Home of the Darkwater Author
I had a blast talking with Verne at That Christian in Recovery. He and I have very different life-stories, but we also had a surprising amount in common with our struggles. Take a listen! That Christian in Recovery: "Pastor Michael J Scholtes Shares His Battle with Depression"
A few days ago, I posted about my Rhythm of Resilience, a collection of habits I've developed and committed to. It is my hope that doing these things regularly will help keep my resilience up so that I can more easily weather the mental health storms that come my way. It's kind of regular set … Continue reading Rhythm of Resilience – The Weeklies
Some weeks ago, my therapist suggested something, and it's stuck with me since. We were talking about how easily I slide into depression, and he said something like, "Do you think there might be an addictive component here?" He wasn't diagnosing. He wasn't accusing. He was just speculating. But it's been a very fruitful avenue … Continue reading Rhythm of Resilience – The Daily W’s
It's been a while since I blogged anything but a sermon. I want to break this silence, and as I thought about what to write about, it occurred to me that some of you shared that you appreciated my openness and honesty about the experiences I'd had at Alternatives, the partial hospitalization program I attended … Continue reading Catching the Backslide
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached on the First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021. The texts I preached on were not the usual texts of the day. Rather, they were Luke 1:67-79 and Matthew 2:1-12. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people … Continue reading The Tender Mercies (Sermon)
Yesterday, I blogged about radical acceptance (a concept from dialectical behavioral therapy), the practice of choosing to accept reality as it is, rather than getting upset or angry about how things are. It doesn’t mean that we approve of this reality, or even that we choose to passively do nothing about it – it just … Continue reading I Accept the World Around Me
I have noticed that I have a very difficult relationship with some words. For instance, the sentence, you’re welcome. When someone thanks me for something, I usually respond with, “No problem,” or, “Sure,” or just a nod. I can’t get myself to say the words, “You’re welcome.” I’m not entirely sure why, but I think … Continue reading The Hardest Words to Say
Today was the second day of my ten-day program at Alternatives, the partial hospitalization program at Lehigh Valley Hospital. One of the things we learned about today was a type of therapy called “Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy,” or REBT. I found that this type of therapy really resonated with me. It was created by Albert … Continue reading Pleading Guilty
So today was my first day at “Alternatives,” a Partial Hospitalization program at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Partial Hospitalization is a program offered by many hospitals that provides intensive mental health care. It’s called “partial” because you spend a certain amount of time there each day, and then go home at night. At Alternatives, I will … Continue reading Untying the Gordian Knot
Scholtes-Blog 