One member opens up about his experience with depression and how you can't "just pray it away" + Can a fictional book meet the Christian mandate to draw people closer to Christ? Three fiction authors are seeking to do just that. Read more in the January/February 2018 Visitor!
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Read an excerpt of Davenia Lea's Naked and Unashamed.
Story by Peggi Trusty
Christian fi
ction can be the bridge that brings people to the Bible,” says Sheryl Brown-Norman (pictured left), author of Restored, a Christian novel published in October 2015. “The concepts are true, the principles are true and the characters bring the story to life.”
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Depression, like most mental illnesses, lies on a spectrum,” says Kirk Chung, M.D., medical director of Kettering Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Medicine Center in Dayton, Ohio. “Everyone feels down from time to time. Depression, as an illness, is defined by the intensity of its symptoms and duration.”
He adds, major depression is diagnosed by a person suffering with at least five of the following symptoms for a two-week period or longer:
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Marissa Leslie, M.D., medical director of Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Health division in Gaithersburg, Md., says depression should be viewed more like a very severe flu, a serious illness not dependent on faith.
We don’t tell people with the flu to just pray. We tell them to sleep and drink plenty of water. And we ask how we can help.”
In addition to the powerful tool of prayer, here are a few tangible things she suggests to help loved ones dealing with depression:
Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Cover images by Ty Wright/AP Images
Editorial by Dave Weigley, Columbia Union Conference president
More than 3,000 Columbia Union Hispanic church members recently gathered at Vivangelismo in Ocean City, Md., to celebrate a year of evangelism. Watch videos from the event below. (We will add more videos after the Visitor office reopens in January.)
Want to share a copy of the 2018 Columbia Union Conference Calendar featuring favorite pets? Email srowley@columbiaunion.net for additional free copies.
At the end of last school year, Ohio Conference’s Northern Ohio Adventist Academy teachers Leona Bange and Jeanne Sinka were excited about the new school year. Suddenly Sinka ended up in the hospital with an unexpected diagnosis---stage four adrenal cancer.
How would this two-teacher school approach the new year?