Within the past several years, I have noticed more young children, adolescents, and teenagers with difficulty managing their emotions. This behavior quite often takes place when they are tired, stressed out, overwhelmed, frustrated, or told to do something they don’t want to do. Somewhat like the “perfect storm,” when all this comes together at once, … Read More
I’ve never made a fortune, and it’s probably too late now. But I don’t worry about that much, I’m happy anyhow And as I go along life’s way, I’m reaping better than I sowed. I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘Cause my cup has overflowed. Haven’t got a lot of riches, And sometimes the going’s … Read More
Recently I am seeing more and more grandchildren being raised by their grandparents. For the vast majority of these grandparents, I am very impressed by their commitment and love toward their grandchild, or grandchildren. It certainly raises new issues which weren’t quite so obvious just 10 years ago. The grandparents do their best, but the … Read More
Who should I tell? When you are a pastor with depression this can be a serious question. This often becomes a difficult trap. Let me set it up for you. If I tell my congregation it shows weakness and the gossips will ruin me. It is not the right example. It would be like a … Read More
It can be tough for pastors to recognize their own burnout and depression. Often the symptoms go unnoticed or ignored. After all, a pastor with depression is not in keeping with the degree of spirituality that is expected of him or her. If a pastor has enough faith, depression should not even enter into the … Read More
By Debbie L. Cherry, Ph.D. Author of Child-proofing Your Marriage Jan sipped her coffee as she looked across the breakfast table at her husband. John was reading the newspaper like he’d done every morning for the past 28 years…nothing different…and yet Jan felt like everything was different. So many things had changed. Their youngest child … Read More
Debbie L. Cherry, Ph.D Author, The Strong-Willed Wife “My husband is just not the leader type. It takes him forever to make a decision. If he won’t lead then I guess I have to.” “I know my husband can lead because he’s great at it at work. But at home he just lets me do … Read More
Two weeks ago, Tom was laid off. He and his wife, Renee, trust that God is in control and has another job for him. So why do they keep snapping at each other? John and Mary lost their four-month-old girl to SIDS. They are extremely sad, but instead of crying together, they fight constantly. Worse … Read More
I have been a pastor for over 23 years. I know the price that pastors and their families pay to fulfill the calling of God on their life. I have experienced burnout and depression first hand; it is the dirty little secret that many pastors are afraid to admit. One pastor might be afraid to … Read More
Abstract Burnout and depression among clergy is a common occurrence across denominations. This paper presents clergy as candidates for burnout, causes, stressors, emotional exhaustion, and treatment of burnout and depression in clergy. The clergy member’s reticence to reveal personal depression including suggestions for future research is also discussed.