Katherine Wolf's Blog, page 2

BIG NEWS!!! Coming January 2017

We will be sharing our story at the Passion Conference -- a ministry which has truly changed our lives! WOW, we're in shock and so humbled at the opportunity to #HopeItForward to this community that has given us so much! 

{THE BACKSTORY} Years ago, our friend, Sara Ott Deyton invited us to attend PASSION during a very hard season after the stroke. Amidst incredible worship and wisdom, there was one particular moment where God sat a young woman next to me -- literally out of 70,000 attendees -- whose story gave me a totally new perspective on my own life, one I will never forget! (hear the full story in the video below) & join us in ATLANTA on January 2-4, 2017 (REGISTER HERE, ticket price goes up on November 1!)

Prayers for Katherine's Sister, Amie

On August 28, Katherine's younger sister, Amie Arnold, survived a catastrophic car crash in Los Angeles. Thank you for your prayers and support. Updates on her recovery can be found at www.caringbridge.org/visit/amiearnold

"I've been holding my sister's hand for over 30 years now. And she held my hand in an ICU bed after my stroke. Now, I am holding hers as she lay in an ICU bed after surviving a horrific car crash this weekend. She is in critical but stable condition at UCLA hospital, unbelievably, with some of the same nurses who cared for me 8 years ago.

By all accounts she should be dead, paralyzed, or brain injured, and she is none of those. God has made a way, so many ways, for her, and I know He will continue to as she begins to awaken to a new reality. As a little reminder, her accident and hospital admittance was on 8/28...as in Romans 8:28. We are sad but hopeful, leaning into this merciful second chance for Amie. Thank you for your concerns and prayers--they are so treasured because we know how much they matter."

 

 

 

 

 

"What a gift for those of us who are usually being carried to get to help carry others. (photo of me pushing my youngest sister, GRACE, in my wheelchair--NOT AMIE, the one in the car accident--after she badly twisted her ankle last night; sadly ironic when the disabled stroke survivor is currently the sister in best shape here!) Wow, these past few days of waiting rooms and hospital bedsides and wheelchair pushing have deepened my sense of empathy and gratitude for all who have entered those same places for me. Thank you, thank you.

Now, it's my turn and my honor to take ALL THAT COMFORT AND HOPE WE HAVE RECEIVED and give it back to my family (and whoever else might cross my wheelchair pushing path)."

(From our family's favorite devotional #ThoughtsToMakeYoutHeartSing by the brilliant @SallyLloydJones -- James just happened to flip open to this entry the morning after Amie's accident...)

"These are some of the most beautiful promises ever made, but they are also some of the most heart-wrecking especially when encountered in the midst of suffering. They become a kind of last ditch hope on which we might fearfully hang ourselves by a thread and wonder, "but what if they AREN'T true?" This is THE question for us all--could new life really come from death? 

Through tears and time, we have seen that question dissolve revealing another deeper question..."but what if they ARE true?"

And if they are, then our suffering hearts, hearts that have been wrecked in the waiting and trusting, might be galvanized, even alchemized, by a HOPE that transcends our wishes and dreams, by a God who works out His love through our redemption, across all places and time, throughout big universes and small bodies. May it be so..."

"We are all human ebenezer stones for each other--both reminders of just how far God has brought us and living, breathing assurances that He will continue to bring us onward.

Stephanie is one of many nurses who cared for Katherine 8 years ago and is now caring for Amie, and when we connected those dots, her sheer amazement at the miracle standing before her moved us all to tears. Like fireworks illuminating the darkest places of our memories, Stephanie was reminded why she does what she does, and we were reminded why we do what we do, and we all remembered that God does what He does...and maybe we won't quite as soon forget it."

"It seems I have precious little to offer my sister besides my prayers and my presence, and in this acute phase, both seem woefully inadequate. I want her healing on every level so badly I could scream, but 8 years after I nearly died, with 11 surgeries under my belt, I know all too well that the way in which she might be healed is not up to me.

But perhaps I do have other things to offer, like some hard-won wisdom and some practical advice found while staring at the ceilings of my own hospital rooms.
For instance, eating comfort food seems good when everything hurts, but it usually just makes everything thing hurt more in the end. Oh and make sure you're EXTRA sweet to your nurses--they make it all happen. Also, broken bone pain pales in comparison to narcotic-induced constipation stomach pain--plan accordingly!

So I take all my love and strange wisdom and ransack the farmer's market and have Jay blend it all up for her, literally filling the air with chlorophyll and fiber and ginger. She will likely try and punch me in the face after that first sip, but it's a chance I'm willing to take, because I know it's the thing she needs, even if it's not the thing she wants.

And maybe we do have something vital to offer each other in this messy process of healing...our LOVE MADE VISIBLE (or tangible or edible or drinkable or green) because it helps us really see how love starts patching up all the broken parts."

"The seasons where beautiful things are hardest to come by are the very ones in which we need beauty the most. Though it sometimes falls right in our laps, more often, beauty must be pursued and planned for, sacrifices must be made to even catch a quick glimpse.

We live approximately 4.5 miles from the ocean, and we go to the ocean approximately 4.5 times a year. Sadly, sand and wheelchairs don't mix well. But in this season of life with some very unlovely things surrounding us, we're drawn past obstacles and excuses to put our toes in cold sand with hot coffee in hand. Even if we only stay as long as it took to drive there in the first place, the reminder of how small we are and yet how loved we are matters, and it's beautiful."

#HopeItForwardRUN

Sometimes we choose the mountains we climb.Sometimes the mountains we climb choose us.And sometimes we choose to climb the mountains together.
What have you been given?What might you give away?How will you hope it forward?

DONATE HERE to get free copies of HOPE HEALS BOOK to patients and families suffering from stroke, brain injury, and disability.

Know someone who might benefit from receiving a free copy of the book? Fill out this FREE BOOK REQUEST FORM...

#ChocolateKatChats: MAJOR Wisdom I WAS GIVEN on HOW TO Suffer Well + WHO'S ON YOUR SOUL'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"I fall down into the pit of despair but the awesome thing about the Lord is that even though I fall He does not let me stay down. He picks me up and dusts me off and helps me to keep going. He is showing me He won't always save me from the furnace, but He promises to walk with me through the fire.

He shows me that some of the greatest heroes of our faith in the Bible had to go through some of the toughest experiences. I think we all want to have the faith of Paul without the prisons or the sleepless nights or the shipwrecks. We want to have the courage of Daniel without the threat of the lions' den. We want to have the victory of killing our Goliaths without having to face our giants. What we don't realize is that without those experiences those people would not have been the people of faith that they are.

Since the Lord spared my life, I feel like he has given me a mission." (by JESSICA HYDE)

How we say THANK YOU...

Friends, in case you didn't know it, WE LOVE YOU and WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU! We may not know you face-to-face, but the way in which we have journeyed together over the years, fills our hearts with so much joy. You all have prayed for us through near-death and recovery; prayed as we've launched a full-time ministry; and prayed as God expanded our family with our miracle baby, John! 

And in this process of writing and now sharing the book form of our story, you all have continued to cheer us on, to make us cry with your own stories, to give us opportunities to pray, to cause us to wonder, to make us laugh until we cry all over again--you get it! In so many ways, you have been an integral part of writing this story with us. It has been an absolute labor of love and we are beyond thrilled to share it with you and with a world longing for healing and hope.

All that to say, THANK YOU. THANK YOU for allowing us to share the hope God has given us, for fostering that, for calling out the truest things about us, and in so doing, refilling us with the hope we seek to give away every day. You've really taught us what it means to "Hope It Forward", like Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 1. To that end, we want to express our appreciation for how you all have championed our story so well!

Many of you have already pre-ordered copies of Hope Heals, the book. You've told us your AMAZING plans to do a book club with your non-Christian neighbors (we've even made two FREE book study guides to help facilitate such groups--check them out, here) or to give out the book as wedding gifts this Spring or to take part in our HOPE IT FORWARD campaign (you buy the book and we'll give it away to a specific person in the midst of suffering--check it out, here). 

What if we made it the #1 Release in Biographies?! We think the book industry needs to see that stories of HOPE and HEALING should be at the top of the lists--will you help us? 

And similar to the movie industry's opening weekend box office, the book pre-orders will go toward the total number of opening week book sales. These numbers will really determine what happens next with the book...will it get a second printing, will the book stores place it at the front, will mainstream media or book lists feature it, thus getting the message out to a wider audience?  

If you are planning on ordering this book at all, you should order it NOW,  because if you do, we've got some LIMITED-TIME THANK YOU GIFTS FOR YOU! Just pre-order at least two books from any bookseller (see full list of stores on www.hopehealsbook.com, click their logos to order from them), then fill out the form with your receipt / order number on www.hopehealsbook.com and we'll send you the goodies! 

Maybe the coolest incentive for pre-ordering: though the book doesn't come out in stores until APRIL 26th, if you pre-order 2 or more copies, we'll send you a PDF / digital copy of the full book manuscript for you to read tonight! (FYI, you'll still get the hardcover book on April 26th, you'll just get to read the whole thing on your computer before anyone else!) Our publisher, Zondervan, is kindly letting us do this, but only for a limited time (offer ends on March 14).  

As if that weren't reason enough to order ;) we'll also send you a FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD of Jay singing "Beautiful Things" (by Gungor), featuring our lovely and talented friend, Dove-award winner, Kendall Payne on background vocals! This song is also mentioned in a very poignant story in the book!

We've added some other special goodies if you order 4 books (book study guides + PDF + MUSIC) or 8+ books (8 signed bookplates + 1 limited edition striped tote + STUDY GUIDES + PDF + MUSIC).

* Also, if you pre-ordered last June, YES, we'd love to give you these thank you gifts, just fill out the form at www.hopehealsbook.com

* And if you ordered 1 book but now want the incentives, just order more books and put both receipt numbers on the form.

Let us know if you have any other questions by emailing contact@hopehealsbook.com

WE LOVE YOU FRIENDS, & WE COULD NOT LIVE OUT THIS UNIQUE CALLING ON OUR LIVES WITHOUT YOU! THANKS FOR HOPING IT FORWARD WITH US...

Do We Need New Love Songs? {GUEST BLOG for Darling Magazine}

BY JAY . . .  "I often wonder if my marriage will be the death of me. I say this without sarcasm or angst, and I mean this both literally and figuratively. As the caregiver for a disabled spouse, my life will no doubt be shortened due to the inherent physical and emotional strain. And my marriage, like every commitment birthed of true, unstoppable goodwill toward someone else, has meant an end to part of the life I dreamed for myself, a death of the future Me I always thought I would be.

Admittedly, this isn’t what’s sung about in most love songs. But perhaps we need to start writing some new ones."

{READ THE REST, HERE -- FYI, THIS WAS DARLING'S MOST SHARED BLOG EVER!}

5 Minutes of Encouragement with Joni Eareckson Tada on #ChocolateKatChat

One of our heroes and ministry mentors is the incomparable, Joni Eareckson Tada. She has spoken life and truth to so many people around the world, including us. Her ministry, Joni & Friends, has changed the way people with all kinds of disabilities are equipped, loved and ministered to. Jay and I shared our story with the ministry staff the other day and got in a quick #ChocolateKatChat with this dear friend and encourager. Hope it gives you a boost today!

You can catch up on all these funny little moments of encouragement, scriptural insight, and chocolate on our Youtube channel, www.youtube.com/hopeheals. Or join this interactive conversation live on TUESDAYS @1pm PST on PERISCOPE (www.periscope.tv/hopeheals)

2015 Ministry Year-In-Review

2015 was a year we'll never forget, and we would not have had the courage to jump into these new challenges and joys were it not for you, dear friends. Thank you so much for cheering us onward!

For over two years, we have been blessed to BOTH steward this unique calling (FYI, since 2013 Jay has foregone practicing law to do this ministry full-time), and because we've been able to focus on growing Hope Heals together we are seeing some incredible fruits. This past year, in-person and on-line, we have shared the hope and healing of Jesus through the lens of our story to over 100,000 people! (click the image below to enlarge our year-in-review newsletter)

If Hope Heals has touched your life this year, would you consider partnering with us to help it continue in 2016? We humbly and cheerfully invite your prayers and financial support as we seek to faithfully minister to the hurting and hopeless together. Thank you, thank you, friends! 

MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFT TO THE MINISTRY OF HOPE HEALS

{*The book, speaking honorariums, and shop sales actually only make up about 40% of our annual, Board-approved budget. We depend on your tax-deductible donations to keep doing this work full-time, together!}

(graphic designed by ALEX WOLF)

From fellow stroke survivors to stay-at-home moms, from believers to seekers, here are some responses to the ministry of HOPE HEALS...

SARAH - "Your love for each other is a wonderful manifestation of what Jesus intended marriage to be in our world, a reflection of His love for His Bride, the church. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of that."

SHARON - "Thank you for your courageous transparency; So many are hurting and sinking, God is the anchor, and you are the vessels."

AMELIA - "I deeply appreciate your being able to preach the gospel to a diverse community. It is a skill sorely needed in the church if we are to draw all men to Jesus. Thank you for sharing your faith in such a non-religious, practical and tangible way. Thank you again for transparently living the grace of a good God before broken men."

RAINEY - "The two of you have taken what many would think of as life's sorrow, received it with grace, and used it to the Glory of God.... to nourish others. It is so humbling to witness your walk and gracious example."

Merry Christmas 2015!

(photos by Emily Blake; calligraphy by Honey Honey Calligraphy)

YOUNG SUFFERING CLUB: The Smiley Family {THE ANSWERS}

* WHAT WAS SOMETHING OTHERS DID TO MAKE YOU FEEL LESS ALONE?

{HILLARY} My dearest friend in all the world came to visit me in the hospital before Luke was born and she gave me a Bible verse. And not just any verse but one that spoke directly and oh-so powerfully into my heart in a way that only God could orchestrate. The verse was 2 Corinthians 12:9, which is: "But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

This verse has radically changed my life. Using that verse, God began to comfort me in a way that the world couldn’t, with its empty words, hopes and promises. In the question marks, God showed me what my role was. He showed me that it was not my job to find out what was happening or what was going to happen. But to trust Him and His purposes. And to accept my weaknesses and not pretend to be strong.  

Other things people did for us was pray. They prayed words that we couldn’t even muster. They prayed for those scary moments and for the bigger picture. They prayed us into where we are today. 

* WHAT WAS THE MOST UN-HELPFUL "WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT" YOU RECEIVED?

{HILLARY} Oh goodness, it seems like I have a book full of these types of things. Here are the two that I hear most often:

“I know someone who had a child with something similar and they are totally fine now…”

 “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” (which isn’t Biblical at all). For 2 Corinthians 1:9 says “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” And Psalm 55:22 says “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

{BOB} When you go through something hard, you’ll find a lot of well-meaning people are quick to reassure you that “God never gives you more than you can handle.” But if you’ve ever truly suffered, you know that’s not true. At some point in your life, even if you think you’re ready for it, God is going to give you more than you can handle. And then what do you do? 

For us that happened when our son Luke was born.

In the wake of that, in the depth of our despair, wehad a choice: do we keep carrying this burden on our own and hope it doesn’t break us? Or do we consider the possibility that maybe we aren’t supposed to handle it all? Maybe what God really wants is for us to trust Him with our pain and be amazed when he turns it into something good.

* WAS THERE A MANTRA / VERSE / SYMBOL THAT HAS DAILY HELPED YOU PERSEVERE?

{BOB} For me, I come back to two big things from the Bible when I think about Luke. One is Psalm 139 when David is singing about God and says: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

God knows who Luke is. God made him. Embracing this truth helps me be okay with his challenges and accept the possibility that maybe he won’t “catch up” to other kids. Physically, Luke is who he is, and I’m okay with that because God is okay with that.

Beyond that, I also go back to God’s promises for heaven in Revelation 5: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” How Luke is today is not how he’ll be in heaven. He will run and talk and sing… and I can’t wait to see it.

* WAS THERE A TURNING POINT WHEN YOUR OUTLOOK SWITCHED FROM DESPAIR TO HOPE OR IS IT A MORE A DAILY RHYTHM OF CHOOSING?

{HILLARY} When Luke turned three, that was such a huge moment for me. I remember thinking “if the doctors had told me that this is what our little baby was going to be like, I would have lived these three fear-filled years so differently.” Luke is an absolute delight. Even though things are very different and much more challenging for him and for our family than most others’ lives, Luke is an absolute gift from God.

We have so much peace and hope, knowing that we don’t know what the future holds for Luke. But we also don’t know what the future holds for any of us. Instead of being gripped by the what-ifs, we are reminded that God knows what our lives are going to look like and since our faith and trust is fully placed on Him, we do not need to live in fear. 

* HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THE CHURCH COULD BEST RESPOND AND MINISTER TO YOUNG SUFFERERS?

{BOB} We love the way our church has embraced our special needs son and accommodated him the best they can. For a few years, that meant keeping him in with the younger kids where he could crawl and play. Now it means watching him like a hawk as he gets into more and more trouble.  Bottom line, they want Luke to know He is loved by Jesus exactly the way he is and are always looking for ways to show that to him.

* WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE WHO IS ABOUT TO FACE SIMILAR CHALLENGES AS YOU HAVE? 

{BOB} My wife told me early on in all this how the divorce rate among couples with special needs children is over 80%. And it’s understandable why. So much of your life gets poured into the daily drama of your child that there simply isn’t time to nurture your marriage. Because of that, we’ve tried to make a conscious effort to not let our relationship whither away. We fail all the time, of course, but we try. The same goes for our relationships with our other children. We don’t want them to feel that because they have a special needs brother, Mom and Dad never had time for them. All this to say, we try really hard to actually NOT make Luke and his battles the centerpiece of our life. If we wanted, he could be in twice as many therapies as he is. We could be traveling the globe searching for miracle cures. But we’d be risking the overall strength of our family in the process, and for us that’s not worth it.

* HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE SMALL VICTORIES?

{BOB} I pick up dinner and bring it home for just my wife and me to enjoy once the kids are asleep. We do this a lot actually. Probably too much. But it’s our way to venture out into the real world without leaving the comfort of our couch.   

* BASED ON YOUR JOURNEY THUS FAR, WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE WILL BE?

{HILLARY} I have no idea. And I purposely don’t spend too much time thinking about the future, for when I do I get sucked into a downward spiral of sadness and self-pity and then I compare my life to others’ and I get stuck in an awful pit of despair. What I do know is that the future is most likely going to be hard and good as most good things are. And I do know that God will be with us, for every single breath. 

* HOW HAS SUFFERING SHAPED YOUR IMAGE OF WHO GOD IS?

{BOB} When I was an early Christian and life was relatively easy, my Christian focus was centered almost entirely on salvation and God’s promises for eternity. That is when my faith would pay off, I figured. But suffering through the challenges of having a son with special needs has taught me that my faith is essential for the here and now. Suffering is inevitable. And the good news is that God equips us to handle that as well. 

{HILLARY} The more time I spend with luke, the more I see my desperate need for Christ. Even though I can walk and I can talk, Luke is teaching me daily that there’s so much more to life than that. As my pastor says, there’s life and then there’s living. And while it’s wonderful to get things done and accomplish lots in this life, it’s not required from God. He doesn’t love me more when my days are productive. My worth is not based on what I do, but in my heart towards Christ. I am enough only because He is enough.

Even while Luke was in the womb, I have witnessed how my sweet boy has touched people’s hearts… deep down in their hearts where most people can’t see - and he does this even without words. Because he doesn’t have the words that pull deep on the heartstrings. So I can busy myself until there’s nothing left of me, in constant search of God’s approval over me, or I can rest in the fact that He adores me simply because He created me. 

{READ THE SMILEY'S FULL STORY, HERE}