John Koehler - Bipolar by Koehler

Bipolar by Koehler is a great read about a man that never gave up. With great gifts come great responsibility (quote from Spiderman). John Koehler is a unique gifted man who is humbled by seasonal depression. The first story of three elaborates Johns frustration as well as his tenacity for solving his own equation. It is hard not to be inspired by his journey. For those that suffer like John, it offers guidance and wisdom.

Dear Lord is a great letter writing campaign that John shares with us. Many of us would long for the relationship that John has with God. His letters allow the reader to live the questions, the prayers asked and received, as well as a very personal relationship with our Lord.

TheRoad to Capernaum is Johns answered prayer. A man that lives his faith is rewarded with a task that only a few are qualified for.

BPBK is full of great, funny and inspiring stories. I enjoyed a full range of emotions reading this book from cover to cover. I also gained more respect for the author and look forward to the reading more about the 1991 Boomerang World Champion.

Personal note: I bet that for every boomerang that John throws...he gets 10 in return!!

AL MIDGETT

John Koehler is a real person with a real story. A story about faith and guts. A story that doesnt give all the answers, but a story about what God can do in the struggle of mental illness. This story is not for the faint of heart. However, John has opened his heart and you will be challenged by his tale of grace.

MICHAEL SIMONE, D. MIN.,

Senior Pastor, Spring Branch Community Church

I have been thinking for quite some time that maybe something is wrong with me, but I keep it inside, tell no one, and be strong. Youve got me thinking that might not be the best way to deal with it.

BOB

Thank you for reminding me of a truth: we are all disabled. Those suffering inside get to play at being like everyone else while hiding a world of pain and unhappiness the depths of which friends and family may never know. Koehler brings it into the light and offers hope.

DOUG WEISS

Bipolar by Koehler is a remarkable book and an important contribution on helping patients, family, friends and those who treat mental illness.

CAROLYN H. WOOD

President, NAMI- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill-Virginia Beach, VA

Bipolar by Koehler is a story of triumph over adversity that has meaning to anyone who has suffered a life crisis, fought substance abuse, or endured mental illness.

MARJORIE CAMPBELL, PHD, LCP

Bipolar by Koehler is at the same time too much and not enough! Experiencing the effects of this disorder from the inside out was horrifyingly fascinating. Im so glad the funny, loving man prevails. It was the poems in your book that touched me the most your feelings put to rhythm and rhyme. They are like a beacon cutting through the darkness, compelling and inspirational, breathtaking in their ability to touch the heart, to claim a truth.

Thank you!

ELAINE KENNEDY

Bipolar by Koehler

by John Koehler

Copyright 2011 by John Koehler

ISBN 978-1-938467-01-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

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FOREWARD

Kathy Ann Steele

This is the story of a normal , C hristian man who also happens to be Bi-polar . Those 3 words are the heart of this book. They represent the joys and struggles of my brothers life. I knew him before he was diagnosed - when he was normal. He was always a larger than life person with a huge appetite for people. He never met a stranger, was always the life of the party and had a sense of humor that would absolutely crack me up. Those things havent changed! I watched him and participated in his becoming a believer of Jesus - one of the highlights of my life. And then I had to watch the light go out of his eyes when he first became Bipolar. It came out of the blue and I wish to God it had never come into his life. But it did. This is Johns story and I hope you are a better person when you have finished reading it. I am. Thanks my brother.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is dedicated to my wife Patty, and to my God.

Without my wife I would be driftless and alone, and would never have made it out of the dark places I sometimes go to. She has always been there for me, in spite of the many times Ive been a complete dingleberry. I owe her my life.

Without my God I simply would not exist, and everything in my life would be formless, useless and boring. He is the reason for my weirdness and my beauty, my strengths and weaknesses, my ups and downs. I owe him my heart and my soul.

Thanks also to my editor and good friend, Maggie Brydges. She helped make this book much better than it was and her kindness made me better. Thanks to Michael Simone for telling me I should get it published and for listening. And for my sister Kathy, who told me I absolutely had to get it published, as long as she could go on Oprah with me. Thanks Sissy. When Oprah calls, youre there!

Many thanks to Randy Bruce, author and advisor as I was flailing my way through the process of publishing. May this book help his daughter, and all the other souls out there that suffer from the effects of Bipolar Syndrome.

AUTHORS NOTE

Since this book was first published in 2005 I have had the privilege of speaking with and to many people who are suffering from the effects of brain illnesses. Because of this I am reminded again and again that I am no hero, nor can I solve their medical problems. Yet God clearly wants me to speak into their minds and hearts with His love, hope and encouragement. So I will.

All offensive language from my journal entries has been removed to make this book more acceptable and pleasing to all. May God use this book for the good of all His hurt people and all those suffering from the effects of brain illnesses.

John Koehler, 2009

Drugs, drugs, runnin round my brain,

Keeping me away from Mr. N Sane.

Watch my self runnin down the drain,

Hey, Im cool, I cant complain.

Journal entry- November 30, 1988, 7:05 pm

Im here at GW Hospital folks. Probably be here for a week or more. Bill (brother in law) is a Psychologist on Team A! I hope to get things worked out so I can get on with my life. The room is private. No phone. No TV etc. All my clothes are locked up. Im in North Hall, where suicidals go.

BP BOY

My name is John Koehler and I am a man. I am a Christian man. I am a Bipolar (BP) Christian man. I am a Bipolar Christian seasonal affective man. I am a Bipolar Christian seasonal affective white-bread, artistic (not autistic) middle-class 45-year-old man.

If you met me in person, you would probably like me, as I am a likeable guy. True enough, I have many moments of weirdness, and meanness, and certainly I have a strong showing in the Stupid Human Tricks category. But my disposition is, generally speaking, light and fun. I love to laugh and look for the silly side of life when at all possible. I think that grownups are way too serious and full of gloom. Ha! Look at me, talking about gloom and how grownups need to lighten up, when here I am writing about manic depression.