Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt

What a powerful story of love and God’s power is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead! And what a blessing that, in Scripture, we have more than just a paragraph of the account. In John, for example, (Chapter 11), we read of Martha and Mary, to whom we’ve already been introduced, and…

Putting off something important? Waiting for the perfect moment before you take action on a step toward a goal? We all do it, of course. But what separates failures from successes? The ability to throw aside the tendency to procrastinate and, thus, keep on track. I have to admit, I do at times, procrastinate. But…

It’s become a part of our greeting ritual, but it’s also one of the most difficult questions we face. “How are you?” Usually, there’s a perfunctory, “Fine. How are you?” And the answer to that one? “Fine, thanks.” And the conversation moves on. But if you have a chronic illness, you probably have found yourself…

I am not a football fan, but I know many people who are. And, in appreciation for their vast knowledge of all things football, I offer here a way for those of us who have chronic illness and pain to, perhaps, help them understand a bit better what we go through during their favorite season…

Even if you are not musically inclined, when you’re stuck in a rut, hole, or other foot-freezing, spirit-stunting space in your life, there’s nothing like adding a grace note to get you back on your purposeful path. What’s a grace note? It’s a gentle, brief addition of a lighter (in music, usually higher) tone that,…

People can be so cruel. Recently, I was driving home and saw a person in a car nearly hit a pedestrian who was “of a certain age,” and moving more slowly than the impatient driver wanted her to. True, the “Don’t Walk” hand had flashed on the sign long before the woman reached the far…

It’s slippery, skittish, and speedy – chronic illness can lie relatively quiet for a time and then pounce on you from seemingly nowhere. One day, one moment, you might be forging ahead on steps toward a goal: Tapering medication, finishing rehab, returning to work, or getting back into your social activities. Then, Wham! Illness moves…

If you read the title of this blog post and laughed, you’re not alone. Many people simply do not think of themselves as athletic, let alone Olympic caliber. But if you’ve lived awhile with the challenges of chronic illness and pain, you know well that it takes more than meds and a doctor’s appointment to…

Living with chronic illness often entails suffering tremendous losses. These blows to a fragile spirit can quickly lead to a dull, deep down feeling of hopelessness. You might ask, “Will my life ever mean anything, again?” or, “What’s the point of all of this suffering?” Although we might never know the individual reasons why we…

“Would you like some apple juice?” The nurse’s assistant was new to my doctor’s office, and I had only just met her. But as she helped the phlebotomist draw more than 11 tubes of blood from my arm, she could see that I was becoming a bit woozy. I gratefully accepted her offer, and felt…

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