Who would imagine that Rick Warren of Purpose Driven Life fame lives with a rare brain disorder that causes him to experience clouded vision, headaches, and in some situations, loss of consciousness.
Jeffrey Sheler writes in his biography of Warren, Prophet of Purpose, "The Mayo doctors . . . told Warren that he suffered from a rare brain disorder that prevented his nervous system from properly processing adrenaline, a hormone that is released by the adrenal glands in moments of sudden stress or fear."
What's more stressful than speaking to thousands on a weekly basis? Sheler quotes Warren on adrenaline and stress.
Adrenaline is a public speaker's best friend. . .If you don't have adrenaline you're boring. Adrenaline gives you passion. But adrenaline also makes it painful for me. The very thing that I need in order to do what I need to do becomes a source of pain.
How does Warren respond to living with a brain disorder that causes pain when he obeys God's will for his life? Listen to this.
People ask me, "Rick, do you ever get proud talking to all thise people?" I say, "You have no idea. I'm saying, 'God get me through this.' It creates a sense of dependency, a sense of humility - what Paul would call a thorn in the flesh. It's been a governor on my life that keeps me focused on God rather than focusing on the crowds.'
Wow! What an attitude. Like the apostle Paul, Warren recognizes that in his weakness he is strong in Christ. Warren lives out 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 which says:
But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Friends, do we boast about our weaknesses in order to experience Christ's power? Do we delight in our weaknesses and find our strength in Christ? Or do we try to appear strong in order to fit in? Do we depend on our own strength and try to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps? That's the American way.
Living with fibromyalgia for over 25 years has caused me to depend on God for strength. I know whatever gets accomplished in my life it's because of Christ's power, not mine.
Sometimes I fall back into the trap of wanting to appear strong and having it all together. I want people to think well of me. But I will never have it all together until I'm out of this body and at home with the Lord.
I pray for me and for all of us that our desire would always be to please God and not look to man for approval. I pray that, like Paul, we would delight in our weaknesses, giving Christ the opportunity to show His strength to a doubting world.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Website for Chronic Illness
Restministries.org provides great support for those with chronic illness. You'll find chat rooms, books, advice on managing your household and much, much more. Here's a blurb from the website about how Rest Ministries got started.
Rest Ministries, Inc. began in 1996 and became a 501(c)[3] in ‘97. It was founded by Lisa Copen.
Lisa was diagnosed a few years earlier with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 24 and life had changed dramatically. She searched for some time, but was unable to locate the kind of Christian support that she desired to help her along this unexpected detour of chronic illness.
Surely she couldn’t be the only one who lived with daily chronic pain, and believed in the Lord–and still wasn’t healed, right?
Right! Since 1996 Rest Ministries has reached hundreds of thousands of people–over 80,000 to the web site alone each month. And it continues to grow through the help of our volunteers who keep it going every day. And we are honored to be an affiliate ministry with Joni and Friends International Disability Ministry, the ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada.
Lisa has since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition to rheumatoid arthritis. She recently underwent extensive surgery on her hand because of the crippling effects of RA.
Lisa established Bible study groups called HopeKeepers for those with chronic illness. I'll be teaching a six-weeks HopeKeepers Bible study for women this summer at Denton Bible Church. If you're in the Denton area, I would love to have you join me for hope and encouragement in living with a chronic illness. I've lived with fibromyalgia for over 25 years, and I understand how difficult life can be with the limitations of a chronic illness. But I've also learned how faithful God is and the joy that comes from totally depending on Him for strength.
Please email me if you would like to be notified when the date and time is set for HopeKeepers, or if you have questions. I hope to see you there!
Rest Ministries, Inc. began in 1996 and became a 501(c)[3] in ‘97. It was founded by Lisa Copen.
Lisa was diagnosed a few years earlier with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 24 and life had changed dramatically. She searched for some time, but was unable to locate the kind of Christian support that she desired to help her along this unexpected detour of chronic illness.
Surely she couldn’t be the only one who lived with daily chronic pain, and believed in the Lord–and still wasn’t healed, right?
Right! Since 1996 Rest Ministries has reached hundreds of thousands of people–over 80,000 to the web site alone each month. And it continues to grow through the help of our volunteers who keep it going every day. And we are honored to be an affiliate ministry with Joni and Friends International Disability Ministry, the ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada.
Lisa has since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition to rheumatoid arthritis. She recently underwent extensive surgery on her hand because of the crippling effects of RA.
Lisa established Bible study groups called HopeKeepers for those with chronic illness. I'll be teaching a six-weeks HopeKeepers Bible study for women this summer at Denton Bible Church. If you're in the Denton area, I would love to have you join me for hope and encouragement in living with a chronic illness. I've lived with fibromyalgia for over 25 years, and I understand how difficult life can be with the limitations of a chronic illness. But I've also learned how faithful God is and the joy that comes from totally depending on Him for strength.
Please email me if you would like to be notified when the date and time is set for HopeKeepers, or if you have questions. I hope to see you there!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Detour
In the last post we talked about the Apollo 13 near tragedy and how the astronauts' courage and confidence brought them safely home. In today's post I was going to apply lessons from the astronauts to our Christian walk. However, that will have to wait for another time.
The prelude to our church service this morning was Amazing Grace. On the screen was Psalm 40:1-2.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Gratitude and love for the Lord washed over me as I listened to the music and thought about those words. Psalm 40:1-3 happens to be one of the passages God gave me after saving me from a life of sin, despair, and desperation. Therefore, I'm compelled to take this detour today and write about God's amazing mercy, love, and grace.
Let's go on a journey. Imagine yourself hiking in the country. It started out as a sunny day full of promise. But suddenly the sky darkened, thunder roared, and rain pelted you as you ran for cover. In your haste to make it to a grove of trees, you fell into a deep hole. The water is gushing down, making the sides of the hole slippery. You dig your fingers into the wet mud, but there is nothing to grab onto, so you slip and slide as you cry out in fear. The water continues to rise as you flail about, looking for any kind of handhold to pull yourself up.
Suddenly, a strong-looking man appears. He gets on his knees, reaches down and pulls you up. He sets you on solid ground, and you are safe. Would you be grateful? You better believe it!
How much more Jesus has done for us! Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He has rescued us from the pit of hell. As scary as it is to think about falling into a literal pit, it's even more frightening to think about dying without Jesus.
I was there - apart from Jesus. That's why Psalm 40 means so much to me. I lived in a pit, crying out for relief from despair and unending emotional pain. I felt hopeless. I tried grabbing onto anything the world had to offer for relief, only to find myself sinking deeper into the pit.
Then one day, God reached down, lifted me out of the pit, and set my feet on solid ground. Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I am eternally safe. Friends, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have the following promise:
It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us,and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
No matter what storms hit our lives, no matter how bleak the economy looks, no matter how our bodies break down, we have the assurance that our strong God will bring us safely to heaven.
Let's focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and not on our earthly circumstances. Our confidence is in Him. He is our life, He is our all in all, He is the One whom we owe everything.
Let's bow down and worship Him for who He is - our great Redeemer!
The prelude to our church service this morning was Amazing Grace. On the screen was Psalm 40:1-2.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Gratitude and love for the Lord washed over me as I listened to the music and thought about those words. Psalm 40:1-3 happens to be one of the passages God gave me after saving me from a life of sin, despair, and desperation. Therefore, I'm compelled to take this detour today and write about God's amazing mercy, love, and grace.
Let's go on a journey. Imagine yourself hiking in the country. It started out as a sunny day full of promise. But suddenly the sky darkened, thunder roared, and rain pelted you as you ran for cover. In your haste to make it to a grove of trees, you fell into a deep hole. The water is gushing down, making the sides of the hole slippery. You dig your fingers into the wet mud, but there is nothing to grab onto, so you slip and slide as you cry out in fear. The water continues to rise as you flail about, looking for any kind of handhold to pull yourself up.
Suddenly, a strong-looking man appears. He gets on his knees, reaches down and pulls you up. He sets you on solid ground, and you are safe. Would you be grateful? You better believe it!
How much more Jesus has done for us! Through His death, burial, and resurrection, He has rescued us from the pit of hell. As scary as it is to think about falling into a literal pit, it's even more frightening to think about dying without Jesus.
I was there - apart from Jesus. That's why Psalm 40 means so much to me. I lived in a pit, crying out for relief from despair and unending emotional pain. I felt hopeless. I tried grabbing onto anything the world had to offer for relief, only to find myself sinking deeper into the pit.
Then one day, God reached down, lifted me out of the pit, and set my feet on solid ground. Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I am eternally safe. Friends, if you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have the following promise:
It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us,and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
No matter what storms hit our lives, no matter how bleak the economy looks, no matter how our bodies break down, we have the assurance that our strong God will bring us safely to heaven.
Let's focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and not on our earthly circumstances. Our confidence is in Him. He is our life, He is our all in all, He is the One whom we owe everything.
Let's bow down and worship Him for who He is - our great Redeemer!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Courage & Confidence
Today is the 40th anniversary of the explosion on board the Apollo 13 spacecraft which cut short the mission to the moon. An Associated Press article states that "Lovell's calm if unsettling words to Mission Control following the explosion that, 'Houston, we've had a problem' — now widely recited as, 'Houston, we have a problem' — belied his quick internal calculation that their chances of survival were slim."
All oxygen stores were lost within about 3 hours, along with loss of water, electrical power, and use of the propulsion system. The spaceship was three-fourths of the way to the moon. The astronauts were forced to move from the service module to a freezing, cramped lunar module designed for use on the moon. Their mission changed from reaching the moon to a life-and-death struggle to get back to earth.
On Dateline Matt Lauer interviewed Commander Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, two of the astronauts who survived the mission. Jack Swigert, the third crew member, died of cancer in 1982.
Several times Lauer tried to get Lovell to admit to fear, panic, and thoughts of never seeing his family again. Lovell's response? They concentrated on what they had to do to get home rather than all the things that could go wrong.
Lovell, Haise, and Swigert's courage and confidence on their four day return to earth defies understanding. In spite of low oxygen levels, freezing temperatures, and little to eat and drink, they rose above their circumstances and worked through crisis after crisis to make it safely back to earth.
Where did their courage and confidence come from?
1. They were experienced test pilots. They had trained for emergency situations and were prepared to deal with disaster.
2. They shut out negative thoughts and concentrated on overcoming the problem at hand. They did not deal in "what if" thinking.
3. They trusted the solutions that Mission Control came up with and followed directions.
4. They worked as a team. Each one did his part to reach the goal of getting home.
So what can we, as Christians, learn from the story of Apollo 13? In the next post, we'll explore that question.
All oxygen stores were lost within about 3 hours, along with loss of water, electrical power, and use of the propulsion system. The spaceship was three-fourths of the way to the moon. The astronauts were forced to move from the service module to a freezing, cramped lunar module designed for use on the moon. Their mission changed from reaching the moon to a life-and-death struggle to get back to earth.
On Dateline Matt Lauer interviewed Commander Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, two of the astronauts who survived the mission. Jack Swigert, the third crew member, died of cancer in 1982.
Several times Lauer tried to get Lovell to admit to fear, panic, and thoughts of never seeing his family again. Lovell's response? They concentrated on what they had to do to get home rather than all the things that could go wrong.
Lovell, Haise, and Swigert's courage and confidence on their four day return to earth defies understanding. In spite of low oxygen levels, freezing temperatures, and little to eat and drink, they rose above their circumstances and worked through crisis after crisis to make it safely back to earth.
Where did their courage and confidence come from?
1. They were experienced test pilots. They had trained for emergency situations and were prepared to deal with disaster.
2. They shut out negative thoughts and concentrated on overcoming the problem at hand. They did not deal in "what if" thinking.
3. They trusted the solutions that Mission Control came up with and followed directions.
4. They worked as a team. Each one did his part to reach the goal of getting home.
So what can we, as Christians, learn from the story of Apollo 13? In the next post, we'll explore that question.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
He's Alive!
I’ve just seen Jesus, and I’ll never be the same again!
Bill Gaither penned those words and Larnelle Harris and Sandi Patti sang them in a now-famous duet.
Think back to the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Imagine Mary Magdalene and the other Mary going to the tomb and finding it empty. Do you think they were ever the same again?
Imagine the disciples’ reaction when Jesus appeared among them after His resurrection. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. Can you see Jesus showing them His hands and His feet? Do you think they were ever the same again?
Imagine the disciples watching Jesus as He was taken up to heaven before their very eyes. Do you think they were ever the same again?
Can we be as changed as Mary Magdalene, the other Mary and the disciples even though we have never visibly seen Jesus? Can we never be the same again? The answer is a resounding yes!
Look at this verse.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9
We have the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and prayer to draw us close to Jesus. The more we spend time with Him in His Word, the more we will love Jesus and “be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” As we walk in obedience to the truth that the Holy Spirit shows us, we are changed. When we pray and worship Jesus, we are never the same again. God does this.
What do we look like when God changes us?
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
We’ll never be the same again! We have passed from death to life. We are new creations in Christ. We wear inexpressible joy on our faces that the world can’t understand. Best of all, we have assurance that someday we will see Jesus face-to-face.
We’ll never be the same again because our Savior, Jesus Christ, died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. On this Easter Sunday, we praise His holy Name and bow before Him in adoration!
Bill Gaither penned those words and Larnelle Harris and Sandi Patti sang them in a now-famous duet.
Think back to the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Imagine Mary Magdalene and the other Mary going to the tomb and finding it empty. Do you think they were ever the same again?
Imagine the disciples’ reaction when Jesus appeared among them after His resurrection. They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. Can you see Jesus showing them His hands and His feet? Do you think they were ever the same again?
Imagine the disciples watching Jesus as He was taken up to heaven before their very eyes. Do you think they were ever the same again?
Can we be as changed as Mary Magdalene, the other Mary and the disciples even though we have never visibly seen Jesus? Can we never be the same again? The answer is a resounding yes!
Look at this verse.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9
We have the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and prayer to draw us close to Jesus. The more we spend time with Him in His Word, the more we will love Jesus and “be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” As we walk in obedience to the truth that the Holy Spirit shows us, we are changed. When we pray and worship Jesus, we are never the same again. God does this.
What do we look like when God changes us?
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18
We’ll never be the same again! We have passed from death to life. We are new creations in Christ. We wear inexpressible joy on our faces that the world can’t understand. Best of all, we have assurance that someday we will see Jesus face-to-face.
We’ll never be the same again because our Savior, Jesus Christ, died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. On this Easter Sunday, we praise His holy Name and bow before Him in adoration!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Friday
As I sit here writing, I'm looking out the window at dark clouds, rain, and hail. How appropriate for Good Friday. In Matthew 27:45 it says, From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
Jesus hung on the cross during those three hours of darkness. For you, for me, for the world. If you saw the movie, The Passion of the Christ, you may have cried, cringed, or or turned your head away as Christ hung on the cross.
We sing about the cross, we wear the cross, we talk about taking up our cross. But do we think deeply about Christ hanging on the cross? It's almost too painful. Yet meditating on the cross causes gratefulness to well up in our hearts and increases our love for Jesus. One of the most amazing verses in the Bible is Hebrews 12:2.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
How can joy and cross be in the same sentence? Our dear Savior looked beyond the suffering He was experiencing on the cross and saw future joy. He gave us the ultimate example of how to go through suffering.
Hebrews 12:3 says, Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
What lessons can we learn from the cross and Jesus' suffering?
1. God loves us more than our finite minds can comprehend. The cross proves that beyond a doubt.
2. What we think about as we go through suffering influences our ability to endure. We have a choice to think about Jesus' example as He suffered or to dwell on the circumstances which causes us to worry, give up, or worse.
3. Jesus scorned the shame, or disgrace, of the cross. The cross was reserved for criminals, yet Jesus disregarded, snubbed, and shunned the humiliation of the cross. He knew who He was and where He was going. Is there shame in our lives that we need to shun? It could be something from our past that the enemy tries to discourage us with. We are forgiven because of the cross. Our identity is in Christ, not in our past. We are new creations.
4. Jesus showed us that suffering does not last forever. Our hope lies in the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Because He lives, we know that someday we will also live with Him in heaven, never having to suffer again.
May we think deeply about Christ's sacrifice for us as we prepare for the glorious celebration that is coming - Resurrection Day!
Jesus hung on the cross during those three hours of darkness. For you, for me, for the world. If you saw the movie, The Passion of the Christ, you may have cried, cringed, or or turned your head away as Christ hung on the cross.
We sing about the cross, we wear the cross, we talk about taking up our cross. But do we think deeply about Christ hanging on the cross? It's almost too painful. Yet meditating on the cross causes gratefulness to well up in our hearts and increases our love for Jesus. One of the most amazing verses in the Bible is Hebrews 12:2.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
How can joy and cross be in the same sentence? Our dear Savior looked beyond the suffering He was experiencing on the cross and saw future joy. He gave us the ultimate example of how to go through suffering.
Hebrews 12:3 says, Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
What lessons can we learn from the cross and Jesus' suffering?
1. God loves us more than our finite minds can comprehend. The cross proves that beyond a doubt.
2. What we think about as we go through suffering influences our ability to endure. We have a choice to think about Jesus' example as He suffered or to dwell on the circumstances which causes us to worry, give up, or worse.
3. Jesus scorned the shame, or disgrace, of the cross. The cross was reserved for criminals, yet Jesus disregarded, snubbed, and shunned the humiliation of the cross. He knew who He was and where He was going. Is there shame in our lives that we need to shun? It could be something from our past that the enemy tries to discourage us with. We are forgiven because of the cross. Our identity is in Christ, not in our past. We are new creations.
4. Jesus showed us that suffering does not last forever. Our hope lies in the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Because He lives, we know that someday we will also live with Him in heaven, never having to suffer again.
May we think deeply about Christ's sacrifice for us as we prepare for the glorious celebration that is coming - Resurrection Day!
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