Welcome to our first issue of Christians with Chronic Illness Blog Carnival. We are excited to introduce you to some wonderfully gifted writers and hope that they encourage you on this chronic illness journey. Our month carnival highlights the best articles from many blogs that we have visited, and we’ve gathered them together for your encouragement.
If you’re interested in submitting an article from your own blog the instructions are at the end. We also appreciate you sharing this post with your friends at Twitter, Facebook, social bookmarking, wherever. We are excited to reach as many people as possible with the Good News.
Lisa & Michele
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Living with Chronic Illness has a post called “Surprises!” Sometimes life hands us surprises; sometimes good, sometimes bad. Sometimes, a little bit of both. God gives us things to deal with that we don’t always want. If you need someone to relate to, something to read about to know you’re not alone, check out “Surprises” by Kerri Sweeris in her blog Living with Chronic Illness.
At times do you feel like God has taken you “out of the game” due to your chronic pain/illness? The blog The Fear of the Lord is The Beginning of Wisdom writes about The Power of Prayer. The reality is, God allows our suffering to put us in the position where we will be most fruitful for His kingdom. You may be on the front lines and not even know it!
Even when faced with a rare chronic disease, Kristen Reyna shares the surprise of refreshing hope in her blog CIDP and Me with her post, “Surprise!”
Have you ever been surprised by something you actually knew would happen? We are told to expect the unexpected, but what happens when the expected, unexpectedly surprises us? Read Deni Weber’s blog post at her blog Recent Ramblings “Springtime Surprises” and see how God’s promises to us for our future with Him, can be seen in the simple little snowdrop flower of spring.
For anyone who is amidst a struggle in their own life, be sure to read “Dancing With the Star” by Jennifer Whisenant on her blog Chosen. Jennifer explains what she learned about the nature of God after struggling to try to make things better on her own. Turn up your volume because the post also includes great worship music from David Crowder.
God’s surprises come in all shapes and sizes. Read “Surprise!” to find out how even uncomfortable questions about faith and healing can be turned around with simple childlike faith and the help of a cardboard cricket. Read Jennifer’s Blog Hope Harvester.
To most people, strength is beauty and weakness repulsive… But God is attracted to weakness. Read about being Fantastically Fragile at God Nuggets Blog by Cyndi.
Did you ever think it possible you would find your illness to include a well hidden gift within? Amy Kiel who has the blog Una Vita Bella found a sweet surprise or two while living with chronic pain and adapting to her new life. See what God surprised her with “In the Nook of Chronic Pain”.
Chronic illness has brought many surprises to Michele’s life as well as to her family; but the best surprise of all has been how the Lord brought her from the depth of despair as a very bitter woman to become a joyful, more mellow, thankful, loving, faithful, wife, mother, grandmother, child of a gracious merciful God! Michele’s blog, Michele’s Morsels – Beelieve You Can is one that everyone can relate to and is encouraging, informative and quite humorous at times. She writes Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Faith and limitations may not seem to go hand in hand, but if you’ve ever struggled with how you can be used of God with your limitations, come read at Laura’s blog, Sojourner Soliloquy; she is someone who understands and seeks to allow God to be strong in her weaknesses. She writes about being “Buried.”
If you feel like your life is boring because of your illness, see how God surprised Debbie from Debbie’s Doodlings with a holiday on a tropical island which included my sister’s wedding in her post Rarotonga Trip.
In Joy’s Journey to Wellness she shares her personal journal describing her “journey to wellness.” It’s a private journal that she has decided to share in hopes that her thoughts, struggles and accomplishments can help, inspire and give validation to the issues others face as well on their journey to wellness, peace or sound mind.
God has planted surprises for us in each day. The more we expect to see them, the more we’ll find. Check out “The Cracker Jack of Pain – A Surprise in Every Body” by Lisa Burgess in her blog Lisa Notes. Many new things await us if we live with open eyes. Expect the unexpected!
Special thanks to all of our contributors for sharing their writing
gifts and also their vulnerability.
The next Christians with Chronic Illness Blog Carnival
will be May 15th, 2009. (It will always be he 15th)
Deadline for submissions: May 5, 2009 (It will always be the 5th)
Send in your submissions here.
The Ministry of Lisa Copen 
Lisa- I wrote this is response to you on my blog, but wanted to post it here too to make sure you received it:
Hi Lisa! It was so neat to get your comment! That is awesome that you have written a book on this topic….I like the name of it. 🙂 I checked out your blog and really enjoyed it. I bookmarked it so I can go back!
Thanks so much for telling me about National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week! I am going to go check the website out after I finish writing this!
Thanks so much for commenting, and for giving me your blog address.
P.S. No- I don’t do Twitter or Facebook….blogging is as good as it gets right now. 🙂