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6 Amazing Benefits of Getting Older!
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that people almost expect me to dread my upcoming birthdays. They hesitate to ask me how old I am. They joke that I’m turning 29 again. And if they do know my age, they may even comment on how old I’m getting. As if that was a bad thing. Something to be dreaded. Or even feared. Even my son one day joked that his dad was getting old. And I piped up saying, “So what?????” And he didn’t know how to respond to that. Because our culture teaches us that getting older is a bad thing. And I think sometimes we don’t even question…
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How to Live with Bipolar Disorder
By Meghan Villatoro Learning you have an illness is never easy. Finding out you have a mental illness, like bipolar disorder, is no exception. Some people become discouraged when they are given a diagnosis. They don’t like being labeled or are concerned they will be judged. For others, putting a name to how they feel can be a relief. It’s hard when you don’t know why you feel the way you do, so being able to learn about your illness can bring a lot of answers. Like all illnesses, learning how to live with bipolar disorder brings its share of challenges but with the right help and support, someone who…
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Why Laughter is Medicine for the Soul
By Wendy Wallace Have you ever noticed that amid life’s greatest trials, God has a way of slipping in unexpected moments of joy? He does what any good Father would do. He gives us the tools to take our minds off the pain and sadness and redirect our minds to better thoughts so that we can have the peace of God that we so desperately seek. This is why laughter is medicine for the soul. We often wonder why we are such emotional creatures. But we were created in the image of God. We have emotions because God has emotions. He gets angry and feels sad. But He also loves…
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10 Helpful Tips for Living with POTS
By Tara Johnson Are you living with POTS or care for someone who lives with POTS? Let’s dig deeper into the term that is more than a tool for cooking in the kitchen. POTS is the acronym for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It is a form of Dysautonomia which is an imbalance of the Autonomic Nervous System. POTS is tested by the Tilt Table Test, or informally called TTT. The Tilt Table Test must raise your heartrate over 30 points in order to accurately diagnose POTS. Most people have a feeling of malaise. They do not know exactly what’s wrong, but they just “don’t feel well.” And the average diagnosis…
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How to Overcome Trials in Life
By: Katherine Brey There aren’t many things in life that are certain. However, trials are a certainty. They are unavoidable and unpredictable. It isn’t a question of IF . . . but of when, where, and how. Trials come in all shapes and sizes, singular or multiple. You may have heard the saying, “Waiting for the other shoe to drop,” indicating that someone is anticipating their subsequent trial. At one point or another, while walking through our adversity, we are bound to ask why. Yet, what we may not ask is whether a trial is necessary. Some of our trials are self-inflicted through careless living, bad choices, or an opened…
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11 Uplifting Prayers for Hope
By Ufuoma Fijabi Have you ever been in a seemingly hopeless situation? No answers in sight. No glimmer of light. And it feels like you’re sinking deeper into the darkness. The truth is that life will always have its highs and lows, and there will always be those times when hope seems distant. I like to think about the woman with the issue of blood in the Bible and how hopeless her situation was. There had been endless medical visits with no hope in sight. She was drained physically, and emotionally and eventually was labeled as an outcast. This was her story until she heard about Jesus and his healing…
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Understanding the Power of God’s Love
By Dawn R. Ward Do you remember the day you received your first love letter? Maybe in the third grade, you blushed upon opening a Valentine’s Day card sent from your secret admirer. Your first recollection of a love letter may be when a seventh-grade wannabe boyfriend hastily scribbled a heartfelt poem on scrap paper before slipping it into your pocket. Perhaps you first felt love’s affirmation as you read the words “Will You Marry Me?” written on a scroll and trailing behind a plane thousands of feet in the sky. Maybe your wedding vows, lovingly written by your partner and recited on your special day, are…
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Prayer for Despair: Uplifting Prayers for When You Feel Hopeless
By Hadassah Treu Do you need a prayer for despair? Unfortunately, nearly all of us have struggled with despair in certain life moments or seasons, feeling hopeless and overwhelmed, or in a dark place. I’ve also had my desperate moments. The moment when I learned the chances of becoming a biological mother were practically zero. The day, when I found out that even with a donor egg, I was not pregnant. The countless minutes, days, and months in between. The moment when I learned that my father had a stroke that left him paralyzed and bedridden for the rest of his life. The days when I saw him slowly deteriorating…
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Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?
By: Sara B. Anderson, M.Div. J.D. On May 23, 2024, a young missionary couple were leaving church on their orphanage compound in Lizon, Haiti when suddenly two gangs breached the gates. They bound and beat the young husband before ransacking the premises. Managing to get untied, the man led his wife and another missionary to a nearby house where they barricaded themselves inside. There, the husband called his father who had founded the mission. “Dad, something is going on.” The couple didn’t make it out that day. Gang members killed them along with the orphanage director. Davy and Natalie Lloyd had only been married two years. Despite the…
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16 Soothing Prayers for Healing and Hope
By: Arrica Hess One of the most helpless feelings in the world is when someone in your life is hurting and knowing you can’t stop the pain. Hurt comes in many forms: physical, emotional, and spiritual. For me personally, I know I am deeply burdened when one of my children are sick or are emotionally hurt by a friend or another family member. I would give anything to make it go away. We’ve all been there both personally and on behalf of others. We say, “The only thing I can do is pray.” The truth is that prayer is the MOST you can do. When we pray, we are asking…
