You have found people who understand
Join us in the Sunroom, our social group with nearly 300 members. Or look under “Online Communities - Meet Others” at the left. You will find pen pals, groups for women dealing with illness and depression, people with fibromyalgia, homeschooling moms with illness, a men’s group and support for when your spouse with chronic pain is depressed. Yes, there are days you don’t want to talk, about your illness, but it’s nice to know where to find a compassionate person to listen when you want to!

Don’t leave our site without…
The daily devotionals are a wonderful source of encouragement, explaining the daily grind of living with illness, while keeping our focus on the Lord. (Not easy some days and we freely admit that!) And then… get the weekly ezine hopenotes. You’ll find hope, resources, tips, freebies & basically just stay in the loop for everything Rest Ministries.

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The Ah-ha Moment!

I live my life in the expectancy of the ah-ha moment! A familiar Bible verse comes alive -ah-ha. A pastor’s phrase percolates in my brain -ah-ha. Intimacy and transparency bloom in my fellowship/study group -ah-ha….

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Jonnie Wright, author of

The Silver Bullet: God’s Rx for Chronic Pain,

Choices: Managing Chronic Pain,

Photo Credit: Steve Woods, Colchester, England

Find more interesting articles on christianityfortoday.com

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Keeping Your Battery Charged: Discovering God’s Best
by Dr. Gary Smalley
Jesus’ parables in Luke 11 helped me understand one of the greatest secrets of life.I acted out this parable in my mind to try to understand it. I pictured myself as the person who went next door to borrow three loaves of bread for my unexpected visitor.

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How do you handle failures?

It’s not how you handle success and blessings in life that reveal your true character. It’s what you do in the midst of failure. Even as the Lord lifts up His countenance upon His own, we need to allow our faces to witness to the world of His grace and glory. This often requires courage as it may mean putting aside our own troubles for the sake of others, to carrying on in hard times, and not faltering in our march toward God.

Rudyard Kipling’s grand poem “If” addresses the problem of facing adversity unbowed. He advises diligence, consistency, perseverance, and basic morality.

This poet-adventurer left just one thing out of his list—the most important element of all: recognizing and accepting the Lord into our lives. No matter how much control we have over ourselves, we cannot take charge of our destiny. Only God has this ability. This is a blessing. We sometimes fail; He does not.

How have you handled failure lately?

Do you lift up your head and praise God?

Life is not about “pretending” to have it together. It’s about letting God change us and He does it best in the midst of our failures.

Gary (& Norma) Smalley
Editor, Smalley Relationship Center

P.S. Discover this principle in our book, Joy That Lasts. Click here.

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Seminars from last year 2008

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Are You Blaming Others Too Much?

When conflict raises its ugly head in your relationships, where do you place blame? Your spouse? Kids? Boss? Job? Church? Money?

Maybe you’re a blamer. Frustrated with your job, you struggle through all of your relationships. You blame your problems on trivial things. Blaming others makes “unity” almost impossible because arguments and fighting usually result.

I encourage you to resist making “you” statements such as, “You’re the one who needs to change,” “You should have warned me that our marriage was in trouble,” “You’re not the same woman I married,” and “You weren’t submissive enough,” as reasons for your behavior. These “you” statements are devastating, and they seldom improve your situation. This applies to all relationships and especially in marriage and parenting!

You are emphatically not at the mercy of those who push your buttons. They do not have to control how you react. You do not have to give them the power to determine what you think or what you do. You must take control of yourself and your emotions. You must learn that blaming others for your own insecurities and fears is fruitless.

The best way we stop blaming others is to put our faith back in God for all our needs and the needs of others. We must trust Him! He is God, by the way! That trust can free you to love others!

Blessings,
Gary (& Norma) Smalley
Editor, Smalley Relationship Center

PS —Our new book and series on anger & forgiveness is a great study to check out either as a couple or in a small group! It’s called, “From Anger to Intimacy - How Forgiveness Can Transform Your Marriage”.

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by Jonnie Wright

May, 2009

Bible Studies for Chronic Pain

We can live in the expectancy of the ah-ha moment! A familiar Bible verse comes alive—ah-ha. A pastor’s phrase percolates in our brain—ah-ha. Intimacy and transparency bloom in our study group—ah-ha.

We see ah-ha moments experienced by Biblical characters such as Sarah, ninety years old, who finally bears God’s promised offspring. Ah-ha, God keeps His covenant. Noah builds a boat in the middle of the desert and the rain comes. Ah-ha, God does not take our offenses lightly. Joseph, sold by his brothers into slavery, ends up Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Ah-ha, God has a plan no matter the circumstances. The ultimate ah-ha is Jesus Christ who provides a bridge of love and forgiveness between sinful man and Holy God.

 Ah-ha moments come in hindsight—a now-I-get-it realization that God is ever-present in our lives.

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The Challenges of Being a Young Adult with Invisible Illness

Syndicate Lisa Copen Articles

Copyright © 2007 Lisa Copen

I was just twenty-four years old and living over one thousand miles away from my family when I faced the diagnosed of rheumatoid arthritis. In barely a month I visited doctors more often than I had in years, and eventually found one who would listen to me explain my symptoms. A few days later I had a diagnosis.

Despite the terms “chronic” and “forever” I felt relieved to know the label that described my chronic pain. Few of my friends, however, shared my enthusiasm for a diagnosis. The managers at my office were more concerned about the fact that I wasn’t wearing heels to work anymore, making me look less professional.
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Even if Lyrica has not been helpful for controlling your symptoms, the many widely publicized TV commercials sponsored by the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer, have certainly improved awareness of your medical condition. Some advertisements have been better than others, but some Members feel the latest TV ad starts off as a put down to fibromyalgia (FM) patients everywhere. It shows a woman with a tray full of food at a family gathering making the following statements:

“My fibromyalgia muscle pain is real. But I am not the type of person to just lie down and quit, not with all these people counting on me. I walked right in and asked my doctor about Lyrica.”

It’s doubtful that Pfizer intended to imply that “other” fibromyalgia patients are the type who just “lie down and quit,” but this is how the commercial is being perceived, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. The 2008 Fibromyalgia Network survey on employment issues clearly showed that patients are doing everything possible to hang onto their jobs and careers. You are definitely all fighters and you don’t take anything laying down!

As a survivor, let Pfizer know a few key factors about living with fibromyalgia that you would like their next commercial to portray. The company has a website that invites FM patients to share their stories. Click on this link to the Lyrica website and identify yourself as a fibromyalgia patient representative and consumer, and then briefly point out what you would like for them to convey in their next commercial (in other words, state how you would like a person with fibromyalgia to appear). Are there certain strengths that you would like the patient in the commercial to portray? Also, are there specific symptoms of fibromyalgia that you would like to see emphasized? Please give this some thought and take the time to offer useful advice and constructive suggestions. Without your input, Pfizer could very well botch another commercial!

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 Self-Help

For many people, living with IC is a challenge that requires creativity, patience and determination. Because there is no cure for IC or one effective treatment that works for everyone, people with IC discover that they must take an active role in managing their lives.

• Diet
• Exercise
• Stress
• Pain Relief
• Sexuality
• Clothing
• Travel
• Restroom Access
• Taking Control

Diet
Many IC patients find that diet plays an important role in helping them control the condition and avoid flare-ups. Others note that what they eat or drink seems to have no effect on how they feel. If you have not tried modifying your diet, it is worth experimenting with different foods and beverages to see if this works for you. Learn more about IC and diet.

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