How to Save Money – My Quick Tips

HOW TO SAVE MONEY: These are a few ideas that are easy and helpful for both online shopping or even small businesses. (Personally, I have gotten backk hundreds of dollars from Ebates over the years!)

Wondering how to save money but without getting so overwhelmed by coupons and codes you are losing your mind? Here are a few ideas (ebates is especially easy) By Lisa Copen Illness is expensive! Have you noticed? Those doctor bills, medications, rehabs, equipment. . . even when you have insurance it can quickly add up to the thousands of dollars. There are a variety of steps you can put into practice when shopping on the Internet and locally. Oftentimes we get so busy buying the item we need we simply forget one of the steps and we miss out on additional savings. Here are some of the ways I have been saving extra money recently. Feel free to print this out and sit it beside your desktop to refer to before type in that credit card … [Read more...]

Devotion: How Painful Are Honest Words?

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"How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove?" (Job 6:25) Why is it so painful to be honest? Why is it I'd rather make up just about any excuse for not doing something than admit my health isn't up to some event or activity? Even after all these years of affliction, I still don't like to admit that my health is the reason I can't do something. I guess none of us like to admit to weakness of any sort. We would rather excuse our health situation and blame anything other than admit to weakness. Somehow, admitting to a physical disability seems like a defeat. We cheer on those who do not let handicaps get in their way, and rightly so, but even in a culture that ought to be a bit smarter by now, we still steer away … [Read more...]

Hurting People Need God’s Love

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"The Lord said, 'I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.'" (Exodus 3:7) I recently visited a message board. It was a group of people suffering from the same affliction, and it was not a Christian message board. These people shared how they had endured rejection, suffered from self-consciousness because of their disability, and spoke of how they simply wanted to be seen as a person, rather than someone with "fill in the blank." Disabilities and afflictions can rob us of much that well people take for granted. We can feel that our dignity and self-worth has been stolen and that we are set apart from the rest of the … [Read more...]

The Museum Of disABILITY Is An Interesting Place to Visit

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Daniel J. Vance I recently happened upon a delightful surprise. While planning for a family vacation, I learned of an interesting tourist attraction: The Museum of disABILITY History in Buffalo, New York. "The museum is the result of the desire of Dr. James M. Boles," said 51-year-old Doug Platt, museum curator, in a telephone interview. "Boles was teaching an introduction to developmental disabilities course at University of Buffalo and wanted to direct his students to a website for a comprehensive look at how people with disabilities have been treated throughout the ages. There wasn't one. That's how the museum was born, in 1998." Boles also was president/CEO of People Inc., a New York nonprofit providing employment, residential, … [Read more...]

Devotion: Daily Re-Learning The Surrender of Our Illness to God, Wheelchairs Included

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"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14) When I was young I thought when I became an adult I would be "grown up." I would have myself "together," and know everything I would need to know. My emotions would be stable and so would my income. I am now a little bit past middle age, and have found out that it doesn't work that way. I am still changing and hopefully, still growing. It seems to be a two-steps-up, and one-step-down type of situation, and I guess that is okay, for it means that I am still growing. Last fail I wrote some devotionals sharing, (and complaining) about … [Read more...]

Amazing Mother Who Lives without Arms

If you live with chronic pain & limitations, chances are you have those days where you have felt like your lack of abilities were impairing the kind of parenting that you always imagined you would do. Living with rheumatoid arthritis, I have dealt with not being able to lift my son some days when he was a toddler, not being able to go down the slides or climb many steps, & being unable to open a bottle of milk while he was screaming for it. It can be disheartening & frustrating. But I've never once had to fold laundry with my toes. Let me introduce you to this amazing woman who actually lives with no arms at all. That's right she does not have arms, & yet she is an amazing mom (with a pretty fabulous husb& we think too!) We hope … [Read more...]

Can Your Or Your Kids Set a New Record? Fun Summer Project

Summer is coming soon & if you are a mom or dad with a chronic illness you may be wondering how you are going to fill in some of that spare time your children have. Here is one web site that get the kids, even if they are only 6 or 7 years old, to start thinking about what they could do to set a record. The Universal Record Database is touted as "the definitive site for human achievement." While I don't think seeing how many spoons you can knock off the counter with your nose in 20 seconds can be defined as a human achievement. . . who am I to judge? The fun thing about this site is that you can do almost anything, video tape it, & stick it up as a new record. One gal decided to see how many plastic spoons she could hold in 1 h& (45). … [Read more...]

Postponed – Stay Tuned! Joni Eareckson Tada on Larry King Tonight

2:40 PM Update: There's been a change in plans, JAF friends! We just learned moments ago the interview on Larry King Live has been postponed -- it involved a scheduling problem with the appearance of Abbie’s parents.  But not to worry, when the interview is rescheduled, God will definitely use your prayers (He's wonderful that way).  More later… Joni We've just heard from Joni, of Joni & Friends International Disability Center, that she will be appearing on Larry King Live tonight (Monday, April 26, 2010) to comment on the case of Abbie Dorn, the disabled woman whose ex-husb& has denied her the right to see her 4-year-old triplets. Joni says, "Although significantly brain damaged as a result of post-delivery complications, … [Read more...]

Joni & Friends Hosts Annual Summit For Disabilities Ministries

This annual event is wonderful & I have been honored to be a speaker & exhibitor for past years. This year, with my health being a bit more unpredictable I decided to pass on being involved as a speaker, though, as they date gets closer I am hopeful I may be able to attend. ~Lisa The event is May 7 & 8th & is co-sponsored by: First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena & The Joy Center for the Disabled. The registration form tells a bit about this amazing conference. Learn how to start or exp& a disability ministry at your church. Choose to attend up to 3 workshops each day offered at the Summit sessions on Friday & Saturday. Attend one networking session by geographical area (see how the churches around you are starting or exp&ing … [Read more...]

Inspirational Thought from Joni Eareckson Tada

We love this encouraging quote from Disability Ministry Advocate, author, speaker & amazing woman, Joni Eareckson Tada. "The fact that disabled people hang in there does something for Christians. It's not about being an inspiration for others, it more than that. . . it's a mystery. God somehow strengthens others by their faithfulness. They may feel like a burden to others, but God thinks the opposite. He thinks its necessary for others to take care of the disabled. . . they do more for one's spiritual well being than can be imagined. What's more is that it's all being credited to the disabled person's account, per Phillipians 1:25-26. If the disabled person is alone & does not meet others, they must endure for the purpose of teaching … [Read more...]

On Being a Dad

People often ask me, "What would you do if you were not disabled?" When I was first asked, I said I'd probably play baseball or hockey. But when I thought about it some more, I realized that I'd tell my father to sit down in my wheelchair so I could push him. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be living in a home for people with disabilities. He is not just my arms & legs. He's my inspiration, the person who allows me to live my life to the fullest & inspire others to do the same. Raise Kids Like a Man Thanks to our Men's Coordinator here at Rest Ministries, Jeff, for sharing this article, Raise Kids Like a Man, from Men's Health. It is about Richard E. Hoyt Jr. who has Cerebral Palsy & is unable to walk or speak -- & yet still competed … [Read more...]

Paralympic Games Are Truly Inspirational

As I watched the 2010 Olympics I listened to the announcers always list the amount of surgeries the athlete had gone through. Some athletes had considerable surgeries & therapies to get back onto the ice or into their skis. Others had a very short time to recover & train following a recent surgery. The surgeon that did my h& joint replacement surgery works in an office as part of a team who treats a large amount of professional athletes. The waiting room has a TV turned to a channel covering Extreme Sports. All throughout the offices are large posters or photos of athletes who are everything from snow boarders to ballet dancers. And each is autographed by the "patient." Sometimes, thanks are h&-written on the poster by each body part to … [Read more...]