Dominic Cook

By Debbie Farmer

Recently I read a letter from a young man named Dominic Cook (also known as “Dooch”) who uses his pain to encourage others with his music. His testimony was such a blessing to me and I am going to share this interview with you now and hope that you too can also receive a blessing today.

Dominic Cook (AKA: “Dooch”) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into the music industry.

Where to start, where to start. . . Well, I’m a 27-year-old, husband, married, and going on 8 years. I have been a Christian going on 7 years now and a father of 5. My youngest Joshua, passed away at 2 months old–a year ago.

I have been doing music since I was 8 years old. It was the first thing I wanted to do and has been the only thing since. I spent my teenage years in New York City where I worked in the music business and learned a lot before I moved back to Virginia. [You can read his complete bio here on his web site, he has quite an amazing testimony!]

How did you get your stage name?

My stage name, “Dooch,” is actually a life long nick name that was given to me as a baby. But my alias, “Hope Boy,” is a name that I picked up as I’ve been known to give people hope. In the streets the drug dealers are known as “d-boys” which means dope boys because of what they sell. I see myself as the opposite of them as a hope boy, one who gives out hope instead of dope.

What kind of music do you perform?

The kind of music I do is rap to say the least. I desire my music to inspire people and give them hope. To comfort the broken and hurting, to be a voice for the voice-less and to stand up for the oppressed.

Can you give us some personal background on yourself and your battle with clinical depression?

I have been a Christian for almost 7 years now and this is when I first noticed my battle with being melancholy. However, I believe that this has been a struggle for much longer. While a teenager, I was addicted to alcohol, weed, and cigarettes so I think that the struggles were masked.

When I became a Christian I immediately became sober and that’s when I realized what I was dealing with. Every day has been a literal fight and battle for me, as every day either started off gray or quickly turned gray. I was heavily into the Word of God and that is what keep me grounded, hoping for a brighter day, but the “melancholy” soon affected all areas of my life.

It has affected my work, relationships, self esteem, plus more, and for all these years I never went to the doctor. I just thought it was normal, I never thought it was depression. A year ago our 2-month-old son passed away suddenly and this brought my wife into a place of depression. This ultimately caused both of us to receive help. This is when I was finally diagnosed with chronic depression.

How has music helped you?

When I started recording music that was true and real to me and my life it became a avenue of release and healing to me. I was able to get stuff out and it brought healing to me to be able to do that. It encouraged me when I saw others who heard the music cry and talk of how they deal or dealt with the same things and how my music helped them.

It made me believe that even my pain and depression could and would be used for God’s glory and for good.

How do you think your music might be able to help someone else?

I think it’s hard for people who deal with depression because of all of the myths about it and the “cooties” that people who deal with depression have. So a lot of people who suffer from depression are too ashamed or scared to admit to it that they suffer from it. Especially for Christians having depression is seen as taboo and it’s frowned upon so most people who suffer from it feel as if they can’t tell anyone or they will be ostracized, frowned upon and judged.

So, I think my music will meet these people where they are–both believer and un-believer alike–and let them know that God loves them, He is here for them, and they are special.

They have a purpose, they are someone.

It will let them know that they are not alone, they are loved and it’s okay, that they can reach out for help.

Can you tell us about your song and video and where our readers here at Rest Ministries can check your music out?

My latest song and video is called Drowning, [you can see video at end of this article] and I wrote this song a few months after my son passed, as I was walking through a very dark season. I felt as if I was drowning, I hated my life, I disliked everything and everyone and just wanted life to be over, so I poured my heart out in this song–everything I was feeling and dealing with–and just cried out to God, asking Him to help me. It was a true expression of my heart, something I equate to a modern day psalm of sort.

You can check out my music at www.youtube.com/godisdope and you can follow me at www.doochakahb.tumblr.com

Can you share some of your inspiration?

Yes. These are my two “life verses” so to say. I believe that my life is a letter written for all to see for the glory of God and whether I deal with depression or something else and He comforts me, He will use that to comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7 3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.

2 Corinthians 3:3 The Message:
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.

Wow. . .

This interview and your video are such a heartfelt blessing. I cried through the video! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You are a remarkable young man and your testimony will help so many. May the Lord hold you close and comfort you.

Thank you so very much for your time and for doing this interview. I would like to leave you with a quote that I love which is in Latin. “Spes Mea in Deo” that means “My hope is in God.”

May your hope be in God, who can and will take your pain, depression, sufferings and hurt and use it for His glory and to comfort and minister to others.

Debbi Farmer, a part-time writer in North Carolina, lives a song-filled life now with her family thanks to the Lord’s wonderful and sufficient grace after suffering from severe clinical depression herself. Today she suffers from several illnesses including Fibromyalgia, but the Lord is good and has helped her face the trials of life and even waddle through them. She wishes she could give you all a cheerful hug today and share with you a song of hope.

Dooch - AKA "Hope Boy"

By Debbi Farmer

Eventually, we will all feel blue. We will have days, even weeks when we are sad. Many can rebound from these emotions–but many cannot.

We face tragedies and struggles that can turn our world completely upside down. And sadly there are times also when physical changes in our body can cause clinical depression even when life appears to the world to be running smoothly. When you have depression, it interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you.

Depression is a common but serious illness.

Many people with a depressive illness never even seek treatment. Helping someone with depression can be a challenge.

If someone in your life has depression, they may feel helpless and you may wonder what to do. You can help the person you care about recognize the symptoms of depression and get treatment that will help them.

People with depression may not recognize or even acknowledge that they are depressed. They may not even be aware of the signs and symptoms of depression, or they may feel too hopeless to address the issue. People with depression may think that how they feel is normal and not the result of a mental health condition. All too often, people feel ashamed about their depression and mistakenly believe they should be able to overcome it with willpower alone. But depression seldom gets better without treatment and may indeed get worse.

If you are in this same boat, believe me when I say the boat is full as many more are suffering today also.

Debbi Farmer, a part-time writer in North Carolina, lives a song-filled life now with her family thanks to the Lord’s wonderful and sufficient grace after suffering from severe clinical depression herself. Today she suffers from several illnesses including Fibromyalgia, but the Lord is good and has helped her face the trials of life and even waddle through them. She wishes she could give you all a cheerful hug today and share with you a song of hope.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow . . . we will be featuring an article about a rapper.

You heard it right! A rapper! Dominic Cook (also known as “Dooch”) has quite a story to tell and Debbi recently interviewed him about his testimony. He understands depression. He knows loss–deep, soul-wrenching, questioning God kind of loss.

His web site tells the details of his story:

From 12-17 his life revolved around the streets, he wanted to really live the stuff he rapped about and he did. Gang fights, felony arrests, robberies, him being stabbed 3 times and becoming a statistic by ending up on the notorious Rikers Island at age 18.

And that is why I ask you to open your heart. We do a lot of profiles here at Rest Ministries on women who have ministries out of their home, the clean-cut, those who sing what we define as traditional worship music. But pain is pain. And “Dooch” believes in the same God we do. And as I read through the interview by Debbi, a few people immediately came to mind who could use this man’s faith to strengthen their own. He speaks their “language.” They would read his story and see where he now puts his faith.

I hope you will look forward to it!

By Debbi Farmer

One of my favorite hobbies is scrapbooking. I have so many memories that I want to keepsake for others to enjoy down the years. I am often looking for new resources to add to my scrapbooking technique. Perhaps that is why I found this book and web-site to be so fascinating and wanted to share it with you.

Scrapbook Your Christian Faith: The Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Legacy by Donna Riner Weber is just one of those many treasures that you have to share with all of your friends. I recently interviewed Donna Riner Weber about her book and website and discovered for myself how to scrapbook my Christian faith.

What is Donna’s story?

One crisp, cool Friday afternoon in September, Donna flipped off the lights in her classroom. She thanked God for the week, her students, and for the upcoming weekend. She didn’t know that she had just taught her last class ever.

Donna had been living with chronic lung diseases which caused her to live a life of doctor’s appointments, medicines, and hospital visits. But with God’s help she had continued to teach.

This time this episode with her illness things were different. This time her life changed. She would never return to her teaching job again. You can read more here on her web site…

Donna, can you tell use about your book and what it is about?

Scrapbook Your Christian Faith: The Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Legacy by Donna Riner is presently an e-book (and soon to be in-print book) and was written to help newbies come to understand “how to Faithbook.”

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying “everyone has a story to tell.” And then there is that old cliché “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Now if you put your words and your pictures together, what do you have? A precious heirloom for your loved ones.

Now, in addition to your words, add some verses from God’s Holy Bible. And now what do you have? A powerful, precious, priceless, love letter for your loved ones and those who will follow you—a keepsake that will last many years longer than you live here on planet earth.

For the Bible tells us “So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” Isaiah 55:11 (The Message)

When I was new to Faithbooking, I was totally overwhelmed. I tried and tried to find resources but at that time I could not find the right book that would provide me with the help I needed. I did not understand the scrapbook language, the tools, and supplies. I didn’t even know what an embellishment was. It was all confusing, and yes, overwhelming to me.

Yet I wanted to do this. . . I wanted to learn how to leave my spiritual message for my son and granddaughter and other future descendants.

You may be thinking, “instead of going to all this trouble couldn’t you just use a journal?” Yes, you can and perhaps that is the way God will lead you. However, if you take a photo of your grandchild, add some of your own words and then add a scripture beside it, he/she will likely take the time to look at it, read your comments and also read that verse.

Numerous Bible verses instruct us to pass on stories of God’s presence in our lives. Some include:

• “One generation shall praise your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:3-4 (NASB)
• “Write this down for the next generation so people not yet born will praise God…” Psalm 102:18 (MSG)
• “One generation makes known your faithfulness to the next.” Isaiah 38:19 (TLB)

Knowing this, I realized I wanted to help others learn how to leave their Spiritual Messages for their loved ones without having to go through all the searching and frustration I went through.

So, tell us what you did.

I wrote Scrapbook Your Christian Faith to help beginners to faithbooking learn how to:

• Express love for their family in a priceless keepsake
• Influence the Spiritual Future of their children/grandchildren
• Have a unique way of telling others about Jesus

Scrapbook Your Christian Faith helps the reader seize their opportunity to begin working on one of the greatest gifts they can ever leave their loved ones.

What kinds of stuff does the book teach?

It is about 98 pages and it teaches:

• Basic tools and supplies needed for beginners
• How to incorporate scriptures, prayers and stories into the Faithbook layouts
• Step-by-step lessons on matting and paper piecing
• Examples to jazz up titles
• Scrapbook language

I understand you have some freebie stuff too.

Yes! Readers who would like to learn more are invited to come over to http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com. There they can sign up for Free Five Faithbook Lessons. They will also receive Free Faithbook Bits and Pieces approximately once a month.

Ms. Weber; besides a lack of resources, what else inspired you to write this book and start a Faithbook ministry?

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good. . . to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)

Over the years Jeremiah 29:11 became “my verse.” I often wrote it on napkins for waitresses, scratch pads in hotel rooms, and on mini-cards, shared it with students and preached it to my son. I really believe that as long as we are here on planet earth that God has a plan for us.

This became very confusing to me as my chronic illness and pain caused me to stop teaching. I felt so frustrated, depressed, and non-productive. I would lie on the sofa and cry day after day and ask God but “What is your Plan for me?”

I knew it wasn’t to lie around on the sofa and wait to die. I kept praying that questioning prayer. “What is Your plan for Me?” What is it that a person like me with a chronic illness and daily pain can do?

God did not immediately answer my question—like I wanted Him to. Rather He began to give me little steps and as I took one step He revealed another one to me.

• First, I began to feel God wanted me to write down stories of how He had been faithful to me and my family.
• When my cousin, Nora, from Chicago came to visit our family, she brought her scrapbook. As I flipped through the beautiful pages, I thought it was so wonderful but I’m not able to do that. I’m not an artist. (I didn’t realize it at the time, but God had planted a seed in my heart.)
• I didn’t know what to do with the stack of stories I had been writing. After praying about it, I became interested in going to Christian Writers Conferences.
• That scrapbooking seed God had planted earlier started to sprout. I had never been interested in creating a scrapbook—but I had this notion that I wanted to go to a class and check it out.

These steps happened over several years. And I still did not realize God was going to call me to combine these new interests. As I learned to create scrapbook layouts I discovered a very vital part of my life was not included in the album. They did not show my relationship with God.

How could I solve that problem? I had written some stories, but how can I put them into my layouts?
I attended Christian Writer’s Conferences and Scrapbook classes and conventions. I learned from each one—but nothing taught me how to mesh these two concepts. And I began to search for books to help me combine these new interests. At that time, I could find only 5-6 that were even slightly related to what I wanted to do and none of them solved my problem.

At that point I felt called to write the guide book that I had needed— one that explained how to include our Christian faith in scrapbooking. The result was Scrapbook Your Christian Faith—The Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Legacy.

When did the web site come to be?

I learned that in order to market this book I needed a web-site. This was yet another new learning experience for me. But God has continued to lead me step by step through this exciting journey. It is one that I travel at my own pace—a rather slow and at times tumultuous one because of my chronic illness and daily pain.

It amazes me because I did not realize where God was leading me and I still don’t. Even though chronic illness and daily pain keeps me from being what I consider a “normal person” on the work force, I still know that God has a special plan for me—and I anxiously await the next step!

This sounds like a totally fascinating way to scrapbook your family memories! What do you think our readers from Rest Ministries can gain from learning about faith-booking?

I pray that others—especially those like me who are in a different season of their life now because of chronic illness and chronic pain—will be inspired to create their Spiritual Legacy. I pray that their Faithbook will touch the hearts of their loved ones and others who will follow them and that ultimately their scrapbooks about their Christian faith will make a difference on earth and in eternity.

Thank you. And how can our readers get the faithbook lessons?

I would like to invite the readers of Rest Ministries to visit http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com and sign up for the “Free Five Faithbook Lessons”. In addition they will receive approximately once a month Faithbook Bits and Pieces which will cover tips, techniques and various related topics on Faithbooking. This is also free. My book is scheduled to also be published in print book form by early fall.

You had mentioned to me you would love to hear from our readers at RestMinistries.com. How can they reach you?

When they contact me, please ask them to identify themselves from Rest Ministries and let me know that they also have chronic illness/pain. I would love to pray for them. They can write to me at donna@ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com.

I also would appreciate their prayers as I continue to learn and expand this ministry—that it will always be one that honors Our Lord.

Thank you so much for sharing with us Ms. Weber! Your book and web-site sounds exciting and I personally look forward to learning more about Faithbooking my Christian life through your great resources.

You can follow Donna on Twitter @FaithScrapper . Did you catch her article last week here at Rest Ministries You Are God’s Messenger Today For Someone Who is Hurting?

Debbi Farmer, a part-time writer in North Carolina, loves art and finding great resources. She shares her life with her family more creatively now thanks to the Lord’s wonderful and sufficient grace. She suffers from several illnesses including Fibromyalgia. She wishes she could give you all a cheerful hug today and share with you a tiny morsel of hope.

This life can be hard for many of us to imagine if we are healthy, but consider those moms and dads who are chronically ill; those who face the daily pain and physical limitations at we face living with illness, yet they also have a spouse who may not even be home for months at a time.

Wednesday Jocelyn Green, author of Faith Deployed will share a story with us from her book about a chronically ill mom and wife who is in a military family. The article, “Worn Out and Weary” is by Ronda Sturgill, quite an amazing woman that we featured on the cover of one of our HopeKeepers Magazines [no longer in print] back in 2005.

A couple of weeks ago we asked our readers if there were any military families out there who would be willing to share a look into her life, and Erin eagerly responded. So, I am proud to introduce you to Erin Wang and her family.

Can you tell us about your family and the illness you live with.

My husband and I have been married for almost seven years. I married him late in his US Navy Officer career, and have not had to live with long deployments, but he does travel frequently. We have one five-year-old son. While I have always had chronic migraines and headaches, I was diagnosed with severe fibromyalgia when my son was born while we were stationed in Japan. I still feel like I’m not to the bottom of my diagnosis, as I have new symptoms developing.

How do you prepare for your husband’s deployment in regard to your illness and it’s challenges?

I have experienced being stationed in five places in six years of marriage–and this really has been one of the hardest parts for me as I live with chronic pain and illnesses. Preparing for my husband’s (often overseas) trips has been quite hard because of these moves, and I have had a little-to-no support system. With the stress of a fresh move under my belt, it seems that the first trip my husband takes after each move, my body gives out in some unexpected way, and I’m literally left with no known person to call for help. Calling on strangers in my greatest time of need has not gotten any easier.

Since you likely do not live near family, who is part of your support team?

I hire babysitters off the internet, and have to trust that God will send me the right person. (He has every time!)– though I stress out over doing the process again and again each move, and make sure to stay home in a separate room for the first few times they babysit! This is always one of the first things I do after a move, as I know that that help is the only thing that keeps me going as a mom with chronic illnesses.

I am generally outgoing and push myself to seek relationships quickly with every move– with new neighbors (on and off bases, depending on where we have lived), church members at new churches, and strangers I start conversations with in the stores and schools and at playgrounds of new cities.

But it is often just too physically hard to be able to do the things that build and maintain relationships, when simply getting a shower two times a week is a miracle! And I feel I must hoard what little energy I have to be able to care for my son, let alone make my doctors appointments.

Most Officer’s wives I’ve met are kind, but I have yet to meet one who struggles with daily, chronic illnesses and caring for young children– that would really be a blessing all around

Regardless of who I meet, opening up to new people who don’t know anything about me and my past has been difficult. I have been judged and rejected more often than accepted. With each move, I have joined or started chronic illness support groups, sought out professional counselors, joined women’s Bible studies and couples bible studies, joined a Japanese play-group or two (I speak Japanese and had been a missionary to Japan).

The only success I felt I really had was the emotional support of the chronic pain groups, whether Christian or not. I have a personality that is intensely open and honest about my reality, including that I am a childhood abuse survivor, and I guess I have learned that these moves and building deep-but-brief relationships with “healthy” women is just not what is going to happen for me. But God may surprise yet!

Really, my best support team member is my God! Early in my diagnosis, I really struggled to even go to church or read my Bible for the first time in nearly thirty years of being a Christian. Praying was really just me crying–mad at God! I had been married just two years to my husband– two years to the Navy Life.

I had a six-month-old colicky baby (diagnosed later with Sensory Processing Disorder/ SPD), and had just gone through an international move, among other things! Where was God? It really has taken time to re-build what my relationship with God is. And I am still trying to figure that out. But I know He is faithful. I know God is love.

What are some of the challenges you face as a chronically ill spouse living in military life?

Changing doctors so frequently has been hard as well, as there is no history or continuity of treatment. I have really been learning to be my own advocate and to know my illnesses and medications.

And there is the added benefit of getting loads of “second opinions”! It was my fourth Neurologist on my fourth move that diagnosed me with Essential Tremor (that others had discounted) and persevered to find a medication that helped my migraines for the first time in twenty years of having them. Praise the Lord!!

When you have to move, how do you do this without overdoing physically? Do you have a system you’d like to share?

People joke that I must be an expert mover! That really is not the case– and there are career military spouses out there that have moved many, many more times than me. Every move has been so different for us– by car, by plane, by rental RV. Twice we’ve been given a last-minute change of orders to a completely different country let alone state! And a year in our child’s life brings great changes to how that move will effect him.

Moving is just simply: hard. And in reality, my way of dealing with illnesses and moving has been to trust God with the finances of not moving the “cheap” way. We often chose to do extra things to care for my body like paying for someone to professionally clean our rental before we check out, or like staying in hotels when the movers are packing up or before our household goods arrive to the new place.

We always have the movers unpack as much as possible and open every box in the new house, even if they put things in the wrong places, because then I won’t have to bend and reach and use my painful hands quite as much.

My body will inevitably give out anyway– adrenaline can only go so far so long during a move! But little steps can help, and I always try to find those things that I can do to care for myself.

What advice would you give someone who ill and who has a spouse in the military?

I really don’t know that I would have any advice for other chronically ill military spouses than just to cling to God–even when you’re “mad” at Him for all that is going on in your life and body. He will show you the way to go– what church to go to or not, what new friend to pursue or not.

He will love you with an everlasting love. “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8 (NKJV)

Thank you so much, for sharing, Erin. I have a lot of admiration how you seem to handle it all with grace. Thank you for serving our country through supporting your husband and traveling all over where he is sent.

Even though I’ve known Angela Dugi for only a short while, I have come to think of Angie as a dear friend and soul mate as we both travel on the road of chronic illness. I watched her struggle just to have the energy and focus to answer my questions. Every second is precious to her because she doesn’t know how long that second will last before she needs to rest. Her book, What I Learned Lying Down: Hope for the Chronically Ill gives an intimate look into her private journal as she shares how God used her illnesses for good during this fourteen-year pilgrimage.

Living with chronic fatigue, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and asthma–all while being a wife and mom to three children–is life-challenging to say the least! But, as Angie says, “To be fixated on the pain that accompanies a chronic illness is effortless–the challenge lies in looking for the treasures that are hidden in the midst of the pain.”

That right there pretty much sums up why Angie wanted to write this book. She wanted to share what God has shown her as she lay at His feet during those frustrating and hard times.

According to Angie, this book was never her idea. She had never written anything substantial up until this point. But she clearly felt God’s prompting as He woke her up at 2AM one morning. She strongly felt these words in her spirit, “I want you to start writing, and I want you to write the end of the story first, of how I healed you [spiritually].” She started journaling the very next day.

She kept a journal for three years before she sensed God telling her to start organizing her thoughts into a book format.

It was such a privilege to interview Angie (as she told me to call her right away). We connected on such a deep level, as all fellow sufferers seem to do. She is one of the most encouraging people I’ve ever met. She’s been through so much and continues to go through so much, and yet she is willing to help encourage others who may need it. Angie hopes this book will encourage and comfort the sick and give them hope that is only found in Christ!

If you are in a dark valley right now and need some encouragement to help you travel on your own road of illness (or maybe you are watching loved ones go through this migration), this is one book you have to read. As I turned each page, I became more and more engrossed in her life. I cried and laughed right along with her. God did touch me through her words. May He do the same for you!

You can find her book, What I Learned Lying Down: Hope for the Chronically Ill by Angela Dugi at Amazon.com (and other major internet booksellers). The Amazon Kindle version is also now available as well.

Bridget Gazlay is a freelance writer and artist (and is also chronically ill). She resides in West Michigan. www.pfccreations.com . ** Watch for more articles in coming weeks from Bridget as she shares the highlights of what she has learned through her conversations with Angela!

We shared the story of Matt Krueger previously on our web site in April 2011. His story was recently on Christian Broadcasting Network.

Matt says, “They did a great job on the piece! We are blessed to share God’s story with the World and are interested in sharing the music and message with more. . . I never thought I would be on the same program as John Tesh or Pat Robertson… LOL. God works in wonderful ways.”

At the age of 22, when Matt had a heart scan, he was told by his doctors he needed immediate surgery or he could have a heart attack. He married his girlfriend, and at the age of 27 had 6 stents inserted into his heart to open up the blocked arteries.

This is a beautiful 5-minute video I encourage you to watch. You will be encouraged, maybe shed a few tears with Matt’s wife, and see what god has done in his life.

Matt shares in the broadcast, “Life is shorter than we think and none of us want to think about death, but it will come to all of us… He just wants us, going forward, to continue to love Him and to grow in Him, so that when we get to that judgement day we’ve done what we can on this earth for Him and we can spend the rest of eternity with Him.”

Listen to some of >Matt Krueger’s music here.

Lisa

The Story Behind The Prayer Dove

When I found out that I had MS I felt that part of me was gone for ever! Being a person who always did for myself, never asking for help of any kind, feeling that even God had forgotten me. . . Well, I had a pity party for myself. Through kind words of others, cards, encouraging letters, and much prayer from those who cared about me and my family, I found my hope renewed.

With some changes in my life style I realized that God had not forgotten me that He indeed was going to help me use what I was going through to help others.

One morning, during my quiet time, I came across a passage in Romans. I had read these verses many times, but this time these words made my heart jump for joy. Romans 8:26-27 says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”

It was on my heart at that instant that I needed to carve a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, that would fit in the palm of ones hand and Romans 8:26-27 needed to be inscribed on the dove.

This could be used by those going through trials of this world and give them the encouragement they needed to live on for Christ and the journey that is planned for each of our lives. I want to bring others to Christ and finish this race that is set before me. My hope is that the dove can touch others who need the encouragement and also those who have never heard of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Prayer Dove might be the perfect gift for a friend who needs comfort or for yourself, when facing a trial on your journey!
God Bless,
Going the Distance,
Kathy Myers Nave

Related articles

• Having a Long Lonely Night? Jesus Is Up And Knows Exactly What Pains You (chronicillnesspaindevotionals.wordpress.com)

I recently had the blessed experience of chatting briefly with book author Cindy Tuttle, who has written “Joining in the Dance of Life” and recently released “Finding the Light of Jesus” both available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

I feel privileged to share this interview with you about her new book.

Cindy, please tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to write “Finding the Light of Jesus.”

Thank you, Debbi, for letting me share “The Light of Jesus” with you. I have been honored to have worked with people with severe mental illness for over twenty-five years. I’ve also worked with adults and children who were profoundly retarded and people who are elderly living in long term care hospitals. They taught me so much about how to live our faith.

As a child I was sexually abused and almost killed by two teenagers. Because of that and other abuse I went through some very rough times. Getting counseling and my faith brought me through and I am SO grateful!!

I have been involved in many ministries in my church including lecturer, choir, home visits, prayer leader, religious education, Eucharistic minister, etc. I completed four years of lay ministry classes.

I have been fortunate to have been published in thirteen periodicals and have a book recently published called Finding the Light of Jesus by Crosslink Publishing.

As I mentioned I am so grateful for what Jesus has done for me.

I would be constantly yearning for love from others. That is why I wrote Finding the Light of Jesus. To share what I have been given with people who might be hurting and/or want to grow in Christian faith.

What is the key message in your book that you would like your readers to grasp?

The key message is – no matter how we feel or what situation we are in, Jesus calls us to be His beloved child. Once we experience this love we then have a strong desire to live the love we have been given.

Has your background in human services, as well as your lay-work in Spiritual retreats influenced your thoughts in your writing? If so can you share a little with us “How you feel this to be the case and why”?

They have had a strong influence in my writing. The spiritual wisdom I have learned from people with severe disabilities is incredible. They have taught me what is really important. What we need is not necessarily what we want. What culture says is important at times is not the truth. When people have severe pain as the people have in your ministry, they find the true gifts that give life and love.

In facilitating my spiritual retreats one person was at the beginning stages of dementia yet the care and respect given her by the other people at the retreat and the spiritual wisdom she shared I will never forget. She seemed so grateful that she was being heard and the love given her. Her smile during the retreat still warms my heart every time I think of it. She wasn’t seen as a patient but as our brother and sister in Christ. What a wonderful day that was! Experiences like this helps shape my writing.

What made you chose the title: “Finding the Light of Jesus”?

I chose the title because the light of Jesus is everywhere and sometimes we may forget how close His light is. To me His light is compassion, strength, faith, and the eternal light of our soul. Experiencing or finding that light is joy beyond words. I never tire of hearing people tell of these experiences. In fact that might be my next book.

Finally to round up, Can you let our readers know “why” you feel they should purchase your book and what they might expect to gain as a result?

We all feel lonely at times and have challenges in our faith and trying to live out our faith. Finding the Light of Jesus offers a variety of ways to help us in our faith. The prayers settle our hearts and souls so we are open to read the reflections in a prayerful mindset. I give suggestions on how we can live our faith and also provide pages for journalism. I have prayers towards the middle of the book for times when we are lonely.

I also have a part called “Conversations With Jesus.” I provide a dialog of some of the feelings we have and how Jesus might respond. If you want a book that includes spiritual reflections, prayers that touch the soul, clear suggestions for living our faith, and a book that is ideal for prayer groups, support groups, churches, religious education, and Christian social service programs, this is the book for you!You can find the link on www.cindytuttletheauthor.com. If you are a group leader this is a very helpful book for a lesson plan and reflection questions and prayers that will generate a prayerful environment and spiritual insight.

To discover more about this Cindy and her new book please visit her web-site and click here to view the promo from her book: “Joining in the Dance of Life”

Debbi Farmer is a retired homeschool teaching mom, who presently has opened her fun-dream “small business” even while facing many health challenges in her life. Debbi has worked many years with Rest Ministries in both the “Beyond Surviving Homeschool” forums as well as writing devotionals for the “Chronic Illness” forum. She has had many short stories, devotionals, as well as poems and gospel songs published over the years, and is now presently enjoying life with her husband of almost 30 years, walking where the Lord leads us.

I recently had the blessed experience of chatting briefly with Sherry Boettcher author of “Living a Meaningful Life” She has had such a good response from her readers, as well as many testimonials that inspire others to read and share her book.

Sherry, thank you for taking time to speak to me today, can you tell us a little about yourself and why you felt led to write the book “Living a Meaningful Life”?

Thank you, Debbi. Oh, how it breaks my heart that there are so many of us who hurt, but I’m so glad we can encourage one another and that God offers us all hope! I guess one of the most encouraging things for me has been the response from readers, giving me the affirmation that my book is touching hurting hearts and truly giving them hope and encouragement.

I’ll start by saying my name is Sherry Boettcher and I have had fibromyalgia from birth. I was diagnosed at the age of 18 and I nearly died from complications in 1998 which landed me in a wheelchair for several years. Though I’ve never felt well, and I face pain and many challenges each day, I feel that my life has been very blessed.

I love to do art work (when able), talk on the phone (with a head set), spend time with my husband and our two dogs, and spend time with God and in His word. God’s wonderful care, love, and provision through extreme difficulty is what inspired me to write “Living a Meaningful Life.”

The thought that there were others who were going through the same things, perhaps without the comfort of being understood, believed, and loved, helped me persevere. It took me four years from start to finish. I just kept thinking, “If I can reach one person with God’s comfort and love, if one life can be saved from the ruin, it will be worth it all!” The letters I have received have indeed made it worth while!

What is the key message you would like your readers to grasp?

The key message I want readers to grasp when reading my book is that they are priceless, that they have great value, and that their value is never affected by there limitations. They are not alone and that there are others who understand, believe, and care. And that most of all, God understands, cares, and experiences their suffering right along with them!

What inspired you to chose the title “Living a Meaningful Life”?

I chose the title “Living a Meaningful Life” because that is what I believe each one of us can have, no matter what our limitations! I may not be rich or have the perfect health I wish for, but my life if full of blessing and abiding comfort. God gives me comfort and joy even during the most trying times and that is what makes my life worth living. Sharing the secret to happiness and hope is what I want to share with my readers!

Can you tell us a bit more about your book and little about some of the reader’s responses to your book?

My goal in life is to give hope to others who are hurting, by offering understanding, encouragement, practical advice, and hope. I believe there is hope, because God is coming soon to take all who choose Him to a world where we will never ever be sick again and we will get to do so much more than we ever could have here! Praise God!

I want to offer hope to others, because I know what it is like to be sick, tired, and in pain, and I would want others to do the same for me. Please know that writing is hard for me, like emails etc., but I enjoy encouraging others on the phone when ever possible.

Just the other day I had the privilege to talk with a lady who had just read my book, she was so encouraged and said she felt like I was an old friend, that my book had given her such comfort, hope, and re-assurance that what she suffered was not imaginary and that someone understood.

Another lady contacted me whose friend had lent her a copy of my book. She is in her sixties and suffers immensely, but said my book had been such a comfort and inspiration to her that she had read it three times and now wanted her own copy!

It truly gives me great joy to know that my little book can make such a great difference in the lives of others who are hurting. God is so good and He cares for us all! My heart is filled with gratitude to Him, for allowing me the joy of encouraging others, even though it has meant I must walk the same painful path.

Thank you Sherry! I am sure there will be many who will be truly blessed by reading your book. God bless you.

Debbi Farmer is a retired homeschool teaching mom, who presently has opened her fun-dream “small business” even while facing many health challenges in her life. Debbi has worked many years with Rest Ministries in both the “Beyond Surviving Homeschool” forums as well as writing devotionals for the “Chronic Illness” forum. She has had many short stories, devotionals, as well as poems and gospel songs published over the years, and is now presently enjoying life with her husband of almost 30 years, walking where the Lord leads us.

You can find out more at Sherry’s web site, Hope4Hurting. Rest Ministries does not specifically endorse this book, as our founder has not yet read it personally.

I recently asked her to share a bit more about herself that I could share with the Rest Ministries family.

My ministry verse is 2 Corinthians 1:3,4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God (Who is the Source) of every comfort (consolation and encouragement) Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction) so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged by God.” (Amplified version)

I found Rest Ministries in 2004. I was trying to recover for months from a exploded ulcer that should have taken my life. I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that I would not be able do all the things in our church that I had been doing over the years. I felt like I had been put on the shelf by God, but He was preparing me for one of the most fruitful times and joyful in my life.

One day I was searching for encouragement on the internet. I felt lonely and isolated. Was there anyone who understood?

Up popped RestMinistries.com . I clicked on the link, learned about the Share and Prayer message board, and joined it. I started to receive the support and understanding that I needed from people who understood chronic pain and illness. I also learned about the yahoo email group, Splashes of Joy. [Editor note: These are now groups in the Sunroom.]

I joined and found wonderful, giving women, who loved me, prayed for me and counseled me. All these years later, I still treasure their friendships.

Now, I am able to use the love, encouragement that I received, to help others that feel lost and alone. I have found that ministering to others not only encourages them, in their faith, but also encourages me. God is using all the experiences I thought of with pain and regret, to minister to others, turning the bad to good as Romans 8:28 tell us.

It is so important to know that you do not have to suffer alone, that there are others, who truly understand. I feel more at home here then most any place else. I am “normal” here, not the one who is “different.”

Hugs,
Marney

Thank you, Marney, for making a daily difference in so many lives!

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My 8-year-old son said it was going to be a boring movie. Afterward, he said it was boring. But during the film he was on the edge of his seat. After we came home, he went outside with his skateboard, and when he came in he wanted to watch videos on Bethany Hamilton’s web site. The next morning, he took a break from video games to listen to every word Bethany said on the Today Show.

“Soul Surfer” is easy to label an inspiring movie. Who wouldn’t? A 13-year-old girl is out on her surfboard when a 14-foot tiger shark takes her arm and then leaves the scene. The rest of the movie we see how Bethany deals with the day-to-day challenges of living with one arm (who knew cutting a tomato could be so difficult?); learning to surf again with one arm; and trying to figure out what God’s plan is for her life.

When the movie “Joni” came out in 1980 I was 14 years old. My sister was 10. We both remember it. Now, all these years later, Rest Ministries is an affiliate of Joni and Friends, Joni’s ministry to those with disabilities. We never know how God works and I shared this with my son before the film.

If you’ve been waiting for an inspirational movie, you won’t be disappointed. There were a few times the tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. The innocence of a young girl who has the potential to be a world-class surfing champion suddenly has difficulty putting on a swim suit or putting her hair in a pony tail. Bethany Hamilton has courage and spunk, but the film also shows the emotional and spiritual struggles are underneath the smile. A trip to Thailand to help with missionary work after the tsnaumi is what gives her focus and thinking beyond her own limitations.

I highly encourage you to put this on your “must see” list of films. If you can make it to the theaters, do so, as films such as this, with a solid message of faith are rare and I alway love to see them do well at the theaters. If you cannot make it to the theaters, watch for it when it is out on DVD.

As one with a chronic illness, I can say that you will feel compassion for this young gal because you have personally experienced just how hard it is to get out of bed some days and face the world with a smile. When you witness Bethany do it in the film, or see the “real” Bethany interviewed on a television show, you know how VERY hard it is!

For parents who are worried about the dramatic shark scene, I can say that it was a splash with blood in the water, but the shark is not even seen during the attack. I put my hand on my son’s leg and he took it off and said, “I’m okay, mom.”

The acting is great. Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Carrie Underwood round out the cast. AnnaSophia Robb was suggested by Bethany to play her and the movie casting agreed. She does a fabulous job. Jack Nicholson’s daughter, Lorraine Nicholson, plays Bethany’s best friend and surfing champion, Alana Blanchard. And Craig T. Nelson rounds out the cast as the surgeon in this small Hawaiian hospital.

Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and has lived with very active rheumatoid arthritis since age 24 in 1993.

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By Matt Krueger

At the age of 27 doctors placed 6 metal stents into my heart to open up blocked arteries. The mental, emotional, and physical trauma from this event did not compare to the fear, anxiety, and stress in the following months and even years after the procedure. Anyone truly facing their mortality for the first time, believer or non-believer, will experience the feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and anger that can come from such a traumatic event.

However, it is during times like these when we are caused to make a choice and to turn from our fears and find faith in God. The battle is for your mind. We have to make the choice, with literally every thought, to filter out the negative thoughts such as worry, fear, and anxiety and replace them with the everlasting positive and powerful Word of God.

God was working on my Heart, Literally.
God was changing my heart, in more ways than one.

During this traumatic time in my life, my wife and I had recently purchased our first home, had started 2 businesses, and were also expecting our first child.

I put off the surgery in the event of something going wrong, I did not want to stress my wife and unborn child. Left alone to my thoughts of “what if” during my long daily commute I became consumed with thoughts of death and dying.

“Google-ing” the prognosis of my condition only made matters worse and it seemed that everyone I ran into seemed to have a story about someone who they new who died during or in the short time after the procedure in which I was to undergo. The timing and coincidence of bad news from friends and even family became comical looking back on the bombardment from the enemy.

In the months and years after the procedure the devil flooded my mind with thoughts that any pains that I was feeling were probably signs of impending heart attack. I took 2 ambulance rides after the procedure, thinking that I was having chest pain, only to be checked out and found that there was nothing wrong with me physically. My problem was mental and spiritual, God knew it and I was finally starting to understand it.

You Can’t Fight an Enemy, you don’t know exists.
You can’t fight a battle, that you don’t know you’re in.

Almost 2 years after the initial procedure and subsequent attacks from the enemy I finally drew the line. Through counseling, prayer, and christian radio (all of which I would have not chose to pursue without God allowing this trial to take place in my life) I finally became equipped with the knowledge to understanding to fend off the mental attacks of the enemy.

Coincidentally, on June 6, 2006 (6-6-06) I was being attacked again by the enemy. After the previous day of planting a tree, I “thought” I experienced pain in my left shoulder and arm. Again, fear, anxiety, and paralysis took hold of my mind that morning as I was walking on my sidewalk going out to my car on my way to work. I contemplated taking my 3rd trip via ambulance to the hospital as I thought this was “the big one”.

Standing up to the Enemy,
Standing for Christ

My crying, uncertainty, and embarrassment somehow turned to strength, determination, and resolve as prayed on the sidewalk that day and finally gave my life over to Jesus Christ. If this was really a heart attack, I asked Jesus to save me in the life to come, and if not I pledged my belief in him in this life as well.

At the same time, with almost an angered, fighting, determination I finally stood up to the bully. I remember in my prayer that day literally telling the enemy to go pick on someone else. I finally knew who he was and his intentions and I was finished with allowing him to torment me.

My life has been transformed by these events. I am now 33 years old, my wife and I have just had our 4th child and God has blessed us in our business and ministry. I love sharing my testimony and music (written during this challenging and changing time in my life) documenting my real life journey from fear to faith.

Matt Krueger would love the opportunity to share God’s message through his story and music with your church. For more information contact him directly at 773-425-2581 or at his web site www.mattkruegermusic.com Be sure to visit his web site to listen to his music. Matt and his family recently had the production crew from CBN 700 at their home. He will keep us posted on when the story will air.