20 Illness Topics for Invisible Illness Week Online Conference

We hope you will join us during some of the seminars for
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week starting tomorrow (Monday, Sept 14)

All times are pacific time, USA
Listen here http://www.invisibleillnessconference.com

Find out all information , speakers and more at http://www.invisibleillnessweek.com

Feel free to pass this along! (In fact, we’d LOVE you to do so!)

SEPT 14

MONDAY – 9 AM
Understanding How we Uniquely Deal with Difficulties in Life
Georgia Shaffer

MONDAY – 12 PM
Finding Health Insurance Coverage with a Pre-existing Condition
Jennifer Jaff

MONDAY – 3 PM
Super Foods for Super-Natural Health
Joanna Faillace

MONDAY – 5:30 PM
Hearts of Gratitude and Joy
Maureen Pratt

SEPT 15

TUESDAY 9 AM
Coping with Chronic Illness in Your Marriage
Bill & Pam Farrell

TUESDAY 12 PM
Coping with Crises on Top of Chronic
Jennifer Saake & Lisa Copen

TUESDAY 3 PM
How to Start a Business When You are Chronically Ill
Kirsten Borrink

TUESDAY 5:30 PM
To to Be Announced
Kelly Rouba

SEPT 16

WEDNESDAY 9 AM

It’s OK to say NO: Building Healthy Boundaries
Jenni Prokopy

WEDNESDAY 12 PM
Parenting When You are Chronically Ill – Chaos and Confessions
Dena Dyer, talking with Lisa Copen

WEDNESDAY 3 PM
Simplifying Your Home and Housework
Marcia Ramsland

WEDNESDAY 5:30 PM
Real Talk About Men and Chronic Illness
Jeff Kenyon

SEPT 17

THURSDAY 9 AM
Find the Job You Desire and Can Do
Rosalind Joffe

THURSDAY 12 PM
When Your Child is Chronically Ill
Jolene Philo

THURSDAY 3 PM
Managing College with a Chronic Illness
Lynn Royster

THURSDAY 5:30 PM
Helping Others Understand Your Pain
Karen Richards

SEPT 18

FRIDAY 9 AM
Applying and Winning Disability Assistance When You Are Chronically Ill
Scott Davis

FRIDAY 12 PM
Being a Teenager with a Chronic Illness
Naomi Kingery

FRIDAY 3 PM
Surgery Preparation
Curtis Dean Hall

FRIDAY 5:30 PM
Closing workshop
Lisa Copen and guests

Rest Ministries Sponsors 5-Day Virtual Conference Online

SBWIRE – SEPT 14, 2009 / Nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA live with a chronic illness and about 96% of these illnesses are invisible.* Rest Ministries, Inc., the largest Christian organization that serves the chronically ill, and an affiliate of Joni Eareckson Tada’s International Disability Ministry, is encouraging those with illness, friends, family, caregivers, and churches to get involved in their annual outreach, National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 14-20, 2009.

In addition to churches having outreach events for those with chronic conditions, Rest Ministries organizes a 5-day free virtual conference with 20 seminars that can be attended via one’s computer and computer speakers. Seminars are on a variety of topics including marriage, parenting, starting a business, how to apply for disability and more—all when you live with a chronic illness. The seminars are held via Blog Talk Radio and listeners can call in through their phone line with questions.

Well known Christian authors who will be presenting include:

• Bill and Pam Farrel, best-selling authors; The Marriage Code (Harvest House, 2009)
• Naomi Kingery, author of Sugar Free Me (Xulon Press, 2008)
• Dena Dyer, author of Mothers of the Bible (Barbour Publishing, 2009)
• Georgia Shaffer, author of How Not to Date a Loser (Harvest House, 2008)
• Joanna Faillace, Certified Biblical Health Coach an author of Super-Naturally Healthy Families Cookbook Devotional
• Lisa Copen, author of Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend (Rest Publishers, 2008)
• Maureen Pratt, author of Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness (Galilee Trade, 2005)
• Jennifer Saake, author of Hannah’s Hope: Seeking God’s Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage and Adoption Loss (NavPress, 2005)
• Marcia Ramsland, author of Simplify Your Life (Thomas Nelson, 2004)
• Jolene Philo, author of A Different Dream for My Child (Discovery House Publishers 2009)

Lisa Copen, 40, founder of Rest Ministries says, “Many Christians may have a solid walk with the Lord, but the emotional roller coaster of a chronic illness and its constant progression can leave them feeling alone and misunderstood. They are hanging on by a thread and being told they look fine and should just make themselves get up and go to church only adds to the isolation and bitterness of others ‘not getting it.’ The emotional scars can be harder to cope with than the actual illness.”

Copen, who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia since the age of twenty-four, ended up in the hospital for a week last fall fighting off the flesh eating bacteria in an ankle wound. We never know what the next day will hold,” she explains. “It is so important that there is good communication between those who are ill and their loved ones, as well as the church body.”

Did Copen’s circle of friends and church come through for her? “It was an enlightening experience,” she says. “Although I teach others to ask for help, I found out how difficult it is. And then when I did ask for help, I experienced what it is like when you fall through the cracks and everyone thinks someone else is providing both the practical support as well as emotional encouragement.”

Rest Ministries extends their outreach about invisible illness awareness to churches, providing materials to start up HopeKeepers groups, books, cards, tracts, etc. About 96% of those with illness may appear perfectly healthy on Sunday mornings, but may struggle to get out of bed the remainder of the week.

Ken Chambers, Director of Church Relations at Joni and Friends International Disability Center, says, “It is vital that Christians understand the emotional and spiritual trials of those with invisible disabilities, as well as those with visible disabilities. I encourage church leaders to take advantage of the wealth of resources at Rest Ministries and to participate in the National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, which they sponsor annually.”

One can get involved by joining the hundreds of bloggers who are writing about illness in the next few days, by joining the cause on Facebook, and most especially, by tuning in for the conference. All seminars will also be recorded and archived.

See www.invisibleillness.com for more information or www.restministries.org for the sponsor of this event, Rest Ministries.

*Source: Chronic Care in America, U.S. Census Bureau

Related articles by Zemanta

• Can Those with an Invisible Illness Park in the Blue Spots Without Others Seeing Red? (invisibleillnessweek.com)
• Twitter Updates for 2009-06-05 (invisibleillnessweek.com)

Christians with Chronic Illness Blog Carnival #2

Welcome to our second issue of Christians with Chronic Illness Blog Carnival. What is something you miss since you have had your chronic illness/pain? How have you been able to adjust and accept the fact you can no longer do “it”? What new hobbies or activities have you found you enjoy that somewhat replace what you lost? What has your family missed concerning your illness and how have you found a way to change the way you do things so you can still participate in family activities?

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 >> read more

More Newsletters Coming Soon

Hi, Friends!

Life has been a bit crazy as usual and though I was committed to the newsletter, time got away from me. Then I started reading the statistics and saw how few people actually received the ezine (past all those spam filters) and then what percentage read it. Well, not only was I in over my head with my time commitment, but it wasn’t even reaching you.

I totally understand your limitations in reading every email that you receive. I delete ezines I’ve subscribed to sometimes because I don’t have time to read them and if I don’t soon my inbox is over 500!

Plus, in the age of Twitter, I’ve (sadly) grown accustomed to explaining myself in 140 characters or less. This isn’t alwasy a good thing, and yet, if I can try to be precise and manage my time better, I can get back to my real love — writing. I have a mom book in the works that I would really love to finish up!

And yet, there is so much great information I run across on the web. Health/illness resources I want you to know about, inspirational videos, encouraging articles, etc. What’s a gal to do?

Well, my answer is that I am condensing the newsletter to one kind of tip or article or book review a week. That will be sent to you via your subscription that we use through GetResponse. If you aren’t sure if you are signed up, go ahead and click here and if you are already signed up, it won’t sign you up again.

Then as I come along news about Rest Ministries or ministry web site, health sources, etc. everything else will get posted on MY BLOG at www.chronicillnesssupport.com. You can click this link right here and get whatever I post in an email and if it doesn’t interest you delete it right then and there.

You won’t have a long email that you have to decided to read or delete, or take up space in the meantime. More things will be in one place and I hope I can keep better track of it all too that way!

Sound okay?

I hope you will find this helpful! And don’t forget that we have lots going on now with preparations for Invisible Illness Week plus our new Christians with Chronic Illness Blog Carnival.

As with any information, I know it won’t all apply to you all the time, but I hope that you have a chance to glance at the topic matter and then when you meet someone who is going through a difficult time or if you are in need of encouragement, you will remember something you read that you will come back to now.

God bless,

Lisa Copen

Inspirational Quotation – Purpose of Life

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived
well.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Story – Missionaries in Kenya

Richard and his wife Selpher are Pastors and Missionaries in Kenya. They are on our mailing list and have offered great prayer support for Rest Ministries despite their own challenges. Richard recently wrote to me (Lisa) when he received the first new issue of hopenotes… I encourage you to visit their web site and read more about their ministry. There are also some wonderful photos of their ministry. I asked him to share more about what is going on in their lives so that we could pray for them as well. His response is below.

Dear Lisa,

So sorry for the sickness [you have experienced]. We have been remembering you in our prayers– as our prayer team is always in prayer for all saints and the prayer requests sent to us every Saturday.

We had wondered as to what happened to hopenotes as they have always encouraged us. I have been busy all through due to the refugees in our church that came ranning for help when we had trible clashes here soon after the presidential elections were announced last year on the 30th December 2007. God has been good to us as we have in this time of trauma had to believe God for victory.

God bless you and look forward for your kind reply to us.

Pastor Richard and Selpher,
http://www.thekingsrings.com/kings_pages/richminsterchristian/

==================================

 

Dear Lisa and friends,

Greetings from Kenya again! It may have taken some time to reach to you again but I just wanted to let you know and celebrate with us the victory and miracle the Lord has done to our family during our time of silence. You may understand that Kenya has been facing some great difficulties and civil wars have been the talk of Kenyans and the whole nation had been immersed in the fire of conflict due to the disputed presidential election results that were announced on 30th Dec. 2007.

The story of Kenya falling apart was that top story to almost every country’s newspapers, radios and church pulpits in the whole world. During this time, the house we were staying in was set on flame the day we were at the church holding the Sunday services and we lost all things in that fire. Praise God that our family was protected by God. A few of our friends were told of this story but we withheld it from others. Soon after things had began settling down, we had to get to the bank and the bank gave us a soft loan and we bought a small farm in Bungoma city. We had to construct a house and now we have moved in there.

After the conflict we learned a lesson of staying amidst your own people, the people of your own language, as Africa is full of ethnic wars. This is a true story in Africa for due to many tribes and the colonial government divided the lands in tribal basis, when they went back the governments that took over after them again favored their own people–chasing people in a place and forcing people of their tribes there– so this is a continuous problem in the African lands.

One lady called Indira Patro, a friend whom we have known for sometime, sent us some funds to begin constructing at home. The Lord told us not to build at home and we kept the few materials. When we got the land, we had to get the materials to be used in this construction.

As I write, I have a prayer request to bring across for your prayer. I have two children born to me Blessed Richard and Gifted Richard. Schools have opened and now other children have gone to school and cleared their fees but mine are still. Since I relocated to the new home, problems have also increased due to the loan one of it is paying fees for over five orphans and now my little children.

Soon after relocating, we have been shopping for a good school and lastly we found one and they need Ksh 34,800, we have paid Ksh8,000 and now we are stranded on how to get the Ksh 26,800 to clear the fees now that we have been give a grace period of two weeks. Please remember us in prayer in this area. We believe prayer moves any mountain. Pray for us believers.

Pastor Richard and Selpher

HopeKeepers Magazine is Back!

HopeKeepers Magazine has shipped!

It has shipped! Over 4000 issues went out to subscribers, doctors, counselors and 6,000 arrived in Lisa’s garage yesterday afternoon. We are excited to be ‘back in business!’ To our subscribers… your overwhelming patience and encouragement while we waited until we could afford to go to print is appreciated more than you will ever know! 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 on in you envelope.

To find out more see http://www.hopekeepersmagazine.com

HopeNotes is Back… and Weekly!

You are receiving our ezine!
In our book –this is actual news. We’ve moved back over to ‘Get Response’ so people with aol, yahoo, hotmail, etc can actually get our ezines. It was frustrating to not be able to reach nearly half of you last fall. And we’re going to do our best to make this a weekly issue. Which also means you won’t be overwhelmed with tons of information each time! We hope you enjoy it.