Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Giving Thanks


When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done!




Today I am thanking God for:

- a warm and comfortable home.

- friends nearby and friends far away.

- family nearby and family far away.

- a husband who loves me unconditionally and faithfully cares for me each day.

- children who love me and enjoy being with me.

- good food and never going hungry.

- all of my immediate needs being met.

- modern medicine.

- modern conveniences like air conditioning, heating, indoor plumbing, toilet paper, electricity, and online shopping.

- the internet because it keeps me connected to the outside world even when I am home-bound.

- things that make my life easier such as a kindle, laptop, cell phone, and a wheelchair.

- things that make my life more comfortable such as a soft bed, pillow, heating pad, ice packs, a recliner, and a Roho cushion.

- a God who loves me and sent His Son to die in my place.

- God's Word, which is living and active and equips Christians for every good work.

- the ability to approach the throne of grace with confidence and find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

- mercies that are new every morning.

- grace that is greater than all my sin.

- the hope of resurrection.

- troubles that are insignificant in comparison to the joy that will come.

- blessings beyond what I deserve.

- a home in Heaven!


What are you thanking God for today?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May your holiday be filled with fun, family, thanks, and giving!

Photo: "Grace" by Enstrom

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Raise Your Broken Praise

Life with a chronic illness is hard. Life with a disability is hard. Life is just hard! We all suffer to some extent. That is the reality of life in a fallen world, a world affected by sin. But in the midst of the brokenness, we can still praise the Lord. He is sovereign over hardship and suffering, and He is worthy of our praise!

Last week my friend, Melanie, shared the song Broken Praise on her blog. This song is based on the story of Job in the Bible. Like Melanie, I can identify with the words of this song. I think that many of my chronic illness friends will also identify with this song on a very personal level.

In the midst of whatever you are facing today, will you join me in giving God praise? Let us say with Job, "'The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'" Job 1:21, ESV




(If you are reading this in an email, please click over to the blog to view the video.)

Broken Praise

If one more person takes my hand and tries to say they understand
Tells me there's a bigger plan that I'm not meant to see
If one more person dares suggest that I held something unconfessed
Tries to make the dots connect from righteousness to easy street
Well I, I won't deny I've relied on some assumptions
A man's honest life entitles him to something

But who am I to make demands of the God of Abraham?
And who are You that You would choose to answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past to find me here among the ashes
Will You hold me? Will You stay?
So I can raise this broken praise to You

Who else will see my suffering as one more opportunity
To educate; to help me see all my flawed theology
If one more well intentioned friend tries to tie up my loose ends
Hoping to, with rug and broom, sweep awkward moments from the room
But I, I can't forget, I have begged just like a madman
For my chance to die and never have to face the morning

But who am I to make demands of the God of Abraham?
And who are You that You would choose to answer me with mercy new
How many more will wander past to find me sitting in this ash
Will You hold me? Will You stay?
So I can raise this broken praise to You

But You were the One who filled my cup
And You were the One who let it spill
So blessed be Your Holy Name if you never fill it up again
If this is where my story ends, just give me one more breathe to say
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Written by Nichole Nordeman
Sung by Todd Smith

Friday, November 8, 2013

Busy Hands: Baby Hats


This summer my hands were busy making newsgirl and newsboy hats to use for baby gifts. It is a fun and relatively quick project. My arms need to rest a lot, so I like small projects that I can complete in just a couple of weeks.



All of these hats have been given away now, so I'm working on building up my stash of baby hats again!


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Hello Mornings!

I'm maximizing my mornings with HelloMornings.
 
In January 2013 I joined a HelloMornings group. HelloMornings is an online community that provides free Bible studies and accountability groups for women. I learned about HelloMornings while reading on the Flourish.me blog. They were going to have their very own HelloMornings group for ministry wives. Having a small online community of pastor's wives seemed like such a refreshing and encouraging thing to me. Because I am mostly homebound, the internet is often my connection to the outside world. I keep in touch with friends through facebook, blogging, and email. Going to a conference for ministry wives would be difficult to impossible, but joining a community of pastor's wives online? Now that was a possibility!
 
At first I wasn't sure how well I would fit in being disabled and having a much different schedule than everyone else. I don't exactly fit the typical HelloMornings mold! The goal with HelloMornings is to get up early (often before the children awake) and spend time in God's Word before starting the day. Getting up early isn't something I can do well, nor is it something I should attempt to do on a regular basis. I emailed Katie and told her that I really wanted to be a part of the Flourish HelloMorings group, but that I couldn't get up early. I could commit to reading God's Word every day, but that "early" for me was actually late morning. I would have to check in with my group several hours later than everyone else. Katie assured me that was just fine; HelloMornings works differently for everyone, and I could tailor the challenge to fit my needs.
 
Some women in HelloMornings want accountability for getting up early, having daily Bible study, and getting daily exercise. My goal is just for daily Bible study before I start my day. It takes me a while to wake up, so my morning Bible study is usually around 11:00am or a little later. I check in with my group each day Monday-Friday. I have appreciated the friendship and encouragement of other pastor's wives in my group. HelloMornings has been a blessing to me this year.
 
Today I am being interviewed on the HelloMornings blog. You are invited to come on over for a visit! I will be in the comment section today answering any questions that you have. Join me there?
 
 

 
Would you like to learn more about Hello Mornings and how it all began?  Watch this video!
(Email subscribers, you will need to click over to my blog to view the video.)

Monday, November 4, 2013

An Extra Spoon


A dysautonomia friend recently gave me this spoon necklace so that I would always have an extra spoon on hand!

Have you ever read The Spoon Theory? The Spoon Theory was written by Christine Miserandino from ButYouDontLookSick.com. Christine has Lupus, and a friend asked her what it was like to be sick all the time. Christine came up with a story using spoons to explain what it is like to have very limited energy ("spoons") each day. When you are sick you have to think carefully about everything you do and how many "spoons" it is going to cost you.

If you have never read The Spoon Theory, it is worth reading. It will help you to better understand what life is like for someone who has a chronic illness.



I love wearing my new necklace! My extra spoon reminds me of my many friends who live with dysautonomia and other chronic illnesses. I am blessed to have such a good support network of chronic illness friends.
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