Nicole O'Meara | Blog — Nicole O'Meara

Andrew Peterson is an author, singer-songwriter, and artist. He wrote Adorning the Dark as a biographical text on how to be a Christian Creative. But it’s a lot less, “How” and a whole lot more, “Here’s what you’ll learn along the way.”

I loved it. Like 5 STARS kind of love.

Peterson makes a very strong point that God created man in his image and since God is The Creator, his image-bearers must also be creative. We are all Creatives. And we are all meant to use our creativity, little or big, to glorify God in our little corner of the universe. What we create and the joy we get out of creating comes directly from understanding that we are beloved by God. Think about that, let it soak in, then do something to out of the overwhelm of being loved. That’s creating for the glory of God. Oh, it’s such a good point.

Blog, Book ReviewNicole O'MearaMarch 9, 2020book reviewComment

Video Conversation with Marissa Henley on Rare Cancer

There is real delight in being able to say to my chronically ill friends, “This is hard and I’m sad you are going through it. God loves you and I’m with you. You are not alone.”

In this video conversation, I introduce you to my friend, Marissa, author of Loving Your Friend Through Cancer, and survivor or a rare cancer called Angiosarcoma. We talk about being moms with life-threatening illness.

Blog, VideoNicole O'MearaMarch 6, 2020cancer, surviving, rare disease, chronic diseaseComment

The Spoon Theory & The One Spoon That Matters Most

Have you heard or seen the hashtag #spoonies around social media? It’s a helpful label for those living with chronic illness and has an interesting history. But I’m not in love with it. I’ll tell you why.

Trusting in God’s sufficiency means looking for ways to glorify him within the circumstances we live in. It means not worrying about how many spoons we have, but focusing on the one most important spoon.

BlogNicole O'MearaFebruary 10, 2020spoonie, recovery, Joni Eareckson Tada, chronic disease, rare disease Comments

Book Review: Shift

Author Abby McDonald wrote Shift: Changing Our Focus to See the Presence of God for those of us who could use some help to see where and how God is working in our lives. Abby tells stories of how God has worked behind the scenes, sometimes years in advance, to bless friends in unexpected ways. She also tells stories of how God’s word shifted her perspective of her own life, showing her how deeply he loves her even when, or especially when, it appears no one else notices her presence or her work.

Abby weaves stories from the Bible into little lessons that inch us closer to the perspective God has when he looks at our lives. Each chapter ends with a few questions to ponder alone or in a small group. Those questions would make this book an excellent choice for a book club or small group Bible study.

Book Review, BlogNicole O'MearaJanuary 30, 2020perspectiveComment

Surrender, The Hardest Choice

Isolation is a common feeling among survivor/fighters of rare disease. To choose to stay home during cold and flu season brings further isolation. But it is a choice I am free to make because the power of God living in me enables me to say No to the selfish desires of my heart and Yes, to his best plan for me.

Surrendering your desire is the hardest choice you can make. With God, it is possible.

BlogNicole O'MearaJanuary 17, 2020rare disease, undiagnosed, isolation, sacrifice, choices, acceptanceComment

Book Reviews: Becoming Mrs. Lewis and A Grief Observed

Becoming Mrs. Lewis, written by Patti Callahan, is a well-researched historical fiction story of the life of Joy Davidman, the woman who married C.S. Lewis. Much of the correspondence between Lewis and Davidman has been lost but thanks to a newly discovered treasure trove of sonnets written by Joy during her friendship with Jack, as his friends called him, Miss Callahan has given us a very good picture of the woman who captured Jack’s heart.

The day I finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I booked it over to the library (see what I did there?) to grab a copy of A Grief Observed, written by C.S. Lewis. This book is C.S. Lewis’ journal, verbatim, of his journey through grief. It is filled with emotional turmoil and spiritual doubt. It is honest and gut-wrenching and, for me, extremely relatable.

Book Review, BlogNicole O'MearaJanuary 2, 2020book review, griefComment

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