A Little of This and A Little of That

Hello friends,

Thank you for praying for Erin and I, we both seem to be on the mend and getting back to "normal" life...whatever that looks like! I go to work, I write, I read, I go to church, I do homework for my Sunday school class, I watch movies and (if I'm feeling really well) I might just go with my roommates to get groceries! It may not seem very exciting, but it's the life that God has given me right now and I'm very grateful for it.

I am really enjoying writing a blog post for Broken but Priceless Ministries each week. I am studying the book of Ephesians and relating it to chronic illness. However, as I read Erin's posts and as I write my own, I see that they apply to much more than chronic illness. I may be slightly biased, but I see that as we write about our own personal experiences with chronic illness and what the Bible has to say, those same lessons can be applied to many aspects of life. We all go through struggles, and we all need to hear Biblical truth in relation to suffering. If you need encouragement, click here and sign up for our blogs to be delivered to your inbox.

I'm particularly excited about what God taught me as I was writing Wednesday's blog post. Ephesians has long been my favorite book of the Bible. Through my study of it each week God is teaching me new things and helping me see things from a new perspective. More importantly, I'm getting to know Jesus better as I spend time talking with Him and reading His Word. He teaches me so many things, yet I can only write a portion of it. I'm sure many of you have experienced the same thing as you've prepared for a Bible study or a class you were teaching. The teacher always learns more than the student!

The middle of September I realized that my priorities were getting mixed up. I wasn't spending as much time with God as I wanted; as I looked at my life and what occupies my hours I realized that Facebook was a problem. I was wasting too many hours that could have been filled with better things. I deactivated my account and made a new one so that I can continue to be an admin for ministries I'm a part of. Can I tell you how freeing that was?! I spend significantly less time on Facebook and significantly more time with the Lord. Mission accomplished! Sure there are things I miss about it, but not enough to reactivate my old account. It is now scheduled for permanent deletion!

In all of my new found time to spend with God I am amazed at how He is teaching me the same things in several different ways. (Don't you just love it when He does that?!) The things that I am learning in my Sunday school class, the things I am studying for my blog posts, the things I am reading in my own time with the Lord and the books I am reading are all meshing together to the point that I can't remember where I read something! When God does that in our lives, He must be trying to tell us something important. It's a clue for us to take notice and listen up!

The last time I was at the Christian book store they had a copy of The Message on sale. If you haven't heard of it, The Message is a modern "common language" translation of the Bible. I've read excerpts of Scripture in The Message before, but I've never read entire chapters and books. I'm currently using The Message as I spend time with the Lord and it has been food for my soul! I've been reading the Bible since I could read and passages have become so common to me that I don't comprehend them like I should. When I read from The Message it is almost as if I'm reading the Bible for the first time. I see things from a new perspective, I'm shocked at some of the intensity of the language and I find the common language easy to relate to and apply to my life.

If your own time with the Lord feels routine, I encourage you to change things up. Read a translation that is significantly different from the one you are used to; try listening to an audio version of the Bible; try reading it out loud to yourself or to your family. Breaking the routine can create fresh intimacy with God and deepen our relationship with Him. Try it, then come back here and leave a comment telling us what you did and what you learned because of it. Let's learn from each other!

Take Up The Armor

Hello Prayer Warriors!

Erin and I need your prayers. The website and Facebook page were launched recently for Broken but Priceless Ministries. Blogs are being written, posts are being made and people are being encouraged. Erin and I are sick.

I haven't been feeling the best for a couple of weeks. Last week my not feeling so well turned into a very sore throat, fever and chills. A few days later that nasty cough that seems to attack my body a few times a year was back in full force. On Saturday I went to urgent care and got some antibiotics and cough medicine. I went to work for a short time today, but I'm wiped out. My cough feels like it is settling more into my chest and lungs and that's not a good thing.

When the website was first launched Erin experienced a great deal of physical pain. She posted this on her Facebook page: "Need some prayer. I have been in severe pain since yesterday. Haven't hurt like this in years. I have the feeling Satan doesn't want the website to go up tomorrow, but he's not going to get his wish." He didn't! The website went up, but we're both still experiencing sickness and pain. I got a text from Erin this morning saying that she has a fever and chills and will be going to the doctor tomorrow.

Erin and I think this is too much of a coincidence to be just a coincidence. It's not surprising that two girls who struggle with chronic diseases would be attacked physically at the launch of a ministry that seeks to encourage those in chronic pain. We have come to the agreement that we need to ask people to be lifting us (and this ministry) up in prayer.

Will you pray for us and for Broken but Priceless Ministries? Thank you so much dear friends, we really do need you!

Ephesians 6:10-20, The Message

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.