Getting Back Up

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First snow of the season, October 11th, 2019

Hello friends and family!  I am still here and this disease is not going to beat me!  I feel like I have been in a back alley brawl for the last month.  I haven’t even written a blog post since September 30th!  I celebrated my one year blogging anniversary on August 10th and everything was going great, then I got hit again and I kept getting hit, but God is faithful to fight for me every time.  Thank you so much for praying for me!  Your prayers and your messages of encouragement lifted me up!  Jesus has been giving me the strength I need to carry on and He is helping me get back up after getting knocked down hard.  I never took my hand from the plow.  I’ve just been resting on the plow and I never left the field.

Thank you to all of you on Twitter who have been praying for our family as well!  During my break from blogging due to suffering, our daughter got sick again.  She ended up having strep twice in October and she has it again right now.  She is actually home with me again today.  I sent out a prayer request yesterday for her on Twitter and I thought maybe a couple people would see it.  God had other plans and He blessed it huge and it went viral!  So far almost 500 believers have liked it, 83 have retweeted it, and the prayers just keep coming in!  It is so amazing how much God loves us!  I had been feeling so dismayed and discouraged and the Lord showed me His love and faithfulness yet again.  I am so humbled and encouraged by all of your prayers!  She is actually feeling great today with no fever and no sore throat, praise God!

A big part of my prayer request tweet going viral was because my friend Lizzie retweeted it on her Twitter and she has almost 17,000 people on her account.  She is the brave woman who spoke out about the problems in California and she ended up on Fox News.  I wrote about that back in August.  Thank you so much Lizzie for retweeting the prayer request for our daughter!  I have never had an outpouring of support like that on Twitter before!

I want to let you all know that Lizzie just started a blog here on WordPress too!  Please check out her blog and welcome her to the fellowship!  Lizzie loves Jesus with all her heart and she preaches the truth unashamed with boldness and grace.  You can find her at: The Concrete Rosebud (concreterosebud.com).

So, you can imagine, October was a tough month for us.  I tried to get back to blogging several times, but I was going through so much pain and nausea that I just had to rest.  Winter came early here in Colorado too and we had quite a bit of snow.  On top of that, I was taking care of our daughter through two bouts of strep (and now a third time).  I felt so hopeless when she got it a third time a couple days ago right at the start of the very next month.  Thankfully we caught it early and she has a different antibiotic this time that is working great.  Please continue to pray for her.  Celiac disease lowers her immune system and it is nuts that she has had strep three times in less than two months.  Thank you all for your prayers of healing for our family!

I was really beat down and discouraged by all the suffering in October.  I also dealt with some anger and I had some more strong conversations with God.  I wasn’t even sure if I was coming back to blogging at one point.  I didn’t want to discourage anyone and I was feeling very angry and broken about my pain and the pain our daughter was going through.  When I am hurting I tend to go totally reclusive like an old bear in a cave, but God always climbs in there and pulls me out in His loving grace.  I praise Him and thank Him that He is so gracious and merciful to us.

Brown bear in den

Through the pain, God put it on my heart to read Psalms.  That is pretty much all I read during this last month away from blogging.  The Lord led me to Psalm 57 and Psalm 77 shortly after I wrote the post “Giving Him My Brokenness.”  It was very encouraging and the Lord let me know that He was right there with me in the pain.  We must always stay in God’s Word no matter what we are going through.  There is so much light and power and joy in God’s Word!  Praise God for the wisdom and understanding He gives us in the Holy Spirit!  The Lord is so comforting and loving to us!  Don’t ever give up seeking the Lord no matter how bad the pain!

“I cried out to God for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the

Lord;

at night I stretched out untiring

hands

and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I

groaned;

I mused, and my spirit grew faint.

Selah

You kept my eyes from closing;

I was too troubled to speak.

I thought about the former days,

the years of long ago;

I remembered my songs in the night.

My heart mused and my spirit

inquired:

“Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?

Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his

compassion?”

Selah

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:

the years of the right hand of the

Most High.”

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;

yes, I will remember your miracles of

long ago.

I will meditate on all your works

and consider all your mighty deeds.

Your ways, O God, are holy.

What god is so great as our God?

You are the God who performs miracles;

you display your power among the

peoples.”

Psalm 77:1-14

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy

on me,

for in you my soul takes refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings

until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God, who fulfills his purpose for

me.

He sends from heaven and saves me,

rebuking those who hotly pursue me;

Selah

God sends his love and his

faithfulness.”

Psalm 57:1-3

Those verses spoke to my heart in a deeply profound way.  There have been times during my suffering that I have felt rejected.  There have been times where the pain put me in a state of mind where I wondered if God was with me at all.  Many times I have been too troubled to speak.  Many times I have been so discouraged I refused to be comforted.  Many times I have cried out to God.  Through it all the Lord has never left me!  He has always shown me that He still loves me and He is with me!  His love, promises, mercy, and compassion never fail!

I remember the miracles He has done in my life and the amazing ways He has revealed His power to me and I rejoice!  I take refuge in Jesus and He is merciful to me.  I know He will fulfill His purpose for me, amen!  I celebrated 23 years walking with Jesus in October and I look forward to being with Him many more years and into eternity!  He has never abandoned me and He never will!

The pain I was in has subsided for now and I pray it doesn’t come back.  As many of you know, I have been fighting Celiac for almost eight years now and sometimes it really knocks me down hard.  Just remember, this disease might knock me down, but it is not going to keep me down!  In the power of the Holy Spirit I can take a hit and just keep going!  God most definitely always sends His love and faithfulness!

I really missed having fellowship with you all while I was gone.  I missed reading everyone’s blogs too and I look forward to talking with you all again!  Thank you for all the encouraging comments, tweets, and emails you sent while I was in my bear cave of suffering!  I appreciate all of you who reached out to me and prayed for our family!

I give it all to Jesus and I will continue in the purpose He has for me to preach the Gospel (John 3:16, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-9) and share His Word with the world!  May His perfect will be done!  Here I am Lord, send me!

Grace and peace to you all in the Beautiful and Powerful Name of Jesus!

“My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music.

Awake, my soul!

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the

nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the

heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.”

Psalm 57:7-11

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2024 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

99 thoughts on “Getting Back Up”

  5. Welcome back Ryan. Sorry to hear about your physical travails over the last month. One of my grandchildren would get strep every month during the Winter and in the end they took his tonsils out. Do they still do that? Trusting better times are ahead. God Bless.

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  6. I “Praise, God, Ryan!” Amen. I was so happy to see your post again! And, I am especially happy to hear you are feeling better and back to writing. I have missed your messages, conversations, and WordPress family. Nice to hear so many were praying for you and your family, and she is feeling so much better today! Love you, Mom

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  9. Thanks to God, it’s great to have you back. I declare the kingdom of God over your life and family, I call forth your permanent healing from that health problem in Jesus name! Healing is the children’s bread and you are God’s child. Please never drop your shield – FAITH. Stay strong! You are more than a conqueror.

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      3. Those scriptures keep me going when I’m down. Please let nothing steal your joy, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit….maintain your joy….the joy of the Lord is your strength!

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  12. Hey brother! So good to see you back again! I certainly have missed you and pray for you and your family. Having Celiac I understand a lot of what you are going through. God has all the strength we need for all these trials. I have been down myself the past 6 weeks due to a serious injury, right now I’m in recovery mode and will be for some time yet. Satan tries to knock us down, but we have the Lord on our side, keep trusting Him and He will see you through. Glad your daughter is feeling better too, tough having Celiac so young. God bless!🙂😺

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  15. i love how God never changes … no matter what … even no matter my emotions or feelings about Him or life or anything. God is steadfast and strong and continuous and continuously the same. my health has also been challenging, not celiac, but my gut is still very ill. i have good days and days i just have to sleep, a lot. it’s very discouraging some times … yet, i am so grateful that no matter how i feel, God never changes, and He does not increase or reduce His love and care for me based on my feelings. our God is mighty, all-powerful, King of all kings, Lord of all lords, Prince of Peace, Healer, giver of all good gifts – even the ones we cannot define.

    in our itty bitty church, the pastor who led the bible study sunday contrasted psalms 88 and 91, and many felt they were opposing. however, i do not. i do not believe they contradict who God is. i love the honesty and raw-ness of 88, and i love the hope of 91. i’m so eternally grateful that God is God, and He is very real. i love that 🙂

    may God continue to bless you and your wife and children … may He continue to enable you to endure and to endure well … and may He continue to give you hope when you’re so low hope seems forever elusive.

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  20. Glad you are back. Are you on a gluten free diet for your celiac? I truly suspect my son has celiac with some of the stomach issues he has. His stomach is upset almost every time he eats. I also hide away when I am struggling with a situation that has made me feel angry toward God. I don’t feel like I can be perky or encourage others when I’m that way but I share with others that I am struggling so they will know they aren’t alone. Take care!

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    1. Thanks Lisa! Yes, we have been completely gluten free since January 2012. I also can’t eat dairy, soy, eggs, or oats. Oats is what caused me to go into anaphylactic shock and stop breathing on 4-28-12. We stay away from all gluten (wheat, oats, barley, and rye). I will pray for your son. God bless you and your family!

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  21. Going through the furnace of affliction is never any fun, Ryan. It can take a toll on our spirits, zap our joy, take our courage away and especially make us feel that we are not even worthy to blog here. Life is hard on our best days! Every one of us understand the struggles brother! On my worst discouraging day, someone here always lifts me, makes me smile, laugh and gives me the strength to keep going! It lets me know that this is where we belong—encouraging and praying for one another and doing what we love—writing. The enemy would like nothing better than to wipe out your ministry here. I have been praying for you. Will pray for your daughter and family! Much prayer and so glad to see you are back! God Bless!

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  24. Hi Ryan! So glad you’re back! I can’t wait to get over and check out your daughter’s blog. I’m glad to read this post because it’s so encouraging to see how God has worked in your life and all of your thoughts as you’ve gone through this, especially your advice to stay in the word because that’s the first thing most of us want to stop doing. God bless you and Ryan! I’ll continue to pray for you, and your family. I hope your daughter is feeling better. Blessings!

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  29. It’s great to hear from you! I’m so sorry about your little girl. It’s so hard when they get sick because as parents we feel helpless. My prayers are with her and with you and with your family!!!!!! Stay warm and be blessed!

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  30. It’s good to hear that you’re back, Ryan. I trust the Lord used your struggles to strengthen your faith and resilience in his love. Everything we go through contributes to our good when we love God. The peaceful and pain-free times don’t have nearly the same power to forge us into who we’re meant to be. It takes loving fire. These breaks also help us put things into perspective. And come back with a renewed and better plan. 🙂

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  32. Ryan it is so so good to see you back blogging . The Lord is faithful . He hears the prayers of His children .
    May God continue to empower you Ryan to serve Him, justly, mercifully and humbly.
    Great news about your daughter !

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  34. Pingback: The Barnabas Award 2019 – Something to Stu Over

  36. It is good to have you back Ryan. The grace of God will give you satisfaction because in your weakness you are strong. Ryan, you are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Nothing that the enemy tries can separate you from the love of God. No pain or sickness can separate you from the loving arms of God. The Lord has a purpose for your life and it will be fulfilled in Jesus name. May God continue to bless you. 🙏

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  37. So good to have you back! You and your family have been in my prayers. I feel for your daughter with strep….that stuff comes on quick and is nasty.
    As believers we know He never leaves our side, but we are also human and imperfect. When I feel myself start to question things, I immediately hear my own prayer of thanks to God….Thank you, I trust in your faithfulness!! He has an incredible purpose for all of us! Blessings and prayers to you and your family!

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  43. Wow, this spoke to me in so many ways! Thank you for sharing and for being a blessing! Keep allowing God’s light to shine through, and know that you and your family are being prayed for! Good to have you back!

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