You can find Bettie blogging from her home in a small town in southeast Wisconsin - at bettiegraseasons.com, walking forward with Jesus, in the middle of her own pain and weaknesses from multiple chronic illnesses. The beauty of nature is a joy that calls to Bettie, as do her family and seven young grandchildren. She and her husband have been married for over 40 years and take great joy in their weekend coffee breaks together. In addition, Bettie is the Chronic Joy Prayer Pond coordinator.

Karin is a handmaiden of the Lord; saved by grace; a worshiper; a poet; a broken heart; a lover of words; hungry for truth; amazed by love; on the Potter's wheel His work in progress. After five years in Africa, Karin and her beloved husband of twenty years, Rick, are back in rural Canada where chronic pain drives her to the feet of Jesus. She is powered by prayer, love, and many cups of strong coffee. Author of From Ashes to Glory (A Psalm a Day).

Hailey is a full-time freelance writer who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. At 21 years old, Hailey has been chronically ill for several years and has been diagnosed with several conditions that have primarily neurological manifestations - she deals with chronic pain, fatigue, GI issues, and other symptoms on a daily basis. Hailey is passionate about doing ministry and advocacy work in the area of chronic illness and is currently writing a book on how the American church can better support its chronically ill members. As her health allows, she loves to read, dance in shows at her local theatre, and write letters to her many pen pals. She is learning day by day how to dwell with the Lord. Check out Hailey's blog.

Dana is a freelance writer and poet. She lives with Bipolar and Fibromyalgia, and believes firmly in the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, which states, “’I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.’” By sending hand-written notes to friends and neighbors, Dana hopes to encourage people to find joy in the midst of whatever struggles they find themselves. She stands firm on the motto that we are not alone, knowing that can make all the difference.

Megan is a contributing writer for Wacoan magazine in Waco, Texas, the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, and Magnolia Journal. She is also an editor at T.S. Poetry Press and the author of The Joy of Poetry. She lives in the Texas Hill Country, where she writes and edits from home. Links to her work can be found at her website, meganwillome.com and Twitter. Megan's day is incomplete without poetry and tea.

Sandra is a wife of over 48 years, adoptive mom to two, and “nama” to four (almost five.) She has worked in multiple nursing specialties, including family practice, OB/GYN, operating room, and public health. She writes from her home in South Florida where she lives on the edge of the Everglades. She loves to hike and photograph wildlife, and sometimes even kayaks with alligators. She is addicted to books, Häagen-Dazs® Coffee Almond Crunch ice cream bars, and jasmine tea. Sandra posts photos on Instagram, writes sporadically on her blog, and is a contributing writer and social media team manager for Tweetspeak Poetry. Her daughter is diagnosed with Crohn’s and RA.

Natalie is a writer, speaker, and reluctant hiker who’s discovered that finding her way in the woods helps her navigate the landscape of life by faith.  She weaves tales from the trail with biblical truths and practical tools to encourage and equip others. A lifelong Iowan with a longstanding fear of cows, she’s survived a snowmobile-windshield-to-nostril standoff with a half-ton bison, a trip into the backcountry with recreationally-unstable fishing guide, and a trek across a clifftop pursued by a bear. Her favorite adventure, though, is doing life with her husband and children, including two daughters with chronic illnesses. She shares about these experiences to inspire others to travel their own terrain by faith.

Jan and her husband divide their time between Sterling, Alaska and Sedona, Arizona, where she is a choir director at the Methodist Church, ministering through music, even in retirement.

Jan's love of words fills the spaces in between being a wife, mom, grandmother, and retired music educator. Equipped through years of experience teaching, conducting, and accompanying, Jan's goal is to raise awareness of music-making as avocation, delight, recreation, meditation, and calling.

Music is an avenue of personal and corporate expression, meditation, and worship - a way of opening God's creation to exploration, examination, understanding, wonder, and praise to the Creator, which is fulfillment of man's purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

Heidi is a loving wife and dedicated mother to three beautiful children. Her journey with chronic illness began in childhood as a witness to the progression of a genetic, neurological disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. She completed her BSN in 2006 and has been professionally assisting those with chronic illness since. In 2009, Heidi’s daughter was prenatally diagnosed with a complex congenital heart defect, PA/IVS. In 2014, Heidi’s son was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder and food allergies. As an effort to gain additional knowledge, she went back to school and completed an MS in Health and Wellness in 2017. Throughout her experience with chronic illness, Heidi has learned that prayer is a powerful gift and that the presence of God is felt in many unexpected ways.

Mike retired from a 37-year career as CPA for Briggs & Stratton Corporation, where he developed the tax department, worked as assistant treasurer, chaired the company retirement plan committees and managed the plan investments. In addition, Mike is an ordained elder and has managed church finances at several churches. In 2006, he was on a team that assisted an inner city non-profit academy in developing its finance and strategy plans. Mike has been married to his wife Mary for 52 years. They have four adult children and six grandchildren, and have fostered more than 20 pre-adoption infants for Milwaukee County, before adopting their daughter Samantha, who has been on a ventilator for more than twenty-five years. Mike’s wife Mary has a chronic autoimmune disease. Daily, he experiences the role of caregiver, supporting and advocating for both his wife and daughter.

Julie is a mother, wife, ordained minister, and a founding board member. She and her husband have three adult children. Julie became personally aware of chronic pain when her daughter began experiencing constant and excruciating back pain, resulting in surgery. Yet the pain continued and other unexplained issues began – nausea, stomach pain, and inability to keep food down. During her senior year in high school, her daughter became gravely ill with gastroparesis and spent much of her senior year in and out of the hospital. The quest for relief and solutions, the ongoing struggle of chronic illness, and the anxiety that accompanies both has drawn Julie to seek to know and speak of God’s presence in and through the reality of chronic pain – both for the one experiencing it and for those who love them.