Printables

Seven simple ways to thank care-providers and remind them of how very much their care and expertise are needed and appreciated. Say "Thank You," handwrite a card, write a positive review, participate in clinic or hospital surveys and fill out feedback requests, make a donation in your care-provider's name, refer a friend or loved one, pray for your care-providers.

Lean into these verses, write them in a journal, choose one or two to memorize, and then think about who else might need to read them too. The Word of God is alive and powerful, able to bring us comfort in a way that nothing else can.

Photography challenges are a fun, personal challenge, a commitment to pick up your camera, phone, tablet, or Go-Pro and capture a photo every day for a month or a year.

Choose a quiet moment, open your journal, and begin with whatever thoughts are on your heart.

Of the 307 questions of Jesus recorded in the Bible, 52 are listed here - one for each week of the year.

Use the questions slowly, one question and one conversation at a time over many month in any order you choose. This is an exploration and an opportunity to grow more deeply in love as you rediscover one another.

A beautiful, artistic form of story-telling that offers us an opportunity to explore difficult, painful, or vulnerable parts of our stories from a safer distance and a fictional character’s perspective.

When the winds of anxiety begin to blow and the waves roll and the thunder comes, God invites us to lean a little deeper into Him. Each of these exercises is designed to help breathe a little easier and lean into the arms of God.

Lean into the living presence of Jesus and cultivate a deeper relationship with one another. When we slow down and really listen to each other, we grow together as the Body of Christ on earth.

Remembering God's Faithfulness

God’s people built Ebenezers, touchstones of help, to anchor them in truth in the midst of frightening, painful, difficult, or challenging circumstances.

A bucket list is an invitation to dream with God as He encourages you to hope, reminds you of forgotten dreams, inspires your passions, and ignites His purpose for your life.

Jesus is the enduring, timeless, and everlasting hope who came to seek, serve, call, forgive, rescue, redeem, and save.

Looking for a way to connect with, encourage, inspire, and love on others? Text them! Tips for Texting • Keep it short. Don’t expect a response. Write from your heart.

14 Ways to Make a Difficult Day Brighter • Grief is a journey requiring steady sips of hope, plates filled God’s unbroken promises, the comfort of community, replenishing rest, fresh air and sunshine.

Looking for creative ways to connect with others as you unpack the Chronic Joy studies? This FREE printable does just that and more!

Chronic illness can make serving in traditional or culturally familiar ways challenging, but not impossible. Discover creative new ways to love God and others right where you are, however you are able.

Depression can make it difficult to practice and implement healthy self-care. Building an Action Plan gives you quick concrete steps each day.

God created us with a complex range of emotions which can be difficult to identify and explain. The Emotions Wheel is a tool designed to grow our emotional intelligence, thus strengthening our relationship with God as well as our compassion and empathy for others.

Color Your Own - Full Page

May God shower His blessings on all mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, mothers-in-law, and mother-like figures in the world. May He give grace and strength for all your days.

Eye-Spy • People Watching

Holy Attention draws us into fresh gratitude. When we pay close attention to creation we can experience the awe and wonder of God’s infinite creativity.

Sight & Scroll • Spot 1 • Feast

Begin by choosing something specific – a color, shape, sound, object, or even an idea and look or listen for it throughout your day. When you find it, take a picture of it, or make note of it.

Step in slowly. Sit with God. Allow yourself time and space to feel and experience your pain. When you’re ready, take up your pen, and explore the precious and life-giving gift of lament.

An ancient practice of slowly, contemplatively reading the words of Scripture.

The Language of Pain

Sometimes what we experience because of chronic illness, mental illness, pain, or suffering can not only be difficult to explain, but also (for those who don’t experience it) difficult to understand. Metaphors can be a useful tool.

Sometimes all we need to get us started are a few words. Include these short prayers in a notecard or email, or send them in a message or text to a friend or loved one.

Thanking healthcare and service providers is often a huge encouragement to them. Sometimes a single act of kindness and gratitude makes all the difference in someone else's life.

#PenToPaper is a ministry of the heart: God’s love, poured into us, infuses each word we write to the heart of another. What an encouraging reason to pick up your pen and write!

"Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him." St. Augustine

"Prayer is not what is done by us, but rather what is done by the Holy Spirit in us." Henri Nouwen

Practicing physical self-care is showing your body simple kindness, generously giving it what it needs, and doing things that help you live well. Community is rooted in love, nourished in prayer, and strengthened in courageous vulnerability as we extend and receive love, kindness, and compassion.

Exercise your brain, keep your mind sharp, redirect your thoughts, and focus on what is positive and true with these ideas. Emotional self-care helps us to identify what we’re feeling and express it in healthy ways.

Spend a little time getting to know God better — who He is, what He’s like, how He feels about us, and how He acts toward His creation. Pray through these verses, asking God where to grow from here.

This downloadable PDF provides helpful tips for organizing your small group and defining group roles.

Grief is no stranger to those affected by chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability. It is both a universally shared human experience and uniquely individual.

With your doctor’s guidance, and a little creativity, exercising with chronic illness is not just possible, but can be rewarding.

The stewardship of courage begins with a deep faith in God, accessed by prayer, and lived out in patient waiting and hopeful trust.

Creatively Express Your Story

We can feel isolated and powerless when living with chronic illness, but what if your story begins to bridge those barriers?  What if your story offers a glimmer of hope to someone standing at the edge of hopelessness?

Invite a friend or family member to do a 16-Day Suffering & Joy discussion. Or use each quote as a journaling prompt. Each day, read the quote. Talk about it. Think about it. Write about it. Pray about it.

The most significant thing we can do when we’re lonely, anxious, afraid, or overwhelmed is to turn to the One who knows us and loves us completely – the God of all comfort.

Wonder Walks are an invitation to savor God’s holy fingerprint in every atom of creation, to engage our senses and cultivate curiosity, to listen for His still small voice, and to delight in His extraordinary creativity.

Wonder nourishes our souls, inviting us to feast on the inexplicable mystery of the Holy, witnessing God's fingerprint in every atom of creation.

We believe in salvation by grace, a free gift from God, given to all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Chronic Joy's mission field is tremendous - more than half the world’s population - yet our ministry focus is always one precious life at a time.

We offer a wide variety of programs to meet the needs of all those affected by chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability. 

At its core, friend-raising is all about relationship and it begins with story – our why - why we give, serve, pray, and invest in the mission and ministry of Chronic Joy.

Everything you need to encourage, strengthen, inspire, and love on those who are nearest and dearest to you.

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This practical guide walks you through the first steps toward building a chronic illness small group.