Tired and depressed
#13465 - 07/08/03 09:24 AM
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Corinne
Reged: 05/19/03
Posts: 202
Loc: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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I just need a place to rant a little I guess. My son (18 months) has not been sleeping well lately (he's taking Ventolin for his asthma) and as a result I'm not sleeping so have had more attacks than usual lately. I'm D and sometimes pretty severe. I'm afraid to leave my house even to go into the backyard some days. I haven't taken my kids for a walk in three weeks when I had a bad attack while walking to the 7-11. Thank God they had a bathroom even though I almost didn't make it. I ended up stopping at my brother's house and waiting till my husband could walk home and get the car and come and get me. Just before that I had had 2 weeks with no symptoms. Now it seems like every other day is questionable.
I'm afraid to go out so I'm not getting my walks in although I am doing yoga every night (well some I just can't manage it due to being out or whatever). I'm using Imodium when it's really bad and I have to leave the house for whatever reason. I'm a mom so I don't have to go out to work and am eternally grateful for that. Sorry to ramble but there is no one I can really talk to here. My husband is VERY understanding but he doesn't have it so can't really understand. I'm feeling kind of lonely I guess. I have a friend with IBS but we haven't really sat down to talk about it as usually our kids and husbands and others are around and it's not exactly something that is usually discussed in regular (HA HA) conversation.
I am also getting depressed at the thought of my period showing up this week. Our church group is planning a three hour drive to the lake and spend the day there. My husband can't come as he has to work and I'll be driving with some friends and their kids. Then church on Sunday and I am helping with worship.
Sorry this is so long. I'm feeling really sorry for myself at the moment and afraid. I'm going to make a more concerted effort to get my walks in or start an aerobics video but it's hard with kids and I don't want to lose too much time with my husband in the evenings. Any advice from anyone would be helpful. Thanks. 
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Hang in there -- just remember, this is a bad spell, and it WILL get better. If you're feeling really depressed, would you consider going to talk to someone, a counselor of some sort? I have found it immensely helpful (I have terrible D as well, and am currently unable to go to work because of it, so I know how depressing it can be).
Also, you didn't say in your posting -- are you taking some kind of soluble fiber? Citrucel or Metamucil? It is absolutely essential. Immodium is good for emergencies but isn't, of course, a long-term solution.
A
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I am taking metamucil on a regular basis. I hate having to take the Imodium but at least then I'm not chained to the bathroom all day. Thanks for your support.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Corinne, your post reminded me of some of my worst days and I know just how you feel. I also think you must be a Christian from some of the things you posted, and I am one, too, so I will tell you something that has been incredibly encouraging to me this summer concerning my IBS. I was completely overwhelmed, terrified to leave the house, fearful, discouraged, and had "lost heart" in April but decided to spend the summer spending as much time as I could studying passages in scripture about fear, anxiety, the Lord's provision, peace in the midst of trials, yieldedness, and health. I am still studying, since it's still summer, but am beginning to feel encouraged and at peace for the first time in a very long time. If you're interested I can share what passages I have studied this summer. It really helped me to focus on Christ's adequacy for all our needs, and if you are a believer it will be an encouragement to you as well, I'm sure.
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Thank you! I am a believer. You are right about that and I am quite a young Christian. I have attended church for over 10 years but just one year ago truly found Jesus. I would love to hear which scriptures you are studying. I make time each day for the Bible but I don't make enough time to study it the way I want. Please share them with me. The times I am most at peace is when I am helping to lead worship at our church. Each day I get closer and closer to Jesus but when these times occur I feel that He is so far away. Thank you! Your words have already brightened my day! 
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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I saw on one of the other posts that your AOL chat name is atalantask. Is that correct? My chatname on AOL instant messenger is manyinmans. I added you to my Buddy List. It would be great to be able to chat back and forth through IM about this and to encourage one another easier.
Let me find out from you what Bible study tools you have, since you're a young Christian. Do you have a Strong's concordance, a lexicon, or a Bible handbook? What translation are you using for your daily bible study? Is it a translation you can easily understand?
The passages of scripture I have worked through for the past two years have had the focus, first of all, of getting to know the Lord. You can't deepen your relation with someone unless you really know them. They can't be your "ever present help in time of need" if you don't understand how they think, and what they want, and what their goals are. Some of the passage I have used for deepening my knowledge of who the Lord is: studying the entire book of John, one chapter per week, Psalm 23, 27, 103, 145, 139, 107, 1 John. Of course, this list isn't exhaustive. I'm still studying and working on knowing Him better.
My focus this summer has been on fear, anxiety, trials, and yieldedness to God's will for my life because of the panic attacks and fear I have been suffering from due to my IBS. I needed to find how Christ could meet this need. Could He really BE my ever present help in time of need? I decided conversing with the Lord about this would be my top priority of the summer, so was spending two to three hours a day in the early part of the summer. Since I was terrified to leave the house, I figured it was a good use of my time. I am getting victory over the terror, am still studying 1 - 2 hours a day now, and am really deepening my walk with the Lord.
Some of the questions I wanted to deal with this summer were: Why is God allowing this to happen in my life? What good can He be intending from this since we know as Christians that all things work together for our good (Romans 8: 28-39)? Can I place myself in a position of yieldedness and trust His sovereignty? As a believer you know these are weighty issues that are where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Does our faith have answers we need, or not? What I found was, it does indeed have answers we need in crisis.
I started into 1 Peter 1: 1 - 13, which lead me to study faith and trials since they are both addressed. What role does faith play in how we interpret our trials? Where do we get our faith to believe that God will cause all things to work together for our good?
To study faith and trials in more depth, I moved into Hebrews 11 - 12:15 where I gleaned wonderful, encouraging truths. I looked at Heb. 10: 19 - 23, and Eph. 2: 8 - 9 using my Strong's concordance, lexicon, and bible handbook. I found so many answers during this phase of my study on what I am to meditate on when I am afraid ("fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith".....Heb. 12:2). I dug in deep with the Lord about my lack of trust during all the trials that had set off the IBS in the firstplace, and really came to some new understanding.
Then, I moved into a study of the word "believe". Do I believe what I should? What do I believe? Here I spent time studying specific things Jesus said to His disciples when they were afraid He couldn't take care of them. All the instances when they were afraid involved times that Jesus told them they had "little faith" when they should have trusted Him. I discovered Jesus wanted His disciples to "cry out" to get immediate help in dealing with their fear.
These passages I studied were Mark 9: 14 - 30, Matthew 17: 14 - 20, Matthew 6: 19 -34; 8: 23 - 27; 14: 22 - 33; 16: 5-12; Luke 12: 22 - 32: John 10: 10.
I then moved on directly to handling anxiety. Of course Philippians 4: 4 - 9 is the passage that comes immediately to mind concerning this, so I studied it in depth. I hadn't realized until I did this study that a key phrase for coping with anxiety is "The Lord is near", which is planted right in the middle of that passage. Do we always remember that He is near, right here, completely aware of our trials? Indeed, crafting them to make us into the people He wants us to be.
I then studied "potter and clay" passages as a follow up, moving into the area of yieldedness: Ephesians 2: 8 - 10 (not stopping at v. 9), Romans 9: 21, Isaiah 64: 4 - 9, Proverbs 3: 5 - 12, Luke 12: 18 - 21, Isaiah 8: 11 - 13; Jeremiah 5:3; 32:33, James 1: 2 - 4.
Now I am in Psalms 34 and have been seeing over and over again what you discovered while leading worship. There is power in praise. After Psalm 34 I am moving on to Psalm 37.
There are probably two years worth of Bible studies here. This is a slow process. It takes us a long time to re-train our emotions which have been habituated to fear. At the same time, I am focusing on implementing all the dietary principles from Heather's book. You have to address both body and soul. If you address the whole of your self you will get better. God is with you.
I'd like to chat and talk with you as you go through these scriptures if you decide to walk your way down this path. It has been worth every single hour I have invested. Applying the dietary information and changing how I eat and planning ahead has been worth it, too. I am feeling encouraged for the first time in many, many years. God bless you, Corinne, you are not alone.
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For starters thank you very much for your words of encouragement and your passages and advice. I have three or four bibles in the house some that are moderately good and some that I can readily understand. I also have the Bible Reader's Companion.
I hope to get a start on that very soon. I usually study my bible in the evening once my kids go to bed.
The chat name is actually for MSN Messenger as we no longer have AOL. We had it for awhile but we got highspeed from our local server. Sorry about that. Feel free to write me at home though. my email is: cbrownlee@sasktel.net
I have to stop there as my kids are yelling for me but I want to read through your post more carefully before I truly respond. I just wanted you to know I've received it and am looking at it.
Thanks again. It's nice to know I'm not alone. God be with you.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Oh, my, what a blessing! Corinne and busymom:
I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord seven years ago - and I've been struggling lately. Your posts have dovetailed with where I am. I've been asking the Lord to bring me back to my first love, to that time when I would rather be with Him, immersed in His Word, than anywhere.
I'm recuperating from a total hysterectomy for endometrial cancer (no symptoms, the Lord just prompted me to ask for an extra test that my former gyn did! If I hadn't had the test, the cancer would have continued to grow, undetected, for who knows how long? No more treatment needed! Praise Him!) And, I started a new job right before I was diagnosed - very stressful training and I just found out that I might not get the job permanently because of missing four weeks due to the surgery. So, I've been very, very tired lately and a little depressed and anxious. When my study Bible became too cumbersome for me recently, I went back to my Women's Devotional Bible to find the topics I wanted to read about, such as fear, trust, obedience, then read the corresponding Scripture passages. Then, when I realized I still wasn't being consistent in setting aside time, and was just so distracted, I found a Daily Reading Bible (not sure that's actually the title - I left it at my mom's today) which takes you through the Bible in two years. I don't have to depend on a reading plan - it's already divided into daily sections of both OT and NT, with meditations and prayers. It's easier to "stay on track" right now with this plan, and get back to some discipline. I could also recommend the New Believer's Bible as a very user-friendly edition - it's well organized and has Biblical principles and "stepping stones" throughout - very helpful even now! I miss the days when I didn't have to work, when I could unplug the phone and just curl up with the Word. I have two concordances (my uncle recommends Strong's - but I couldn't figure out how to use it at first - it helps to read the instructions at the front!) and Henrietta Mears' "What The Bible is All About". But one of the most helpful "quick" references for me is Nelson's "New Illustrated Bible Dictionary." It's just wonderful for getting insight into the culture,customs and geography of Biblical times and for mini-bios on the people of the Bible. It has photos and maps, too. These are the kinds of things that I put on my birthday list!
Besides His Word, God has blessed me with a church full of wonderful, mature, unselfish women who have nurtured me along the way! I pray that you ladies, too, have that blessing. And isn't it wonderful to be able to relate long-distance, without knowing each other? I'm always excited to meet my "sisters"!
Corinne, one of my favorite passages to use as a prayer is Colossians I:9-14. I change the pronouns and turn this into a prayer for others, but I also use it to pray for myself - to ask God to give me a "complete understanding of what He wants to do" in my life, to ask Him to "make me wise with spiritual wisdom", all the way down to thanking Him for "rescuing me.....and bringing me into the Kingdom of His dear Son." Another great prayer passage is Ephesians 3:14-21. I do this with the Psalms, as well - I pray them right back to the Lord and find immediate comfort. Do you make notes in your Bible? Some people do, others aren't comfortable with that. I love to jot a note about something the Lord tells me through a particular passage, with the date, as a sort of spiritual marker. Some passages have several dates - He apparently has to tell me more than once! Sometimes, by the Psalms, I just write, "Thank you, Lord".
I am eternally grateful that He is always near, just as busymom points out - and He goes before us and prepares the way for us, too. I pray, Corinne, that He will go before you and prepare the way for your church outing. Just a note here: the enemy loves to discourage us from fellowship - he will do whatever he can to keep us from worship or church activities, or volunteering for God's work, etc. A dear friend and prayer partner, who is very sensitive to the Holy Spirit, noticed that every month, when I had a day-long ministry commitment that required my presence - and about 200 people were depending on me - I would frequently have an IBS attack either the day before, when I was doing last-minute prep, or the day of the event. She started praying for me the week before the event - faithfully! Because of the insight the Lord had given her, and she had shared with me, I started taking Imodium a few days before the event each month and certainly on the day of the event - and this was before I was diagnosed with IBS! Take heart and remember that "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."
I'll be praying for you, Corinne. Would you be able to share your concern about the outing with one or two other friends from church so that they, too, could pray for you? It's been very freeing to me to be able to share my health concerns with a few trusted friends. Prayer is powerful: Psalm 65:5 says, "You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our Savior." He is loving, kind, compassionate and faithful to His children! Busymom, I've printed out your long post with Scripture passages - God has used you to encourage me, too!
Blessings to you both,
Kaybee C
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Wow, what a blessing, I too am a Christian, I have been for about 10 years but am struggling too with what is happening and trying to stay focussed and close to my Lord. I am going to copy your scriptures and go through them as well. It is so nice to meet other Christians on here.
Trish
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I too am a Christian and want to thank you for your words of encouragement and scripture to review. Last summer I took off 7 weeks (during the summer) because the IBS was taking control of my life and my health was suffering so badly. Through counseling I found ways to de-stress my life that I could incorporate when I went back to work. I also made a decision to leave my job w/ the State in 4 years (after I had my 20 in) and during that time I would make new discoveries about myself to determine where my life would be headed at that time. Then we were offered an Early Retirement Incentive and even tho I was too young to retire (I was 39) I did have the time in and could reap the benefits of being there for 22 years by buying 5 thru the buyout. I made my decision w/in a 4-week timeframe and felt it was the right thing for me to do. My husband didn't like seeing my health suffer, but was concerned about the financial aspect if I wasn't working. I took off a few months ("retired" 12/31/02) and really started looking for a job the beginning of April. I haven't found anything yet and am getting very discouraged. About 3 weeks ago I felt a few signs of depression start to come over me again and I've been trying to deal with that. I was very hopeful about a job I recently applied for and on Monday of this week found out it wasn't going to happen. I was shattered. After collecting myself I started thinking about how things are for me right now - feeling run down, getting sick, then having terrible attacks from the antibiotics - I realized that I hadn't been praying like I usually do. Since realizing this I've begun really trying to focus on that, but it's been an effort. Thank you for sharing your stories and for passing on the gift of Christianity to others thru your words. You have really helped me today. Thank you.
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Georgia, as a massage therapist, have you considered starting your own business?
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My email address is manyinmans@peoplepc.com . You can email me and we can discuss any of the things I mentioned in my post. I can tell you how to use a Strong's concordance, an essential Bible study tool. The Bible was written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament). Hebrew is one of the most poetic, romantic languages ever spoken. New Testament Greek is one of the most precise languages (it is no longer a spoken language). By using the Strong's concordance you can find the precise meaning of a word used in scripture. English is often inadequate for expressing what God is saying to us. For instance, in Psalm 34 the English word "afflicted" and "poor" is used to describe the person in need of the Lord's comfort, while in Hebrew, the language it was written in, the person is actually "depressed". That sure changed how I looked at the Psalm when I discovered that!
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Thanks for posting those prayers, KaybeeC. Those are the most powerful prayers! I latched onto those this last year when we studied through the epistles with a Bible study group in our home. I had somehow just read right over them in the past. Praying using the Holy Spirit's own inspired words is powerful prayer!
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Yes. I was certified in 1994 and quickly hooked up with a prominent chiropractor/acupuncturist who focuses her work on homeopathic treatment. I rented office space from her for 2 years but just couldn't get it off the ground. I was a single parent at the time and had a full time job with the State that offered great benefits and pay. I felt I couldn't give that up so could only work massage in the evenings/weekends. Her office was open M-F only and she kept telling me that she would get me the business if I quit my job and worked out of my massage office fulltime. I didn't feel I could risk not having a solid income and benefits when I had a house payment and a medical high-risk child. So, after 2 years the cost and stress of having the space just became too much and I let it go. I do work on people on an occasional basis. I know that I have a gift from God in healing people thru massage - it's just something I've always done and enjoyed, even before becoming certified. I just don't know if it's something I'm supposed to be doing to make money out of.
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You're welcome! I heard Charles Stanley give a message about the Colossians prayer, and he said that we should all find someone to promise to pray that prayer for US! Wish I had time to write more - I've been so blessed by this thread - wish there were some way we could set up an email prayer circle or a round-robin email to share encouraging passages that the Holy Spirit shares with us!
Blessings to all,
Kaybee C
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Thank you all for your wonderful words, scripture and prayers. I did go on the outing yesterday. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time. I managed with absolutely no problems and no worries. Praise God. He is wonderful. The day before I prayed and asked God to send me a sign that He wanted me there. With a beautiful day before, my kids sleeping through the night and no IBS symptoms at all I figured He really wanted me to go. It was wonderful and I can't wait till we can go again. Thank you all for your prayers. They worked. And this morning I helped lead the music at our church again with no trouble at all and felt the Holy Spirit lead me. I was able to harmonize and improvise in ways I never have before (I'm a vocalist) and it was all effortless. The Holy Spirit moved in me today and I had a great day. It's time for me to spend some time with my wonderful husband but I hope to get some time soon to let you know how I am. I will be praying for all of you that you will be blessed with some good days. God Bless.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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Corinne,
I am so glad you had a great day, God is awesome indeed! As I said before I am so glad there are other Christians on this board. It would be great indeed if we could set up a prayer/praise/talk email thing like kaybeec suggested, lets all think about it and see what we can do.
Your sister in Him
Trish
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Kaybee I would be up for that idea!
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A prayer/praise/talk email thing is a great idea. I'm so glad to have found other Christians here. I'll think on it and see what I can come up with. Thanks again for all your prayers. God truly is wonderful.
God bless you and keep you.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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My husband suggested we could all meet on MSN messenger. The service is free and we could share our online names. It shows you who in your list is online and then you can chat. We could then arrange a time to meet or just see who we run into while we're online. It's sort of like AOL Instant Messenger.
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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I am late joining this thread but wanted you ladies to know what a blessing it has been to read over, I am going to print off several of your notes here. This has been an incredible year of growth for me, as well, in my relationship with the Lord, He is using SOOO many things to humble me and teach me total dependence on Him. I am still struggling in so many areas but in the struggle am learning so much, I know it is worth it. I would love to be included in anything you all set up, I cannot imagine I would be available to chat very often as the 3 little ones are always interrupting me, but I can post and email because interruptions aren't such a problem there, I just come back and finish my thought when I'm allowed.  Email is ecmmbm@carolina.rr.com. And if you would pray for me, I am fighting a very specific battle these last few months, beyond IBS, and I am determined to overcome it but it is harder some days than I ever imagined. I am doing Beth Moore's study "Breaking Free" and it is amazing, each day is a new battle and each day God's love and mercy are new every morning. True for us all, right? Thanks for letting me share here and I look forward to studying all the passages you all have shared here.
In Him,
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Take care,
Michelle
...the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Cor 13)
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I agree with the prayer/praise/talk emails as being a wonderful idea. As Rich Mullins has sang, Our God is an awesome God!! Praising Him, sharing His Word with others, and sharing support would be a true gift. Thanks for the idea. 
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Praise the Lord! That is wonderful that it went so well. God be praised! I just got on for the first time since the weekend. It is great to hear good news!
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Michelle, Good to hear from you. Your picture is beautiful! Your baby is adorable! I will pray for you. I think for many of us there are lots of other issues that have contributed to the stress and events that triggered our IBS. I know there is for me at least. That is what sparked the summer of seeking the Lord that I shared with Corinne. I feel like I've really sought Him with my whole heart this summer and am getting some answers and comfort concerning long-term issues.
My email address is manyinmans@peoplepc.com. I have added you to my address book. I am also manyinmans on AOL Instant Messenger. I agree with you that it would be difficult for us all to be online at the same time, therefore, I have marked this string as one of my Favorites on "My Home" so I can go immediately to this discussion and add comments and hear what everyone is sharing. That is the best solution I can think of other than setting up our own chat group like on Yahoo called "Christian with IBS" maybe, but then that would limit others who are new to this IBS site from ever finding other believers who are sharing answers and help they are finding in scripture. ---Melinda
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hello , i am new to board and was wondering possibly if i have ibs , i was diagonsed 2 yesrs ago with this , i went to the doctor complaining of stomach pains and nausua. i had my gallbalddern checked and was okay , the doctor put me on benytl for pain and phrnergram for nausua, the symptoms went away and just recently came back , i have a lot of gs, pains in my stomach , and nausua, the doctoe this time put me on levisin and protonix, anyone out there that coul offer some advice would be helpful , sin, meggie 
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Hey meggie! Did you have any other tests besides the gallbladder?
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Can I just say that is one of my favorite songs?!!
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I think I will have to put that verse on my fridge. Thanks.
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I love that song, too. Music moves and inspires me, always has. Unfortunately, I've not been able to keep totally abreast of new projects by artists I love because we no longer have a Christian music station in St. Louis. My son goes to school at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. When I'm driving there to pick him up I always listen to Springfield's Christian music station. It just makes me feel so much better. I've sung and played drums in a guitar group at our church since I was little. After getting married and the other girls in the group marrying off we have kind of let that slide. I play drums in the group, so as you can tell, I've always been into music. I love 4Him, Kathy Trocolli, Clay Crosse, Michael W. Smith, Billy Sprague, to name a few, so if you know of any new projects that they have done and you think they are good, please let me know. I love the music of Rich Mullins, too. He was an amazing person from everything I've read and seen on him. Anyway, listening to Christian music is so inspirational to me and is a form of prayer for me.
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This was shared with me via email today, thought I'd pass it along. It's amazing what a wonderful Lord He is!
HOW TO FORGIVE (WOW)
One day a while back,
a man, his heart heavy with grief,
was walking in the woods.
As he thought about his life this day,
he knew many things were not right.
He thought about those who had lied about him
back when he had a job.
His thoughts turned to those
who had stolen his things and cheated him.
He remembered family that had passed on.
His mind turned to the illness
he had that no one could cure.
His very soul was filled with anger,
resentment and frustration.
Standing there this day,
searching for answers he could not find,
knowing all else had failed him,
he knelt at the base of an old oak tree
to seek the one he knew would always be there.
And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:
"Lord- You have done wonderful things
for me in this life.
You have told me to do many things for you,
and I happily obeyed.
Today, you have told me to forgive.
I am sad, Lord, because I cannot.
I don't know how.
It is not fair Lord.
I didn't deserve these wrongs
that were done against me
and I shouldn't have to forgive.
As perfect as your way is Lord,
this one thing I cannot do,
for I don't know how to forgive.
My anger is so deep Lord,
I fear I may not hear you,
but I pray that you teach me
to do this one thing I cannot do
-Teach me To Forgive."
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree,
he felt something fall onto his shoulder.
He opened his eyes.
Out of the corner of one eye,
he saw something red on his shirt.
He could not turn to see what it was
because where the oak tree had been
was a large square piece of wood in the ground.
He raised his head
and saw two feet held to the wood
with a large spike through them.
He raised his head more,
and tears came to his eyes
as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross.
He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side,
a torn and battered body,
deep thorns sunk into His head.
Finally he saw the suffering
and pain on His precious face.
As their eyes met,
the man's tears turned to sobbing,
and Jesus began to speak.
"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked?
The man answered - "yes, Lord."
"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"
The man answered - " yes. Lord."
And the man sobbed more and more.
"Have you ever taken something
from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked?
And the man answered - "yes, Lord."
"Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain? "
The man, crying now, answered - "yes, Lord."
As Jesus asked many more times,
"Have you ever"?
The man's crying became uncontrollable,
for he could only answer - "yes, Lord."
Then Jesus turned His head from one side
to the other, and the man felt something
fall on his other shoulder.
He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus.
When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus,
and there was a look of love the man
had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, "I didn't deserve this either,
but I forgive you."
It may be hard to see
how you're going to get through something,
but when you look back in life,
you realize how true this statement is.
Read the following first line slowly and let it sink in.
If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.
Lord I love You and I need You,
come into my heart, today.
For without You
I can do nothing.
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Hi, everyone!
I've been so amazed to see how many of us would welcome some sort of online encouragement from Scripture. It seemed to really strike a chord! I've been "noodling" about this and I agree with another post - keeping the encouragement on this board would help other Christians and seekers find us and join in if they'd like. (Our "regular" posts would go on the board as usual - questions about foods, recipes, symptoms, etc.) We would need to be really mindful of the purpose of the IBS board so that we wouldn't "take up too much room". This is a great board, very well organized and moderated - but it could be confusing to others if the subject line was not exactly IBS-related. If we posted a bunch of messages with subject lines in "Christian-speak", it might be confusing, cluttering and seem sort of clique-ish. In other words, we would need to be extra-considerate!
I'm a very low-tech person myself, so I don't have any idea how web sites, message boards, etc., are created and maintained. However, one thought I have is: would it be possible for us to establish a Scripture-based encouragement thread and keep it going? Anyone who wanted to could post/read/reply via the thread (or just lurk). I'm thinking about Matthew 4:4 (based on Deuteronomy 8:3) -- when Jesus says, "...The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.' " (New Living Translation) Also, Psalm 34:8, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (NKJV) In my "Experiencing God Every Day" calendar, the page with Ps. 34:8 has this prayer at the bottom: "Food for my life, that is what You are. I am nothing without daily nourishment from You. You invite me to taste. I will. Feed me, LORD, from Yourself. That is all I need. Amen" With all of our dietary restrictions and difficulties, isn't it wonderful to know that there is "food" which will always be available, digestible, nutritious and tasty?!
Anyway, back to the encouragement thread: if we started out with just a place to share Scripture from our quiet times, or from a Bible study we're involved in, from a praise song or hymn, etc., it could be very simple and easy to use - and we would trust the Holy Spirit to speak to each of us as we read and meditate on what is shared. We could share email addresses and encourage one another that way, too, in more depth - whoever is willing.
One tricky area is doctrinal beliefs. I'm sure there are some differences in some areas. I've been part of a Christian women's online encouragement board before and these differences were usually handled with great tact and respect. However, I'd personally prefer to stay away from posts about doctrines - just stick to wisdom and encouragement straight from the Word! Look what's happened already, from just a couple of posts! I think it's so important to remember that God does the work in us - He, by His Holy Spirit, will be our guide and teacher.
Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16-17, "Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
Is anyone interested in pursuing this? What would we name the thread, so that its content / purpose would be readily identifiable but not seem "exclusive"? I've run out of ideas! Heather, could we try something like this?
God bless you all - and may He remind us to lift up the needs of the entire board in prayer!
Kaybee C
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You're welcome, Heidi! I was so blessed when someone taught me that praise is powerful: God inhabits the praises of His people! (That's a paraphrase - I don't have the exact Scripture reference and my concordance is at my mom's).
Blessings,
Kaybee C
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Hi, Barbara!
I just posted tonight, 7/16, "? Prayer/Praise/Scripture sharing"..... What do you think?
Blessings,
Kaybee C
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Hi Kaybee - Thanks for such a thoughtful post and suggestions. I've been wondering how to handle this, as the scriptures thread has become quite long and I do want to keep the diet and other boards focused, and I also don't want new people to see threads that may make them feel excluded. So, I'm floating the idea of a new board that is for non-IBS thoughts and discussions, where a scriptures thread like this one would be appropriate (along with whatever else folks want to talk about - it would be wide open, as long as people remained courteous). You'll see the poll about this at the top of the page - tell me what you think!
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I think it is a wonderful idea. My email address is shinelikestars@bigpond.com if any one wants to write to me. I would love to have a board where we could share!
In Him
Trish
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Hi Kaybee,
I loved the story! Great illustration about how God forgives us and wipes our slate clean. My pastor recently read a story similar to this one and you could hear the sniffles it church. My pastor reminds us of the importance of forgiveness durning his sermons a lot.
I have a personal testimony about forgiveness and how much better I felt.
Gotta go and pick my boys up from summer school.
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Heather, I can't see where to enter my opinion in the poll. I'm sort of illiterate in the chat board world. Where do I find the poll spot, or do I enter my opinion here? I would like a poll spot where we could share spiritual things which are helpful to us as Christians. Anyone could enter what they want to share, or just read without comment if this is not their "world". However, I wouldn't want others to jump in to attack us Christians for sharing how our spiritual lives are affecting and helping us cope with IBS, though. For a Christian with IBS our spiritual lives are one of our main coping mechanisms for IBS and the anxiety it causes. There are some posts on the yoga board that are demeaning to Christians, whom the author labeled as "extreme fundamentalists", if I recall the wording correctly. Some of us do not participate in yoga because of our spiritual views, and we should be able to feel that way without others poo-pooing our reservations, or sticking a label on us. Many on this board may have chosen Pilates, or other exercise regiments, just for that reason. So far, we have just been chatting amongst ourselves about how our spiritual lives affect how we cope with IBS, and we have been trying to offer spiritual encouragement to each other. Would it be possible to maintain something like this?
Found the poll, Heather. :} Would it possible for those of us who want to continue to encourage each other like this with scripture to do that on the "General Chat" poll?
Edited by busymom (07/18/03 05:07 PM)
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Hi there - You should see a "yes" and "no" button when you click in here web page where you can vote. But I'll count you as a "yes" even if you can't work the poll.
The new non-IBS board (which, given the favorable response to the poll, I will be creating) would offer you the place to share spiritual things as you request. It would not be a debate forum - folks who didn't share the point of view of any particular thread would simply be asked to refrain from joining that discussion. They could start their own thread on another topic of interest to them, and others could join them. People would be welcome to post on any non-IBS topic that interests them, spiritual or otherwise, and the environment will be moderated to ensure that things remain friendly and supportive.
Could you please point out to me specifically any posts on the yoga board that you find demeaning? This is the first I've heard of this, and I check that board every day, so I'd really like to see what you're talking about as this greatly concerns me. You can just copy the link to those specific posts and email me at heatherandcompany@yahoo.com
In general, yoga should be an option for people of any religious faith, and a yoga teacher should never impose his or her own personal beliefs on their students. Any spiritual aspects of yoga are strictly individual, do not require any specific beliefs or faiths, and do not interfere with a person's religious traditions or lack thereof. So, please don't feel that yoga isn't an option for you if you're otherwise interested in it. It's such a great option for helping IBS and its practice shouldn't be considered irreconcilable with Christian beliefs. That's a great loss to both Christians and the yoga tradition.
So, I'll post when the new board goes live, and I'll move the spiritual thread, and you will be warmly welcomed to continue it and any other topics that help you in whatever way possible. That, after all, is the whole point of these boards.
Hugs,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Praise music has been one of the main tools I have used, along with my Bible study, in dealing with the fear and anxiety IBS produces. It has such a powerful effect on my heart and the fear I feel. Corinne commented on how helpful it was for her to lead the praise and worship music in her church. It really is a key tool for a Christian, not just for this but for many other areas of our lives.
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I'd like to see what YogaTeacher and other folks have to say. Hopefully they've got good answers to your question - I'll chip in my two cents on the yoga board too.
- H
--------------------
Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I know what you mean. I used to sing songs from church to my son at bedtime when he was little and we used to crank up DC Talk and sing while on the road. It is just soooo uplifting!! My difficulty is that I'm Catholic and the community and fellowship for reading scripture and branching out into mainstream Christian music just isn't available. My grandma was Pentecostal and I used to love to hang out with the teens from her church because they were more of what I was interested in. Our church never got a teen group off the ground and as I said, there is not a feeling of fellowship in most Catholic churches. My husband and I have been "trying on" different Catholic churches in our surrounding area to see if we can find a group that offers fellowship and prayer meetings. I have several friends who are Pentecostal First Assembly of God and they invite us to all kinds of things at their churches and it's amazing the difference of involvement. I wish I could offer more on the scripture sharing on this board, but I am thoroughly enjoying receiving what has been shared. Thanks!!!
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Maybe you can find the Catholic church that is the right fit for you if you keep trying different churches. I know that with Catholic churches the worship and atmosphere is so dependent on the priest at that particular church. He really sets the tone. You might find more what you're looking for if there is a university near you and you attend the Catholic church affiliated with, or right by the university. They usually have more contemporary music and more upbeat worship time because so many young adults attend and the priests at those campus churches are more oriented toward that.
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hello mags, no i just had an ultrasound done on my gallbladder and liver, the results came back as no gallstones, only mild thickening of the gallbladder, i had an upper gi done and nothing there ad well, i went to gi and he said it wasnt my gallbladder but ibs, the syptoms went away for abiut seven mos. and then came back again, same ones, nausua, stomach hurting on the right side . i dont understand this and im at my wits end. i went from being fine with no nauusa and no stomach problems to all this , does this sound like ibs? i have a lot of stress in my life right now and wondering if this could be it ?i used to go out to dinner , ddancing , movies , now im stuck tobeing sick all the time , any advice , sin megiie 
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Hi Meggie - Does any of your symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, gas? I don't know if it's IBS if it's "just" pain and nausea. 
Have you had any bloodwork done?
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We have SLU about 15 min away and really like it there, it's just that we can't become parishioners and get involved with all of their activities because we don't live in their catchment area. Just recently an old priest friend of mine has taken over at our church here (2 blocks away) and we're hoping he turns things around.
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hello mags, yes i did have bloodwork done about 3 weeks ago. everything came up fine . my white blood cells came back normal , liver was fine , kidneys were fine , thyroid was fine . as to your question regarding the symptoms of ibs , diarehha, no , constipation , no , i have a lot of bloating , gas , stomach hurts, nausua, i do go to the bathroom a lot , 7or 8 times a day , depending on what i eat ,, somedays i dont go anywhere because im afraid ill need to find a restrom, lol , i also gaet a lot if stomaches, which results in diarehha, i aslo read that stress can play a big role in your body , hope to hear from you soon, maybe some one can give me some advice on what to do next , sin, meggie 
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Loving this idea KaybeeC. I need this I pray everyday, more so with IBS-C. It is an event just to have a good day. I couldn't make it without God, I don't know how anyone does anyway. My email is rhonda.upton@mci.com if anyone wants to trade emails.
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Screen Name: Nan275
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Hi, there, Rhonda - or Nan?
Haven't been online for several days so just found this new board for the first time. I agree, God makes it possible to do / go through things like IBS in a "supernatural" way! I'll add your email address to my address book. I don't know how to set up an email "thingy" - maybe an address "list" for anyone who wants? There's lots of room here on this board, though, for sharing, I think! Someone who's more computer-literate may have a way to set it up?
Here's my Scripture for today:
About encouraging one another, the author of Hebrews says:
"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back is drawing near." Hebrews 10:23-25
I think this kind of describes what several of us have been doing on the IBS board: encouraging each other, "meeting together" - even if it IS online! - and holding on tightly to our hope in Christ - our Redeemer, Savior and Friend!
Blessings in Him,
Kaybee C
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Amen! Thank you for that. I needed that today. I wish I knew more of the bible and could find wonderful quotes like that. I'm still new at this so it's wonderful to come here and find some great encouragement from God.
Yours in Christ
Corinne
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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
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As long as this seems to be the basis for the Christian thread, I thought I might add my 2 cents. A daily scripture would be lovely to read and discuss. I am a Christian, but have not learned to bible well at all. There are still things that I am skeptical about, but hope with time these questions will be answered. I wanted to share a great web site I found, it is called beliefnet and you can explore many articles and topics of all forms of religion, there are quizes to help you learn more about yourself and your beliefs. You can also sign up for daily emails of scriptures, quotes, and thoughts by all sorts of religious philosophers. I receive "Daily Insiprations" which are not always religous in nature, but give you great thoughts to challenge your mind. I really enjoy and hope you will too!
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Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still. -- Chinese proverb
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Thanks for your 2cents, Josie! I'm going to check out the website and pass it on to some friends. I agree that a daily scripture that can be discussed would be great. I'm Catholic and don't know the Bible well, either. Just from what I've done on my own. I think your suggestion is a good idea. Thanks again, Georgia
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Thank you KaybeeC!! Without God we are nothing. It's amazing to me all the blessings He throws our way. Has anyone read any of the Conversations With God books? My girlfriend says they are a wonderful and inspirational read. God bless....Georgia
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KayBee-
Thanks so much for writing, yes my name is Rhonda, my screen name is Nan275 for anyone that has instant messenger. I have already traded emails with Corrine this morning. It is so nice to have friends on here. My friends bless their heart try and understand and support me and watch out for me, I'm 34 and I have two of the best friends anyone could ask for, but I know they don't quite understand even though they try. Thanks so much for the encouraging verse. I will have to post some of my own that will hopefully share some encourage. Feel well today and thanks again!
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Screen Name: Nan275
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Hi, Georgia -
You are right - God is the source of life, through Christ! Praise Him for all His blessings - and for walking with us during the trials! As for the "Conversations with God" books - I picked up the first one that came out and glanced at it, but if I remember correctly, I put it back down because it didn't line up with Scripture. Very "spiritual" but not necessarily Godly. I try to stay away from warm and fuzzy writings that are not rooted in the truth of the Word of God - they have a way of deluding us into thinking they are representative of what God would like to say to us - but can subtly lead us down a comfortable but wrong path. I'm too vulnerable to take a chance!
As an alternative, check out works by Claire Cloninger. I received a book that she wrote several years ago called "Postcards from Heaven" and it is just incredible! That book is out of print but can be purchased on the internet, some used, some new - but she also has some current books, like "Email from Heaven for Teens." Anyway, a Christian bookstore could do a search for you. Other writings I like are the books by Max Lucado - very "user-friendly", great style, but full of the truth about God's love for His creation - about amazing Grace! There are lots of good, solid devotional books about God that are "warm and fuzzy", too - just can't think of any titles off the top of my head! OH, yeah - one of my very favorite books is "Silver Boxes" by Florence Littauer. It's about encouragement, basically, and full of heart-warming stories. For a great laugh, I like books by Patsy Clairmont - "Normal is Just a Setting on Your Hairdryer!" and "God Uses Cracked Pots!" are really funny and warm - very personal.
Blessings,
Kaybee C
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Thanks Kaybee C
I love Max Lucado and Patsy Clairmont cracks me up. I'll check out some of the other books you listed. Thanks for the info!! Georgia
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I've been gone for a few days and missed all these posts! One of the things I've found most encouraging was the series of scriptures I have been studying for the past two years, which I mentioned early in this string to Corinne. Devotion books give us encouragement, but it is such a blessing to have the Lord reveal those same deep truths right to us without a "middleman". One book that is helpful for knowing how to dig in and study the Bible on your own is "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart. It tells you how to read the different types of narratives and what study tools are helpful.
Here's a scripture for today which was really helpful to me as I struggled with panic attacks as we took our car trip that kept me away from the website:
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12: 2 - 3
I found that if I remembered to cry out to the Lord for help, expressing my inability to handle this IBS panic attack on my own, and then fixed my eyes on Jesus through praising Him along with praise music on the CD player, that He would provide calm, peace, and relief. Even though we scorn the shame that our IBS sometimes brings to our lives, we must not focus our eyes on that. It will pass. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who endured shame, in order to give us eternal life where we will not suffer like this any longer.
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Thanks for the encouragement. I really am struggling right now with carving out time for the Word, other than the devotionals. They're great, but as you said, they're really no substitute for really getting in tune with the Lord and listening for His voice. Thanks again.
Blessings,
Kaybee C
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