Stan’s Story
Then and Now
Our world encourages us to be defined by our condition, to identify with our diagnosis. One of the most valuable lessons we have learned on this journey is that nothing could be further from the truth, and we are ready for whatever adventure God has for us next.
A Little Give and Take
It is through the marriage covenant that we have the opportunity to truly learn how to give and take as God intended, as God does.
Unfurling
In March of 2023, I walked into my pastor’s office, sat down, and confessed: “I have absolutely no idea what God wants me to do, but I know I want to do it. No matter what it is.” I had reached the end of myself; I was desperate.
Soul Safari
This journey is a strange one, with or without ALS, but if God invites you at any stage to go soul tripping with Him, by all means go!
Limited Visibility
In life, just as in the cockpit, proceeding into and through low-visibility conditions requires that we change our focus and trust our training rather than our feelings.
Learning to Be Still
Some traits we carry with us throughout our lives. Certain ones are inherited and others are learned — consciously or unconsciously, virtue or vice. When we become Christians, the troublesome behaviors we learned along the way do not suddenly disappear. The process of transformation that begins in us the moment we say yes to Jesus is a daily, lifelong struggle, and some days are way harder than others.
Still Working on Finishing Strong
If you are on this planet and breathing, then God has given you an important task. He has asked you to complete it. And yes: It is absolutely a test. If that makes you nervous, good. It should! But here’s what you must remember: It’s an open-note, open-book test, and you have full access to the teacher at any point. Any point. You can ask questions, and He will answer. If you fear you are doing it all wrong (something I fear daily), please keep reading!
Finishing Strong
The most difficult challenges are those that require an intentional commitment to take the next step, and the next, and the next–to continue until the task is complete, no matter how tempting the distractions, how difficult the pain, how real the confusion, how exhausting the frustration.
Be Brave
It’s such a simple thing, and yet when my husband says he doesn’t feel like walking, I usually let him alone. Alone and isolated is a very real threat to the overall health of both CALS and PALS. This lovely gentleman at the support group urged me to ignore the protests (as long as your PALS is in no danger), because getting outside for a walk, a shuffle, or a push is sometimes the best medicine for anxiety and depression — for both of you.
Give What You Can
God will absolutely give you more than you can handle. Every. Single. Time. Why? To drive you to your knees.