Tales of a Schizophrenic Pastor

By Glenn Gardiner

This book is not a fairly tale; its stories are raw and honest disclosures of a Schizophrenic's heart. From the slums and streets of Vancouver to the lonely and cold psychiatric units, the author Glenn Gardiner's pursuit of God's love, strength and wholeness never falters.

Today, Glenn's life looks like an accomplished success story. But peek behind the tuxedo and top hat and you will find three decades of gruelling stories. Glenn's journey from darkness to leading a large and flourishing "Friendship Club" is nothing short of multiple miracles. It depicts a life completely dependent on God's strength and guidance. You will be captivated and drawn into Glenn's stories and perhaps shed a tear. But you will learn to love his gentleness and compassion for the broken and needy. Glenn is a person you need to get to know. This book will grip your heart in ways you never expected, and it will challenge your views on mental illness and God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387536290

Book preview

Preface

I am writing this book to reach people who want to know more about God through my story.  I pray that my ministry to the special needs community may be enriched by your time, your support and your investment.  May you be encouraged and become more aware of what we do at the Friendship Club here at Trinity Church Kelowna.

I am excited about sharing my life story with you, about how our Lord Jesus Christ has impacted my life and the lives of those around me.  I would like to start off in the middle of my story then take you back to the beginning and bring you to where I am now.  Here goes:

It was between 2 and 4 a.m., downtown on Granville Street in Vancouver, BC.  Crowds of people had congregated along the roadside to take their bus ride home from a night out drinking or to return home from their shift at work.  I would not be so fortunate.

I had been wandering the streets of downtown Vancouver looking for opportunities to share God’s love with the less fortunate.

I heard a troubled soul yelling at the top of his lungs from a few blocks away.  When I finally located him, I reached out to him by asking, What’s wrong?  He stopped yelling.  The Holy Spirit encouraged me to ask him to open his eyes.  When he did so, all I saw in him was fear and pain.  I told Satan to leave him alone, and a peace came over us.

A friend of this man approached me to tell me that this poor man suffered from a heroin addiction.  The suffering man pushed his wheelchair out from the doorway where he was hiding, and I asked him what was wrong.  He spoke saying, Those people at the bus stop are laughing at me.  I then called out to the crowd and asked them to apologize to the man.  They all cooperated and said, Sorry.  I could tell that this man had been tormented for a very long time, feeling persecuted by his addiction and pain.

Upon hearing the crowd address him, I could see that the heaviness over him had lifted.  Knowing I did not have the resources to look after him, I prayed with him, asking the Lord God to intervene, so that this poor man would find support. After that I left him.  The last thing I heard from him was, Christian, help me, as I faded away into the night, leaving him to the Lord’s care in faith.  A police car rolled slowly by but did not stop.

This kind of event took place on a daily basis in my life.  Random acts of charity were in my blood, despite my own condition.  Yes, I too was in a desperate situation, as I myself wandered the streets of Vancouver.

Shortly before all of this happened, I had stopped taking my medication for my own mental health issues.  You see, I have schizophrenia, a severe mental health issue that, without medication, can be deadly.

The charismatic church I was attending had told me that the Spirit of God and the spirit of medication don’t mix, and that I could not do both.  I wandered the streets for months without my medication.  I became quite mentally ill.

Chapter 1

Let me take you back a long time before all of this took place.  I attended church quite regularly with my parents and my siblings.  We were Presbyterian and lived in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  We attended First Presbyterian Church.  You could say that I began attending church nine months before I was born.  I loved attending church, and knowing God was a very exciting journey of faith for me even as a child.  I loved the dark, solid oak pews and the stained-glass windows that radiated God’s light into our church in streams of beautiful living colors.

Beyond the ambiance that I found in God’s house of worship, the music and the prayers always invited me back week after week to the joy of God’s house and His people (not to mention the jellybeans I received freely from Mr. Ireland, always with a smile).  Being part of the church body gave me an identity that would fuel my faith for many years to come and in many different circumstances that I was yet to