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Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend
"Call me if you need anything. . . " Most of us have said this because we didn't know what else to say. We care, but how do we show it? Does a casserole really encourage someone? Why don't people ever call? If you have picked up the phone to call someone who is ill and have had a wave of fear wash over you (what do I say?) This book is for you! Packed with 505 ways to encourage a friend, from what to say, what not to say, things to write in cards or emails, gift ideas, things to bring when visiting in the hospital or someone at home, you will find yourself flipping through it to get an idea for someone you care about who is hurting (and not just those with illness).
105 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 17, 2022
Caring and supportive gestures to convey your care, friendship, and love. The ideas and advice apply to both the head and the heart and are meant to support and assist in many different ways. I found these ideas inspirational, many of them could be applied to assist anyone going through a tough time, not just a chronically ill friend.
I read all the suggestions, but one resoundingly captured the essence of true friendship and support: #76 Romans 1:12 says, "That you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Remember you will both encourage and be encouraged.
I read all the suggestions, but one resoundingly captured the essence of true friendship and support: #76 Romans 1:12 says, "That you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Remember you will both encourage and be encouraged.
March 8, 2016
When you want to help a friend with chronic illness, it can be hard to know what to do. Maybe you aren’t sure what would be helpful, or maybe you don’t know what to say. Lisa Copen has written a helpful book called Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend. This little book is full of great ideas for those who want to reach out to a friend with chronic illness.
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. She is an author, Christian disability speaker, and chronic illness expert. She suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis, and she writes with the wisdom of one who is well acquainted with chronic illness and pain.
Beyond Casseroles is filled with practical suggestions and advice from someone who understands what life is like for those with a chronic illness. Lisa shares about things to say and things not to say. She gives creative ideas for gifts and for acts of service. She offers tips for what to talk about with your friend and how to pray for her. Lisa also shares verses from Scripture that are applicable to serving a friend with chronic illness.
While reading Beyond Casseroles, I found many helpful ideas and suggestions that I had never thought of before. This book is an excellent resource to keep on the bookshelf. The suggestions are practical and helpful for reaching out to a friend with chronic illness, and many would also be applicable when reaching out to a grieving family, someone with cancer, or an elderly neighbor.
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. She is an author, Christian disability speaker, and chronic illness expert. She suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis, and she writes with the wisdom of one who is well acquainted with chronic illness and pain.
Beyond Casseroles is filled with practical suggestions and advice from someone who understands what life is like for those with a chronic illness. Lisa shares about things to say and things not to say. She gives creative ideas for gifts and for acts of service. She offers tips for what to talk about with your friend and how to pray for her. Lisa also shares verses from Scripture that are applicable to serving a friend with chronic illness.
While reading Beyond Casseroles, I found many helpful ideas and suggestions that I had never thought of before. This book is an excellent resource to keep on the bookshelf. The suggestions are practical and helpful for reaching out to a friend with chronic illness, and many would also be applicable when reaching out to a grieving family, someone with cancer, or an elderly neighbor.
March 5, 2020
The book consists of 505 do's and don'ts in case a friend is chronically ill. Most of them are ten to thirty words long.
It's helpful to be reminded of some of them. Like questions to ask ("What have you had to give up that you really liked?" And those not to ask ("How long have you got to live?"). And to stick around for the long haul, as most people don't.
Reading it was an uplifting experience, and inspirational, in that it gave me some ideas of what to do that I had never considered.
It took no more that an hour and a half at most to read. There wasn't really an order in these 505 hints. They seemed haphazard, like containing only those someone thought up in a limited amount of time, or had a group of chronically ill come up with in a short time. Some of them show up repeatedly, worded slightly different. About 30% of them are colored by Christian fate, like about praying for/with someone, bible citations, or thoughts about illness and god's plan.
I will reread this book once in a while, to better understand the world from a chronically ill perspective, before I engage with ill friends.
It's helpful to be reminded of some of them. Like questions to ask ("What have you had to give up that you really liked?" And those not to ask ("How long have you got to live?"). And to stick around for the long haul, as most people don't.
Reading it was an uplifting experience, and inspirational, in that it gave me some ideas of what to do that I had never considered.
It took no more that an hour and a half at most to read. There wasn't really an order in these 505 hints. They seemed haphazard, like containing only those someone thought up in a limited amount of time, or had a group of chronically ill come up with in a short time. Some of them show up repeatedly, worded slightly different. About 30% of them are colored by Christian fate, like about praying for/with someone, bible citations, or thoughts about illness and god's plan.
I will reread this book once in a while, to better understand the world from a chronically ill perspective, before I engage with ill friends.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews