It’s been a decade, but the dreams still come. Each is a warped version of the same dilemma: I’m trying to find my way to my class, I have all the wrong books, I have no schedule, I’m too late to register, I can’t find my way to my dorm room, or some such problem. […]
About Diamonds 2021 What is Diamonds 2021? Diamonds is an annual online conference for chronically ill Christians. Millions of chronically ill people battle impossible trials every single day. But so many of them feel so alone. The speakers of Diamonds 2021 want them to know they aren’t — not by a long shot. The theme […]
The Strategy for God’s Peace Last week we looked at Romans 12 and ways to battle for our mind in the difficulties of chronic illness. Now let’s look at another equally important passage on thinking and anxiety.* “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made […]
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:35-36 I keenly remember the unusual, extreme anxiety that gripped my chest. The unexplained pain in my back would not ease. The desperately […]
“Hold unswervingly to the hope you profess, for I am faithful. Sometimes–especially when many things are going wrong–all you can do is hold on to Me. You would love to sort things out in your mind and find a way to go forward, but often this is impossible. The best thing to do at such […]
The New Year can be a time of thrill, excitement, anticipation, and hope as we plan events, set goals, make changes, and look ahead to fresh adventures. But what about those of us whose daily lives won’t change, whose diagnoses and conditions will stay the same, whose struggles will be just as difficult on January […]
“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices” John S. Dwight, “O Holy Night” When you’re weary, celebration feels overwhelming. Impossible, even. When you already feel poured out and drained dry, how can you muster up the energy to throw a party, much less decorate, dress up, find a gift, or even simply smile? And […]
Last week we talked about waiting for Christmas, waiting in chronic illness, and waiting in unanswered prayer. This week is about how to wait in a chronic illness. Waiting in Action We know God will answer our prayers eventually–if not here on Earth, at least in Heaven. So what do we do while we wait? […]
Waiting for Christmas “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 This passage appears in many Christmas sermons and Scripture readings as we […]
In Fiction: A Type of Christ’s Sufferings I recently read one of my favorite series, a YA fantasy series by Megan Whalen Turner. In the second book, one of the main characters suffers a severe injury that leaves him permanently handicapped. He spends the rest of the book struggling through the physical and emotional aftermath […]
The Valley