Health Tips

written by Karl Shallowhorn �In the washing of the water will you take it all away Bring me something to take this pain away� Peter Gabriel In churches around the world we celebrate the day that Jesus was baptized by the prophet, John the Baptist. This ritual has been replicated for millennia since then and this means of consecration is a way for us as Christians to annually be

written by Karl Shallowhorn We�re now in the season of Advent, the time of the year when Christians across the world are awaiting the coming of the Christ child. Much of this expectancy is built around preparing the way for Jesus. We also hope. Hope for a better world. For the many individuals, like myself, living with mental health and/or addiction disorders, the concept of waiting can

written by Craig Rennebohm In 2017, 31.5% of high school students had experienced periods of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (i e , almost every day for two weeks or more in a row so that the student stopped doing some usual activities) in the past year. The percentage of students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year increased

written by Karl Shallowhorn �But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them�yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.� 1 Corinthians 15:10 In our age of uncertainty, there are many who feel that there is no God. After all, if there were any kind of Supreme Being, how could it allow such horrible things to

written by Karl Shallowhorn "Perhaps this is the moment for which you've been created." Esther 4:14 �Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.� Soren Kierkergaard If only I had known these two things when I was in the depths of my despair in my late adolescence and early adulthood. It was during this period that I suffered (and I mean really suffered) from

written by Karl Shallowhorn "For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.� Job 16:22 This past Wednesday I celebrated 30 years clean. 30 years of not using alcohol or any illicit drugs. The years prior to this time were fueled by substance abuse that was accompanied by a co-occurring mental health disorder. It was during this time that I felt disconnected from God,

written by Karl Shallowhorn One of the greatest evidences of God�s love to those that love him is, to send them afflictions, with grace to bear them. ~ John Wesley I�ve been living with bipolar disorder for over 36 years (two-thirds of my life) and co-occurring addiction disorder since my mid-teens (I have 29 years clean now). Most of these years were fraught with struggle and dismay. I

Photo credit - http://croftonparish.org.uk/sermons/gods-call-on-our-lives/ written by Karl Shallowhorn �Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8 I was relatively early in my addiction recovery program when I began to feel the desire to pursue counseling as a profession. The atmosphere and