Speaking from the Shadows
A Pastor’s Response to Emotional Darkness
by
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Darkness does not discriminate. It does not concern itself with your skin color or background. It doesn’t care about the level of your education or the depth of your spirituality. The pedigree you possess is the least of its concerns. Your resume doesn’t deter it nor distract it from its goal. The shadows want to claim the soul of who you are and its hunger for you is insatiable. And with breath in my lungs and a voice in my throat, I won’t sit idly by and allow that. I don't write as one who is specialized in the medical or psychological field, but as one who fights a personal battle while refusing to let others stand alone in theirs. What you are about to read is both my journey through the shadows and what I’ve done to navigate through them. If you need help going through yours, don’t see this book as the complete answer for your situation but as a light in the middle of a dark path. Please reach out to Christ-centered professionals around you who carry both experience and compassion for your mental and emotional health. I do recognize that the severity of my depression and the frequency of it may be considerably different than your experience. That’s okay. What really matters is not comparing our pain but recognizing that we all are in this together. I implore you from the beginning of this book to always remember: You are not alone. You have hope. You can get help.
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About the Book
If discouragement is the common cold of our emotions, then depression is the cancer. I love Jesus, I pastor a church, and I deal with bouts of depression. For years I’ve been wanting to read a book about depression not only from a Christ-centered perspective but from a leader who knew the struggle personally. It was Toni Morrison who once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Thus you have Speaking from the Shadows. For those who deal with depression, this is my attempt to articulate what you and I experience that others don’t understand. For those who’ve never dealt with depression, this is my endeavor to “pull back the curtain” to let you see into our world to be a support and help through shadowy times. Darkness does not discriminate, but neither does the light. So, like a lantern chasing away a shadow, my heart would be that this book would penetrate the darkness of what depression has been doing and bring hope to lives, marriages, and families. It’s time to bring light to a darkness that affects over 18 million adults every year. It’s time to bring hope to a largely ignored topic that claims more lives than homicide. It’s time to normalize vulnerability. It’s time to normalize getting the professional help we need. It’s time to recognize the healing virtue that Christ brings. There is a hope. And His name is Jesus.
About the Author
David Barringer is the author of “Launch Point” and “Mosaic Marriage.” He is the Lead Pastor of Kfirst in Portage, Michigan and his vision is to make it simple for people to find and follow Jesus. Dave and his wife, Anne, have been married for over 25 years and have three children: Camryn, Ethan, and Josh.