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From Illness Comes Unique Card Ministry

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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By Debbi Farmer This was a rough week for me. One of my close friends lost her battle with cancer. Shortly after this, I lost my beloved family pet after having her in my life for fourteen years. My business has been almost non-existent the past few weeks because of the bad economy, and my health has taken a serious turn for the worse lately. I had so much I needed to say to the family of my friend. I had so much I needed to say to my family for losing their sweet pet. I needed to do more in my business, but my health would not allow it. I felt absolutely lost even knowing in my heart that the Lord was holding me and carrying me through. When you find yourself needing to convey a message to a friend or family, but you need help … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Caregiver, Links, Ministry - Personal, Person w/ Illness, Support Group Leader, What's New?, Working Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Devotion: Lessons From A Stray Kitten

September 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) Stray cats always appear on our doorstep. Most of the time, they are adult cats that disappear after we feed them. Recently, however, Norman discovered a tiny kitten at the edge of our driveway. He was utterly helpless. He limped and trembled as he followed Norman around the yard. My daughter and I watched while Norman and our son, Josh, fed the kitten and made a shelter. We cared for the kitten for three days. When no one came to claim him, we called the rescue shelter. During those three days, Josh became really attached to the little kitten and named him Knoxville. Because our daughter has … [Read more...]

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Devotion: Whee Does My Value Come From?

July 13, 2011 By 3 Comments
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"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession." (Deuteronomy 14:2) The world places so much value on how much we can get done in a day. It's more concerned with job titles, accomplishments, and rewards than the character and worth of a person. As a new mother and wife, nineteen years ago, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Suddenly I wasn't able to do all I once did. I couldn't help comparing myself to other mothers. I had a picture of what a good mother and wife should look like and it didn't leave room for inadequacies. All my priorities changed. I couldn't hold down a full time job or make plans in … [Read more...]

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Devotion: Send ‘Em Packing!

July 8, 2011 By 2 Comments
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"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22) I love to go on vacation, but I hate the packing that precedes it. It was the Thursday prior to our annual beach vacation. Scurrying from room to room, I realized so many items were only partially packed and there were so many items not packed at all! My son was arriving that night from graduate school in Tennessee (we live in Pennsylvania), my daughter and son-in-love were coming the next night from Virginia, and we were all attending our neighbor's son's wedding on Saturday, with plans to leave for the beach on Sunday morning. I had also shopped to have food and snacks in our house, got clean towels out for everyone, made sure bedrooms were ready, … [Read more...]

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Devotion: Take Every Thought and Emotion to Jesus

July 7, 2011 By 7 Comments
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"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. " (2 Corinthians 10:5) Lately I seem to be full of all kinds of emotions. When I'm in a flare I tend to feel helpless, lonely, and depressed. One would think that after spending seventeen years with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia I would not have these feelings anymore. But they are there. Thoughts creep in like: Who will take care of me if I can't even take care of myself? Who will help me with my children? Will my husband run out of patience or be cold and distant? I know I need to bring ever thought captive to Christ. How do you do that when you feel like your … [Read more...]

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Devotion: Phantom of The Illness

June 18, 2011 By 3 Comments
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"For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 116: 8-9). My husband calls them phantoms. No, not "Phantom of the Opera." The dictionary defines phantom as "a nonexistent person or thing, something elusive." Phantoms can also be called unfulfilled dreams or lost opportunities. For those of us who have or live with someone who has chronic illness, they are our "if only" moments which often cause us to live life with regrets. My husband was diagnosed 25 years ago with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). We had two young children, ages 4 and 1, and I really wanted to have a third child. Prior to his diagnosis, we … [Read more...]

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Does Grief Have a Timeline?

March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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By Georgia Shaffer "My friend is stuck in grief. . . what can I do to help?"  This is a question I often hear, and I've learned to ask, "What do you mean your friend is stuck in grief?"  Usually they will say something like, "Well, her husband died 14 months ago, and she's still very depressed.  Isn't it about time she moves forward with her life?"  Or, they may say, "His wife moved out a year ago, and he's in worse shape now than when she left him." Surprisingly, the problem isn't that these people are stuck in grief. The issue is that their friends don't realize how long it can take to heal and rebuild after a heart-wrenching loss.  As a psychologist and someone who has experienced deep sorrow, I've seen too many people hurt by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Church Leader, Coping Skills, Depression, Friend Has Illness, Overwhelmed, Person w/ Illness, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

You Can Learn to Use The Computer Better

March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A lot of you email us saying, "I haven't quite figured this out yet." Or "I don't know how to do this on your web site." While we are trying to keep it as simple as possible here at Rest Ministries with emailed subscriptions & search boxes, we know it can feel overwhelming sometimes--especially if your medications are making your brain feel like it's on a roller coaster ride. But don't sweat it! A quarter of Internet users said they wanted to search Google for something, but when placed in front of a computer, couldn't figure it out. Instead, they either completely failed to get to any search engine or ended up running their query on a different search engine -- usually whatever type-in field happened to be at h&. If you're looking … [Read more...]

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