Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/199485
TAKE IT FROM HERE ABUNDANT LIFE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS "You're never 'cured'—you're 'managed,'" says Brandon. "Stability means you're in a range you can live with." The amplitude is less extreme: The highs are not as high; the lows are not as low. Brandon has made peace with that reality and found purpose in his pain by "modeling that it is possible to live an abundant life in Christ with a mental disorder—not flawless, but possible." One expression of modeling comes through telling his story as part of God's greater redemptive story. "My pastor has told me on numerous occasions that we know we're in a good place when we stop talking about our wounds and start talking about the God who healed them." And Stephen affirms the same: "As Tullian Tchividjian illustrates, when we focus on the 'whys' of our story, we fail to understand the 'Who.' God is present in every aspect of our lives. He is there in our joy and in our suffering. I do know that God is present in all of my journey."1 "In a society that silences pain, perhaps it is time to let it speak. Look for the redemptive thread. See how the Lord can use even our suffering to bring about something greater." Brandon Appelhans & Stephen Albi MASTER OF DIVINITY Brandon and Stephen are co-founders of My Quiet Cave. To learn more about mental health resources available to individuals and churches, please visit MyQuietCave.org OUR MASTER OF DIVINITY PROGRAM AMONG THE VARIOUS GRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED AT DENVER SEMINARY, THE MASTER OF DIVINITY PROVIDES THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND OPENS THE DOOR TO THE GREATEST NUMBER OF MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES IN CHURCH, MISSION, AND PARACHURCH SETTINGS. MORE THAN A DOZEN DIFFERENT DEGREE CONCENTRATIONS PROVIDE SPECIALIZED DEPTH IN BIBLICAL STUDIES, CHAPLAINCY, LEADERSHIP, YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRIES, AND MORE. AND, AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO THIS ACADEMIC CORNERSTONE, WE RECENTLY ADDED CONCENTRATIONS IN JUSTICE AND MISSION AND APOLOGETICS AND ETHICS TO ASSURE RELEVANT PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY IN TODAY'S WORLD. 1 Matt Smethurst, "Our Glorious Ruin: Tullian Tchividjian on the Suffering that Sets You Free," The Gospel Coalition. Accessed September 25, 2013. http:// thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/10/10/our-glorious-ruin-tullian-tchividjianon-the-suffering-that-sets-you-free ENGAGE 19