Hi Friends,

I hope that the flowers of spring are blossoming out in your neck of the woods. Here is San Diego even the roadside wildflowers look like purple snow.

It's been an interesting week, as my sister came for a visit from Phoenix a few days earlier than expected. After moving from Washington to Phoenix for a new job in the hotel industry, her position was cut because of the economy. We're providing a pull-out-couch and hopefully some encouragement, while she looks for a new position and closes on a house which is in escrow.

My friend, Shelley, called me with a scripture to encourage my sis. Psalm 37: 3-7: "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways."

This is a nice reminder for each of us to remember God is always in control. Despite man's intentions or decisions that cause us harm or even just poor circumstances, God is still in control. And the day will come when our righteousness will shine. I know many of you are in the midst of struggles: with your family, your medical insurance, and even your body. My prayer is that this verse will comfort you too.

May you feel His peace,

Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries Director and Founder

hopekeepers Magazine Updates
Just to inform you...

• People are just starting to receive their magazines (bulk mail takes forever!)
• If you ordered them in bulk for your church, I sent them out this week
• If you are an author of an article, they were sent last week;
• If you are a foreign subscriber, they are being shipped today.

Wondering if an issue is heading your way? You can click here to see. If you want one and aren't on the list, you can get one by ordering anything in our store (even a $.50 item) and we'll stick one in your envelope.

Did you know our web site has hundreds of pages of information? Lisa is nearly done with a complete overhaul of the web site and we'll use this place to let you know about pages, articles and other resources you may not even know exist on our web site!

"How Has Your Illness Blessed You?"
When Rest Ministries Sunroom member, "Tammohawk" asked this question in the Sunroom, little did she expect to quickly have 40 replies.

Ann says, "I have so much more grace for people! Little things just don't annoy me with others much anymore. I realize how life deals everyone difficult circumstances, and my heart is softer towards others."

Leslie says, "More than ever before, Heaven has become a reality I look forward to...not that I want to get there a minute before my appointed time, but the thought of a pain-free heavenly body gives me a thrill!"

Brenda shares, "It's drawn me int to a deeper relationship with the Lord, provided me opportunites to be a tool to testify for Him and given me a renewed purpose for staying alive. My illneses have made me more sensititive to others and there illnesses. (More understading of others and their needs)."

Angela admits, "I watch the news in the morning and I thank God that I do not have to drive the 28 miles on the I-565 Winston 500 speedway."

Donna says, "I've learned to 'let go' and not try to be a control freak! I can do things at my own pace, spend more quiet time with the Lord and have been more available to my grown children and parents, as best I can. God has raised my husband up and he has been wonderul and supportive. I can find unique ways to witness at the grocery store, pharmacy, post office, etc."

Be sure to visit our Sunroom to join in for some excellent discussions!

We need your stories! We know many of you have shared them with others in different areas of our web site. Please share a bit about yourself, what illness is teaching you, your struggles, whatever!

> Click here to submit your own story

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:25

Encouraging Blog from Pastor
One of Lisa's favorite books ever is Keep Believing by pastor Ray Prichard. Now you can read his blog and hear more of his encouraging words. An excerpt:

What do you do when you don’t like the circumstances of your life and it seems as if those circumstances aren’t going to change anytime soon? The answer is that God doesn’t look at your circumstances the same way you do. You don’t like where you are, and you wish you were somewhere else doing something else. And you may be in a bad place in part because of your own foolish choices. And God says, “You are where you are because I put you there.” That’s huge! That’s the whole point of the story.

Is Your Gas Tank Running on Empty?
Your gas tank that is! With rising fuel costs (pushing nearly 4 bucks in San Diego) we're all trying to avoid that filling station as long as possible. But just how long is too long? Find out how far your car can go after that little red fuel light turns on at Tank On Empty.

Does Your Doc Want to Start You on a New Drug?
Wondering if he'll get points towards a vacation if it's the newest drug on the block? Visit Pharmed Out. It is an independent project run by physicians for physicians and other prescribers. They document and disseminate information about how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing; Provide access to unbiased information about drugs; Encourage physicians to choose pharma-free CME. It's led by a team of physicians and academics and is contributed to by a diverse group.

A few thank yous from you!

You can not imagine how [your daily devotionals] are helping me to change. Thank you for hearing God's calling in your life. It will be nice to meet you in heaven some day. -Suzanne

I've been reading Mosaic Moments every night at bedtime and then again in the morning as part of my "quiet time." Thank you so much for your ministry that has given me hope and lifted my spirits when I've been down, and that has been happening often lately. I have Sjogren's Syndrome, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis of multiple joints and there are very few days that I am ever without pain. As I read these devotionals I'm encouraged by the spirit and attitude of the writers and remembering these words has helped me through many days of discomfort. -Nita

> Have something silly to share?

People are always asking, "How can I help Rest Ministries?" With the internet, it's easy to help spread the word. With just a few of us working together to write a review someone or "Stumble Upon" an article, Rest Ministries can gain tons of exposure without having to spend a dime! We'll share a suggestion here each week, where if you can take a minute it will help us reach more people!

Last week Erin shared how she found us: "I was surfing the web on a night when I felt so alone in my pain and illness, and found your video clip on YouTube. Then I went to your website and ordered your book. The week I received the book and started to read it, I also decided to join a new disabilities support group at my church, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, here in Chandler, AZ. To my surprise they were using your bible study book When Chronic Illness Enters Your Life. I was so amazed that God works in such interconnected ways in the lives of so many. So thank you so much for your ministry. We have an amazing God!"

You may have read above how Erin found our ministry through YouTube. Isn't that kind of cool? If you could head on over to our video at the YouTube web site and write a brief review about Rest Ministries of our video, that would be great! It helps us rank higher when people put in certain key words. Who knows how many other lives we can touch through the video. Thank you!

We had 21 people respond to our question last week, "When you read that celebrities 'beat their illness' how do you feel? Inspired or disheartened?" You can still respond here!

Last week's winner for a free book is Kim R at email raleymike.... We'll ship it right out!

We loved your honest comments! (And could relate to them too!) Here are a few (in different colors).

"When you read that celebrities 'beat their illness' how do you feel? Inspired or disheartened?"

I feel annoyed. What that seems to indicate to me, when folks say that, is that everyone with an illness has a 'choice' to beat the problem, or be beaten by it.

I can choose how I'm going to respond to the feelings I have about my illness/disability, but I probably had no choice in my body getting the illness or disability. I also probably have little choice with whether my body will ever totally overcome the problem in this lifetime.

Why someone heals and others don't, has been and still is, beyond the knowledge of mankind. Only God knows. What I do know is I can choose how I live with what I have.

If healing comes, I'll praise God. If it doesn't, I hope I continue to praise God. But when I hear people say, with such 'pride' that they 'beat' an illness, it seems to insinuate others are doing something 'wrong' if they don't 'beat' theirs. And I should 'listen up' to find out what secret they did, so I can get it 'right' and 'beat' my problem.

I don't believe that for a minute anymore, though I used to.

Okay, confession time. I feel incredibly angry. Part of it is that I am sceptical that they never had the "full blown" illness and part of it is just plain anger that what worked for them has not touched my pain. I want to say "I am taking 150mg of morphine a day and still hurt so shut up" WOW I can't believe I really said that. These commercials seem to evoke negitive emotions that I don't usually feel. I much prefer turniing off the TV and getting on with my life.

Disheartened because every time someone else "beats" their illness, it reinforces the belief that my illnesses are really fake and if I just did whatever (whoever) did, then I would "beat" mine too. This is particularly bad with my husband, who doesn't believe my illnesses are real to begin with. He constantly tests me, trying to see me slip up and show that I'm faking it. I'm not faking anything.

We'd love to feature some of these comments on our newsletter blog page, but need some help with posting them. Anyone want to volunteer for this? Let us know!

Take the Poll - you could win a prize! We'll announce the weekly winners here too.

Have You Found a Secret to Weight Loss with Illness? "Extraordinary Health" is a new television show featuring the ministry of Jordan Rubin, the popular Christian health and wellness expert and author of The Maker's Diet. It began airing on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) March 24. Hosted by America's Biblical Health Coach Jordan Rubin, the series will focus on his successful weight management program Perfect Weight America (also a book) as well as highlights of his bus tour to more than 200 cities. Extraordinary Health with Jordan Rubin features interviews with guests who have succeeded with Rubin's Perfect Weight America weight-management program. Guests share tips about how they overcame common weight control dilemmas and learned how to eat more organic, living foods to nourish their bodies. The show is called Extraordinaory Health: Change Your Diet, Change Your Life, Change Your World PS: Although we usually avoid books that claim "Bible cures" we've found Jordan's material to be helpful and it acknowledges that we can all live "as healthy as possible despite illness." After trying more than 70 alternative nutritional therapies to treat "the worst case of Crohn's disease his doctor had ever seen" he changed his diet to whole foods consumed in Biblical times. We've found his books to be more "health-oriented" not "cure-guaranteed." Have you found a weight loss program that has worked for you despite having a chronic illness and perhaps being on "weight-gaining" medications? Will you share your story and tips with us? > Answer

Did you know we really need your prayers? In the last few months we've had volunteers who have suffered heart attacks, lost their home, lost a loved one, had additional illnesses diagnosed and more.

Our ministry is blessed, but at the same time we have computer crashes, administrative issues and all kinds of things that just remind us that though God is in control, the enemy desperately wants to slow us down! We have a great list of things you can pray for us about for 2008. Print it out here and stick it in your Bible or on your fridge, and remember us, okay? It's very appreciated!