Rhinestone Jesus Book, Author Q & A, and Giveaway!

For several years now I have been following the story of Mercy House, and I have been thrilled to partner with them in small ways by hosting a virtual party, a home party, and helping with the (in)mercy campaign. The work that Mercy House is doing in Kenya is amazing and unique. There was no other organization in Kenya to help pregnant teenage moms until God opened Kristen Welch’s eyes to this very big need, and she chose to say yes to God’s leading to start a maternity home there.

In her new book, Rhinestone Jesus, Kristen tells her story and shares about the journey God has brought her on. She shares about high school, the early years of marriage, and the challenging days of motherhood. She shares about the hard things God brought them through as a couple and as a family. She tells the story of travelling to Kenya with Compassion International and her heart being broken there. The time in Kenya shook her awake from her American dream, and soon a dream for a maternity home in Kenya began to grow.

I loved reading Kristen’s heart in these pages. She is real and honest in Rhinestone Jesus. She will be the first to admit that their family isn’t perfect, but they are striving to glorify the Lord in all they do. In the process of telling her story, Kristen shares practical tips and ideas for nurturing our own families, growing closer to one another, and keeping our family focused on glorifying God.

Throughout the book, Kristen encourages other Christians to follow the Lord and say yes to Him in whatever He calls them to do, no matter how “big” or “small” it is. She says, “Saying yes isn’t really about doing it all. It’s about saying yes right where you are. It may seem small or insignificant, but any time you love someone or care for another person’s needs, you’re changing their world, and yours, too. It’s about looking up from your everyday life and seeing opportunities around you to make a difference. It’s about loving others as we are loved.”

Here is Kristen Welch to tell us more about her book in her own words:

1. What is your hope for your book, Rhinestone Jesus? 
My hope is that every person who picks it up will be inspired to say yes to God right where they are.

2. That’s an interesting title. Can you provide for us some context and meaning?
Rhinestone Jesus is a very personal title. As a teenager, I wore a rhinestone pin on my clothes that spelled J-e-s-u-s. I was introverted, so this was a way for me to “wear” my faith without having to say much about it. I was involved in Theatre Arts and each year they gave up made-up awards. I won The Rhinestone Jesus award from my peers.

3. What message do you hope will resonate with your readers? 
That God can do anything through anyone. He asks us to do the impossible-not because we are capable, but because we need Him to accomplish it. Saying yes to God requires ultimate dependence in our inadequacy. And He does it so that He will be glorified.

4. What do you feel “just a mom” can do with bold faith and a God-inspired dream? 
I think the beauty of my yes to God to start a maternity home in Kenya is that I am just a mom. It’s obvious to everyone who has witnessed this story, that I’m not the real author—God is. It’s proof that He can use anyone to do anything. When I initially said yes in the small daily stuff, I didn’t know it would lead to Mercy House. But I was called to obedience and that’s really what Rhinestone Jesus is about: saying yes to God right where you are and not waiting to have all the answers or a perfect life before you obey.

5. How did you feel God’s leading to step out in faith? 
It was saying yes to a lot of small things that led my family to a greater yes. We were terrified and still are most days, but God is faithful and teaches us through the challenges and victories. Our yes to God isn’t really about success or failure. It’s about being obedient.

6. What prompted you to follow through with this particular dream or calling—founding Mercy House, the non-profit maternity home in Kenya, Africa to rescue young pregnant women from extreme poverty? 
Starting Mercy House was a response to what I saw in Kenya. I saw a need and couldn’t find anyone meeting it. I prayed that God would send someone. And He sent me (dangerous prayer, by the way!) I have always felt that God wanted me to encourage and connect mothers through writing. Mercy House in many ways has become an extension of that dream that started as seed many years ago.

7. How has this dream taken shape? Can you provide an update? 
Mercy House runs two residential homes with pregnant and teen moms in Kenya. We have babies of all ages. It’s a lot like a (loud) home, where the girls live and learn, heal and grow. They stay with us until they are able to return home or until they can live on their own. We also reach out to single mothers in the slums surrounding the homes, with plans to expand this outreach in years to come.

8. How did you lead and mobilize a community to care deeply, and help build this dream? 
When I returned from that first trip from Kenya, I was wrecked. I processed the emotions on my blog for months. Looking back, I can see that I was in labor, working hard to birth something. I believe other moms were too, and when I asked for help, they said yes with me.

9. Why is it important to you to affirm moms who wonder whether their work really matters? 
Because many wonder if it does. I think it’s part of our make-up--we long to make a difference and we wonder if what we do does, in fact, matter. I am compelled to tell mothers YES. It matters so much more than you think. It doesn’t matter how small or big, saying yes to marriage, motherhood, and ministry--you name it, it matters.

10. What have you learned about listening to, and obeying God’s call? 
Sometimes people call me brave. If they only knew… Not only am I not courageous, I live with the same fear and inadequacies as other God-sized dreamers. Without a doubt, I think the Church (with a capital C) lacks obedience. I did for so much of my Christian life. I think if we have faith to believe in Jesus, we also have to believe that when we do what He tells us, He won’t leave us alone. It’s been the hardest journey of my life, stretched me further than I thought possible, but I’ve never been alone, not for a second.

11. How have you, and those closest to you, been impacted by trusting God and saying yes to a deeper, richer, more authentic faith? 
Simply put, it has changed every area of my life, in so many ways. I can honestly say I’m not the same person. When we step out and obey, God changes the world—our world. He changes us. My family said yes with me and God has used that to alter the legacy we will leave in the future.

About the Author: 

Kristen Welch writes the parenting blog We are THAT Family (you know the
ones). She is an (in)courage writer, a Compassion International blogger, and a
regular featured contributor to LifeWay's HomeLife and ParentLife magazines. In
2010, Kristen founded Mercy House, a nonprofit maternity home in Kenya,
Africa, which rescues young pregnant girls from extreme poverty. Mercy
House is almost entirely funded by readers of her blog. Read Kristen’s blog at
www.wearethatfamily.com.

Thank you for sharing, Kristen! It is a blessing to see what the Lord is doing through you and your family.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of Rhinestone Jesus. They also sent me two copies to give away to my readers!

* Would you like to receive a free copy of Rhinestone Jesus? Simply leave a comment to enter the giveaway! Winners will be announced on Monday, May 5.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

Survey Results

Hi Friends,

Thank you so much for taking the time to fill out the community survey and follow up survey. I appreciate your answers, comments, and questions. You have given me good things to think about and blog about in the coming year. Thank you for your help and encouragement!

Much about Cranberry Tea Time will stay the same, and I will continue to write all of my usual types of posts. I was pleasantly surprised to see that each type of post is a favorite of someone! The thing I hope to do differently is to write more often than I typically have in the past. This will allow me to address many of the topics you have requested and to answer the questions you have asked. Of course, blogging frequency will vary based on my energy levels, muscle strength, and brain fog.  

Based on your requests, here are some of the specific topics I hope to write about in the coming year:

•           Motherhood and chronic illness
•           Marriage and chronic illness
•           Dealing with unexpected changes
•           Trusting God and accepting the life He gives us even when it is hard
•           How to combat loneliness and isolation when home-bound
•           How to reach out and encourage chronically ill friends in practical ways
•           How I handle discussions with my children about my health
•           Balancing family life and chronic illness
•           How I respond to those who say that I would be healed if I just had enough faith
•           Tips for living with chronic illness
•           More stories from my daily life
•           More stories about my family
•           Encouragement
•           Sharing verses from Scripture that have encouraged me
•           Biblical perspective on chronic illness
•           Health updates

If you ever have something else you would like me to address, you are welcome to leave it in the comment section or send me an email.

I found out that not everyone has been able to leave a comment on Cranberry Tea Time. I’m so sorry about that! If you don’t like to comment on blogs, that is totally fine. I don’t want you to ever feel pressured to comment here. But for those who want to comment, I want that to be an option for you. I figured out how to fix the issue with Internet Explorer and Disqus, so the comment system should be working properly again in the Internet Explorer web browser. Yay!

For those of you who want to leave a comment, but don’t know how to do so, here are some instructions for commenting with the Disqus comment system:

•  If the comment box is not below the post, click on “0 Comments” (or whatever the number of comments may be).

• Once you see the comment box below the post, place your cursor in the box that says, “Start the discussion…” or “Join the discussion…” Type your comment into the box.

• If you would like, you can log in and post your comment from an account you already have, such as Facebook, Twitter, Disqus, or Google Plus.

• To post without an account, simply type in your name, email address, and check the box that says, “I’d rather post as a guest.”

• If posting as a guest, click on the gray button with the white arrow to post your comment.

     If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thanks for being my friends and for meeting me here in this space! It is a blessing to know you, even if only online.

He Is Risen!

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said,“Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Matthew 28:1-10

Photo credit: The Simple Front Porch

Good Friday

Today I remember the sacrifice that Christ has made on my behalf. He was pierced for my transgressions and crushed for my iniquities. His sacrifice satisfied the wrath of God toward me, and I am forever grateful.

Isaiah 53 

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Photo Credit: SweetCapture

A Day in the Life

For many years now I have had people tell me that my Good Day and Bad Day posts are their favorites. A lot has changed in the past five years, so here is what an average day looks like for me now. This is neither a "good day" nor a "bad day." On good days I can do more than what you see here, though I may pay for it the next day. On bad days I struggle a lot, and I have to pretty much stay in bed.

Enjoying time with William and Adelaide.

I love it when they come into my bedroom to talk in the evening and give me hugs and kisses.

A Day in the Life
Monday, April 14, 2014

6:30 am – I hear Will stirring, but I soon fall back to sleep. Will gets up and gets himself and the children ready for the day. He makes breakfast for them, makes sure that they are properly clothed, and fixes Adelaide’s hair. Will walks William to the bus stop while Adelaide watches from the window. Then Will takes Adelaide to daycare at a friend’s home. Will and the children are very quiet in the morning so that I can keep sleeping and hopefully get the 10 hours of sleep that I need.

9:53 – I open my eyes and begin the process of waking up.

9:58 – I call Will and ask for some coffee and breakfast. Usually he is at work in his office, which is in our basement. However, today is Monday and is Will’s day off work. Instead of staying at home, he is out grocery shopping this morning. Will tells me that he left breakfast outside the bedroom door for me.

10:02 – I grab my breakfast, laptop, and Bible, and I lie back down in bed. I take my morning meds and eat breakfast. I check email and Facebook, and I read online while trying to convince my brain and body to wake up and get moving.

11:07 – I am feeling awake enough to start my prayer and Bible study time. I grab my prayer journal and pray for many of the requests listed there. Next I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. I head back to bed to read and study my Bible.

11:50 – Will is home from shopping and comes in to see me. We chat for a few minutes. Then Will goes back to putting away groceries, and I turn my attention back to my Bible study.

12:04 pm – I finish my Bible study time, and I begin working on email.

12:40 – Will goes to pick up Adelaide from daycare, and I get up, get dressed, and brush my teeth.

1:00 – Adelaide comes home. I read to her and get her ready for a nap. Usually Will puts her down for a nap, but today I am feeling well enough to put her to bed. This is a special treat for Adelaide!

1:30 – I sit down at the kitchen table and look through the mail. I am excited that a new book has come in the mail for me! It is Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch. I will start reading it later on this afternoon. Right now it is time for lunch, but my stomach is feeling pretty unsettled.  I choose Jello and ginger tea, knowing that even with gastroparesis, my tummy will probably be able to tolerate those two things. I am wobbly and weak from my activity in the last hour, so Will helps me to the bedroom. He carries the hot tea so that I don’t accidentally spill it while walking.

1:45 – Will heads out to do more errands while Adelaide and I have nap time. I lie down in bed to eat my Jello and drink my tea. I read a friend’s blog, and then I make a few edits on my own blog.

2:19 – I call my friend Dorina. We talk and catch up for a few minutes.

2:27 – Adelaide is having a hard time sleeping. I get up with her, help her in the bathroom, and put her back to bed.

2:31 – I lie back down in bed to read and rest, and I start reading Rhinestone Jesus.

3:15 – My stomach feels like it can handle more food, so I get up and get a banana. Adelaide still hasn’t fallen asleep. I help her in the bathroom again and take her back to her bedroom. I ask her to play quietly so that I can rest. I go back to bed. My legs are weak and a bit shaky from all of the up and down activity since waking up this morning. I haven’t done a whole lot today, but not having an extended period of time to rest takes its toll on my muscles.

4:00 – It is time to get up and spend time with Adelaide and William, who has come home from school. My legs are weak, so I grab my walker to help me get around the house. William is busy playing with Legos and listening to a story CD and decides to join us later. I get a snack for Adelaide. She sits on the floor in the living room, and I curl up on the sofa near her.

4:10 – Will comes home from running errands. We talk with him and catch up on our days thus far.

4:22 – My body feels weak and faint. I pray for renewed strength and energy, and I ask the Lord to help me have a good attitude and to love my family well.

4:25 – I ask Adelaide to get a Boost from the refrigerator for me. I drink the Boost and take some midodrine to raise my blood pressure.

4:30 – Will brings a box of Easter decorations upstairs, and we start to decorate the living room. I stay seated on the sofa, and Will and the children do the walking and placing of decorations.

5:05 – My body is too tired to continue, so we set the rest of the decorations aside for the day. Adelaide asks me to tell the Easter story using our Resurrection Eggs set. I am tired, but I know that I need to push through and tell the story. The Easter story is important!

5:20 – I lie down on the sofa to be with my children while William does homework and Adelaide plays with Easter eggs. William is soon finished with his homework, and he and Adelaide take turns hiding and find Easter eggs in the living room. I have fun watching them play together.

5:45 – We eat supper in the living room. The children eat on a blanket on the floor. I eat while lying down on the sofa, and Will joins me on the sofa.

6:15 – I am tired and have a migraine. It isn’t wise for me to keep pushing my body much longer, so I get a shower and get ready for bed.

6:45 – I fall into bed, so tired and ready to rest. This is both my favorite and least favorite time of day. I am thankful for the opportunity to have much needed rest and quiet, but I wish I could be with my family longer.

6:47 – Will brings a cup of tea to me. I check email and catch up with friends on Facebook.

7:15 – I want to type some emails, but my arms are too weak. Instead I need to lie completely still and just watch a television show online.

7:38 – The children come in to say good night. We give hugs and kisses and chat for a bit. Adelaide asks for a cape so that she can be Elsa from Frozen. I tell her that I have some fabric in the basement that I can use to make a cape for her, but that I can’t make it right away. She is excited about having a cape, but disappointed that she can’t have one right away. William comes to the rescue and brings his Darth Vader cape for Adelaide to wear. Adelaide pretends to be Elsa while walking around with the Darth Vader cape, happy as can be!

7:42 – Will brushes Adelaide’s teeth and gets her ready for bed. William asks me for help coming up with clever words for a Star Wars mad lib. We work on it together.

7:51 – Adelaide comes in for more hugs and kisses.

7:53 – Will puts Adelaide to bed, and William reads his mad lib to me. We then start working on a second Star Wars mad lib.

8:00 – Will comes in as William and I are finishing up our second mad lib. Will reads it out loud for us and we have a good laugh together.

8:07 – Will puts William to bed, and I return to my television show.

8:32 – Will comes in after putting William to bed, and we chat for a few minutes.

8:38 – I am in need of soft and liquid food regularly, so Will makes pudding for me. He makes a double batch so that I will have some in the refrigerator for a few days. He also works in the kitchen to clean up the messes from the day. While Will works in the kitchen I finish watching my tv show, and then I work on some online volunteer work.

10:00 – Will has finished cleaning the kitchen and making pudding. We talk for a few minutes.

10:20 – Will starts the night time routine. He fills my water bottle, gets an ice pack for my feet, and gets himself ready for bed. I finish up some email and Facebook messages.

10:38 – Will comes into the bedroom. We talk and spend some time together even though it is a later evening than usual.

11:25 – We pray together and kiss good night. I turn off my computer and take melatonin to help me fall asleep. I turn off the light and pull out my kindle. I read on the kindle to help my body wind down and fall asleep. Sometime around midnight I fall asleep and sleep peacefully.

Busy Hands: Birthday Gifts

This fall I spent time crocheting and knitting gifts for Adelaide's birthday in December. I crocheted a rosy pink dress for her baby doll. It was a great little project to use up some of my leftover yarn stash.

I knit a soft, white blanket for Adelaide's baby doll. All I know how to do is the knit stitch, so it isn't anything fancy, but it was fun to make. I would work on it in the evenings when I was resting in bed. I usually forgot to hide it when William and Adelaide came in to give me hugs and kisses good night. They often asked, "What are you making?" I would say, "I'll show you when I'm done." They had no idea what I was making, and they were both to surprised to find out what it was when Adelaide's birthday arrived! 

The most special gift was the doll in the white dress. The doll had been wearing only a partially finished hat and dress made by my Oma. I finished up the dress and gave it to Adelaide for her birthday.

In this picture Adelaide is wearing a shirt that I made for her a year and a half ago.

I crocheted a snowflake and sewed it onto an otherwise plain, black turtleneck. 

Happy 4th Birthday, Adelaide!

Five Minute Friday: Paint

It is time for Five Minute Friday with Lisa-Jo and her blogging community. We write for just five minutes. The writing prompt this week is "paint." 

 Photo Credit: Greg Clark

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
    It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
 Psalm 19:1-6

For seven years I had the privilege of living in Alaska, a grand a beautiful state. I was continually delighted by the splendor of creation and seeing God’s handiwork on display.

The mountains were majestic and ruggedly beautiful. They were rough in the summer months and softened by snow in the winter. The tallest mountains were always covered in snowcaps, a continual reminder of their impressive height and God’s impressive handiwork.

Sunsets were amazing in Alaska. The warm glow across the sky would cast a pink paint across the snow covered mountains. I took pictures of these glowing pink mountains, but my pictures could never do justice to their beauty.

Always impressive and magnificent were the Northern Lights. God painted across the dark, night canvas brilliant colors that danced and swayed. It was impossible to not stand in awe of God’s power and creativity in creation. Truly, “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).

Photo Credit: Image Editor

Eating Well with Gastroparesis

As part of my dysautonomia, one of the conditions I have is gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is a paralysis of the stomach, and it causes delayed stomach emptying. Some people with gastroparesis have a full stomach paralysis, meaning that they can't eat any food at all because their stomachs don't empty. Instead they have to rely on tube feeds that go directly into the small intestine or on TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) that is delivered intravenously. I am very grateful that I only have a partial paralysis. On most days I need to follow a dairy free, low fat, low fiber diet because of gastroparesis. Sometimes my gastroparesis flares up, and I have to follow a soft foods, or even a liquid, diet.

In the last few weeks I have been working on recovering from my most recent gastroparesis flare. For several days I was on a mostly liquid diet. Then I was able to add in more soft foods, like pudding and applesauce. After a week I could tolerate small amounts of solid food as long as it didn't have any fat or fiber in it. I am now back to having three small meals of solid food per day, but I have to be extra careful to avoid too much fat or fiber. I also have to supplement with liquid and soft foods in order to get in enough nutrients and calories each day. It is so nice to again eat food that I can chew!

I know that many of you have chronic illnesses, but I'm not sure how many of you have gastroparesis. I want to share some of the foods that have been especially helpful for me in dealing with gastroparesis just in case it is helpful for you too. Pictured above are the foods that I have been the most helpful to me in recent weeks.

Peppermint Tea
This helps with nausea associated with gastroparesis.

Gatorade (not pictured)
I don't drink Gatorade very often, but I keep it on hand for when the need arises. After going 24 hours without being able to digest any food it is important to drink Gatorade to get my electrolytes back up. I continue to drink a glass or two of Gatorade per day when I am on a clear liquid diet.

Ginger Ale
Ginger products help with nausea. Ginger ale also provides calories, and that is a really helpful thing when you have to be on a liquid diet.

Ginger Root Capsules
These are cheap and an easy way to help fight nausea.

Gin-Gins by The Ginger People
These little candies are so nice! I hadn't heard of them until this winter when a friend sent me a box of ginger products to try. These little candies have been very helpful for me when I am too nauseated to drink all of the water necessary to swallow ginger root capsules. These candies are something I can even tolerate while on an otherwise liquid diet. Having a small piece of food to eat is such a treat during liquid diet days. I also keep Gin-Gins in my purse, and William will eat a piece when he gets carsick. According to MythBusters testing results, ginger helps with motion sickness too!

Ginger Honey Crystals
A friend also recently introduced me to these ginger honey crystals. The individual packets contain honey and ginger crystals that you mix into 8oz of hot or cold water. When I am too nauseated to drink regular water, these drink mixes are so helpful! It makes a spicy and delicious drink.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies only have four ingredients: peanut butter, raw sugar, one egg, and vanilla extract. I have found that I can tolerate these cookies even when on a soft food diet. This is a great way to get some protein and calories when on a restricted diet.

Pretzel Sticks and Saltine Crackers
These are solid foods that are easy on the stomach, and the salt is good for those of us with low blood volume and/or low blood pressure.

Jello
When on a clear liquid diet, jello is such a treat! It's almost like solid food, but it counts as a liquid.

Homemade Coconut Milk Pudding
I love homemade pudding, so being able to eat this helps to make a soft foods diet not quite so terrible. :)

Boost
This is a great way to get in lots of vitamins and protein in a liquid form. I used to drink Ensure, but recently discovered that Boost tastes better. It is smooth and creamy and not grainy like Ensure. Boost is water based, so it is easy to tolerate. It does have milk protein, which normally I avoid. However, when I am on a liquid diet, this is the easiest and best way for me to get protein. There are 15 grams of protein in that little 8oz bottle!

Fresh Vegetable Juice
Many years ago I was given a juicer, and it has been such a blessing! While Boost, pudding, ginger ale, and jello are a good help, they can't compare to the nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables. However, when I am on a liquid or soft foods diet, neither raw nor cooked vegetables are an option for me. Will juices carrots, beets, sweet peppers, celery, and spinach for me regularly. The juicing process takes out all of the fiber that I can't digest and leaves lots of good nutrients and vitamins. The juice shown in the picture above was made with carrots, spinach, and sweet pepper. It looks terrible, but it is so good for you, and the taste isn't too bad! I don't drink as much fresh fruit juice because when on a soft foods diet I can tolerate applesauce, cooked bananas, and coconut milk. I do have juiced apples or oranges occasionally.

Those are some of the foods that help me as I deal with gastroparesis flares. What foods are helpful for you when dealing with gastroparesis? Please let me know if you have any tips and tricks to share!

Follow-up Survey

Thank you so much to everyone who filled out the Cranberry Tea Time Community Survey last week! I greatly appreciate your input and honesty. It is helpful to me to know what is helpful to you! I will keep the survey open for another few weeks for those of you who would still like to fill it out.

Based on the survey results so far, most of you read this blog because you either know me in real life or you have a chronic illness. I had no idea that so many of my readers also have chronic illnesses. Thank you for sharing that with me. Knowing you better helps me to know how to serve you better.

Many of you said that you would like to see more posts about my daily life, marriage and chronic illness, motherhood and chronic illness, tips for living with chronic illness, and posts giving encouragement. There were also a few specific requests for topics – thank you for letting me know about those! It may take a long time, but I would like to write posts on each of these various topics.

Nearly every one of you said that the posts about my daily life and other personal posts are your favorites. You like seeing a glimpse into my life, and some of you also said you would like to see more personal posts. In light of this, I have some questions for you that you will find in the follow-up survey below.

In the original survey I forgot to ask about blog post comments. I have recently discovered that I cannot leave a comment on my blog if I am using Internet Explorer. If I am using Google Chrome, however, this is not an issue. I originally switched to the Disqus comment system because I liked the option of being able to reply to comments, but if this system is now leaving some of you out, then I want to do something different. Please let me know if you aren’t able to leave comments, but would like to do so. 

You may choose to answer only one, or all, of the questions. As before, all of your responses will be anonymous, even to me. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to click over to the blog to complete the survey.

Thank you, friends!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Five Minute Friday: Accidental Writer

It is time for Five Minute Friday with Lisa-Jo and her writing community. We write for just five minutes without editing. It's like an impromptu speech, but it is impromptu blogging. This week the word is "writer." I think I went a minute or so over this week. So here is my Six Minute Friday.

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I suppose I am a writer. It happened by accident really. I wrote about 12 papers per semester in college, but I never planned on writing being a big part of my life after college. I was too busy to sit still long enough to write. There were mountains to be hiked, ice to be skated on, snow to play in, children to teach and play with, crafts to be made, a husband to spend time with, and so much more. Sit down and write? Who had time for that?! I certainly didn’t. Until everything changed.

My energy levels dropped. My muscle strength declined. I could no longer be physically active in the way I once was. Instead I learned to be content with my quiet and slow-paced life at home. Eventually I realized that being content with my circumstances wasn’t enough. I needed to not just be content, but to embrace the life that God had given me. There were lessons to be learned and people to encourage, and God had placed me in a situation where I could do just that! If only I would start writing.

This desire to embrace the life that God had given me led to the creation of the Cranberry Tea Time website, which eventually turned into this blog! Maybe I couldn’t go out and play and teach and be active, but I could write and encourage others from home. I could share the hope of the Gospel. I could write for the glory of God. And in so doing, I could embrace the life He gave me.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to write here on Cranberry Tea Time! I never thought I would be a writer or a blogger. The first time I heard of a blog I thought it was crazy. Why would someone type up their thoughts and put them on the internet?! Ha! Yet here I am, writing. I write for you. I write for me. Most of all, I write for the Lord. May He be glorified!

Alone Yet Not Alone

One of my favorite songs to listen to this winter has been "Alone Yet Not Alone." It is featured in a movie that will be coming out this summer. You can learn more about the movie at www.aloneyetnotalone.com.

"Alone Yet Not Alone" is sung by Joni Eareckson Tada, and she did a beautiful job! Because she is a quadriplegic her lung capacity is limited. In the video you will see her husband, Ken, pressing on her diaphragm to help her hit the high notes. What a great team those two make!

I have spent a lot of time alone in recent months as I rest and recover from various setbacks. But I am not truly alone. God is always by my side, and this song is a beautiful reminder of that.

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

I'm alone, yet not alone.
God's the light that will guide me home.
With His love and tenderness,
Leading through the wilderness,
And wherever I may roam,
I'm alone, yet not alone. 

I will not be bent in fear.
He's the refuge I know is near.
In His strength I find my own.
By His faithful mercies shown.
That so mighty is His shield
All His love is now revealed. 

When my steps are lost.
And desperate for a guide,
I can feel his touch,
A soothing presence by my side. 

Alone, yet not alone.
Not forsaken when on my own.
I can lean upon His arm,
And be lifted up from harm.
If I stumble, or if I'm thrown,
I'm alone, yet not alone. 

When my steps are lost.
And desperate for a guide,
I can feel his touch,
A soothing presence by my side. 

By my side! 

He has bound me with His love,
Watchful angels look from above.
Every evil can be braved,
For I know I will be saved.
Never frightened on my own,
I'm alone, yet not alone.
I'm alone, yet not alone.

Composer: Bruce Broughton
Lyricist: Dennis Spiege

I Was Surprised by Motherhood

Today Lisa-Jo’s book, “Surprised by Motherhood,” releases! To celebrate the release, a bunch of bloggers are writing about how we were surprised by motherhood. This is my contribution to the celebration.

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Motherhood always comes with surprises whether you are expecting them or not. Surprises came for me even though I had been preparing for motherhood all my life.

My sister was born when I was 7 years old. I started helping out a mom down the street when I was 10. By the age of 12 I was babysitting, and it wasn’t long before I had regular babysitting jobs 10 hours every week. I worked at summer camps as a teenager and in my early twenties. Throughout the school year, in both high school and college, I was involved in various children’s ministries.

By the time I was 18 I had been peed on and vomited on. I had cleaned up poop, blood, and other bodily fluids. I had caught the baby who tried to nosedive off of a changing table. I had cared for children overnight on numerous occasions. I had taken care of children with fevers and sprained ankles. I had worked with children with Down Syndrome and children with autism. I had cared for children from 2 weeks old to 17 years old. I had been yelled at. I had been a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. I had taught and loved children well. I was very comfortable with children and knew that I wanted to be a mom with a large family someday. I didn’t think motherhood would surprise me very much. I was wrong.

Will and I were married in December of 2002, and in the spring of 2003 I had my first miscarriage. This was not what I had prepared for. I never thought I would be the mom who would lose a baby. By the time two more years went by, I had lost multiple babies. This was a surprise. This was not the motherhood I had prepared for. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to carry a baby to term. I was the quiet mother on Mother’s Day who grieved with empty arms and an aching heart.

In the spring of 2005 I was pregnant again. I made it past 8 weeks…10 weeks…12 weeks…. Now this was a surprise! I made it all the way to 41 weeks and 3 days! Then our precious 9 ½ pound William came into the world. What a joy to hold my own child in my arms. He was a true gift from above. I thought he might be the only child I would hold in my arms, but four years later God blessed us with the precious gift of Adelaide.

I am grateful to have two beautiful children to hold, children who were hoped for by us and planned by God. William and Adelaide are my little friends and an absolute joy to be with. And in a way I even have the big family I had always dreamed of. It’s just that half of my family is in Heaven. I look forward to meeting my other children someday.

Even with two children now in my arms, motherhood is so different than I had expected. I’m not the healthy, active, and busy mom I had hoped to be. I am the home-bound and very quiet mom who cannot care for her children the way she wishes she could. It is hard. I have had to learn to let go of the dreams and desires I had and embrace the life that God has given me.

I have had to learn a lot about being a mother with a disability. It has been challenging! I had to learn to care for an infant while lying down in bed. I had to learn to let my three year old care for me. I had to change my plans for making Christmas cookies with my children. I had to learn to make it through not just the good days, but the bad days too, while caring for a child. I have had to learn to trust others to care for my children when I am unable to do so.

When I was pregnant with William I worried that he wouldn’t like me when he grew up and realized that I wasn’t like other moms and couldn’t do many activities with him. But you know what? William and Adelaide love me just the way I am. There has never been even a hint of resentment on their part. They adore me, and they absolutely love being with me, even if it is just talking and snuggling together in bed. They are sad when they can’t be with me or when I can’t go places with them, but it does not change their affection for me at all.

There are good things that come for William and Adelaide as a result of having a mom who is chronically ill. I can see that God is teaching them patience and compassion through my illness. He is teaching them to love and serve others well. These are valuable lessons that help to grow them in maturity and prepare them for future service to God and others.

Motherhood has not turned out the way I had hoped or the way I would have planned it. It has been full of surprises. Though different than I thought it would be, it is wonderful. This is the life God has called me to as a mother, and I am grateful for it. I am thankful that God is sovereign over all these things. He has a plan and a purpose for my motherhood. I pray that I will be faithful to serve Him well in this role so that He may be glorified.

Photo Credit for the first two photos: Lisa-Jo Baker. Used with permission.