Chronic illness isn’t just discouraging and traumatic, it’s actually quite frustrating. Your plans get scuppered. You constantly feel your limitations. You want to do things and achieve things, but you can’t. Recently, Phil 1:12 has been a big encouragement to me. In this verse, Paul explains how his imprisonment has actually become an opportunity for the gospel. In other words, the restrictions on his life actually served to advance the good news. Wow! He has taught me that limitations aren’t just something we endure, or put up with, but they are, in God’s mysterious ways, the very means God uses for his kingdom. The suffering of his ministers is not a problem for God, but part of his mysterious plan.

Andy Mason writes: I’ve been a vicar on a council estate in central London for about 17 years, and have been married for 25 years. During that time, my wife has suffered from a number of distressing chronic conditions. Accordingly, life has, at times, been very unpredictable, very stressful and pretty traumatic.
Firstly, my wife has a particularly nasty kind of endometriosis (you can look it up), which has, over time, caused acute chronic pain. It’s the kind of pain that isn’t controlled by tramadol, or morphine. In fact, when it was at its worst, it couldn’t be controlled by a drip in hospital either. There have been times when I have literally carried her into A&E in my arms.
Secondly, in addition to endometriosis, she also suffers with vestibular migraines (you can look that up too). They are a form of migraine that doesn’t manifest itself in pain, but in acute, very debilitating vertigo and nausea. An attack can leave her, all of sudden, laid out on the floor wherever she happens to be. These migraines can come suddenly and without much warning, leaving us suddenly needing to change all our plans and get her home. I’ve had to collect her, physically, from work a couple of times when she just couldn’t move. 
The combination of these chronic health problems, with their spontaneous hospital visits, have been traumatising for us both. They have understandably left emotional scars and lingering worries about what is coming around the corner. As you can imagine, these struggles have been even made harder by having young children – who themselves have some complex needs.
During these years of ministry I can see that there have been different seasons. Some have been better, some have been much worse. We have been very grateful for a number of medical interventions over the last few years, which have improved the pain significantly. However, they also have side effects that make other things worse. So, while certain issues get dealt, other problems emerge. Anyone who has been operated on understands the complexity of these kinds of interventions. Overall, I’m amazed that we’ve come through some of these situations, but the Lord has been faithful. Somehow, he has kept us going in the drama of it all.
So, how do you cope with chronic illness in the midst of life and ministry?! Well, everyone has their own story and I have huge respect for the particularities of different situations, medical problems and personal struggles. No one context is exactly the same. There will obviously be plenty of people reading this article who have, and are, facing awful struggles. The Lord will have worked in them and they will have a bucket load of wisdom that has been given to them. All this said, I thought I’d share some encouragements from our own life as a family.
Now, just in case you wonder, as you read through this: I’m not a cessationalist with regard to healing. I’m very happy to pray for healing and for others to pray for that. However, I’m also, on the other hand, not spiritually perturbed by the lack of healing we’ve experienced. I’m fully convinced that our hope is not in this world, nor is God’s ‘no’ a demonstration of a lack of love. Quite the opposite! 
So, below are some spiritual principles that I’ve learnt along the way. These are just an excerpt, and not meant to be exhaustive. In sharing these principles, I’m in no way suggesting that they’ll help everyone else, but I can say that they have helped me. Of course, I still hope that they’ll encourage some who read this. Here they are:
1. Sickness Is Bad, but Dependence Is Good
Ill-health very obviously makes you weak and dependent, and my instinct has always been to escape it as fast as I can. Yet it’s ironic that physical ill-health produces much spiritual health through an assault on self-reliance. As Tim Keller said, ‘you’ll never find out that Jesus is all you need until you get into a situation where Jesus is all you’ve got.’ Dependence is great for your prayer life, and if you can bottle it then much good can be done. 
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Ibrahim is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Director of Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam. Having been born and raised in Egypt, he has first-hand experience with Islam and access to the Arabic language. This makes him especially qualified and his books especially effective. There are four I recommend to you.

I always enjoy speaking with Muslims. I enjoy it, in part, because I have yet to meet a Muslim who is offended when I bring up spiritual matters or who is uninterested in discussing them. I’m quite sure I have had more cordial conversations about the gospel with Muslims than with anyone else. I suspect many others would say the same.
As I have spoken with Muslims, I always find myself wanting to better understand their faith so I can more effectively present the gospel to them. There are many resources that can help with this, but I am especially thankful for the collection written by Ayman Ibrahim. Ibrahim is a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Director of Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam. Having been born and raised in Egypt, he has first-hand experience with Islam and access to the Arabic language. This makes him especially qualified and his books especially effective. There are four I recommend to you.
Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel was published by Crossway in 2002 and provides lots of insights and practical counsel on sharing the gospel with Muslims. In the first half of the book, he explains the different strands of Islam and their key beliefs to ensure the reader understands the sheer diversity of the Muslim world. In the second half, he offers advice on actually connecting with Muslims and sharing the gospel with them. That makes this book a very good place to begin before conversing with Muslims.
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The 50th PCA General Assembly concluded business in Memphis, TN and adjourned until next year in Richmond, VA.

The Assembly reconvened at 8:00 a.m. During the Covenant College report, Derek Halvorson offered the following highlights:
Admissions – In the fall of 2021, we welcomed 292 new students from 33 states and 8 countries; this was 22 students over our Fall 2021 enrollment goal.
Campus & Facilities – During the 2021-2022 year, Facilities Management completed the replacement of field turf at Scotland Yard, installation of air conditioning in Barnes Gym, and ADA interior signage improvements.
Development & Finances – Donors gave over $7.2 million to Covenant during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, including gifts to the IMPACT Endowment Campaign, student scholarships, and support for the college’s operations. In March of 2022, the college concluded the IMPACT Campaign with $32,165,000 in gifts and pledges to the college’s endowment, exceeding the campaign goal of $30,000,000.
Student Life – The Covenant College Athletic Department experienced significant success across all programs. We prioritize strong discipleship models, stand-out academic success, intentional recruiting, and a holistic pursuit of excellence. Athletically, 9 programs finished in the top 4 of the USA South standings (Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Track, Men’s and Women’s Tennis), while Men’s and Women’s Soccer both won the conference championship.
The General Assembly adopted the following recommendation from the Covenant College Committee of Commissioners:
That the General Assembly thank and praise God for the 11 years of fruitful service of President, Dr. J. Derek Halvorson. Echoing the expression of thanks from the Board of Trustees, the Committee of Commissioners wishes to highlight the following:
Under Dr. Halvorson’s faithful leadership, Covenant College completed its largest endowment campaign, raising over $32 million in gifts and pledges, saw the extensive renovation of Carter Hall, and enjoyed a dramatic improvement in four-year and six-year graduation rates. Dr. Halvorson helped to introduce new majors and certificate programs, oversaw the transition of the College from NAIA to NCAA Division III and led the College through a global health pandemic with a sure and steady hand. Dr. Halvorson has fulfilled the duties of his office with exemplary wisdom and grace and has been a great blessing to the institution and to the denomination. His warmth and winsome demeanor has been a credit to the College and the General Assembly gives praise to God for his leadership as president and herein expresses their thanks to Dr. Halvorson for his service.
Irwyn Ince, coordinator for Mission to North America (MNA), offered his report to the Assembly. Here are some highlights:
In the next 10 years MNA will strive to facilitate the multiplication of PCA churches from 1,994 to 3,000 congregations. In order to accomplish this vision, the following must be true:

Ongoing Focus and Commitment to Church Vitality: As our churches grow in health and the rhythm of renewal through the means of grace, our heart for the lost and commitment to neighbor love in Jesus’ name will also grow.
Multiplying Church Planting: The multiplication of churches that will be faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith, and obedient to the great commission will take the prayer-saturated, collaborative effort of our whole denomination.

We must provide structures to revitalize PCA churches. Church planting and church vitality must simultaneously feed each other. We invite every church, presbytery, committee, and agency to join us in the challenge to pray that our Lord grant the unity, collaboration, love, sacrifice, and perseverance that is required to pursue this vision. In the 4th quarter of 2023 MNA will provide a detailed document on The Path Forward for Church Planting Vitality for consideration by our presbyteries, sessions, and network leaders.
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