hopekeepers Archives - Rest Ministries - Chronic Illness and Pain Support

Parish Nurse Resources

February 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Many churches now have what they call a parish nurse. This page is to provide information on parish nursing and links to resources for them. The goal of the parish nurse: It is to minister holistically to individuals and families, in and through the faith community, using her health education and spiritual maturity to promote wellness of body, mind, and spirit. As health issues become a greater concern for most of our population, the idea of having a parish nurse in congregations has become more appealing. They help with health concerns, visit ill people (sometimes for the social support) and make sure no one falls through the cracks. Parish nursing is a care program of lay leaders from the nursing profession, who serve to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Caregiver, Church Leader, Medical Professional, What's New? Tagged With: Carter Center, christian nurse, christian nursing, chronic illness ministry, church disability coordinator, church health event, congregational care, disability ministry, Faith Community Nursing, Health, Health care, health ministry, hopekeepers, Marquette University College of Nursing, nursing, parish nurse certification, parish nurse newsletters, Registered nurse, Rest Ministries, Specialties, the number of parish nurses in united states, the parish nurse position description, the role of the parish nurse, United States

Welcome and Updates From Lisa For 2011

January 12, 2011 By admin 11 Comments

Hello, friends! I am excited to say that our web site is nearly back after 2 months of restructuring after a corruption in late 2010. The video below explains my heart, my thanks, and that devotionals will begin within the week! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Announcements, Devotionals, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Christian, christians and depression, Chronic, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, Depression, depression and illness, disabilities, diseases, Health, health conditions, hopekeepers, invisible illness, invisible illness news, invisible illness personal stories, Rest Ministries, Support group, symptoms, United State

Devotion – Remembering The Power of God We Have Available Despite Our Illness

July 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God & not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7) Awhile back I picked out a new toothbrush at the store. It was a bit pricey, but I liked the looks of it & thought it would do a good job. After using it a few weeks I was satisfied with it. Then one day my daughter saw it & said, "How do you like your electric toothbrush?" "What?" I said. She asked me, "Didn't you know it was electric?" I didn't. I discovered that my pricey toothbrush did an even better job with the power on. For many Christians their lives are like that, going through the motions depending upon their own strength & completely forgetting or losing sight of the fact we serve an all … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Amen., Blood sugar, Christian encouragement, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, Crohn's disease, daily devotionals, God, Health, Holy Spirit, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, meditation, Rest Ministries, Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – Remembering Those Forgotten

July 4, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

"So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword." (Exodus 17:13) Here in the United States of America, where Rest Ministries resides, we are celebrating Independence Day, the 4th of July. I realize that we have an audience that spans the globe, & so I thank you for indulging me for a moment as I honor the soldiers of our country, but also the soldiers of your country. Let us put our aches & pains aside today & pray for the many soldiers who come home with disabilities they never fathomed, emotional & mental turmoil that is an invisible illness their friends & loved ones cannot see. Many parents are grieving because their children will never come home from war. Many parents see their child sitting in front of them, but do not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, Videos Tagged With: Christian encouragement, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, Holidays, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, Joshua, meditation, Prayer, Rest Ministries, Shopping, Trust (social sciences), United States, West Michigan

Are You Part of Our Sunroom Family?

July 3, 2010 By admin 7 Comments

To connect the thousands of people here at Rest Ministries who have a chronic illness, are a caregiver, etc. we have our Sunroom social network. If you are not yet part of it, we invite you to join us. If you are. . . well, we are trying to catch up with you! Some people sign up but then don't come back, some are there 3 times a day, & some people may not use the Sunroom a lot, but they love being a part of it so they know they can go there when they are feeling blue & want someone who understands. Many people are searching for social support & medical illness is a big factor in the reason why. There are even some groups in the Sunroom that offer faith based support for mental illness. We are happy we can provide a place … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Announcements, Sunroom, What's New? Tagged With: Caregiver, Christ, Chronic (medicine), Chronic Illness, Conditions and Diseases, encouragement, Health, hopekeepers, Illness, Mental Health, Rest Ministries, Social network, social networking, Sunroom

Devotion – Speaking His Faithfulness

June 13, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

"I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness & salvation. I do not conceal your love & your truth from the great assembly." (Psalm 40:10) Anyone dealing with a chronic condition for years faces the inevitable question, "What good can come from this?" Scripture tells us that we will have trials. How they will come, or how long they will stay is an unknown. We can long to know the Lord’s reasons for permitting them. I may never know, for myself or for others. I believe that God desires I seek him rather than get any overt answers. It takes a lot of faith to persevere. We want to stay hopeful, but allow God his mysterious ways of working. Some questions received from others, though well intended, are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Amen., Christian encouragement, Christianity, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, Faith, God, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, Lord, lynn severance, meditation, Psalms, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, salvation, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – Look Up!

June 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all underst&ing, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) “Are you acting like a cow?” There was a hush over the audience as our guest speaker continued. As a self-conscious female, I immediately thought, “What?! I’m not a cow!” I kept listening to see what he was referring to. He talked about how sometimes we are so caught up in our struggles & pain that we aren’t focused on God at all. We try so hard to fix our own problems that we aren’t living by the priorities God gives us. And like the cow whose only focus is on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Bridget Gazlay, Christian encouragement, Christianity, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, Endometriosis, Fibromyalgia, God, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, Jesus, meditation, Moses, Pain, Prayer, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – Beyond Human Reasoning

June 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed & so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ (Romans 8:13) “Human reason for hope being gone” (Romans 8:13, Amplified Bible) . How I resonate with these words! If one were to look at my health situation through the eyes of the world, it would look pretty grim. Daily pain, loss of ability to care completely for myself, & being homebound for the most part paints a dark picture. Through the eyes of “human reason” I should have little hope for my life. Yet how untrue that is when one looks not with human eyes, but through the eyes of faith. The scripture says that “Without weakening in his faith, he (Abraham) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Atrial Fibrillation, Book of Lamentations, Celiac Sprue, Christian, Christian encouragement, Chronic, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, deni weber, God, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, meditation, Prayer, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

June 2, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

“A bruised reed He will not break a smoldering wick He will not put out.” Isaiah 42:3a There are times I have felt like I could take no more. Times I was so overwhelmed with illnesses & other life challenges, times that my belief in God was so very fragile. And during these times I felt like a bruised reed, so fragile I might break. Or a smoldering wick that has no flame, ready to completely blow out. When we are in a place like this I believe the Lord deals with us ever so tenderly & gently, as a mother would lovingly deal with her beloved child. At times like these we may not even be able to pray. That is when we need to enlist the prayers of our brothers & sisters in Christ to help us carry our burdens. And we can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Christian encouragement, Christianity, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, Clorox, daily devotionals, Facebook, God, Health, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, Jesus, meditation, Ohio, Prayer, Psalms, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan, what is the difference between joy and happiness

Devotion – Deliverance or Survival

June 1, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

“The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death & keep them alive in famine (Psalm 33:18, 19). This verse speaks to me of two possible scenarios - times when God totally delivers us from difficult situations & times when He brings us through them. I prefer deliverance, but that is not always best for my spiritual growth. I recently visited one of my daughters alone. The five & a half hour drive was challenging, but God enabled me to do it. Of course I was hoping to feel well during my visit since we had an agenda of activities. I developed a headache on my drive down. By the evening it was a severe migraine which stayed with me for my entire trip, despite … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Amen., Bronlynn Spindler, Christian encouragement, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, Divine grace, Fibromyalgia, God, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, meditation, Michael, motherhood, Prayer, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – Moving on From the Past

May 31, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13,14) Do you spend too much time thinking about how things used to be, what you could do before, or how you wish you were like you were before? I know I have been guilty of that on many occasions. There are things I miss about my life “before”, things I wish I could still do, people who moved on without me when I was sick, dreams I had for my life, that will never happen now. Later this year, I will have been living with the problems associated with chronic pain, for longer than I lived without it. More than half my life is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: australia, Christian encouragement, Chronic, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, daily devotionals, Fiona Burrows, God, Health, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, Jesus, meditation, Melbourne, Photography, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Devotion – Got Hope?

May 29, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

“Be strong & take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Psalm 31:24) Sometimes I like to look up specific words in the Bible on BibleGateWay.com. Today I was looking up the word “hope.” Other health issues have arisen for me & I need encouragement. I need hope. This verse caught my eye. "What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?” (Job 6:11). I thought to myself, “Exactly! That is exactly how I feel right now. My strength feels so low – my prospects so dim. How can I wait patiently & hope?” The truth is, on my own, I can’t. I’m sure you have probably heard the saying, “When you get to the end of you rope, tie a knot & hold on.” I have read that & … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Atrial Fibrillation, Bible, Christian encouragement, Chronic, Chronic Illness, Chronic pain, Conditions and Diseases, Contemporary worship, daily devotionals, deni weber, God, Health, hopekeepers, illness ministry, invisible illness, meditation, Rest Ministries, Trust (social sciences), West Michigan

Parish Nurse Resources

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