Excerpt: 'The Cure for the Chronic Life' by Deanna Favre and Shane Stanford

Oct. 21, 2010 — -- Deanna Favre, New York Times bestselling author, activist, and wife of NFL's Brett Favre and Pastor Shane Stanford both share experiences with a life-threatening illness. They have combined their strengths and stories to write "The CURE for the Chronic Life," a new book that inspires readers to rise above hopelessness and experience a joyful life.

Read an excerpt of the book below, and head to the "GMA" Library for more good reads.

HEALING

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted.- Isaiah 61:1

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.- Proverbs 17:22

"Lord," he said, "if you want to, you can make me well again." Jesus reached out andtouched the man. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!"- Luke 5:12-13

What could an HIV-positive minister and the wife of one of the NFL'sgreatest players have in common? More than one might imagine.Each of us has lived through difficult life situations and illnesses, overcomingthe propensity for chronic hopelessness, to discover the transforminggrace and strength of God—no matter how much the questions of lifeseemed unanswerable.

Our friendship was born from one of life's "coincidences." We discoveredour common roots as survivors of chronic illness, but also as survivorsof those chronic life situations that, oftentimes, come to define our perspectivesof self, others, and God. After all, haven't we all asked questionsof God when hope seems lost or at least out of grasp?

In this book, we share our personal journeys and offer a word of hopefor those going through life's everyday struggles, and we ask the question,"Are you living in crisis or in Christ?" The answer to this question, morethan any question we know, determines so much of how we both see theworld and our issues. But more important, it also determines how we viewthe potential of our solutions in Christ.

This book is framed in the language of questions and answers, hope anddespair, ache and healing. These are words and phrases that every personwill understand, whether from personal experience or from conversationsand interactions with others. Regardless, we have all had unanswered questionsthat seemed to foster unreasonable decisions; feelings of despair thatpromoted a sense of apathy or discouragement; or the emotional, physical,or spiritual ache that kept us from seeing God in our midst and from livingfaithfully as God's person in our paths.

These questions, and this journey, affect all of life's situations. And mostof the time, we use such language when we feel as though too much is unanswerable,undoable, or unreachable. How many stories or life situationscan we recount that point to our uncertainties of a life with far too manyquestions?

But what about the other side of that language? What about a God whoprovides answers for our questions, possibilities for our uncertainties, anda new story for the unrecognizable avenues of grace and hope in each of ourlives? This book answers those questions and provides a picture of hope inspite of our aches and pains—emotionally, relationally, physically, or spiritually.And if that wasn't enough, God's wonderful gift to us through Christnot only addresses these old hurts, habits, and hang-ups, but it also gives usa new path and a new opportunity for grace and healing. More than any-thing, God's gift and promise to us in Christ is the reason we wrote thebook—that God's redeeming love will meet the deepest of our questions andhelp us begin again. Wouldn't you like to start over?