Happy New Year? “I look at 2022 and I see a black hole.” “There’s not much else that I want right now, and I hesitate to make plans or even to have big desires because 1) it takes energy to have and maintain big desires and 2) it’s really hard when they aren’t met, and […]
Thank you, Ashley, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! Hi, I’m Ashley! I am married to my high school sweetheart, John, and we currently live in South Carolina. John and I have been together for 6 years and married for 2. We both have chronic illnesses, and we are both undergrads. […]
It was a dark and stormy night. In my soul. It had been another day of relentless fatigue, weakness, headache, and other symptoms. I spent the morning in bed, didn’t go to work in the afternoon, and stayed home from the evening Bible study. I finally broke under the attacks both physical and spiritual I […]
by Jasmine Originally published on the author’s blog “If you take this away, God, imagine how much more I could do for you this week.” I catch myself praying this prayer at least every second day. Oh, sometimes it’s not in so many words. It could be as simple as: “God, if you give me […]
A few weekends ago, my parents and I watched the NCAA women’s basketball national championship: the Connecticut Huskies vs the South Carolina Gamecocks. The power, speed, and agility on the court showed a stark contrast to me sitting on the couch with my blanket and cup of tea, my head aching and my stomach trying […]
By Jasmine Originally published on The Gospel Coalition Australia Author’s Note: I wrote this article just over a year after having to leave my job overnight due to the onset of serious chronic illness. As I write this note in April 2022, I’m blessed to have finally received a diagnosis (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), which […]
This week is our last week in this series on D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s book Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. I hope these chapters have been a blessing to you as much as they’ve been a blessing to me! Today we’re going to look at two of the book’s last chapters, Chapter 19: The Peace […]
I hope you’ve been as blessed as I have looking at these chapters from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s book Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. After reviewing general considerations, fear and faith, feelings, and trials, this week we’re going to look at Chapters 17 and 18, God’s Chastening and In God’s Gymnasium. God’s Chastening The key […]
While every chapter in Lloyd-Jones’s book Spiritual Depression is good–so far we’ve looked at the introduction, fear and faith, and feelings–this chapter on trials was one that struck me as immensely applicable to us in our valley of chronic illness. The key verse for his Chapter 16 is I Peter 1:6-7: In this you greatly […]
After looking at fear and faith from Lloyd-Jones’ book Spiritual Depression, this week we’re going to look at Chapter 8: Feelings. The key verse for this chapter is II Timothy 1:6–“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands”–which Lloyd-Jones ties into […]
The Valley