Just a quick life update for the Barden family. Fitz is 14, about to turn 15, and Enoch is 12, going on 13 this fall. They both played basketball this last year and did quite well.

Danielle continues to be my rock and biggest supporter. The past almost 2 years since my stay in the Psych ward in Sayre, PA in the fall of 2025 have been a challenge to say the least. Living with a mental health disorder is NO JOKE. It tends to put a lot of extra things on Danielle’s plate, and that complicates life, to say the least.

But, in all of the chaos, I know that God is still on His throne, still loving an supporting us better than any of us could for one another.

Until next time…

The post Life Update appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

But, you see, I thought I had bipolar “beat” (whatever that means). 5+ years of no significant mood swings led to working with my doctor to totally eliminate the Depakote I was taking.

Going off the Depakote felt good, but eventually it felt a little too good. The warning signs were there, looking back now.

We had gotten to the point where we even wondered if I actually was bipolar. Perhaps what happened with my manic episode was some weird combination of circumstance or a fluke.

But, it wasn’t. I know that now. Apparently the medicine was helping keep things in check.

Some recent stress combined with a lack of sleep led to a crash this past Saturday that wasn’t nearly as bad before but was still scary enough. Enough to lead us to a psychiatrist appointment this past Tuesday. He was concerned enough to put me right back on the higher dose of Depakote I had been on before. He feels confident this will put a “brick wall” in front of the train of a bipolar episode.

Thankfully we caught this before it became a disaster like before. I am eternally grateful for Danielle. She’s been so good to me and has helped out so much this week.

Thanks to so many friends that have reached out to both of us. You’ve helped keep me both fed and sane this week, and I am thankful for both.

And thanks to God, who gives us supportive wives, family and friends. Who keeps us from totally crashing and burning. Who gives us doctors and medications to help us. Who delivers us.

We will make it through. We’ve done it before, and we will do it again, and we will live to tell the tale as they say!

The post Bipolar appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

Ever had one of those thoughts / questions run through your mind? So have I.

Let’s add another question to the mix – did God cause this suffering to happen?

That question is pretty much taboo in some of the circles I run in. There is an awful lot of teaching it seems that God certainly does not cause suffering, since in fact, He’s good and He’s loving, and so it would be against His nature.

Many times the answer we come up with is something to the following effect: “well God didn’t cause this to happen. He allowed it to happen and will use it for good in the end”. Our reasoning for that answer (and rightly so, I might add) comes from Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Again, that’s a valid line of reasoning from what we see in that verse.

But what if I told you, in my opinion, that the story of Job paints a slightly different picture on the possible cause of our suffering?

Many times when we talk about Job we go back to the “well God didn’t cause this to happen to Job, Satan did, but God used this tragedy in the end to teach Job and bless him when he came through it.” While that might be true, let’s look at a couple of verses that lead me to think otherwise.

In Job 1:6 we see that the angels have come to present themselves before God, and for whatever reason Satan has tagged along as well. When questioned by God as to where he comes from he basically says he’s been roaming around on Earth.

Chapter 1 verse 8 is where things start to get very interesting. It reads:

Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.'”

For years I always thought that it was Satan’s idea to test and torment Job (and to some extent it is), but when we read this verse, at least to me, it seems God gets this ball rolling, if you will, by pointing out Job in the first place. Perhaps what happened to Job would have happened either way, but this verse really struck me.

Could God have been the cause for Job’s suffering? Let’s look at some more Scripture.

Verses 21 and 22 of Job 1 shed some more compelling light on this issue of who caused Job’s suffering.

‘…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.’

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Wait a second. Job didn’t sin by saying this? I would take that to mean Job wasn’t wrong about what he said, or at least that’s how I read the “Job did not sin” part of verse 22. Just to reiterate, Job is saying that God has taken away from him (his children, cattle, etc.), and Scripture says he did not sin in what he said.

Throughout the rest of Job there is back and forth between Job and his friends who are trying to counsel him, and they end up doing a pretty lousy job.

Job is very open in declaring how he feels about how he’s been treated throughout this whole ordeal (I’ll let you read that for yourself), and he and God end up “having it out”, if you will, towards the end of Job’s story. In Job 38:3 God says

Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

And He most certainly questions away after that point. Quite pointedly I might add.

In Job 42, the story ends on a better note for Job. He ends up sacrificing for his friends, because God is quite angry with them, and then he is blessed again with cattle and possessions and 10 sons and daughters, but there’s a little bit of text in there you might just glance over while you’re reading the end of the story.

All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him…

I don’t know who the writer of the book of Job is, but we are told in the New Testament that Scripture is God-breathed and Spirit-inspired. It is God’s word. Period. So it clearly states this trouble was brought upon by God, right there in verse 11.

Now, you might say “well you need to look at the original text. You’ll understand it all after that.” Maybe that’s right. Maybe I would have a different view. But if God is all-knowing and all-powerful (spoiler alert – He is), then I’d like to think he can use flawed humans to get across what He wants us to read in Scripture. Maybe that’s me being naive, but that’s how I feel on that point.

Why even discuss suffering like this? Well, like it or not, if you live on this Earth, you will experience suffering in some way, shape, or form at some point in life. It’s just part of the fallen world we live in. We’ve been through our fair share over the years. It just happens.

My point of this post is not to bash God. It’s simply to offer a different look on suffering and where it comes from.

Scripture states that God’s ways are not our ways. God operates on a totally different level that we can only try to understand, and we fail miserably at those attempts most of the time.

If God causes / allows suffering so that we might know Him better, isn’t that a good thing? We might not like it while we’re going through it, but if it has a good result in the end, I would say it’s worth it, even if God caused it.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on God and suffering!

The post God and Suffering appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

For more details on the episode, you can read the full entry over at our other blog – The Marriage Fight .

Here’s an excerpt from that post:

We arrived at the beach and I was full of energy, talking almost incessantly. I was aggressive and hostile, to an extent, without any idea how it was affecting my family. I felt invincible. Apparently I also thought I was rich and extremely good looking. I was barely sleeping. Maybe getting two hours or so a night.

I even told Danielle she was released of her wedding vows. Now I don’t remember this at all, but Danielle assures me I did, several times. I told her it was OK for her to leave and that I would be fine. I would be fine never seeing her or the boys again. God told me. I mean, where does that come from? It’s amazing Danielle didn’t up and leave or at least smack me senseless right then and there.

I thought several times I was going to die. I mean seriously die. Like at any minute. It was scary and not, at the same time. My dad just held me the last time. I thought I was going “home” for sure at that point and it was wonderful just having dad there. Even though I hadn’t been treating him well either.

It all came to a head when I sat my family down in the middle of the courtyard at our condo and lectured them about how they needed to be on my side and support me. I feel awful for anyone who had to witness that train wreck. I gave my family an ultimatum. Either you’re on my side or you’re not. For some decisions that I explained were lifelong dreams for me. Things I felt God calling me to do. NOW. Things that they had never heard me talk about.

Thank God they all said “yes” or I wouldn’t be here right now.

I told Danielle I needed my phone for an hour so I could talk to my friend Dave. She had been begging me to get off my phone and spend some time with everyone. We talked for I don’t know how long about all sorts of things and then I went back to our room, handing over my phone.

That’s when it hit me. My body just couldn’t keep up with how fast my mind was moving anymore. I had a light lunch and then laid down for a nap.

That’s when things got really bizarre. When I woke up from my nap I had absolutely no idea what day or time of day it was. I barely knew where I was or who I was with. Little did I know Danielle had prayed this into being.

Okay, okay, a bit more than an excerpt, but there is much more to read over there.

Suffice it to say, it was a pretty horrible experience for our family. At the time it wasn’t so much for me, because I was in such a state of euphoria.

As I sit here 5 years later with 2 not so little boys next to me and Danielle to my right editing photos, I realize how truly blessed I am.

God has been so good to us. Often times when someone is diagnosed bipolar (I have been diagnosed Bipolar 1, mainly because I experienced at least one manic episode), it is a lifelong struggle of really high highs and really low lows. I have been quite fortunate to have been able to maintain a fairly stable mood, due to God’s grace, family support, and help in the forms of medical treatment as well as counseling.

I again want to say a big “thank you” too all the people that have supported Danielle, our family, and myself through the darkest of days.

Sometimes I can hardly believe it’s been 5 years since we went through this experience. It really feels like a lifetime ago.

Over the next couple days we will celebrate, like we do every year, not only how we survived, but how good God has been to us, and how far our marriage has come in these last 5 years.

I am truly blessed.

The post 5 Years Ago appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

Here’s a shot of us while we waited for tipoff.

We were decked out in our “free” shirts in order to Black out the Q. It was definitely blacked out!

We also got some free knockoffs of the famous Terrible Towel.

Unfortunately, blacking out the Q and waving our towels didn’t do much to help out the Cavs. It was a rough game, to put it lightly. I had hoped maybe the Cavs could at least squeak out one win at home, but that was not to be.

LeBron didn’t really look great the whole game. Maybe he was already checked out mentally. He had given so much to that city, to that team, over the years, and maybe he knew his time was up. Hard to say, only he really knows for certain. It seemed to be the consensus among the people that we walked around town with that something was definitely “off”.

I noticed something interesting in the box score. I don’t know if it was intentional on James’ part or not, but he ended up with 23 points – the number he wore for Cleveland during his two stints there. Like I said perhaps it was just a coincidence, perhaps not.

Turns out we got to watch some history that night. The Warriors completed their 4-game sweep of the Cavs, further adding to their dynasty in the making.

We also got to watch James’ last gave as a Cav. Perhaps. I’ve read some rumors that he might come back for a final go around before he retires. Who knows. If he does, I’ll definitely be making at least one more road trip out.

I’m glad I got a shot of THE billboard before we left. Especially seeing as how it’s not there anymore.

Yes, we were witnesses, like the ad campaign said. I just wish what we had witnessed had turned out in the Cavs favor.

It was a great trip with mom. We stayed right downtown which made getting to the arena not TOO much of a hassle. I even think we saw one of the ABC announcers at our hotel, which was cool too.

I doubt we’ll be making a trip to LA, but you never know

Thanks again, Mom, for such a great experience. I’ll never forget it!

The post LeBron’s Last Game? appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

I must admit, I don’t believe in all my 37+ years I haven’t read all the way through the Bible, cover to cover. So this notification piqued my interest.

The nice thing about this plan is that it splits the days into a Psalm or Proverb, a New Testament passage or two and an Old Testament passage or two.

This especially nice when you’re working your way through Leviticus and Deuteronomy

One thing I’ve learned about living in the OT was that it must have been a HUGE mess. There were sacrifices upon sacrifices upon sacrifices. Sacrifices for so many different things.

But, Solomon takes the cake for sacrifices made. Let’s take a look at this passage (1 Kings 8:62-63)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord.

That’s right. Almost 150 THOUSAND animals were sacrificed for the dedication of the temple. Can you even imagine what that must have been like? An absolute mess is what it seems like it would have been like to me.

However, Solomon was one of the wisest man in all of history, so I’m sure he had a good reason for the amount of sacrifices that were made.

Just an interesting thing I came across in my reading.

I encourage you to get into the Bible and read it as often as you can. The app (found here) has been super helpful for me, and maybe it would be for you too!

The post The Sacrifices of Solomon appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

And here’s the proof!!

Definitely excited to see if the Cavs can hold home court and send the series back to Golden State 2-2, but I’m not holding my breath.

Right now I’m hoping for a good game, possibly one of those free #WhateverItTakes T-shirts and for the Cavs not to get swept that night.

That’s not too much to ask for, right??

The post Going to the NBA Finals appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

I’ll start out saying I was a big Infinity War fan. Unlike Danielle’s complaint that they packed so many heroes into one film, I thought they did a good job of weaving everything together. Perhaps the story with Vision and Wanda (AKA Scarlet Witch) was a little out of place, but everything else seemed to flow really well.

The movie had a good mix of humor (think the first Guardians or Ragnarok), which was enough to somewhat balance the harshness of Thanos and his plan to wipe out half the galaxy.

Thanos almost, almost, comes off as a somewhat sympathetic character. At least he has some sort of logic (the galaxy will run out of resources if the population goes unchecked) behind his psychotic plan. His relationship with Gomora also serves to give him a little softer side. Although how can you call someone a “softy” when they stole a little girl from her home planet after half the population has been wiped out?

And it’s just fun to see the interaction between the different factions of good guys (Thor meeting the Guardians and the interactions between Doctor Strange and Iron Man in particular).

I also loved that Thor calls Rocket “rabbit”, and Rocket never seems to give him any flack for it. Probably because he knows better than to mess with Thor.

I had a feeling going into this movie that some characters wouldn’t make it out alive. And that was the case.

Or was it?

Since we know Thanos has the Time Stone and Doctor Strange mentions to Tony that there is a scenario where the good guys win, one has to wonder if that Time Stone will come into play to make things right.

Once the characters started fading away into nothing, it quickly became evident that some of these changes simply wouldn’t stick. Honestly, do you expect me to believe that Black Panther isn’t returning? Or Peter Parker? Or most of the Guardians? That seems a little far-fetched to me. You’ve got too many movies in the pipeline and too much $$$ on the table for these characters to disappear.

I do think in the follow up to Infinity War some characters won’t be returning. Or if they do it will somehow magically occur a few years or movies from now. My guess would be someone like Captain America or one of the main Avengers.

Don’t let those ashes fool you. The good guys will return (or at least I hope so)!

The post Infinity War Thoughts appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

• My dad helped found the school
• I was there at the beginning (as a baby )
• I attended from Preschool all the way through graduation
• I’m a parent of 2 kids in school now
• I’m also a member of the School Board

You can say pretty much that I’ve been involved with NCA in some fashion just about my entire life.

It will be 19 years ago that I graduated this spring. That’s crazy! I still remember things like my 6th grade trip to Mt. Zion Retreat Center, which was a highlight of all of elementary school it seems like. Playing soccer and basketball, something I would never had had a shot of doing at a public school, since I’m not really a baller

NCA more than prepared me for college. I was way ahead of some of my classmates my first year in college, no thanks in small part to my Spanish teacher, that would be my mom

That all being said, I’m writing today to share an exciting opportunity the school is pursuing.

We’re running out of space (which is a good problem to have), and we’re looking to make some changes as far as adding additional space for Pre-K and Kindergarten, which will then allow for some other changes throughout the school as far as layout and optimal use of space is concerned. We would be upgrading our science lab and also placing offices in a more prominent and secure location.

It’s quite the undertaking.

Here is an idea of how the layout of the changes would look.

And a small render of what the front would look like.

As things stand today, the remainder of the balance on the project is $750,000, and we won’t do the project without 100% of the funds being supplied.

Here’s where you might be able to lend a hand. We’ve recently launched an online giving campaign!

Check out The Living Tree Campaign, and consider whether you would like to get involved in this project that will make an impact on the lives of children for years to come!

The post New Covenant Academy Living Tree Campaign appeared first on define: Jared Barden.

Rather than tell the whole story, I’ll just provide an image of the exchange.

The topic of abortion really gets my blood boiling, and I just don’t understand some of the pro-choice arguments. As I’m sure those on the pro-choice side wouldn’t understand my arguments and point of view.

And yes, I know, Planned Parenthood funding isn’t allowed to go towards abortions, but that doesn’t change the fact they are one of the largest providers of abortions in the US.

Also, I’ve found when debating and disagreeing online, name calling doesn’t help make your point. At all.

The post Twitter, the NRA and Planned Parenthood appeared first on define: Jared Barden.