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CONTENTS
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QUICK
REFERENCE TO OUR WEB SITE
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 News!
News! Where do I start? There seems to be so many exciting
things going on around here that I just love to see how
God is somehow keeping a bit of sanity within the ministry
even when I fee like life is a bit out of my control.
I feel
very blessed to be able to do what I love... and that is
to do anything to reach out to more people who have a chronic
illness and get them plugged in. Plugged into something
that will encourage them and lead them to the Lord--or closer
to the Lord. Because only then can we find comfort in knowing
things are under His control if not our own.
I won't
get into details here but be sure to check out my blog for
a few things:
-
I updated a bit about my personal life, including some
health struggles my son is coping with. If you're interested,
I covet your prayers.
-
I recently had the opportunity to go up to the new building
of Joni
and Friends International Disability Center, since
Rest Ministries is an affiliate of Joni and Friends. I've
posted
a bit about my trip and many photos of the beautiful center.
On a
personal note, please keep me and the ministry in prayer.
Oct 27-28 I will be in Pasadena for the Joni and Friends
International Disability Ministry Summit. I have the wonderful
opportunity to lead a networking group Friday night and
speak Saturday about INVISIBLE disabilities and chronic
illness to church pastors and staff. My husband and son
will be traveling with me and my mom is flying down from
Oregon. Between all of us we hope to cover the exhibit table
the 2 days, entertain Joshua, and have something God-ordained
come out of my mouth that will impact people.
Traveling
is always difficult physically, as is stamina for these
events. Please pray that God provides supernatural strength,
an ability to sleep well, and that people are responsive
to our message. Oh, and that we make it through the LA traffic
without any mishaps!
On another
note... hopekeepers Magazine is getting back on schdule
and I will let you know when it ships so you can watch for
it. I am finishing up the editing now. And we've got our
podcasts nearly ready to go with a whole new line
of HOPE ENDURES fun stuff--- even Christmas
cards! So read on! I've put my heart and sleeping
hours into this ezine to hope it encourages you! I pray
that God blesses you richly and that you see how God can
make miracles out of total messes (like my office or my
body!) Never give up hope!
Lisa
Copen
Rest Ministries Founder/Director
Are
fonts too small on your screen? If you have Internet
Explorere go to "view"-"text size"-"largest"
or see Ability
Net for more details.
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Did you
know Rest Ministries now has it's own publishing branch? You
can visit the web site at www.restpublishers.com.
And 3 of our books (Mosaic
Moments, Why
Can't I Make People Understand and Beyond
Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend)
are now available through distributors such as Ingram and
Spring Arbor.
What this
means is you can walk into any Barnes and Noble, Borders,
or your local Christian store and if our book isn't on the
shelf, ask them to order it.
And here
is a hint... even if you have it... if you want to buy one
for a friend, just tell the clerk "how wonderfully helpful"
it is and suggest they may want to order two or three instead
of just the one for you.
This is
how it works... and this is how Chicken Soup books have sold
millions of copies. So any way you can humor me to help us
get the books out there is appreciated!
We're
also a member of the Christian Small Publishers Association
and the Evangelical Press Association.
hopenotes
took a hiatus while we published the UPDATE for Invisible
Illness Week, so the last time I checked in with you I was
excited to be going to the International Christian Retail
Show. Here is one of my favorite photos of me and my friend
Allison Bottke (but don't you hate posing with a former model
who always looks graet?) Allison does all the God Allows
U-Turns books.
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 We're
continuing to get rave reviews on our powerful little
book, Beyond
Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend.
Our
plan for 2008 is to have this book available as a "promotional"
item, meaning groups like the Arthritis Foundation or
churches, etc. could order them in bulk with the choice
of a cover, their own logo and endorsement on the back.
This is a great gift for their volunteers!
If
you know of someone we should contact, please email us
their contact information and when we get going on this,
we'll send them information in 2008.
>>>
As a subscriber of this ezine you get to have
access to the first 40 pages. You can download
it here or open
up the pdf file of it here. (Wow! Pass this link on
to friends who may also be interested!)
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Special sauce, lettuce, cheese on
a. . .pumpkin?
Here's an idea for all of you who aren't feeling creative
with your gourd! (Guaranteed to score a few points with
the kiddos) |
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No trip
is complete to ICRS without getting one's photo with Veggie
Tales (I had to have a good reason to tell my son why I
was gone for 5 days.) And yes, that's me actually getting
to SIGN books for people... I even had a line! (whoo hoo!)
It was very humbling... but also reassuring that so many
bookstore owners were enthusiastic about books on the topic
of illness!
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A
cool review we wanted to share!
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You
will be seeing this logo around our web site in a bunch of
places soon as we are about to start broadcasting our new
podcast Hope Endures Through Illness. You will be able to
listen to it...
(1)
online, just click the link we provide and listen through
your computer speakers;
(2) upload it onto your ipod
or MP3 player;
OR.... get this... (3) You
can call a phone number and listen to it. The only cost would
be for the call. Programs will typically run about 24 minutes
with special guests being interviewed by me (Lisa Copen).
So, stay tuned and we'll let you know when we are "live."
Look out radio world, here we come!
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REST
MINISTRIES VERY
OWN CHRISTMAS CARD!
We are excited
to offer this box of Christmas cards especially designed for
Rest Ministries with the inside poetry written by one of our
hopekeepers leaders, Alice Ervin. One box of 18 (in a cute
little box with a gold band) sells for $9.00 and any profit
will help Rest Ministries.
They should
arrive by October 31, 2007 and can be shipped to you immediately,
so get working on your Christmas card list. This is a wonderful
way to spread the Good News for 2007 while blessing the ministry
too!
Click
here for larger images
Don't forget
to tell your family and friends we will have
Christmas cards. We'll have the link up to order soon
and will let you know in a special email.
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JONI
IS COMING TO
TV OCT 19TH
We're
very happy to announce that Joni Eareckson Tada has
a new television show starting on October 19t and
airing on Direct TV (They are working on having it held on
other televsion broadcasting options.) It's a wonderful half
hour program that will leave you rivetted to your seat (trust
me, I saw one of the pre-produced programs and it was fabulous!)
...
The stories
are "hard"-- they do remind us that life is not
easy. But when people who have survived the unthinkable look
into the camera and say "God is still in control..."
Well, let's just say if you were having a bad day or wondering
if life was worth living, God could really reach you with
this TV show. ~Lisa
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 hopekeepers
Magazine Update--Yes! We were caught up...and then
our designer lost the whole thing in a lightening storm. ARGH!!
She's so apologetic and working to get it back to me FAST...
You'd think I was making this stuff up, but it's really just
Satan trying to prevent it from getting out there! Hang in
there with me friends, it's truly coming soon! I just got
my copy to finish up editing and then we'll soon be on our
way to the printers. Please PRAY FOR IT all to be trouble-free
from here on out!
 Need
"Illness Stories" for Chicken Soup Book Pitch
I've decided
to pitch a book to "Jack and Mark" (the soup guys)
for a Chicken Soup for those with chronic illness. I am looking
for the "best of the best" stories to include with
my proposal. DEADLINE: 2 WEEKS, OCTOBER 26, 2007 - for details
about what I am looking for and chapter titles, see http://www.restministries.org/admin-chickensoup.htm
-- Please post this where anyone else may be interested!
Thanks for your help!
 What
does Julia Roberts, Montel Williams and and golfer Casey Martin
have in common?
And why
should you care? Because we're putting together a book about
a bunch of ways friends have reached out to them during difficult
times--sort of a "Beyond Casseroles, celebrity style."
It has the working title, "When I was Blue You Comforted
Me: Celebrities Share How Friends Got Them Through Their Darkest
Moments."
We are contacting
as many celebrities as we can find, especially those who have
a heart for those with chronic illness. We hope to send them
copies of "Beyond Casseroles" and let them know we
exist (and Invisible Illness Week). If you know a celebrity
who we should contact let us know (as in, your neighbor's sister
who is a nanny for a celebrity - ha!) or if you know of one
with a health-related cause that few people know about, we want
to know that too, even if you just read it in People
magazine.
Please send
any suggestions to rest@restministries.org
. Yes, I had this idea months ago, but in light of many celebrities
darker moments like Owen Wilson's attempt to take his life,
we think this encouragment could be interesting... and... it
would lead them to Rest Ministries and people like you who REALLY
know how to fill that hole in their lives-- through Jesus!
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We
have a new Tract!
This 5.5
x 3 inch tract leads people through the challenges of feeling
like no one understands their chronic illness which is oftentimes
invisible. Based on Why
Can't I Make People Understand? Discovering the Validation those
with Chronic Illness Seek and Why by Lisa Copen
$3.00/pack
of 25 - Order
here and see a larger size
New Book
Coming Soon From Rest Ministries
 I
am so excited about a new book by our "resident doctor,"
Amy Chai, who has generously donated her entire book
to Rest Ministries. And it's GOOD. We are putting the finishing
touches on the cover and then will go to print soon. The working
title is Instead of a Thorn Bush a Cypress Will Grow: Meditations
on a Thorn in the Flesh and it has 31 days of devotionals
and questions for you to work through. Her personal story will
both awe and inspire you and she shares her own struggles on
a complicated journey of illness.
Special
Thanks To. . .
Fabulously
Forty
who
posted Lisa's article, "Can
People with Invisible Illness Park in the Blue Spots without
Others Seeing Red."
We're excited
to win "The
Hope Award" given by the IBS Tales. They are presented
to websites that offer positive support and encouragement to
anyone suffering from a chronic medical problem. In particular,
the awards recognise websites that: (1) offer
accurate information and resources for patients; (2) encourage
sufferers to search for new treatments and hope; (3) refuse
to accept inadequate medical advice or doctors who tell us to
"learn to live with it"! We're honored!
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 I
went on line looking for desktop wall paper. I don't really
know how--but I came across [Rest Ministries'] site and
have been reading it each day. I believe it was the hand
of God directing things, even on the internet, because I
had not heard of this ministry before. But I am so grateful
that you are there. I am inside quiet a bit, especially
in the winter months.I have had several back surgeries,
the most recent in 2004. I have titanium rods and fusion
in my lower back.I have had fibromyalgia for 20+ years.
Needless to say I have been dealing with bouts of depression
during all these years of pain.There seems to be no permanent
answers to this pain, but we must keep on praying and trying
different methods--knowing that God's grace is sufficient--even
though at times we feel like we don't have another ounce
of strength. He promises to hold us and remind us that He
is still in control. I am so thankful for that and to have
been led to this site where I can read the words of others
who are hopeful in that same promise. I look forward each
day to reading more from Rest Ministries."
--from a member of our RM family
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"Splashes
of Joy" Mods get together for 5th year!
Here
is a fun photo of the "Splashes
of Joy Ladies" who were at Atlantic Beach
for a get-together this summer: Nancy Brown, Sheryl
Smith, Patty Hartman, Carlene Bean, Lea McKenzie,
Kat Avery, the founder of Splashes of Joy, and Narelle
Buckman (who flew all the way from New Zealand!!).
Three of the ladies' husbands, Noval Smith, Bobby
Bean, and Mike McKenzie, were also able to come -
the ladies were the "beach babes" and the
men were the "lifeguards."
Atlantic Beach is a delightful spot on the coast in
North Carolina, about five hours' drive from Richmond.
Our accommodation, the Sea Hawk Lodge, was right on
the waterfront, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean!
2007 was the fifth year the Splash ladies had stayed
at the Sea Hawk.
I
feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to meet
with so many of the other moderators of Splashes of
Joy, they are all exceptional women from places like
Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia,
and of course, Australia! We laughed a lot - the sense
of humour was quite off the wall. Yes, I did participate
in that, even if only a bit.
Everywhere we went, we were telling people that we
were a group of Christian women who lived with depression
or some form of chronic illness, and it was an effective
witnessing tool. At one point, Lea said we gave depression
a bad name we were having so much fun. We walked on
the beach, ate, shopped, ate, walked on the beach,
ate, and did lots of laughing as well as the praying
and ministering to one another.
Sunday morning, our whole group met for church in
one of our rooms - 10 people altogether - officiated
if you like, by two pastor-types - Lea's husband,
Mike and Sheryl's husband, Noval. We sang some favourite
hymns, had communion which was prepared by Sheryl,
Noval shared a message about living for God in tough
conditions, and I sang 'The Holy City'. I hadn't really
sung FOR anyone, except feeding myself music in my
car, since...well, for some time.
We also experienced an amazing time of prayer, both
Sunday morning and Monday night, praying for the members
of Splashes of Joy, as well as for each of those assembled
- very special. ~Narelle
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The
patient is always right when...
Okay,
we found this on a doctor's organization's web
site. We won't blow their cover (they are allowed
to have a place to vent too.) It may not give you
a giggle, but perhaps a feeling of "I knew they
had a secret code..."
No
placard? No problem!
Just use your bionic powers to pull the sign out
of the ground and now you can park close without
the risk of getting a ticket. I actually saw this
at my local grocery store and happened to have my
camera. Hmmm...
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***
SHOPPING ***
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Did
you know Rest Ministries is fully funded through your donations
and purchases at our online store? We appreciate every item
you purchase! It keeps us going!
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 As
Thanksgiving approaches this is a nice time to reflect on our
true friends--and also think about those who we may want to
get in touch with again. This little story may "hit the
nail on the head" for some of us. It's a nice reminder
to love the ones we're with and to know when to admit we're
sorry.
NAIL
IN THE FENCE
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father
gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost
his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over
the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the
number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into
the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at
all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that
the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold
his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able
to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father
took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you
say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how
many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. "
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and
encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words
of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.
YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!
Now send this to every friend you have! And to
your family.
Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.
--Author Unknown
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| Two
conferences of interest: |
 Pasadena,
CA
Oct 26-28
Lisa is
excited to be speaking at this conference and leading a networking
group for those with invisible illness or invisible disabilities
(whoo hoo!) Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic are the feature
speakers.
Join
us for...
- 4 Powerful
General Sessions
- 26 Dynamic
New Workshops
- Open Forum
& Networking Sessions
- Next Step
Forum and Breakfast with National Disability Leaders
- Experience
a Disability Ministry Sunday
- Visit In
His Image Special Needs Ministry Classrooms
>>
More Info
Ridgecrest
Conference Center - October 25-28, 2007
A conference
for caregivers, church staff, lay leaders, and others who care.
This conference is designed to reach those who are searching
for spiritual comfort, relief, and direction as they experience
the loss, frustration, anger, grief, and hopefully, with Christ,
the joy of caregiving.
A Caregiver Symposium for Church, Staff, and Lay Leaders
October 25-26, 2007 - Ridgecrest, NC
>> More info
* 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.
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 The
Child Health Site is dedicated to funding simple and very
effective preventatives and treatments with the goal of robust
child health around the globe. Your daily click funds the administration
of Vitamin A to prevent life-threatening childhood illness and
disease as well as one preventable cause of childhood blindness;
the manufacture and fitting of children's prostheses so that
a child injured by a landmine or other accident can still walk,
run and play and still has a fighting chance to be a productive
contributor in his or her society as an adult, and much more!
When
you click, once per day, every day, you are helping to get these
types of treatments and services to the children who need them
most. On
average, over 70,000 individuals from around the world visit
the site each day to click the blue "Click Here to Give
- it's FREE" button. To date, more than 100 million visitors
have helped more than 2,161,000 children.
Have
a cause you want us to announce? Email
us your idea
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Click here to sign
up to receive an email whenever Lisa posts to her blog.
Have
you heard about RSS feeds and blogs but are still a bit confused?
No problem! Just click above and you will get an email
whenever I update my blog.
No need to do anything else!
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 Chronique
Couture was one our awesome sponsors and supporters of
Invisible Illness Week. And guess what? They are having a
sale at 40% off everything in their store through the end
of November! Have you visited their site yet? They have some
super cute "kiss lock purses: and wristlets that should
fit most diabetes monitors among other things.
The
discount code is FALL40 for the discount code field
to take advantage of the 40% off savings.
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