Book

Fearfully, Wonderfully, and Bipolar-ly Made: From Shame to Sanctuary

A Christian Memoir About Finding God in Mental Illness

86,000 words • Currently seeking representation86,000 words • Currently seeking representation

“Perhaps the most helpful truth she articulates so very well is that being a Christian does not insulate one from being diagnosed with a mood disorder. Bipolar disorder is not a sin, and we in the Christian community must cease treating those who struggle with it as if they suffered from some form of spiritual leprosy. If you live with bipolar disorder, or if you know someone who does, this is the book for you. I cannot recommend it too highly.”
—Dr. Sam Storms, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Convergence Church Network
Former Professor, Wheaton College

BOOK DESCRIPTION

You Don’t Have to Choose Between Faith and Treatment

For seven years, I’ve lived at the intersection of bipolar disorder and Christian faith. After diving from a moving car during a manic episode, I faced an impossible choice: the church told me to pray harder, doctors told me to take pills, and I wondered if accepting treatment meant abandoning faith.

I discovered something revolutionary: true sanctuary comes from meeting God within mental illness, not despite it.

This memoir bridges the devastating gap between pews and psychiatrists, offering a “biblical psychology” framework that honors both medical treatment and spiritual practice. It’s for every Christian who’s been told their mental illness is a spiritual failure, every church leader who wants to support struggling members, and every family trying to reconcile faith with a loved one’s diagnosis.

What Makes This Book Different

  • Pro-faith AND pro-medication (a rare combination in Christian literature)
  • Theological validation from renowned scholar Dr. Sam Storms
  • Practical framework for churches to become sanctuaries, not sources of shame
  • Lived experience combined with biblical grounding

18

Years Teaching Experience

4,000+

Students Served

11

Years Writing About Mental Health

About the Journey

From Shame:

  • Years of hiding symptoms behind spiritual explanations
  • Calling mania “Holy Spirit fire” and depression “spiritual warfare”
  • Self-medicating when prayer wasn’t enough
  • The double stigma of mental illness in Christian communities

To Sanctuary:

  • Finding God in the psychiatrist’s office
  • Learning that medication can be an act of worship
  • Discovering biblical grounds for mental health treatment
  • Building bridges between faith and medical communities

Who This Book Serves

✓ Christians with mental illness feeling forced to choose between faith and treatment
✓ Church leaders and counselors seeking to better support members
✓ Families navigating the intersection of faith and mental health
✓ Mental health professionals working with religious clients
✓ Anyone who’s been told “just pray harder” about their mental illness

Primary Readers

  • Adults navigating mental health challenges from faith backgrounds
  • People feeling caught between treatment and spiritual community
  • Educators and mental health professionals seeking authentic perspectives
  • Faith communities wanting to better support members with mental illness
  • Families and friends of people with bipolar disorder
  • Advocates working to reduce mental health stigma

The Mission

This book argues that lived experience is expertise and pushes for systematic change rather than individual accommodation. It contributes to urgent conversations about mental health representation, particularly at the intersection of faith and psychology—an angle largely unexplored in existing mental health literature.

My message is simple but revolutionary: seeking treatment and maintaining faith are not only compatible but can be mutually supportive. This understanding has the potential to save lives and transform communities.

Coming Soon

Currently seeking publication through traditional Christian publishers

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Fearfully, Wonderfully, and Bipolar-ly Made: From Shame to Sanctuary

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