Jesus Christ – Page 16 – Jesus is for the Wounded

Christmas Letter 2013

Published on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Linus from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" — Linus from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

December 2013

Dear Family and Friends:

This past year proved to be another wild ride at our home, filled with adventures both good and, well, the other one!

Steve discontinued his Winter Shooting League commitments to be home with his beloved wife early in the New Year. Two Fort Wayne event planning committees benefitted from Steve’s expertise running canoe and kayak racing competitions, held this summer. His kayak racing (K-1 Unlimited) went well again for his fifth year racing in the U. S. Canoe Association circuit here in northern Indiana. Participation in the USCA national meeting as a delegate and a respectable finish in the USCA Nationals were additional highlights this past year. And while threats of layoffs continued at Exelis (formerly ITT), the Lord preserved Steve’s work again; it appears that the engineering contracts will continue for the next three years. Yes!

Steve’s leadership and dedication to the Lord played out in continued work on the Missions Board at Harvest Fellowship in addition to weekly Bible and worship services. I appreciated the weekly gift of a CD of the pastor’s message as my worship became more homebound due to the older conditions of our church building. While I dreadfully missed the fellowship of our church home, I am grateful for the uplifting Bible teaching and first-hand account of all-things-Harvest when Steve came home with his play-by-play Sunday updates!

The biggest adventure of the year was the remediation of our home for mold between January and March. We had just returned from seeing family and friends in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina in January when it became clear that there were mold spores throughout the house that were causing significant compromises of Julie’s health. After extensive testing and prayer, we discovered that mold had developed in the air return area underneath a bathroom cabinet. Julie stayed in a hotel for 76 days, most of them with our dog Elle while Steve ran back and forth between home/hotel/work. Steve’s daughter, Christina, was finishing a furlough with us before returning to Thailand this Spring. I thanked her for coordinating some of the clean-up efforts and navigating the flooring replacement project that included the entire house. To say it was a major undertaking for all of us would be putting it lightly! We are grateful for the Lord’s provision and guidance . . . and to be back home! We are home except for Christina that is: she is pursuing her work in linguistics and as an Intern Coordinator in Thailand.

Quick update: Patrick and Kate celebrated Jackson Rees’ first birthday this past September at their home in North Carolina. We unfortunately were unable to attend due to my illness but wait with great expectation for their return visit to Fort Wayne this Christmas. Rebekah is now finishing her first semester at Vanderbilt University in Nashville; international education will be the focus of her Master’s degree. And Daniel continues to thrive as a Corporal in the Marines, based down the coast from Patrick in North Carolina. We are delighted to host him and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Posey, for some Christmas celebrations here real soon.

And for me, well check my blah, blah, blog for the hairy details! (www.justjuliewrites.com) I continue to battle the complications of a serious illness. Recent new treatments are providing promising results and I must say that we see the hand of God guiding me and Steve through this often difficult journey – with some moments of sweet tenderness that probably could not have come any other way. I am also grateful for two projects: my online jewelry business (www.trinityjewelrybydesign.com) & eBook (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/371334) that have kept me sane when tempted to feel discouraged. There is hope and I see it every day in the face of my Jesus and heart of my beloved Steve.

So we hope that you will be encouraged this Christmas: the Creator King is on the throne and is ready for us to celebrate His birth in just a few days. The love and hope of Jesus Christ makes the difference to hearts and minds surrendered to His care. He does it for us. How about you?

Merry Christmas,

Steve & Julie

Give the gift of compassion

Published on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Know someone battling a serious illness and want to give them a meaningful and encouraging gift this Christmas? Give the gift of compassion and a copy of

Hope Beyond Lyme: The First Year

Now available from Smashwords.com and Amazon.com!

Now it’s available in 9 different formats so you don’t even need an eReading device to download your copy for just $2.99! To learn more go to: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/371334 and be sure to click the “Give as a gift” link from any book page. Smashwords will email it to your loved one immediately upon purchase. If you would like it to be a surprise instead be sure to put your own email address where indicated, print it out when the order is complete and hand it to the person, well personally!

For Amazon Kindle shoppers, head to: http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Beyond-Lyme-First-Year-ebook/dp/B00G9WF1RK/ref=la_B00GAOAOI8_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386631580&sr=1-1

Discover from a fellow sojourner, my most meaningful and encouraging moments to share vignettes of understanding with your loved one battling a serious illness. There is hope and with faith in God, we will find the true meaning and source of that hope.

Thank you, Gentle Reader, for helping to make this project possible! Just Julie

So much to say, so few words

Published on December 6, 2013December 6, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded2 Comments

Taking a cross country trip this past week when weak was an optimistic undertaking. Of course there were trials and ongoing mayhem. And in the midst of it all, there were unexpected blessings too.

Relax, I won’t go on here with a long blah, blah, blog about our recent 3000 mile journey from Indiana to Texas and back! I’m sure it will unfold in the days and blogs to come. Let’s just say that overall, the dog had a great time! She played in the wide open spaces of my sister and brother- in-law’s 5 acre ranch teasing the Golden Retriever, taunting the snarls of the old Chocolate Lab, and skirting the advancement of Armani (the spirited mare and companion of Buddy, pictured below). Our pup Elle looks depressed at home alone today. I must say that I understand completely.

Today begins the first day of a new treatment regime for a serious systemic infection. As you can see by the time of this writing, I have avoided my second dose for a few hours now. Sish. I’m such a weenie sometimes. But hey, can you blame me? After 2 years of promising treatment approaches and wretched responses to virtually all of them, I am less than brave anymore. So in a few words as promised: I’m leaning on the Lord today, grateful for surviving 8 days away from home with some precious memories as a bonus, and slowly getting all of the laundry done. The rest of the last bag of Beanitos chips is well on its way to my tummy as I say goodbye to one of my few remaining treats to prepare for Candida warfare. From here and for at least the next month, I’m hitting this beast head-on. The first few days are usually the hardest. So what: it’s time you met your match you fungus among us!

My spiritual preparation comes from the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4. My prayers are for merciful endurance, victory, strength for my husband, and glory to The King:

⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Seeya when I can. Take care all, Just Julie

Me thinks the lady dost protest too much

Published on November 3, 2013November 3, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded1 Comment

According to Wikipedia (and who can argue with the Big W?) The quotation “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, act III, scene II, where it is spoken by Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. In Shakespeare’s time, “protest” meant “vow” or “declare solemnly”. It also means that she is promising too much. Well I don’t know about the Queen but this lady is going to take it literally: I think my posting about illness is getting to be too much!

So I must digress for a moment into another topic altogether. You see, the failing of dealing with chronic illness (defined as that which lasts more than 6 months) is when the diagnosis becomes you. When I start to use words like, “my Lyme disease” or “my mold illness” then I am beginning to affix a permanent label to myself: a new identity as a sick person. Sure, I am a person with a serious illness. Yet if I am not careful, I will develop such a strong identification with the role of “sick person” that it will be difficult to embody or identify with other roles and activities in my life. It could be difficult to identify with healing when it comes; that would be bad! The tendency when wearing the “hat” of a disease too well is to talk about symptoms or treatment all of the time. I could constantly be complaining about the daily headaches and pain, difficulty concentrating, or pre-tic phenomena, etc. And if I do that, I simply won’t be much fun to be around. I will find myself alone more of the time and I’m already alone a lot!

So I must make a conscious effort, beginning with those closest to me, to focus on him or her and other things no matter how benign the topic. Gotta start somewhere! I can always find something to say about our cute pupster, the mail that came that day, or something for which I am grateful. I can always lavish in the goodness of the Lord, Jesus Christ and how he has given me a warm, pretty home in which to reside. I can always be grateful for the healthy food that is available to me in our smallish town from both local farmers and chain grocery stores. (For example, have you seen the great prices on organic, free range chicken thighs in the Family Pack at Wal-Mart?) And when in doubt, I can even brag about making it to Level 102 in the Facebook game Pengle. Hey, what else am I supposed to do when spacey at 2:00 a.m.? The game is not that easy and it’s kinda fun too!

One of my favorite topics is my husband Steve. He is an amazing man. Steve begins his day with an extended time of prayer before taking care of our dog and getting ready for work. I am often sleeping or returning to sleep as he is leaving for work; we chat by phone sometime later in the afternoon. By that time he has designed a cool aspect of a weather satellite or test instrument in his role as a mechanical engineer for a world-wide firm. At lunch he cycles. Yeah that’s right. Most of us take bike rides. Not my Stevers. He is a competitive athlete to the core even during his lunch “rides” where the guys crank out 20 or more miles, averaging 19 or so miles per hour most days of the week. Then on Tuesday nights during the warmer weather and most weekends until the St. Joseph River freezes over, you’ll find my River Bear in his kayak-on-steroids. Steve races in the United States Canoe Association circuit (K-1 Unlimited class) here in northern Indiana and at Nationals every year. His two little ditties are 21-foot carbon fiber surf skiis that weigh in at around 23 pounds each! The Epic V12 looks like a Tomahawk missile on top of his stealth fighter Dodge Magnum low rider transport vehicle. Then there’s the multitude of service activities to our church including worship, Bible study, and fellowship. It’s amazing that there’s any energy left when the dude returns home. Yes, there is energy left for me, with hugs and tenderness too. Even at midnight when I’m not doing so well on a work night.

USCA Nationals 2013: Steve racing the Mohican

I love Steve with all my heart. It’s a privilege to be his wife, a blessing from the Lord. I have never felt so loved, so cherished, so respected, and held in so high of esteem by anyone at any other time in my life. His sense of humor, common sense, and Godly wisdom enrich me immeasurably. He is often my “Jesus with skin on.” Thank you, Jesus for blessing me with an amazing man of God.

Ladies, amazing men do exist! Can you see one important reason why I strive with what little strength I have these days to be the best woman I can be? Sometimes all I can do is make my man his lunch . . . at 3:00 a.m. in the morning before I finally make it to bed. So I make it the best lunch I can possibly muster with my Heavenly Husband holding me together until it’s completed. Then the dog gets a scratch behind the ears and it’s time to collapse into whatever the darkness may bring. At least I know as I close my eyes each night that this lady has “professed” her best culinary care and it is not “too much.” I’m hoping it’s just right!

Oh my Heavenly Father, thank you for my beloved who cares for me and my heart in this life until we both can be in Your presence forevermore. And if it is your will Lord, I ask to be able to be with Steve a little more as husband and wife, sharing the joys of life and being together. Thank you for helping us to find some sweetness despite this season of illness in my life. Thank you for Your provision and helping me, helping us to endure this difficult journey. You have sustained us, carried us over and over again through much uncertainty, false hopes, unexpected setbacks, and complications. While all this is true, You have also allowed others to see You here and there when we somehow got it right. Oh Lord, I pray that we continue to be a worthy steward of all that You allow in our lives for Your glory alone. Thank you for a better afternoon and evening today. I love you too. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Spring and Fall

Published on October 31, 2013October 31, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

My body will tell you tonight: it’s quite an accomplishment to finish our Spring and Fall yard clean up projects all within 24 hours! Whaaat? Such is life these days. All completed just in time for the long soaking rain storm outside my window as Winter approaches . . . the maiden tulip bulbs are going to be real happy in their new home!

I am exceedingly grateful to be functioning somewhat better despite the ongoing noxious episodes that occur most days. Then there were two noxious-free “holidays” within the past four days. THIS IS HUGE GUYS AND GALS! I haven’t had more than a one-day break per week since living in the hotel at the beginning of the year when we were remediating our home for mold. Looks like the IV magnesium treatments (counted #20 today) and sugar/sweetener-free cholestyramine are beginning to work a wonder inside of me. I am grateful and humbled.

Despite all of this good news for some reason I needed to cry a bit today. This year has been especially traumatic. When I’m in one of those hour-long to several-hour-long episodes my ability to think and reflect is gone. My mind is blank. No processing occurs of what is happening to me. I have heard patients with dementia describe his or her mind this way. There just aren’t any thoughts. Gratefully I do not have dementia. I often wonder, however, if there will be synaptic damage from the almost 2 years of seizure attacks. Then again, maybe the neurons just needed a little Spring cleaning, resetting, and the like. Anyways, I believe that to grieve the loss of my health is, well, healthy. Perhaps it will pave a comprehensive path to healing?

The end of Psalm 139 reads:

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.

I have heard an application of this passage that it can describe the need to reflect upon and grieve a past trauma as part of a God-honoring healing process. The Lord knows me and my circumstances in addition to the outcome. By opening my mind and heart to His merciful grace under the shadow of His wings, I will find rest. I have prayed many times to “get” the purpose of all of this suffering and wondered if I was “there yet.” I asked my husband Steve, my God-honoring spiritual leader, if he thought there was anything I was not seeing. Was there some sin or character flaw that required repentance? Steve was gracious when asked these questions. We both saw the little lessons and unexpected blessings that were the “silver lining” to this illness. We have not become embittered. We have drawn even closer together and to Christ. Whew. Thankfully.

Blogging started as online journaling and has become so much more. I do hope that my writing will be used for God’s glory and point people who are going through serious trials, to the person of Jesus Christ. To the Gentle Reader out there, you have also helped me find a plan and a purpose for this time in my life. The process has become as meaningful as the lessons learned. One lesson learned yesterday: don’t leave a wheelbarrow full of mulch out in the yard! Put it under the covered porch. Six times it got rained on and rained in. Geez that was one heavy wheelbarrow!

A little humor helps fer shur. And my Stevers is a great model of the value of silliness in the middle of the crap-o-la-ski. (You were missing my Polish, I know, so here ya go!) Thanks for hanging in there with me. Wish I could hug ya, eh? :J