They had crossed a line with me. Boundaries walked over. A line of the heart had been crossed. I felt so hurt and offended that they would be so disrespectful to me. It felt like there was no love or respect in their hearts for me by what they had […]
Mental health
209 posts
I struggle with the word ‘Boundary.’ Not because I don’t believe in the concept of boundaries or because I don’t think they are important. It’s just that the word ‘Boundary’ doesn’t convey any sense of relationship value. The word ‘boundary’ feels like it’s all about the one making the boundary […]
I always thought sheep were pretty dumb. But with the habits they I now realise that actually they aren’t totally woolly in their thinking. (sorry had to say it) As I child, on a New Zealand sheep farm, I remember asking my father a very simple question. What is this line […]
Problems! We all have them, and they can so often create incredible amounts of pressure and stress. A small problem for one person can seem like a mountain of stress for another. The problem can feel too big, and that there is no way of solving it. People also come to you with […]
It is only a hammer, but for me it is very significant because it reminds me of a time when I was entrusted with a huge responsibility. My Father had become very unwell and was unable to run our farm for a few months. It was a busy time […]
When a winter storm of life hits, are you prepared or prone? Your mental health can take a pounding if you not prepared for the inevitability of crisis. A few months ago, I was driving over the Auckland harbour bridge when just to the left of me was the mast of […]
Sometimes God just jumps out on your daily path of busyness and whispers ‘Look at me’. It happened like this for me the other day. I was working on a farm trying to solve some water reticulation problems. As I was walking to the water pump I happened to […]
Today, as you go about your daily business, you will encounter people. Depending on where you live it could be in the thousands of a busy city or the few of a country town. Regardless, this planet has billions and billions of people of which you are one. Often I […]
It was a place where I felt embraced, and others felt it too. It wasn’t so much a physical embrace like a hug. It was more a knowing that here in this place, this relationship I was both invited to give something of myself and to receive something. It wasn’t […]
A slippery slopes can be a lot of fun. As a kid, I used to love zooming down water slides, sand dunes, and just your normal everyday playground slide. They were safe because there was nothing dangerous at the bottom. But what if there was, or if you were not […]
Want to change? Most people want to change without having to do the work. Give me the pill, wave the magic wand, say ‘abra ka dabra’ and then everything changes. I don’t believe that Mental Health miracles happen overnight. Change and recovery take work and time. In those that do make […]
Do you hate greasy dishes? They frustrate me. You have hot water with detergent in the water, you wash that pot or plastic container from the Indian takeaway, and out it comes with a smear of grease. So what do you? Well, you get the detergent bottle and squirt a […]
What would you like your pastor to know about Mental Illness? Recently I posted a question via my various Social Networks. Forty-six responses. What would you add to the list? Here are the responses I received. I would want my pastor to know … Awareness is key. Become educated on […]
‘Please don’t tell anybody’ We can get caught with heavy loads at times. Recently I received a question about how to handle the situation of a teenager insisting their parents keep their mental unwellness private and not to tell anyone. I don’t know the full extent of the story but […]
What would a Mentally Healthy Spirituality look like? Over my life, I have been involved in many different styles of Christian denominational expression, or Ice Cream flavors as I like to say. Staid conservative Bible fundamentalism, ‘swinging from the chandeliers’ Pentecostalism, social justice activism, and many other ice cream flavors. […]
To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be loved and to have hopes and even demands placed on you. It is to risk, not only the furniture in your home being rearranged, but […]
It was one of those magic moments that will stay in my memory forever, I can still hear the echoes now. The Pisa Baptistery is famous for its perfect acoustics. The guide stands on the other side of the baptistery and sings a few notes, pauses then sings a few more, […]
When you are trying to change a default thinking habit or behavior, it is like learning to drive on the other side of the road. It’s hard work. Whether you drive on the left or the right, changing your thinking is difficult. It must be very frightening for foreign drivers […]
When the stress loading becomes too much it is very easy to lose your way. What we need is some sort of Thinking Compass. Mental Illness is one of the worst fog generating experiences you can have. Your brain can play tricks on you. Your perceptions can change, sometimes quite […]
I was seated in the second row from the front. The speaker and his ‘bling blonde’ wife were seated directly in front of me. He got up to speak and for the next 30 minutes (seemed longer) he worked the crowd. Pacing across the stage, dripping clichés, pausing for effect, urging more commitment and telling […]