteful remark at worst. Typically, you do not feel warm...

By Emily Maurits Note: I (Terry) came across this practical blog a few days ago and wanted to share it with you. See Emily's bio and website information at the end of this post. What she writes stems from personal experience. She says, "Two of my closest family...

Three days ago, as I pumped gas into my car in mid-morning, I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks and onto the pavement. Before I tell you why, I'll back up and describe how the day began.   An Inside/Outside Contrast Sunrise birthed a new day, spraying rays...

How wise of God to create us with the need for bodily rest and sleep. How thoughtful of Him to design a world with a recurring cycle of sunlight and darkness, which provides us a built-in opportunity for a fresh start every 24 hours. In a very real sense, we do not...

Metaphors Describing Depression After decades pockmarked by plunges into dark moods, I know the difference between a state we call the "blues" and a full-blown depressive episode. The symptoms mentioned in the following analogies match the telltale signs of major...

How A Canine Companion Boosts Mental and Physical Health   Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! When Dolly answered the front door, she looked into the downcast countenance of the mother of one of her piano students. The distraught friend, her despondency exacerbated by...

Humorous, Often Brutally Frank Comments from Children As Well As Husbands/Wives   After a worship service, a young child announced to his parents, "I've decided to become a minister when I grow up!" Cautiously encouraged by her son's spiritual openness, the...

  To love is a risky venture. Cherish a child, a parent, a sibling, or best friend and he or she may die, sending shrapnel through your heart, leaving it in tatters. Your fiancé may abruptly change his mind, leaving you at the altar with shattered dreams. Your...