Love Your Neighbor

We have made it to the end of the week it's FRIDAY! with only 2 more days left in the month of July before we head into the 8th month of the New Year which is August but before we get ahead of ourselves lets take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom. Read: Romans 13:8-11 Bible in a Year: Psalms 49-50; Romans 1 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Galatians 5:14 An anthropologist was winding up several months of research in a small village, the story is told. While waiting for a ride to the airport for his return flight home, he decided to pass the time by making up a game for some children. His idea was to create a race for a basket of fruit and candy that he placed near a tree. But when he gave the signal to run, no one made a dash for the finish line. Instead the children joined hands and ran together to the tree. When asked why they chose to run as a group rather than each racing for the prize, a little girl spoke up and said: “How could one of us be happy when all of the others are sad?” Because these children cared about each other, they wanted all to share the basket of fruit and candy. After years of studying the law of Moses, the apostle Paul found that all of God’s laws could be summed up in one: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal. 5:14; see also Rom. 13:9). In Christ, Paul saw not only the reason to encourage, comfort, and care for one another but also the spiritual enablement to do it. Because He cares for us, we care for each other. —Mart DeHaan Father, thank You for the love You shower on us day by day. Teach us, in turn, to care for others. Open our eyes to see their need and respond as You want us to. We show our love for God when we love one another. INSIGHT: Paul’s words in today’s passage remind us of Jesus’s words to the young teacher of the law who asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-29). Love for God and neighbor is the fulfillment of all the laws of the Old Testament. In Luke, Jesus defines who our neighbor is and what love for that person should look like (vv. 30-37). Paul provides thoughts about this to the people at the church in Rome. After telling them to love their neighbor in chapter 13, he goes on to tell them in chapter 14 to consider the effect their actions will have on their neighbor. Love is to guide everything we do. . J.R. Hudberg

Test Match

We are getting ready to close out the month of July this week but before we do lets take a moment to start the week off with these words of wisdom. Read: Psalm 35:17-28 Bible in a Year: Psalms 37-39; Acts 26 How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. —Psalm 35:17 A test match in the game of cricket can be grueling. Competitors play from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with lunch and tea breaks, but the games can last up to five days. It’s a test of endurance as well as skill. The tests we face in life are sometimes intensified for a similar reason—they feel unending. The long search for a job, an unbroken season of loneliness, or a lengthy battle with cancer is made even more difficult by the fact that you wonder if it will ever end. Perhaps that is why the psalmist cried out, “How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions” (Ps. 35:17). Bible commentaries say that this was speaking of the long period in David’s life when he was pursued by Saul and slandered by the king’s advisors—a time of trial that lasted for years. Yet, in the end, David sang, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant” (v. 27). His testing drove him to deeper trust in God—a trust that we can also experience in our own long seasons of testing, hardship, or loss. —Bill Crowder As time drags on and answers seem faraway, teach me, Father, to find my help in You and Your presence. Enable me to endure, and empower me to trust in You. When your burdens overwhelm you, remember that God has His arms underneath you. INSIGHT: David found strength to endure his trial by reflecting on and trusting in the character of God (Ps. 35:9-10). Three young Hebrew captives in Babylon—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, whose names were changed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3)—are other examples of trust during difficult circumstances. The Babylonian ruler commanded them to dishonor God by bowing before a giant idol. They faced this challenge with hope because their past experiences with God taught them that He was worthy of their trust and confidence. Dread and apprehension turned to sure confidence and expectation because God had shown Himself faithful. Adapted from Hope: Choosing Faith Instead of Fear.

Twins Taking Steps!

Jill and Jamie are Taking a Step to Fight Crohns here is there story. It is said that the bond between twins is unlike any other sibling bond. Twins go through life sharing everything – birthdays, clothing, friends, school, and much more. Jamie Mendelsohn and Jill Theisen are no different. The 39-year-old twins shared everything as children and now, as adults, they share another major aspect of their lives – inflammatory bowel diseases. Jamie and Jill were both diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in their 20s – Jamie in 1999 and Jill in 2002. Jamie spent the first few years with ulcerative colitis on a variety of medications and being in and out of the hospital. In 2004, Jamie had a colectomy – surgical removal of the colon – and an ileostomy– and over a dozen blood transfusions. Later that year, she had a second surgery to reconnect her small intestine and create a j-pouch. She thrived following the surgery until 2007 when she began experiencing symptoms and extraintestinal manifestations; this included pyoderma gangrenosum and fistulas. Jamie has since been re-diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and has lived with an ileostomy since 2011. Jamie has a successful career ,and she travels nationally with the Ashar Group LLC, as VP of Life Insurance Policy Valuations, speaking in front of large audiences. Jill was diagnosed three years after watching Jamie live with ulcerative colitis. Although she was devastated by the diagnosis, watching her sister persevere helped her maintain a positive attitude. She lived with minimal symptoms and was able to get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy without any major flaring. Following the birth of her daughter, she became extremely sick and ended up taking time off from work to focus on her health. In 2007, Jill had surgery to remove her colon and had her reconnection surgery three months later. Since her surgery, she has had some complications but has been able to maintain a great life with her thriving career, daughter, and husband. After such a long journey filled with hospitalizations, surgeries, and much more, Jamie and Jill decided they wanted to get involved and raise awareness and funds for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. They became aware of CCFA through literature in their doctor’s office and, as they say, the rest is history. Jamie and Jill began fundraising for Take Steps six years ago. Since their first walk, they’ve nearly tripled their fundraising goal, aiming to raise $100,000 to support CCFA’s mission-critical research, education, and patient support programs. Sharing a disease has made Jamie and Jill extremely interested in the genetic component of IBD. Genome-wide association studies in IBD patients have identified 100 non-overlapping genetic markers, of which approximately 50 are unique to either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. CCFA’s Genetics Initiative, which has already identified more than 200 genes associated with IBD, is allowing a better understanding of the genes and their functions, and the chain of biological events that result in IBD. Join Jamie and Jill in helping to find cures for IBD. Sign up for a Take Steps walk today!

Human Race

Made it to the end of the week it's FRIDAY! YES! as we take a moment to reflect on this week let's be Thankful for ALL things that we have experience with these words of wisdom Read: Mark 6:7-13, 30-32 Bible in a Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35 [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” —Mark 6:31 The alarm clock goes off. Too early, it seems. But you have a long day ahead. You have work to do, appointments to keep, people to care for, or all this and more. Well, you are not alone. Each day, many of us rush from one matter to another. As someone has wittily suggested, “That’s why we are called the human race.” When the apostles returned from their first mission trip, they had a lot to report. But Mark did not record Jesus’s evaluation of the disciples’ work; rather, he focused on His concern that they rest awhile. Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (6:31). Ultimately, we find true rest through recognizing the presence of God and trusting Him. While we take our responsibilities seriously, we also recognize that we can relax our grip on our work and careers, our families and ministry, and give them over to God in faith. We can take time each day to tune out the distractions, put away the tense restlessness, and reflect in gratitude on the wonder of God’s love and faithfulness. So feel free to stop and take a breath. Get some real rest. —Poh Fang Chia Lord, I thank You today for all You have given me to do. Help me to truly rest in You—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it. Gordon MacDonald INSIGHT: When Jesus asked His disciples to go to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6:31), He was telling them to do something that He had often done with them. Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples to the lake (2:13; 3:7) or up on the mountain (3:13). Jesus was also in the habit of withdrawing from the crowds to a solitary place to rest and to spend time talking with His Father (Matt. 14:13,23; 26:36; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 4:42; 6:12; John 6:15). The gospel of Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:16). Sim Kay Tee

Let's Make TWICE the Impact this Summer

Here is our July 2016 Issue of CCFA Newsletter. Letter from our President & CEO I have some great news! Our Members Match is back this summer—thanks to some very generous donors. The Finkelstein Family has graciously made an $80,000 gift to CCFA and challenged us to match it by September 15th. As you know, more effective therapies and cures for IBD are on the horizon, and $160,000 would give our research initiatives a major boost. So please consider making a Members Match gift today. This is our chance to have TWICE the impact on defeating IBD this summer. Thank you in advance for your support, Michael Osso President & CEO Twins Taking Steps! It is said that the bond between twins is unlike any other sibling bond. For Jamie Mendelsohn and Jill Theisen, it's no different. The 39-year-old twins shared everything as children and now, as adults, they share another major aspect of their lives: IBD. Jamie and Jill were both diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in their 20s—and today, after a long journey filled with hospitalizations, surgeries, and more, they are involved in raising awareness and funds for CCFA. The twins began fundraising for Take Steps six years ago. Since their first walk, they've nearly tripled their fundraising goal. Read their inspiring story here. READ MORE ► Join the Movement—Registration is Now Open! We are excited to announce that spin4 crohn's & colitis cures is expanding to 18 cities across the country this fall, along with an option to Ride Where You Live! spin4 crohn's & colitis cures is an exciting, high energy, indoor cycling event that raises funds for research, awareness, and patient services. Form a team of up to four people per bike, and participate in a two-hour indoor cycling relay—or take on the entire ride yourself. Click here to learn more and have one of our team members contact you! LEARN MORE ► Double Your Impact This Summer Join our Members Match today—and help us raise TWICE the funds to fight IBD. Walk with Us this Fall! We already have over 50 walks planned across the U.S. this fall. Connect with other families while raising critical funds for research and support programs. Cures are within our reach—let's Take Steps together to get there! JOIN TODAY ► Check Out Our Educational Programs CCFA's half-day and evening educational programs provide a unique opportunity to connect with other IBD patients and caregivers, as well as learn from medical experts in the field. Visit your local chapter's page to learn about upcoming programs in your area. LEARN MORE ► Traveling with IBD Summer is prime travel time! Don't avoid a dream vacation because of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Whether you're traveling abroad or here in the States, these tips will come in handy. READ MORE ► Visit Your Legislators this August For Members of Congress, August is an extended period of time when they will be back in their home states meeting with constituents. During this time, you can meet with them in person to reiterate your support for IBD medical research and awareness. Join us for an informational webinar on July 25 at 8 p.m. EST to learn how to request a local meeting and more. GET INVOLVED ► CCFA provides a comprehensive database of studies, clinical trials, and other research on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Here is one of the recently added studies: An Observational Study on Pregnancy and Autoimmune/Inflammatory Diseases, for pregnant women ages 18 and older with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis Deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial is an important personal decision, best made with a full understanding of the drug development process and a participant's role. 7​33 Th​ird Av​en​ue, Sui​te 51​0, Ne​w Y​ork,​ N​Y 10​01​7 www.ccfa.org | 8​00-​93​2-​2​423 Talk with an I​BD Info​rmation Specialist at 88​8.M​y.Gu​t.P​ain | 8​88-​69​4-8​87​2

Misplaced Trust

We have started a New Week the weekend has come and gone so as we head into this week lets take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom. Read: Psalm 20 Bible in a Year: Psalms 20-22; Acts 21:1-17 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. —Psalm 20:7 I like watching birds, an activity I developed while growing up in a forest village in Ghana where there were many different species of birds. In the city suburb where I now live, I recently observed the behavior of some crows that interested me. Flying toward a tree that had shed most of its leaves, the crows decided to take a rest. But instead of settling on the sturdy branches, they lighted on the dry and weak limbs that quickly gave way. They flapped their way out of danger—only to repeat the useless effort. Apparently their bird-sense didn’t tell them that the solid branches were more trustworthy and secure resting places. How about us? Where do we place our trust? David observes in Psalm 20:7: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Chariots and horses represent material and human assets. While these represent things that are useful in daily life, they don’t give us security in times of trouble. If we place our trust in things or possessions or wealth, we will find that they eventually give way beneath us, as the branches gave way beneath the crows. Those who trust in their chariots and horses can be “brought to their knees and fall,” but those who trust in God will “rise up and stand firm” (v. 8). —Lawrence Darmani Have you ever trusted someone or something and been disappointed or let down? Who or what was it? What do you trust in the most? In a world of change, we can trust our unchanging God. INSIGHT: In times of fading hope, when there seems to be no way out of total disaster, we need to place our confidence in God, trusting that He has a perfect plan. We can trust Him, even through times of doubt and pressure, trial and temptation. He will lead us through the deep waters and bring us safely to the other shore. Once there, we’ll be able to say with David, “We trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7). Adapted from Why Doesn’t God Answer Me? Trusting in Times of Doubt and Trial.

Unexpected

Made it the end of the week it's FRIDAY! Let take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom as we continue to keep our Nation in prayer during ALL that is going on. Read: Matthew 10:35-42 Bible in a Year: Psalms 13-15; Acts 19:21-41 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. —Matthew 10:39 In the midday heat of summer, while traveling in the American South, my wife and I stopped for ice cream. On the wall behind the counter we saw a sign reading, “Absolutely No Snowmobiling.” The humor worked because it was so unexpected. Sometimes saying the unexpected has the most effect. Think of this in regard to a statement by Jesus: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). In a kingdom where the King is a servant (Mark 10:45), losing your life becomes the only way to find it. This is a startling message to a world focused on self-promotion and self-protection. In practical terms, how can we “lose our life”? The answer is summed up in the word sacrifice. When we sacrifice, we put into practice Jesus’s way of living. Instead of grasping for our own wants and needs, we esteem the needs and well-being of others. Jesus not only taught about sacrifice but He also lived it by giving Himself for us. His death on the cross became the ultimate expression of the heart of the King who lived up to His own words: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). —Bill Crowder Loving Father, teach me the heart of Christ, that I might more fully appreciate the sacrifice He has made for me and be willing to sacrifice myself for others. Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice. Henry Liddon INSIGHT: After appointing twelve men as His disciples (Matt. 10:1-4), Jesus gave them their first assignment to go and preach the good news that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (v. 7). Jesus warned that people in the world would not want to hear about Him: “You will be hated by everyone because of me” (v. 22). We, too, may be ignored, opposed, rejected, persecuted, and even killed (vv. 16-22). It may cost us to share the gospel with others, and we may experience hostility even from our own family (vv. 35-36). To overcome these challenges, Jesus calls for a commitment to Him that is greater than any other (vv. 37-39). Sim Kay Tee