A Conversation With: Planting, Pastoring and Bipolarity

Andrew Matthieson is a dear friend.

Andrew and Lauren spent a few months with us as a church before heading back to Scotland in 2014. Since then we've stayed close and cheered them on as they planted Lochee Baptist Chapel through 20 Schemes.

In this podcast, we chat about a load of things, but we mainly spend our time talking mental health. Andrew was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder in his late teens, and continues to live with it to this day. But as he says in the pod, God meant it for good. Today, he serves a community with similar afflictions, and he is able to offer them the same Saviour that has been so good to him.

It was honour to hear him speak so honestly. Particularly the section toward the end as he explains how the gospel of 'Christ forsaken' brings hope to his darkness, and how the church cares practically for him as he seeks to care for them.

This pod's a little longer than normal (35 mins), but please don't be put off. It's worth the time, especially if you live with a similar condition, or if you're a parent losing hope for your child; Andrew's story is testament to how God can restore the broken and use us in our weakness. 

So put on a brew, and meet our friend. Hear of his dear church. And hear how his life was ruined by drug abuse but gloriously saved by Jesus Christ on a beach in Spain...

But let's begin by lamenting Scottish rugby's most recent near miss...