Here’s an article by my dear friend and colleague, Rev. Rick Stuckwisch. Check it out:
thinking-out-loud: Laugh and the World Laughs with You, But if You Cry, What Then?
Thoughts on the book from Know Thyself
Know Thyself is one of my favorite reads. The pastor is insightful, honest, and grapples with many of the tough subjects of ministry that we have tried to wrestle with here. Here’s one of his quotes about the book:
New Resource and Other Thoughts About Pastors As Human Beings « Know Thyself: “Pastors are people too. I can’t say it enough. We hurt when church members die. We ache when people reject the faith to our face. We feel helpless when we teach and teach and teach but no one seems to heed the teaching. We rejoice when great things happen to our people. We rejoice when people yearn for the Gifts of the Gospel. We bask in the joy of baptisms, confirmations, and weddings. It’s not just a job. It’s being a grafted in member of a family.”
I urge you to go and check out his whole post.
-DMR
Thoughts on the book from Know Thyself
Know Thyself is one of my favorite reads. The pastor is insightful, honest, and grapples with many of the tough subjects of ministry that we have tried to wrestle with here. Here’s one of his quotes about the book:
New Resource and Other Thoughts About Pastors As Human Beings « Know Thyself: “Pastors are people too. I can’t say it enough. We hurt when church members die. We ache when people reject the faith to our face. We feel helpless when we teach and teach and teach but no one seems to heed the teaching. We rejoice when great things happen to our people. We rejoice when people yearn for the Gifts of the Gospel. We bask in the joy of baptisms, confirmations, and weddings. It’s not just a job. It’s being a grafted in member of a family.”
I urge you to go and check out his whole post.
-DMR
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-28
- DMR The Human Condition https://tinyurl.com/naao3g #
- DMR Get your orders in… https://tinyurl.com/lx9utt #
- DMR All of the Voices in My Head (getting organized) https://tinyurl.com/lxjbqp #
- DMR Update on the Blog look etc https://tinyurl.com/lt4zzc #
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155073.php #
- DMR Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-21 https://tinyurl.com/m7le7j #
The Human Condition
A friend of mine recently pointed out this great quotation from David Karp:
“Much of depression’s pain arises out of the recognition that what might make one feel better–human connection– seems impossible in the midst of a paralyzing episode of depression. It is rather like dying from thirst while looking at a glass of water just beyond one’s reach ” — David A. Karp
This is from his book, Speaking of Sadness. I highly recommend it. He isn’t a Christian that I can tell, but he really grasps the reality of depression.
-DMR
Get your orders in…
I just got an email from the powers that be about the order count. Â While I’m not going to give you the exact number, I will say that the orders are getting close to 2000. Â That’s pretty amazing, considering that the book has only be available to order for 2 weeks.
So please, get your orders in now. Â We are going to unleash another level of materials on the site here this weekend, including discussions about all of the chapters, endorsements and comments from readers and others, and the like.
All of the Voices in My Head (getting organized)
I’m on an organization kick right now. Every once in a while I go through this. I spend a few days trying to wrap my brain around a new system for task management, etc., etc., etc. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. Probably since before I was sick.
Now for me, being a complete geek, getting organized means finding some nice computer program to help me. I’ve tried Things and Omnifocus this time around. They would both work well, but I’m going with things.
The whole process, though, has really gotten me thinking about the process of managing information, and what that means for mental health. If you’re like me, there are a thousand things going through your brain at any given time. I run around putting out fires, trying to stay one step ahead of disaster in all of the spheres or realms that I operate. Church, home, school, opera, DOXOLOGY, Higher Things, and who knows what else. With each of these comes big tasks and little tasks. Projects and emails and phone calls and meetings and contacts and people and jobs…you get the idea.
I had a revelation a couple days ago that part of the reason why I go into mental shut down is that I am trying to remember and juggle all this stuff in my head. Whatever seems the most pressing at the moment is what gets the attention. What that usually means is that my own health and well-being ends up last, until I crash and have to recharge.
Furthermore, these lists and piles and STUFF literally keeps me up at night. I’m so afraid of forgetting something that I can concentrate on nothing.
I’m no expert, but this just doesn’t seem like a good pattern to me.
So what I’m trying to do is a few simple steps to help me keep my sanity. Here’s my list so far:
1. Deal with things as they come in. Do it now, schedule it later, give it to someone else, or delete it.
2. Don’t allow lingering projects to just hang out there. Resolve them as much as possible.
3. Actually plan for relaxation time. I wish this were not necessary, but it really really is.
4. Schedule time for prayer and meditation. If I don’t have that as a regular part of my routine, it simply never happens. If it is a choice, as often as not I will choose no.
That’s the start of my list. So far it’s been helpful, but it is a tough road.
What do you think? How do you keep the voices in your head from driving you mad?
-DMR
Update on the Blog look etc
I am working with a friend on updating the look and feel of the blog. Please take a moment to look around, see how things are ordered and placed, and give me some feedback in the comments here. This blog is for you, so tell me what works! Thanks very much.
-DMR
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-21
- Use Goodreads? https://bit.ly/12Z88n #
- https://bit.ly/Xczbf #
- Let's that that again: https://blog.higherthings.org/wcwirla/article/4215.html #
- DMR Why Pastors Hide Their Depression https://tinyurl.com/muha9z #
- Do you think that there would be interest in a podcast on depression and mental illness from a Lutheran perspective? Tell me! #
- Just had a great conversation with a pastor who has written a book of devotions for pastors suffering from anxiety. #
- DMR Study Refutes Depression Gene Finding – Yahoo! News https://tinyurl.com/m2lmof #
- DMR Two Sites on Facebook for you https://tinyurl.com/knkk8n #
- https://bit.ly/IhaSz
/pages/Kenosha-WI/I-Trust-When-Dark-My-Road-A-Lutheran-View-of-Depression/92431163498?ref=nf # - I'm getting lots of comments about the book. Keep 'em coming! #
- DMR Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-14 https://tinyurl.com/mhxw29 #
Why Pastors Hide Their Depression
I’ve had a lot of conversations this week with the release of the book. They have been online, telephone, email, wherever. The contacts have been from pastors, teachers, spouses, friends from college, and pretty much across the board. I’ll comment on some of those at another time.
One theme that resonates through so many of the conversations is that pastors don’t want to reveal that they are depressed. This is also true generally, and especially in other service fields. But it seems particularly true with pastors. They mask their illness.
I know I did. I worked my tail off to put on a happy face, a “game face” with my congregation and family. It took incredible amounts of energy, and really made things worse.
But if possible what is even sadder than our self-inflicted super-pastor mindset, is that we are afraid of reprisals. I am afraid that I might lose my job, be kicked out of my congregation, that my district president won’t support me. So the very people who can and should and generally would try to help, are the ones who are kept in the dark.
Why? Why do we hide? And what will happen if we reveal to our families (Who probably already know), our congregation, and our brother pastors what is going on?
-DMR
aka Todd Peperkorn