hope – Page 39 – Jesus is for the Wounded

Where does my hope come from?

Published on August 14, 2013August 15, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

From where may I find timeless truths that can transform my weary frame, my broken heart and mind? Let’s see, for that to be true, the truths manifest in words would have to be true for all people at all times. The only place for such divine work is from the scripture of the Bible that was, is, and forever will be. (For: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1.)

I pray that you will find comfort, hope, and peace among these passages. Some verses are for instruction, some for encouragement, some are promises, and some simply convey that the Lord understands and cares for our life experiences. Some will also have greater meaning when taken in context of how they were written. I encourage you to go to the Blue Letter Bible for the context of each passage and for more explanation or “commentary.”

May your heart be filled this day with the love, peace, and joy that comes from God Himself as He reveals Himself to you! :J

And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. John 16:32b

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

He does not forget the cry of the humble. Psalm 9:12b

I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation (i.e. comfort). 2 Corinthians 1:7

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:19

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing palms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:13-16

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

He does not forget the cry of the humble. Psalm 9:12b

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble, You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear. Psalm 10:17

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

I have set the Lord always before me; Because my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices, My flesh will rest in hope for you will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16: 8-11

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. Psalm 41:3

Offer to God thanksgiving. And pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Psalm 50:14-15

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ. Phil 4:19

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite sprit. Psalm 34:18

“My grace is sufficient for you. For My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:1-4

For with God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37

Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 14:10

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness And comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise You — And your faithfulness, O my God! Psalm 71:20-22

For further inspiration you might enjoy listening to Praise you in This Storm by Casting Crowns.

And then there was a better night

Published on May 22, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Unbelievable! To fall asleep without being tazored by seizure attacks. To wake up without over 15 minutes of tazoring. To start the day with just a trace of a headache. To get outside and work in my garden in the morning! To be looking forward to an afternoon nap in anticipation of a gathering with some friends at the home of one of them on a lake. For this to come together on a beautiful day.

Yes, praise be to the Lord. The last 12 hours have been relatively great. Thank you Jesus!

VIP New Treatment Tracker: Day 1

Published on May 1, 2013May 1, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

With the rather loud barking of our pup, the mail lady delivered the foam cooler today containing vasoactive intestinal peptide. Wow. It is here!

I quickly gathered myself together with a quick prayer, reading of the instructions, and sipping some water before ceremonially administering the first dose. A quick spray in one nostril delivered 50 mcg of VIP in a stable saline solution. It must be stored in the refrigerator so I found a special spot for it shortly thereafter. Here we go again on another great adventure: another promising new treatment approach to lessen the burden of recovery from Chronic Lyme Disease and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Like Mach I with your hair on fire, no?

Within an hour I had a slight runny nose that quickly resolved. No problemmo and this could be expected from a nasal spray. The stress of it all brought fatigue so a nap will follow shortly. Then maybe I will shower for the day. It is beautiful outside today after all.

(For more information on VIP, head to the References section of this blog.)

My Lord goes before me this day and always. To Him be the glory for the results of this new treatment approach. He will be the author of the story that will follow, not the pharmacy, doctor, nor myself. He allowed me to stumble upon this information again and participate in my LLMD prescribing VIP for me. Thank you Jesus for preserving my mind this past year so that I could respond when a new modality presented itself. Thank you for continuing to lead me, walk with me and see that this whole ordeal not be wasted. There are many blessings You have brought me despite the dark days that began October 11, 2011. Your light is forever before me no matter the outcome. Lord help me keep my eyes fixed on You. And if it is your will Lord, heal me.

In Jesus name, amen. Just Julie

New Treatment Approaches on the Horizon

Published on April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded2 Comments

I’ve been back in our home from a for just over a month now and generally feel better. We remediated our home for water damage and what turned out to be a minimal amount of mold. My noxious symptoms were better when I first came home and as of last night, they are much worse. May I explain?

While our home is as clean as it can possibly be, there are always multiple factors, internal and external to address when battling chronic illness. I was staring at the ceiling praying one afternoon this past week after a series of low grade seizure attacks for which I could not identify any particular trigger. The bedroom window was slightly open for fresh air and I had not changed anything recently in my diet, supplements, or Rife treatment programs. I talked to the Lord, praying, for a long time. Not sure how to describe what followed: a suspicion that the lingering yeast infection may have a role in the severity of my ongoing symptoms.

So I did what any dutiful patient would do, I called my husband at work! Well that’s probably not the best use of his employers time; it was the sweetest voice in the darkness that I could find at the moment. Steve looked up “yeast infection and seizures” and found a connection. We hypothesized that the yeast has crossed the blood-brain barrier, contributing to this seizure-like complication that has remained elusive. I knew that I had an undiagnosed recurrence of a urinary tract infection as well, again! (Labs results are pending.) Geez, what if there’s yeast in there too? Other lab testing has already showed that candida is still in my digestive tract. All this seems impossible with my limited diet: no sugar to feed it and several rounds of treatment in the past!

I do not consume added sugar in any foods; no desserts, sweeteners, 1/4 serving of fruit every other day, and only limited servings of gluten free grain carbohydrates. But there are sugars listed on the labels in some of my pharmaceutical-grade, doctor-recommended, and biomeridian-tested supplements. Oh my! At first, I felt betrayed. How could my healthcare practitioners who recommended these supplements and all of the foods that I was consuming not see that there still might be a problem? The feelings didn’t last long as I decided that I need to get to work FAST. These seizure attacks have gone on long enough. IT HAS BEEN A YEAR!

Turns out there are 8 grams of sugar in the daily dose of the powder probiotic I had just restarted. Turns out there were hidden sugars in other supplements and even the 4 ounces per day of coconut yogurt I enjoyed that is labeled as “plain.” Tuesday was a wretched morning after a nice dinner the night before with friends. Further investigation found that my dinner included a smaller-than-usual serving but slightly sweetener form of coconut yogurt, the 1/4 serving allowance of fruit, plus the probiotic later that evening. I did not usually have all of these together on the same night until then. Later in the week, my LLMD said that when the reaction is delayed until the next morning, it might be due to the fermenting of the sugars and yeast. When I woke up and got moving on Tuesday, the seizure attacks could have been triggered by the combination of activity, increased heart rate/blood flow, and the yeast having a party in my brain. I was ripe for an attack, literally.

I may not have all the details correct on how this all works. I don’t need to have it down exactly to know what to do! Immediately I replaced the probiotic; checked the ingredient label for all of my supplements and made adjustments; abandoned the plain coconut yogurt; and cut out even complex grains to one serving or less per day. Within a day I started running anti fungal and Candida programs on my Rife machine. Guess what happened? I felt worse. The first part of today was a nightmare. Is this what they call a herx reaction (i.e. symptoms caused by the toxins of dead organisms before they can be flushed from the body)? Who knows. I have to restrict my diet further anyways. This is still war. I am fighting for my brain and when I cannot breathe in the middle of an attack, it feels like I am fighting for my very life.

Steve wondered today if another factor to consider are changes in barometric pressure that occur when it’s stormy outside. Further research shows that persons with epilepsy and migraines often can have setbacks with changes in barometric pressure. Gratefully, I don’t have epilepsy. Only problem with the weather connection is that there is nothing a person can do about the weather! (We sang a song about this in Mott High School Chorale. All we can do is “just complain!”)

So the illness profile that is Julie is a nightmare these days with some nice moments occasionally! Everything appears to have the potential to trigger a pre-tic state or a full blown seizure attack; these generally come when falling asleep or waking up in the morning. Yes, it is common with Lyme Disease to have numerous noxious symptoms that change at will and vary with each individual. The LLMD has added the diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome to the mix which describes the sickness that can follow after exposure to water-damaged buildings. Fibromyalgia came as a diagnosis in 1992 with chronic pain and issues with fatigue. While I have had many very happy and active days over these past 20 years, the clinical picture has gotten quite complex of late. Thankfully, there is a new approach on the horizon: VIP. Here’s the latest research:

http://www.survivingmold.com/docs/VIP_published_3_2013.pdf

I’m not the kind of person that sees a T.V. commercial about a new drug and goes to the doctor demanding that it be ordered for me. This time, I have pursued VIP after seeing this new research and talking with another person online who has benefited tremendously. VIP stands for vasoreactive intestinal peptide, a naturally occurring hormone in the body. My LLMD recommended it to me a year ago and we were unable to find it in the United States at that time. I now fit both the research protocol and the compound pharmacy protocol I found online that issues VIP in the United States. I really want to try it and am hopeful for some relief of these complications of illness.

I’ll write more about it as the order is processed Lord willing this week and as I begin treatment. The average time for a person to notice a benefit is two months. Sigh. Regardless, I am looking forward to trying this new treatment approach, now that there is reasonable clinical indication that it could help me.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I’m lying low this evening after “doing it sick” today and baking some treats for others who have helped us so much this year. If you are nearby (and you know who you are!), feel free to call me for a tasty treat. Or maybe I’ll see you on Thursday with my plate of cookies for the National Day of Prayer remembrance at our church. I do hope I make it this year . . .

Did She See Them?

Published on April 27, 2013April 27, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded2 Comments

In my weakness, it is the Lord who helps me think of others not me! Many times this is a blessing for both of us. Today, this is my test of faith.

I am grateful to finally get the thank you card together for the staff of the hotel that we stayed at during the remediation of our home this past Winter. Now it’s time to bake lots of cookies and deliver them at the staff’s shift change for maximum sharing of the goods. Hey, I don’t want any of these fine folks to be left out! We’ve been back in our home a month and I still remember their kindness that cannot go unnoticed, even now that life has gone on . . .

If I am guided by the Holy Spirit to serve or give to someone else and I let it go by, then I am probably too preoccupied with the stuff of my life to focus on anyone else. When that happens, it is a sad moment indeed. I could easily make an excuse that would sound legitimate with how I feel these days. But that would be cutting out the strength that the Lord adds when I am too weak to do anything. If He gives me the insight that I need to reach out to someone else, do something above my abilities, give more than I feel comfortable, then He will also provide the “goods” needed to complete the task. He leads us unto good works as an outpouring of His Spirit in us, sometimes as a manifestation of our spiritual gifts and other times by His grace as noted in His Word:

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3b

If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11

“And Jesus, looking upon them, saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27

I see that following His lead is for my good as well as it brings me close to Him:

Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (NIV).

I may feel like crap yet I know from my experience of this past year that if I just start in the right direction, He will be faithful to help me complete the work to which He leads. When the task is completed, the next step, perhaps a more difficult one begins. Yeah, letting go of the results, the human need for appreciation and recognition is a tougher one for me.

Such is the case with the red tulips. I don’t really know if she ever saw them, planted for her back in time. After all, she has her own calling and tasks to complete. Sometimes it hurts for my sacrifice of precious time and energy to go unnoticed. It hurts even more when it is repeated and that largely comes when I haven’t gotten it right the first time, trying something again and hoping for a different result the second time. In the Twelve Step program, they call this “insanity!” Expecting different results is also magical thinking and rarely helps in reality. There’s so much more missing in this relationship with this gal than red tulips. Flowers simply may not have been on her radar at all. Lord, help me let this ol’ memory go.

The Lord sees my heart and always notices. He notices every time, perfectly, on time, and in my personal heart language.

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians

So Lord I pray that You:

²³Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139

Bring my motivations to light and help me to serve others in the language of Your heart not mine. Lead me in Your ways, strengthen me in my pajamas, and let any light that may shine on me be for Your glory alone. Thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, teaching me, guiding me. For the glory of Your name Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.