Bo Stern - Beautiful Battlefields

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

For a free catalog goto www.NavPress.com
or call 1.800 .366 .7788 in the United States or 1.800.839.4769 in Canada.

2013 by Bonita Stern

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935. www.navpress.com

NAVPRESS and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

ISBN: 978-1-61291-319-3

Cover design by Arvid Wallen
Cover image by Jose AS Reyes

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions used include: the Amplified Bible (AMP), The Lockman Foundation 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987; the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, used by permission of Zondervan, all rights reserved; the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Copyright 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved; the New King James Version (NKJV). Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; THE MESSAGE (MSG). Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group; and the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Stern, Bo.

Beautiful battlefields / Bo Stern.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-61291-319-3

1. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4909.S74 2013

248.4--dc23

2012031015

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 18 17 16 15 14 13

Build: 2020-03-25 08:23:17 EPUB 2.0

For Steve.
Friend of God. Love of my life. Bravest man I know.

Contents

PART 1:
DISCOVERING BEAUTY IN THE HARD PLACES

PART 2:
STRATEGIES FOR GROWING STRONGER THROUGH EVERY BATTLE

Acknowledgments

I owe many thanks, much love, and some sort of home-cooked meal to:

Steve Stern: The first to encourage me when I want to give up, to forgive me when I fall, and to lead the parade when I win. Eternity will tell the whole story of the impact your faith has made. Consider this book a head start.

Team Stern: Whitney, Corey, and Greyson Parnell and Victoria, Tess, and Josiah Stern. The six of you have taught me a million lessons in teamwork, trust, loyalty, goodness, and strength this year. You are brave, beautiful examples of Gods great work in our world and His incomparable gifts in my life. I adore you.

My mom and dad, Stan and Ellen Mishler: For standing strong in hospital waiting rooms, for constantly believing in the power of Jesus to win this fight, for standing with us in our determination to find beauty in suffering there are not enough thank-yous.

My amazing in-laws, Paul and Eleanor Stern, and the whole Stern/David clan: For staking your flag in the ground of Steves healing and refusing to budge, for guarding that ground like it was your own patch of lentils, and for raising the most amazing man I know, I am forever in your debt.

Lila Pearson and Cheryl Inman: Dearest sisters, closest friends, fiercest fighters on my battlefield.

Casey Parnell: You are one in a million. Thank you for standing with us through thick and thin.

The army of friends that has enabled me to survive, to stand, and to storm the gates when necessary: Pam Beane, Chris Earwicker, Vangi Taron, Sonja Decker, Nita Belles, Jill Wolfe, Gina Blok, Suzanne Mickel, Kimberly Alexander, Nanci Miller, Deb Gentry, Kristi Dueber, Cathy Parnell, and Tami Sawyer, just to name a few.

My amazing Sometimes Small Group: Mekenzie Stearns, Elisa Earwicker, Stephenie Madsen, Whitney Parnell, Katie Scott, Noel Pearson, and Jenna Javens:You are young, but very wise I love you.

Our pastors, Ken and Linda Johnson: Thank you for always helping us find our way back to a Genesis 50:20 life.

Our trusted team of spiritual leaders and advisors: Steve and Suzanne Mickel, Mike and Kim Alexander, Jim and Jean Stephens, Greg and Karen Fry, John and Sonja Decker.

My agent, Jason Myhre: This is all your fault. Thank you.

Team Steve: Joe Pearson, Dave Inman, Riley Cranston, Scott Robson, Rob Imhoff, Lane Lerhke, Mike Spedick, Beau Crotwell, Kevin Sawyer, Jim Stone, Joe Earwicker, Bob Brown, Louie Hoffman, Dave Blok, Jay Smith, Bob Bolton, Ron Botts (and surely Ive forgotten someone). The ways you have loved and cared for Steve could fill a book and probably should. You are men of extraordinary strength and valor. Thank you.

My editor, Liz Heaney: Your skills astound me and your grace blesses me. Thank you for walking me through this process with such finesse. I am so grateful.

To You, Jesus, our prayer remains: Be glorified. In all our words and ways. In all our hopes and dreams. Be the singular, shining focus of our lives. Because only You are worthy.

Part 1

DISCOVERING BEAUTY IN THE HARD PLACES

CHAPTER 1

Meeting Goliath

Finding Beauty in the Fight of Your Life

T he first shot was fired in the fall.

I love September because its my birthday month and the start of school. Its a time of year that seems fresh and new and filled with possibility. This particular September day rolled in with the fully alive colors of the season as our mountains welcomed their first sweaters of snow and the orange leaves snapped to attention on the trees. The day could have been perfectly lovely. Except that it turned out to be the day war was declared.

Im not unfamiliar with the feel of the battlefield. In the course of the average life, plenty of hard times will fall, so on this day, just after having celebrated my forty-fifth birthday, I had already run into my share of bad guys and big losses. I was adept at telling other people how to do battle, and I had confidence in my ability to faith my way through any fight. However, I was about to meet an enemy so fierce and foul that all my previous victories and clever strategies would seem insignificant and impotent by comparison.

Like just about any conflict, this one began long before we realized it. My husband, a man who personifies the word strapping, had been experiencing some neck and shoulder weakness that was diagnosed as arthritis and treated with a steroid injection. Weeks later, however, his condition was so much worse that he struggled to hold his head up when he mowed the lawn or rode a bike. Ironically, I was not concerned when I went with him to see a neurologist on that big September day. I have feared pretty much everything else in my life, but our family has been blessed with generations of stout health, and Steve had never had any serious physical issues. To me, he is the strongest man in every room and the definition of stability, so the possibility of a grim diagnosis wasnt even on my radar.