Thank you, Rachelle, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! Hey there! My name is Rachelle and I live in Idaho. If you’ve never been to Idaho, basically imagine a bunch of potato fields, some gorgeous mountain ranges, and the sweetest, most overpriced little capital city you’ve ever seen. I write young […]
Easter is one of my favorite times of year. While celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas brings excitement, awe, and wonder at God becoming man, commemorating the death and resurrection of this same Jesus at Easter brings a thrill, a joy, and a sense of life that no other day offers. Good Friday carries […]
I (Melissa) have referenced The Thinklings Podcast often on this blog, and the hosts have been gracious to let me share material from various podcast episodes with you. Last year, one of the hosts, Andy Stearns (a professor at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa), experienced the deep, hard valley of the loss of […]
Hey y’all! Today, Melissa and Janeen are letting the Diamonds Team take over the blog, with a super exciting announcement. The Diamonds 2024 Spring Conference is taking place March 15-17, and you can sign up today! What is Diamonds Spring Conference 2024? Diamonds is an online conference for Christians with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and health […]
Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! I’m Lauren Watt, and I’m 22 years old. I live in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with my parents, crestepoo, and three lovebirds. I have two older brothers and a sister-in-law. I love reading and listening to audiobooks, crocheting, walking, and spending […]
Chronic Illness vs. Will If you’re like me, you’ve had loving friends gently challenge you not to use your health as an excuse, a crutch, or a cop-out for not doing certain things. While you want to accept any truth from their words, you also know, deeply and painfully, that your chronic illness is a […]
Christmas: Our Celebration Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the new-born King;Peace on earth, and mercy mild;God and sinners reconciled.”Joyful, all ye nations, rise,Join the triumph of the skies;With angelic hosts proclaim,“Christ is born in Bethlehem.” So begins one of the most well-known Christmas carols, a song of jubilant praise for the miracle of the […]
I recently read through Isaiah, and this passage stuck out to me: Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. And […]
Every time I read the book of Job, I see something else and learn something new that relates to my situation of chronic illness. When I read Job this year, I was in a few weeks of level, (relatively) easy terrain in between valleys–an unusual experience that, if I’m honest, I didn’t know how to […]
Wildfires: A Force of Destruction A couple months ago, my friend and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, up to the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,796 feet, down to the Continental Divide at 10,759 feet, and on to the trails, landscapes, and vistas beyond. I’d never been on the western side of the park, […]
The Valley