Start Here

Held in His Hands: Trusting God Through the Twists of Recovery (Amy’s Journey)

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

Monday, September 8 Update – Amy’s Journey

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

It’s been a long few days. I wanted to give you all an update on Amy’s health following the events of this past weekend.

Late Friday evening, Amy experienced a sudden spike in her blood pressure, followed by weakness on her left side, trouble walking, and confusion. We acted immediately and brought her to our local hospital. The symptoms would come and go throughout the night and into Saturday, which deeply concerned the medical team. They admitted her and ran a series of tests, including a CT scan, an MRI, and various blood panels. After extensive monitoring and evaluation, the doctors now believe that the combination of her current medications, particularly her anti-rejection medications, and her severely elevated thyroid levels likely contributed to the episode.

By God’s grace, Amy was discharged late Sunday afternoon. Her doctors have adjusted her medications, and she’s showing signs of improvement. Her liver continues to function well, though there are still concerns with her kidneys as they work hard to filter all that she is taking in. We remain thankful for the vigilance of the transplant team and her local care providers. Each one is playing a critical role in her journey.

This experience was yet another reminder that recovery is never a straight line. It’s full of unexpected turns. But in those turns, we are learning to trust more deeply in the sovereignty and mercy of God. His peace is not dependent on our circumstances. It’s anchored in His unchanging character.

Amy and I continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness and support of so many. Your messages, prayers, and words of encouragement have lifted us more than we can express. Please continue to pray for:

  • Stability in her thyroid and kidney function,
  • Wisdom for the doctors managing her medications,
  • Ongoing strength for Amy’s healing,
  • The donor whose selfless gift gave her this second chance at life.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds it, and that’s enough.

By His Grace and For His Glory,
James

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

Related

Facebook Twitter Youtube

Get Updates

Gratitude journal

When was the last time someone said thank you to you? When was the last time you said thank you to someone else? So many people today struggle with a lack of thankfulness and ingratitude. This leads to struggles with complaining, criticizing, and comparing. Gratitude and thankfulness provide a powerful remedy for these problems. This gratitude journal helps us to identify what we should be grateful for and what we do as a result of seeing life as a gift.

God's grace prayer journal

Do you struggle with applying the truth that you learn during your study of God’s word? This God’s grace prayer journal will allow you to focus on gratitude and live in contentment in life. The journal pages encourage you to observe what you are learning from the Bible text, evaluate how you have failed to live according to the truths stated, seek forgiveness, and develop godly plans for change.

Giving hope

Do you struggle with the lack of hope? Do you find yourself struggling with doubt and insecurity during times of great challenge? During those times, you need to find your rest and assurance in pondering, personalizing, praying, and practicing what God’s Word says. In the short devotional, spend time meditating and studying each of these passages. Write down whatever comes to mind in the spaces below. And let God speak to you.

Discovering Godly patterns

One of the keys to growing in Christlikeness in our lives is to unearth and discover, and biblically evaluate our thinking patterns, speaking, and acting. This worksheet will help you be honest and specific about areas in your life that are not meeting biblical standards in thinking, speaking, and acting.

Counseling review journal

The God who began a good work in you will continue it through your lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God works for us, and God works in us. He enables us to become more like Christ every single day. This work is progressive and continual in this life. This worksheet helps us review and evaluate gains made during counseling and discipleship, show gratitude to God for what he has done, and develop plans for future growth and change.

Conflict review worksheet

There probably is not a day that goes by that we do not have some level of conflict with others. This worksheet helps us focus on the problem and not the person. It helps us evaluate how we have handled a dispute and how we should deal with it moving forward.

Bible study notes sheet

Do you ever struggle with doing a Bible study or journaling the key ideas from your reading? This Bible Study Note Sheet will encourage you to ponder and meditate on Scripture. Also, God’s Word is meant for you, so this worksheet will help you personalize what you are learning. It will also guide you in learning to pray God’s Word, and finally, it will encourage you to put into practice the principles and promises you find in reading the Word of God.

Anger journal

Anger is a significant issue for so many people. People often stuff or spew their anger, but very few learn to study their anger. This journal assignment will help you to do just that. It will help you understand, evaluate, and respond to your anger in better ways.

4 Steps to rethinking a problem

Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with problems? Do you find yourself struggling with thinking clearly during a challenging situation? This four-step approach to rethinking a problem will help.

4P problem-solving approach worksheet

Problems can seem overwhelming. When we are in the midst of a significant crisis, many of us struggle with defining the problem and implementing helpful solutions. This worksheet helps us to identify three unbiblical and unproductive ways of handling problems. It also encourages us to destroy problems, not people, as we deal with issues in a biblical and God-honoring way.