Audio Bible is Exceptional When You Don’t Feel Well

Can’t concentrate to read? Missing reading The Word?

Lisa saw the promotional video for The Bible Experience at a Christian retail show and was blown away! She bought it for herself for Christmas a couple of years ago. Now YOU can watch this video below, thanks to Zondervan and YouTube.

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It truly brings the story to life and features voices from Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Blair Underwood, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Ceasar, Faith Evans, Kirk Franklin, and more.

Do yourself a favor watch the video. It was originally priced at $50 so this is a great deal and you can listen to it in bed! Get it here.

Longing for Someone to Say… “I’m Proud of You”?

When was the last time you heard these words? A touching book that Lisa recently read and gives 5 stars is I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers by reporter Tim Madigan.

And if you really do have a hankering to hear someone say those words, drop by Mister Roger’s web site where he will sing “I’m Proud of You” as well as other classics like “You are Special” and “I’m Still Myself Inside.”

And we thought this Presbyterian minister was ministering just to kids! Here at Rest Ministries we think most of us can relate with his messages.

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When It is Tempting to Quit We Need Jesus More Than Ever

I was using a saltshaker when I first noticed that the right side of my body was staging a mutiny. Inexplicably, my hand had forgotten how to move up and down. Other everyday activities became difficult. Brushing my teeth was a challenge. Playing piano was impossible and typing was clumsy. And then there were these weird, involuntary tremors on my right side. What was going on here?

After a batch of expensive tests, the doctors couldn’t — and still don’t — agree. While they are scratching their heads, the elders anointed me and prayed for my healing — twice — and I am trying everything in my power while the problem persists.

Like Paul, I have asked the Lord that this “thorn in my flesh” be taken from me. As He told Paul, He has answered me, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Humph! Hardly the answer I want to hear!

Here is where the rubber meets the road for every leader and me:  Who is REALLY in control of my life, ministry, and gifts? And who is in charge of yours?

It is when we are are painfully and continually poked by thorns in the flesh that our determination to be obedient to God’s call is tested and displayed. When we have an uncooperative person on our ministry board tying every meeting into knots; when no one will watch the nursery; when we are criticized for bringing less-than-desirable people into the church; when our budget is stymied by the shortsighted; when we can’t get anything done because we’ve lost control, it is tempting — oh, so tempting! — to yank out the thorn and quit.

But if we are called to a task, we are called to it, regardless of who or what stands in the way — even if it is our own physical limitations.

“My grace is sufficient” — It’s a lovely piece of prose, but it’s meaning is so large that it is a slippery life preserver for the desperate.

However, here’s a handle I’ve found through my own storm:

A can-do attitude is a wonderful thing. But it also masks arrogance, especially when the battle we are fighting is a spiritual one and we are more proficient with our natural talents.

• Spiritual battles require much different weapons, leadership, attitudes, vision, talents, and gifts.
• Spiritual confrontation requires practice but you won’t get it if you are relying on your own natural talent.

When the Lord gives us as leaders a thorn in the flesh, He is reminding us that we are to develop spiritual weaponry skill by knowledge of and connection to Him. He’s made it a little easier for us to do this because we not only won’t rely on our unreliable selves, we no longer can.

In the midst of the hopeless, drowning feeling associated with loss, we have His promise: His grace — or Divine endorsement — will make up for our personal deficits.

And that’s a handle we can all hang on to no matter what our limitations may be.

Rebekah Montgomery, author/speaker/teacher, is a gifted, dynamic communicator. She is the author of more than five books and has penned 1,100 articles. She shares tough real-life topics and biblical application in a simple easy to grasp manner. To book Rebekah for your next event visit www.rebekahmontgomery.com. Rebekah is also the editor of Right to the Heart of Women and a publisher at Jubilant Press.© Rebekah Montgomery 2009.

Billy Graham Ministries Talks W/ Steven Curtis Chapman

How do you get through the holidays when you feel like God– who was always been faithful– has let you down and allowed you to suffer a tragedy you never imagined?

This is what Janet Chismar asked Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman these year to share  about at the web site for Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Maria, one of his adopted daughters from China, was tragically killed in a car accident on Chapman’s own property in 2008.  He shares the following (below), and we encourage you to visit the BGEA web site to watch the four-minute video where Chapman pours out his heart about what God has revealed to him through this tragedy as well as the questions he still asks himself, and the Lord, daily.

I asked Chapman if he had any words to comfort those who are grieving this Christmas season, or if he had insights on how we can best help the hurting.

“The one thing my wife and I have learned,” he responded, “is that the most encouraging words we heard were the antithesis of anything profound. It was when someone would say, ‘There are no words for this. There is nothing that any of us can say.’”

Chapman feels that such a seemingly simple statement somehow honors the depth of grief. “The worst thing people can do is to throw words at pain. It’s like dropping a few drops into the ocean to help fill it up. It’s so vast. Grief and loss are so unique – the shape of that in a person’s soul – is so unique that only God can meet it.”

Caregiver Perspective on Doubt

Doubt is a great hindrance to those who care for a chronically ill person. Doubt prevents us from believing that God will answer our prayers. Some of us have lived so long in the shadows of illness that we have little hope.

Our heads speak to God, but His comfort never reaches our hearts. Even as we pray we believe that tomorrow we will face the same situation all over again. We know that God can change our lives, but we doubt that He will.

My husband has an intra-thecal pump installed in his body that administers pain medication directly into his spinal column. This device makes his pain bearable. Because of pain in all other joints of his body, he must take other medications as well; and we know that drugs will always be part of our lives.

He begins some days with a minimum of pain. On these days, he optimistically says he is going to ask the doctor to decrease the medicine in his pump. Even as I praise God for this improvement, I wonder how long it will be before he says that he hurts worse than ever.

It is an emotional roller-coaster for me; casting me from positive encouragement to negative pessimism in a matter of a few hours.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could command our troubles to “go jump in the lake!” and rid ourselves of doubt? The good news is that we can! Jesus said in Matthew 21:21 “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”

This mountain is a specific mountain which for us is chronic illness. When you pray, believe that— though you may wake up and face the same situation again tomorrow—God will give you the strength to do that.

Think about it. The simple fact that you have a willing heart and are able to do the same things over and over again is clear evidence that God is answering your prayers. Have faith and do not doubt. Your mountain can become beach sand when you trust in God’s love.

Lora Chandler has been in a care giving role since 1982 when her husband began his life-long struggle with pain due to a bone disease. Lora welcomes your comments at lorac@yucca.net.

View The Whole Shebang! 64-Page HopeKeepers Magazine

Merry Christmas! If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out our current issue of HopeKeepers magazine, now is the time.  Our December issue is completely free and available to read online in its digital format, or you can out up to 15 pages at one sitting.

Please help us spread the word by posting this to your Twitter, Facebook, etc. We would love for others to know about HopeKeepers magazine!

A Talk Over Tea – Reflecting Back to 2002

Years ago, days before all our families were to arrive for Christmas, I stood in the kitchen and felt the floor squish. Within hours men started to arrive and traipse dirt into my home, the entire kitchen floor was ripped out, large holes were made in the drywall of three rooms, and Christmas decorations were torn down to bring in large fans that ran twenty-four hours a day.

My car had been in the shop for over seven weeks for a job that should have taken a few days. Tension was high in my home, but I had no choice but to pray the roof wouldn’t fall in too. At last, I got my car and two men put in a new hard-wood floor while I ran to get groceries. Relatives began to arrive from out of state —literally—within two hours of the floor being completed. It was. . .well, stressful!

But imagine with me for a moment how Mary, mother of Jesus must have felt. She discovers she is pregnant—with the child of God! (Talk about pressure!) But she grasps this and then, wouldn’t it figure, a decree to register comes out and the man she is pledged to is from Bethlehem.

According to Arthur Blessitt, the Guinness Book of Record’s holder for ‘the world’s longest walk’, after Mary conceived she walked from Nazareth to south of Jerusalem to see her cousin Elizabeth, (130 miles one way), then back again. And with Joseph she walked back south of Jerusalem to Bethlehem (another 130 miles). During all this walking travel of 390 miles Mary was with child! Some have argued that nowhere does it say she rode on a donkey.

She finally gets there and says, “Hey, uh, Joe, honey, it’s time.” So Joseph looks for a place for her to rest and finds all the inns are full. . “Oh, God, give me a break here! It’s your baby! Haven’t I been patient? This trip couldn’t have come at a worse time, but have I complained?”

Luke 2:7 says, “She wrapped [the baby] in cloths and placed him in a manger.” I’m sure she thought he was beautiful. From the very beginning God did things out of the ordinary, even if it resulted in a loss of comfort. Two years ago I casually talked about the Lord to every workman that came through my door who expected to find a stressed out woman on the other side.

This Christmas season, look for God’s best in the midst of all the stress.

Lisa Copen

(Mary Did You Know -- Mark Lowery singing with clips from The Nativity)

A Talk Over Tea with Lisa About Holiday Ups and Downs

Well, it’s that time of year when people start talking about whether Christmas sales are up or down, whether Wall Street is up or down, and even if they are feeling “up” or “down.” How are you? Up or down?

As the Christmas stories began to unfold on television this season, I am reminded of the many stories told to our children about the broken bodies that God uses. Whether it’s the lamb with a bad leg, or a donkey with big ears, God uses those of us who are far from perfect.

Even the secular stories explain how Santa was just boy who didn’t feel that he fit in, quite like Rudolph who felt different and ashamed until his weakness was recognized as a gift. You may not be aware that the story of Rudolph was written by a man, Bob May, who “made Rudolph up” to answer his four-year daughter’s question, “Daddy, why isn’t my mommy just like everybody else’s mommy?” as her mom was desperately ill with cancer.

As I venture in to my eigth year of motherhood in January, I can relate with the feelings of inadequacy that Mary must have had (surely Jesus’ teething was painful for her to watch), or even a little bit of the joy that God must possess when we do something that makes Him smile.

This is also a time of year where we are reminded to reflect on our journey and what areas of our life we may wish to change or improve upon. But instead of thinking it’s a journey you are about to “go on” think it as “going out.” Regardless of our illness, regardless of all the weaknesses, doubts or inexperience we may have, God tells us to “go out!”

Jeremiah 31:4 reminds us, “I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt . . again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.” Hear that? Grab those tambourines for 2004. You never know when the Lord might tell you to go out and starting dancing!

We all feel that nagging feeling of, “But what if I fail?” I feel this every day, and the leap we are making to transform this newsletter into a magazine is scary indeed, but Malachi 4:2 says, “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

We’ll receive some form of healing and be given that burst of energy and joy, either physically or maybe just spiritually, but it will be as if we are calves being released from a stall. If you’ve ever been to an amusement park on a major holiday, it may not be hard to imagine. Simply being a child of Christ promises us pasture, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture,” (John 10:9).

In this New Year, it’s time to go out! Jesus commands it, especially since we understand first-hand just how important it is to be welcomed when you are hurting. Luke 14: 21-24, says, “. . .the owner of the house. . . ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’”

Go out. Invite them into your heart. Whether it’s sharing about Rest Ministries or loaning a sermon tape to a hurting friend who doesn’t know God, get out of the comfort zone. Jesus will provide those tambourines.

We don’t need to think about the ups and downs of the season. Istead, think of going out!

God Bless you,

Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries Founder

Wait Upon the Lord

The path that once was bright and clear, had suddenly grown dim,
The peace and joy that filled my heart no longer was within,
The lonely nights grew longer, my days were filled with tears,
I cried, “Dear Lord, where is the strength
You gave me through the years?”

I struggled on and tried to find the answers by myself,
Forgetting all the times I’d asked the Lord if He would help.
I could not understand why now my faith became so weak,
Until one night in prayer I paused to hear my Father speak.

“Dear child,” He said. “I’m here with you, you’ve never been alone,
But don’t you see, I had to let you try life on your own.
I had to let you stumble, and sometimes even fall!
So you would see and feel the need upon My Name to call.”

“And, now that you’ve grown quiet, and My voice at last you hear,
The lesson I must teach you will be hard for you to bear,
I heard your prayers each time you spoke, I felt each hurt and pain,
With all my heart I want for you ‘abundant life’ to gain.
But you must learn that when you pray and ask for a reward,
You must be willing, patiently, to ‘wait upon the Lord.’“

“I know what lies ahead for you; I know just when will be,
The time to give you answers and to give you victory,
So, you must trust that I know best, and give Me back each day,
And let Me act in My own time, and work in My own way.
And, rest assured that when at last you step inside the Gate,
You’ll never hear these words again, ‘My child, you’ll have to wait.’”

Alice Ervin lives in West Carrollton, Ohio with her husband, Dan. She thanks her Lord for being so faithful, and for the comfort and hope He gives as she deals with the daily struggles from her illnesses, fibromyalgia, arthritis of the spine, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Christians Posting About Bible This Week

Christians are promoting the Bible this week on major internet websites including Twitter, FaceBook, and MySpace.

They are deliberately posting messages about the Bible and repeating other people’s messages about the Bible.

The Bible As Poetry website has even prepared 200 Twitter- length messages about the Bible for people to use.

Each of the Bible messages is less than 140 characters long because that is the maximum length allowed for messages on Twitter.com.

Christians can copy these short messages and make them their own messages on social networking websites.

The plan to increase the number of times the Bible is mentioned is called ‘Make the Bible go Viral.’

It runs until next Sunday night (November 29).
Reprinted from Christian Newswire

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