Christmas was hijacked by laundry detergent — but there was still reason to hope

It was a box of laundry detergent than undid Christmas of 1988 for the Rogers family. Dad thought it would be a great idea for us to trek into the woods behind our house and cut down our very own Christmas tree. As a ten-year-old boy, it seemed like an awfully adventurous thing to do, but looking back, I suspect Dad was just trying to save money. By the time we dragged the scraggly pine tree home, there was no doubt we’d gotten what we paid for: a sentimental experience that ended when Dad propped the pitiful tree against the…

A mystery on the playground — and a bottle full of tears

April 18, 2020May 10, 2020 Categories: Trusting GodTags: depression · faith · waiting

When I stopped by the park for a visit the other day, there were only three people there: a father, his preschool son, and a middle-aged guy walking his dog. Not long after I arrived, I overheard two conversations that left me intrigued.

I was smiling for the TV cameras, but I was dying inside

May 19, 2018May 19, 2018 Categories: Loving Your Neighbor · UncategorizedTags: depression · judging · suffering

I sat in the Fox News Washington studio last fall and waited to be interviewed on “Fox & Friends” about a heartwarming op-ed I had written for Fox News headlined “What happened when my daughter saw me kiss my wife.” My body was exhausted from an intense treatment for a chronic illness; a doctor had just reported that my dad would probably be dead in six months; and I felt like I was failing as a dad because I was spending too much time at work. I was lost in sea of depression and I couldn’t find my way home.

The big surprise I found in my marriage — after nine years

December 30, 2017 Categories: Marriage · UncategorizedTags: depression · marriage

I had been sitting on the edge of my bed for about 20 minutes when my wife, Raquel, walked in. I didn’t even look up. “I can’t do this,” I said. “I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it.”

Mary was the one who actually had a nightmare Christmas

December 23, 2017December 23, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: Christmas · depression · suffering

It was my worst Christmas ever, and it all got ruined by a pine tree, laundry detergent, and some really good intentions.

Surviving Christmas: it’s really hard to fake happiness for a whole month

December 6, 2017December 17, 2017 Categories: Trusting GodTags: Christmas · depression · mental illness

A few years ago, on Christmas Day, a friend was celebrating with her family when they heard a single, loud pop outside. They didn’t think anything of it, but soon the sound of sirens filled the neighborhood. Their neighbor had walked out to the back patio and shot herself.

Joshua Rogers

Finding God in the Ordinary

Tag: depression