Religion and Spirituality Archives - Rest Ministries - Chronic Illness and Pain Support

When I In Awesome Wonder Consider All – Video

July 29, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Happy Sunday! Years ago before our son was born my husband and I had the chance to take an Alaskan cruise. It was an amazing time with my family and I felt like I truly saw God's hand on our earth. As we went through the glaciers and heard the cracking of the ice, I remember they played, "How Great Thou Art" over the loudspeakers on the ship. I will always recall the awe of seeing what God created and truly how great He was. Seeing chunks of icebergs fall into the water in Glacier Bay was an extraordinary experience that made me feel very small, yet also cared for. The lyrics, "when I in awesome wonder. . . " took on new meaning. "Oh, God," I prayed, "You are an awesome wonder. Never let me forget to see that in ways each … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reflection, Spiritually Struggling, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Alaska, Carrie Underwood, Glacier, God, Great Comet, How Great Thou Art, Religion and Spirituality, Thy

Just As Long as You Stand By Me – Video

July 15, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Happy Sunday! It is so easy to get caught up in our own little world, even the news about the city we live in or our country, and forget that we are all God's children, scattered all over the world. We all hurt, we all need the Lord, and. . . we need each other too. This is a beautiful video that will remind you that there are people world-wide that are saying, "Just as long as you stand by me than I can _____." (Imagine, what could you do if someone promised to stand by you?) Be sure to listen past the 1-minute mark for more surprises. If you are receiving this in your email, you likely cannot see the video within the email. Click the title above to go to our website to watch it. Stand By Me - People of the World Playing for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Friendships, Hurt Feelings, Love, Reflection, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Christianity, God, GodTube, Happy Sunday, Jesus, Lord, Religion and Spirituality, Video

Devotion: Relying on God One Day at a Time

May 27, 2012 By admin 4 Comments

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34 The Message) Following on from what I wrote about this verse before, I was also struck by the end part of the verse. In the NIV it reads: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Or as in The Message: “when the time comes." I’ve always been quick to let my mind wander far ahead of the “now” and to worry about all the things that could, or might happen. It’s a hard habit to stop! In my current situation, I don’t know how things will turn out and I’m probably going to have to take some risks as I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Amen., Epistle to the Ephesians, God, Kindle, Lord, Melbourne, Religion and Spirituality, Sunroom

People Need the Lord, Reminder By Chonda Pierce and Bonnie Keen

April 29, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Happy Sunday! His is Risen! Yes, I know that is what people say on Easter, but just because the holiday of Easter has passed does not mean we still can't shout from the mountain tops, "He is Risen Indeed." As the relationships and the world around us spins and tumbles, and as the earth rumbles (lots of earthquakes lately!), I am reminded once again that Jesus' return continues to grow closer every day. This is a beautiful video of Chonda Pierce and Bonnie Keen, two amazing women I have been blessed to meet. As they sing People Need the Lord, lift them both up to the Lord as well. Both of these women have gone through extreme moments of deep depression and; have shared their struggles publicly in order to encourage others. (See Chonda … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Depression, Loneliness, Music, Video Articles, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Calendar, Chonda Pierce, Christianity, Easter, God, Jesus, Lord, Religion and Spirituality

New Book In Store: Stronger Still: A Woman’s Guide to Turning Your Hurt into Healing for Others

April 18, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

This book, Stronger Still: A Woman's Guide to Turning Your Hurt into Healing for Others (Deeper Still), by Edna Ellison is an amazing workbook to hold in your hand and work your way through if you are trying to figure out how to use the pain in your life to encourage other people. We have it available now at the Rest Ministries shop. I am happy to be able to call Edna a friend through a Christian women writers organization, but even I didn't know all that she had experienced in her life until I read this book. This woman has every right to write about her journey with suffering and how to use it for God's plans. This is an interactive 6-week Bible study that helps guide the reader through her pain and to a point where she can see how … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Books, Caregiver, Church Leader, Coping Skills, HopeKeepers Resources, Links, Ministry - Personal, Need to Know, Person w/ Illness, Reflection, RM Volunteer, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: bible study, book, Christian, Chronic, chronic pain support group, God, Healing, Health, illness support group, lead a group, Leadership, Ministry, Pain, personal, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, small group leader, start a small group, support group resources, women's ministry, women's ministry resources, workbook

Devotion: Remaining Hopeful When Illness Allows My Mind to Wander to Worries

April 16, 2012 By admin 11 Comments

"Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." (Psalm 25:4-5) Hope is a key to my staying focused on the Lord. It is one of God’s gifts that I can lose sight of quickly. It happens in the blink of a thought! I stray away for a time. You all know those thoughts: fear that I have failed God or others, fear that I will not get through a time of grief to feel whole again, fear of what a medical test will show or has shown, fear of the future and what it holds. I rob the present of God’s peace when I worry. Oh how I hate catching myself doing this. Yet, if these kinds of thoughts go undetected they escalate and the feelings that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Christianity, fear, God, Lord, Lynnwood Washington, Medical test, Psalm, Religion and Spirituality

What I’d Like to Tell The Pastor About Living with Illness

April 13, 2012 By admin 14 Comments

If you had the opportunity to sit down and really share about your pain, what would you tell the pastor of your church about your chronic illness and daily pain? Lisa Copen Living with chronic illness is lonely. Everyone around us seems to be enjoying health, happiness, and the ability to at least pursue their dreams. But many of us feel lonely, scared, and disappointed. We are faced with so many insecurities and we are living with an illness that we have not been able to pray away, cry away, or confess away. So we turn to our church for guidance, for acceptance, for unconditional support during the most difficult time in our life. But churches are made up of people—all of us imperfect. And our church does not always give us … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Caregiver, Church Leader, Depression, Explaining Illness, Friend Has Illness, HopeKeepers Resources, Hurt Feelings, Loneliness, Medical Professional, Need to Know, Parent of Ill or Disabled Child, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Share Your Story, Spiritually Struggling, Support Group Leader, Teen w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: care pastor, Christianity, Chronic, Chronic pain, Church, church disabilities ministry, Conditions and Diseases, Congregational, congregational care, Denominations, disability ministry, Disabled, disabled ministry, disablity, God, Health, Illness, Jesus, Joni Eareckson Tada, joni erickson tada, joni tada, Lord, Online Communities, parish, parish nurse, pastor, pastoral care, pastors, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, small groups, Stephen Ministries, stephen ministry

Easter Services Via WebCam

April 7, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Happy Easter! He has risen! He has risen indeed! If you are unable to get to church this morning we invite you to come to Lisa's church via webcam. Go to Maranatha Chapel. It is a Calvary Chapel church with Pastor Ray Bentley, in Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), CA. Services will be broadcast at 8:30 and 10:30 AM Pacific time and if you miss it, it will be archived on the website later in the day. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Calvary, Calvary Chapel, Christianity, Denominations, Easter, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, San Diego

When We Suffer: A Biblical Perspective on Chronic Pain and Illness

March 20, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

by Mary J. Yerkes Why we suffer may always remain a mystery on this side of eternity. We can, however, glean certain truths from God's Word. If God loves us, why do we suffer? Christian or not, it's a question that comes up repeatedly during times of grief and tragedy. In times of distress, we want to know that our suffering matters to God and that He cares about our pain. "Sometimes a fresh word may, in fact, be a very old one," write Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes in When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty1 "Truths that are timeless often need only the 'time' brushed away in order to reveal the polished patina that has gleamed all along." Pastor Tim Hager, an associate minister in the Washington D.C. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Overwhelmed, Spiritually Struggling, What's New? Tagged With: Biblical Studies, Christ, Christianity, Essential Tremor, Evangelism, God, Isaiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Joni Eareckson Tada, military chaplain, Religion and Spirituality, Second Epistle to the Corinthians, suffering

Devotion: Do You Weigh the Cost When You Give to Others Since Illness Zaps Your Strength?

February 24, 2012 By admin 4 Comments

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) "Mom, what a rip off," my son said as he opened the pag of potato ships and saw the bag was barely half full. "I know," I explained. "That is how they deceive you into thinking you are getting more, with the big bag. But see, you have to look at the weight on the bag to really know how much you are getting." How many times we have gone after something, a dream, a material item, even a friendship, and then we discover our "bag" is only half full. The inside is not nearly as promising as the outside tries to convince us. Thankfully it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Christianity, Chronic, God, lisa copen, Luke, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, San Diego

Devotion: Leftovers

February 12, 2012 By admin 4 Comments

". . . Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted. (John 6:12b) What a title! Perhaps it leads you to think of food that has been set aside when enough has been consumed to satisfy one’s hunger. You might think of those who work with fabric and have cut out what they need but remnant pieces remain. With some resourcefulness leftover food can be used for a new meal. Extra fabric can be stitched into a different creation. I have known times when I have felt like a leftover and wondered where I belonged. When the challenges in my body became too intense for me to continue my teaching career, an early retirement was necessary. I hoped to volunteer occasionally at my former work site. That planned involvement failed. My … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: Christianity, God, Jesus, John, leftovers, Lord, Lynnwood Washington, Religion and Spirituality

Devotion: Remaining Hopeful When Worries of Illness Threaten To Consume Us

February 10, 2012 By admin 6 Comments

"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." (Psalm 25:4-5) Hope is a key to my staying focused on the Lord. It is one of God's gifts that I can lose sight of quickly. It happens in the blink of a thought! I stray away for a time. You all know those thoughts: fear that I have failed God or others, fear that I will not get through a time of grief to feel whole again, fear of what a medical test will show or has shown, fear of the future and what it holds. I rob the present of God's peace when I worry. Oh, how I hate catching myself doing this. Yet, if these kinds of thoughts go undetected they escalate and the feelings that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Devotionals, What's New? Tagged With: fear, God, Kindle, Lord, Lynnwood Washington, Psalm, Religion and Spirituality, Washington