Through TulipGirl, I found a moving, sometimes nerve-wrecking, sometimes sad, but also, quietly inspiring series of posts from amy loves books this morning.

Last night I was thinking about Iris Chang’s response to mental illness by hiding it from close family and friends. Ultimately it robbed her of her own life.

Her parents think this is due to the stigma that Asian-Americans normally attach to mental illness. Perhaps this stigma might wider than the Asian community. Christians, for instance, might view it as a spiritual problem. So Christians who are mentally ill might have the fear that others might think there is something wrong with your spiritual walk.

Whether Christian, or Asian, perhaps, there is a persistent worry that others might find out you are not “all-that-well-up-there” Read the rest of this entry »

Depression is still not widely understood and accepted in our society today. Some cultures (Asians, for instance) attach a stigma to it and this is believed to have been fatal in at least one case, but doubtlessly in many others as well.

For Christians, especially those of us who come from sub-cultures where "Victorious Christian Living" and "The Secrets of the Happy Christian Life" are seen as worthy ideals, being diagnosed as clinically depressed can be disheartening.

Already one is depressed for whatever reasons. Now, there is a silent accusation that one is either not trusting God enough or else there is something amiss with one’s spiritual walk. So if you are an Asian Christian for instance, you are twice doomed if you are mentally ill!

In order to counter these debilitating emotions, I suggest the following steps:

Read the rest of this entry »

Christian Carnival #60 is up at Belief Seeking Understanding. Douglas has arranged the posts around themes of the Christian life: Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship, Engaging Culture and so on. My submission is a little piece I did on the Commandments, which is part of the on-going saga that is my series on the Commandments (when will it end? Who knows? This is blogging, right?)

Looks like it is going to be another long carnival this one, so get cozy, and enjoy!