"The Orange Tree in the Midst of Nightmare"

Me, My Uggs, and I day 2:

Today my overgrown moccasins were somewhat of a burden in the 80degree weather. No matter, we pressed on. After quickly finishing some homework, it was off to Chapel.

Speaker David Lovelace shared his life and struggles, living with bipolar disorder. He talked about how he hid “behind the term spiritual oppression and did not face the fact that I was ill." For Lovelace facing this supernatural battle was easier than facing the fact that he was sick.

He referred to the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel. As they wrestled, Jacob told the Angel that he wouldn’t stop unless he received his blessing. Then the Angel touched his hip and “Jacob walks away with a screwed up hip, blessed," said Lovelace. "And I feel like Jacob. I am bipolar and I am blessed."

The way he described madness was mind-blowing. He described it as a series of fast connections: a brilliant babble.

He told of an exhilarating terrifying abyss with a glimpse of beauty, "an Orange tree in the midst of a dark nightmare."