Will God Heal Me?
God's Power and Purpose in Suffering

This is one of the best books I've ever read on healing and the emotional struggle while we wait to see what God will do. I had a lot of "ah ha" moments the first time I read it. And I was so relieved to see healing explained so well in an actual book!

When it originally went out of print, I grieved and bought up all the copies I could afford. We had them until they ran out a few years ago! It's one of the books Rest Ministries should have available! Thankfully, it's now back in print. I'm so excited to have it for you! ~Lisa

• What does it mean when God
  seemingly chooses to heal some illnesses but not others?
• Why is it that some people pray in
  faith, believing, but the suffering continues?

Author Ron Dunn tackles these difficult, real-life issues, proposing that the ultimate issue is not our healing, but our faith in God's will for us, that we may learn to trust Him fully, whichever way His sovereignty may lead. Will God Heal Me? ministers to everyone who faces a frightening illness or prolonged suffering, and to all who have a family member or friend facing the same.

What people with illness have said about this book. . .

It is MUST READING for anyone interested in a balanced and Biblical approach to the subject of healing. This subject is much misunderstood and Ron Dunn nails it down with integrity and compassion.

This book dispells the falsehoods that believers often have about faith and explains true, Biblical faith. It also gives encouragement and inspiration to those with chronic conditions.

If you have ever wondered about the Christian who WAS NOT divnely healed of a terminal illness you should read this book... It is scriptural and it shatters the myth that illness only strikes believers who have transgressed God in some way or that healing cannot be imparted based simply upon a lack of faith. Order it here

Around here I am preparing for ICRS (also known as International Christian Retail Association). It's the annual Christian show bookstore owners attend to find new books and gifts to sell. Authors, musicians and publishers abound. At the same time, our books are now available through a distributor for bookstore owners (Christian or secular) can order them to stock their shelves. The company's name is BCH Fulfillment.

We have a great postcard for bookstore owners that is available on our web site here. Please feel free to send this postcard as an email attachment or print it out and send it to your local Christian bookstores who would be interested. It's likely they will be sending a representative. We sent about 900 to people who had pre-registered, but if you're able to let them know you recommend the books too, that will HELP A BUNDLE!

hopekeepers Magazine Update--Yes! We are all caught up and going to print soon. I am currently in touch with the designer and some advertisers and hope to have a firm date soon. Thank you for your patience while we took care of our debt. All subscriptions will be honored with 4 issues. We'll keep you posted on how it's going, but be assured that it's in the works and back on track!

We're organizating an article database for ANY articles on illness

You can even contribute too. We'll announce it in the next ezine. Right now I'm in the process of gettng the software running. These are articles you can read, reprint and more.

Podcasts are coming! Do you have any topic ideas?

Lisa is putting together topics and planning recordings and hope to have them up soon. You can listen to them online or on an mp3 player. One of the additional benefits is that is multiplies our outreach considerably, being able to be listed in dozens of Podcasts directories, etc. If you have some subject ideas for about 3-5 minute Podcasts, or would like to be interviewed on a topic related to your illness, coping, etc. please email me!

Prayers with Rev. Sherri's Family

Sadly, we lost a hopekeepers leader. Thankfully, we know she's dancing in heaven pain-free! In an article a friend says, "I believe that in her dying, Sherri showed all of us how to live. In her final weeks of life, she embraced life with an intentional expression of her faith in Christ. She would say, 'I should live what I preached. If I believed in Christ resurrected from the dead, then I have nothing to fear.'" There is a beautiful article on this hopekeepers group leader with the Cincinnati Post.

Do you know a woman of worth who is making a difference?

L'Oreal is now accepting nominations for women you know who has a record of exemplary service within her community and the community at large and is aspirational and inspirational to others. Click here to nominate someone who inspires you!

Find a Therapist

Beliefnet.com has a new "find a therapist" tool where you can submit your preferences, such as the faith and gender of the therapist. Chronic illness/pain is also listed as a specialty you can request your therapist to specialize in.

Special Thanks To. . .

Christian Literature editor of BellaOnline, Diana Pederson, wrote magnificent reviews for some books by Lisa Copen. You can read about Beyond Casseroles and Why Can't I Make People Understand here or Mosaic Moments here.

Chronic Babe founder, Jenni Prokopy, had a contest and gave away 5 copies of our book, Beyond Casseroles, to the winners. She asked people to, "think about the most thoughtful or creative way someone has helped you. Describe what they did, and how it made you feel. Provide as many details as possible." You can see the winners here. (Read more about Chronic Babe below - we love it!)

Lisa did a 10-minute interview last month with Salem Radio News Network. We hear it's airing "here and there" (one of our devotional writers heard it on his local Christian radio station!). It's sure to get Rest Ministries some great exposure. SRN News is the only Christian-focused news organization with fully-equipped broadcast facilities at the U.S. House, Senate, and White House manned by full-time correspondents -- ensuring timely, on-the-spot coverage of breaking news.

The American Academy of Pain Management posted an article in their ezine about our press release (below). Special thanks to Ada who forwarded this to us so we'd know!

We recently sent out a press release!

How frequently do the chronically ill attend church? May 2, 2007--In a survey of six hundred people done by Rest Ministries, a Christian organization that serves those who live with chronic illness or pain, 44.4% of the respondents said that they attended "less frequently" since being diagnosed with a chronic illness. Read the rest of the story

 

 

*** Do you remember the survey we asked you to take last year? 600 of you responded and out of that survey we have about 15 press releases of interest regarding chronic illness awareness coming soon. Watch for them and be sure to participate in future surveys! It helps us GET MEDIA ATTENTION - and increase the awareness of illness for both medical and religious professionals. It was the reason I was interviewed on Salem News Radio :) ~Lisa

• Or you've been "Around the World in Thirty Minutes" with CNN's Headline News 57 times in one sitting.
• You have a panic attack in public and say, "Praise God this is only the fourth one today!"
• You're invited to the wedding of the gal who works at the hospital lab.
• You're child thinks watching you do injections of medication is "cool."
• You have a flashback and don't know what happened and can honestly say, "I don't know where I was or
  what I was doing but I'll make something up if you'd like."
  --------------------

  Reprints are fine if this footer attached:
  Reprinted with permssion of Lisa Copen, founder of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awarenss Week, See www.invisibleillness.com - Copyright 2007

• Faith helps!
  
  A new survey finds that 85 percent of U.S. doctors believe religious faith can help patients have a good outcome.Researchers polled 1,144 doctors for the study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, The Los Angeles Times reported. Only 1 percent said they believe religious faith and spirituality have a negative effect, while 2 percent said it has no effect and 12 percent said they think the positive and negative effects are balanced. Asked about their own religious beliefs, 54 percent said they think God sometimes intervenes to help patients, 28 percent do not and 18 percent are agnostic.

A survey found pain relief is the number one request for massage, ahead of stress reduction and relaxation.

Two-thirds of the therapists responding to the survey indicated more than half of the treatments they provide are for pain relief, while the other third of therapists indicated more than half of the treatments they provide are for stress reduction and relaxation.

• High Health Costs Hit U.S. Women Harder

"American women are more likely than men to go without needed health care, because they can't afford it, a new report finds," reports Health Day News. The study, which is available online, was released by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation advocating for improvements to the U.S. health system, and prepared by researchers at the National Women's Law Center.

• Jody McBrayer leaves Avalon due to health issues
  

After nearly 12 years with award-winning vocal group Avalon, founding member Jody McBrayer will step down due to health issues, according to the group's label, Sparrow Records. The group, though, will continue to record albums and tour nationally. Currently, McBrayer is in the studio recording his last record with Avalon, which is slated to release this September. McBrayer will travel with the group through the end of the year on its 40-city fall tour.

In March, McBrayer was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although manageable, the heart condition often affects an individual's ability to undertake physical work, Sparrow Records said. After prayer and discussions with his family, doctors and the members of Avalon, McBrayer decided to resign from Avalon to focus on his health and his family's welfare.

“I am saddened to see Jody leave Avalon,” said Avalon's Janna Long. “He has walked this amazing road with me from the very beginning. And while we will all miss him tremendously as an outstanding vocalist and friend, I know it is in his best interest to step down and take care of himself.” Visit his web site here

• New TV Program Features Impact of
  Hope on Chronically Ill

Hollywood Reporter has announced a new medical drama based on The Anatomy of Hope, a book by author Dr. Jerome Groopman. Groopman's new book, How Doctors Think has just been released (Editor's note: I thubmed through it at the bookstore the other day and it looks interesting!) According to sources, there promises to be a great team working on the HBO production of The Anatomy of Hope, including Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams as producer. Tom Schulman, who won an Oscar for Dead Poets Society. The series will focus on the affect of hope in seriously ill patients and promises to be "quite a show." The former ABC TV series, Gideon's Crossing, was based on two of his previous books. See Dr. Groopman's web site here.

• Heart surgery with a guarantee

  A Pennsylvania hospital group is offering a 90-day
  guarantee of workmanship for surgery. Geisinger Health
  System is charging a flat fee on elective heart bypass
  surgery and offering 90 days of follow-up treatment. The
  hospital said it won't charge the insurance company if a
  patient suffers complications or has to come back to the
  hospital. Since the experiment started in February 2006,
  patients have been less likely to return to intensive care
  and spent fewer days in the hospital, Geisinger said.
  The program is called ProvenCare.

* As with any health information you receive, check with your doctor before
taking anything. No information provided by Rest Ministries is meant to be health advice.

Sign a petition! ... of The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD)

It is aimed towards the 2008 presidential candidates. PFCD is a national coalition committed to raising awareness of the policies and practices that improve health and reduce health costs through more effective prevention and management of chronic disease.

The Petition to the 2008 Presidential Candidates states, "We, the undersigned, are concerned that our nation's health care system does a better job taking care of us after we are sick than it does keeping us healthy and preventing illnesses... We ask that you, as a national leader and possibly the next President of the United States, join us in supporting health care and other public policies that proactively address this crisis.

---

Autism Speaks has created a music video of the Five for Fighting song, "World", which features images of autistic children and their families. It is a truly moving video and was the work of Bill Shea.The band is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks for each time the video is viewed - the funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal. http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/213154

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  You are reading a page of hopenotes, the online supplement to hopekeepers Magazine.
  See the home page of hopenotes or Rest Ministries web site. Copyright 2007, Lisa Copen