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Bekah Bowman

Can't Steal My Joy

Welcome!

I am glad you’ve found your way here. I believe we are all a part of something much grander than our small individual stories. And the intersection of our stories together with God’s Big Story is what makes that so incredibly grand. But what I’ve found is that our stories don’t usually go as planned and in fact, in our lifetime, we experience a lot of unexpected plot twists. This is the heart of Can’t Steal My Joy. 

We are all broken. It’s a unified human experience.

  • And we all need a hope that doesn’t disappoint,
  • A love that anchors us,
  • Joy that survives in unthinkable conditions,
  • And a perspective shift that goes beyond our circumstances.

The book Can’t Steal My Joy is for those sitting in the deep-down dark, traveling with grief as a constant companion, and anyone whose life path has taken an unexpected turn.

*Amazon buy buttons are my affiliate links. That just means Amazon sends me a small percentage for each sale they make, but it doesn’t change any pricing on your end. Thanks for the support!

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Can’t Steal My Joy: The Journey to a Different Kind of Brave
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What readers are saying about Can’t Steal My Joy by Bekah Bowman…

Whether you are in a season of mourning or grief, or in my case, struggling in the heaviness of life to find peace and joy within, this book helps lift the veil of sadness to reveal God’s promise that He never leaves you.

Melinda
founder of The WhenLife Co

The light and joy she found in these deep moments of struggle and grief allow the reader to understand how we all carry this same light, and how joy is found in unexpected places.

Sara

You cannot read this book without seeing the Creator and longing for all things new.

Anne Riley
author of Voyage to the Star Kingdom

She is both raw and real, and it’s a fast-paced read.

Kelly

…there was healing taking place in my own soul as her generosity of sharing so truthfully gave voice to the depths of brokenness that is the human experience.

Jody Bullard
The Sweet and the Salty Blog

Have you ever experienced any kind of brokenness in your life? Who of us hasn’t? Whether you have walked the difficult journey of facing a terminal illness diagnosis being given to your child or you have been beaten down by the typical rhythms of life, then Can’t Steal My Joy will speak straight to your heart.

Staci

Sign up for my monthly newsletter today and discover joy, connect with community, and renew your hope in the middle of brokenness.

Let's journey together...

The latest from Bekah's blog...

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Messages are everywhere. Each one has a motive. They want us to believe something about ourselves and about our world. And in that underlying motive, messages usually want us to act in a way that will benefit their messenger. It’s a “looking out for me” kind of world and we manipulate each other to get…

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What you need to know about this broken world and our victorious God

Her sobs were too much to hold in. They burst from her with such power, it was as if every organ, muscle, tissue and bone were pushing it out all together. The wails pierced the world around her and flew high. Some would think they’d lift up only to be held in by the ceiling,…

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When You Question If You’re on the Right Path

It was July 2016. In a lapse of judgement, I agreed to participate in a game of truth or dare as I sat in the hot tub with my husband, sister and brother-in-law, all of us on vacation in central California. We actually had some good laughs and deeper conversation during this childhood game. Each…

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Doubt After the Resurrection

I woke up Easter morning, the miracle of Jesus’s resurrection on my mind, and accompanying those thoughts–Thomas. Doubting Thomas. How would I have felt in Thomas’ shoes? Over a week after the resurrection, Thomas still doubted–rejected even–the idea that Jesus was alive. The draw to the keyboard was strong, as I dove into the days…

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When I’m ready to fly off the handle

Miscommunication happened, again. As a result, I was ready to fly off the handle this time. I had spent copious amounts of time organizing, planning and overly communicating. Despite my preparations, no one seemed to understand what was going on. Perhaps it was the fact we were on day 7 of being stuck at home.…

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We sat on the couch looking through one Airbnb after another to find the perfect home away from home for the trip we would be taking over Spring Break this year. Last year, we had a trip planned for Spring Break, but as we neared our departure date, it was clear travel wouldn’t be an…

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Read More on the Blog...
The Batten disease community is a family we never The Batten disease community is a family we never wanted to be a part of (and resisted at the beginning), but once we accepted our presence in this new way of life, we've been so grateful for them.
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You wouldn't browse their profiles here on social media long before you'd be struck by how resilient, joyful, humorous, forgiving, determined and strong these kids are.
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We got a sweet gift this week from a fellow batten family, @charleighsjourney , and the words at the end of the book they gifted us speak a truth I feel deeply inside.
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What the world marks as weak and pitiful, God marks as honored and blessed. It doesn't matter that these kids are unable to communicate and process like their peers. They all carry innate, God-given value, and incredible characteristics, teaching us big things about life. Inspiring us. And I am so thankful each child and family have crossed our paths, teaching us things only they can.
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Nancy Tillman ends her book You're Here for a Reason, "You're here for a reason. If you think you're not, I would just say that perhaps you forgot--a piece of the world that is precious and dear would surely be missing if you weren't here."
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#allbelong #roomformore #aseatatthetableforall #battendisease #framily #friendswhoarefamily #completebodyofchrist #weareallneeded #disabilityawareness #disabilityinclusion #raredisease #CLN2 #indispensABLE
Liminal space has been on my mind lately. A space Liminal space has been on my mind lately. A space that is a transition, a crossing over from the old story into the new story. A space that tells of what was and holds anticipation for what isn't quite yet known, and at the same time holds almost a frozen middle where we can believe there is no story, or maybe even no hope.
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Its the walk down the empty hallway to the audition room. It's the minutes, hours, and days after a life-altering diagnosis, divorce, job change. I would venture to say it is the years we are living in that stand between what was a perfect Garden and what will be a redeemed Earth.
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I am constantly in awe of the invitation we are given to pick up a pencil and write stories into these liminal spaces. We are invited to script our small little stories to intersect with the big God story of love and redemption, participating in the inbreaking of God's Kingdom right here, right now in this liminal space.
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I think of how Abraham obeyed when God told him to leave his home and go to a land God promised would be his inheritance. He left without knowing where he was going. And when he arrived at his destination, he lived there as a foreigner. Talk about liminal space. He lived in an awareness of what God was promising, though it was far off, and he welcomed it and lived believing God would keep those promises, even if he would never see the fulfillment of those promises in his lifetime.
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I'm not sure who is feeling frozen in liminal space right now with the transition of "story" happening in so much of our world--political unrest, social gatherings and the way we do school, church, how the world fights to define what is truth, etc...
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The story I dare to write here in this space is one of confident hope in the Light of the World. This confident hope feeds into kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col 3). It's a story I hope will tell of a growing resolve in me that cannot be shaken no matter the storm or unknown, because I lean into and on a Hope who simply will not fail. Take a look at Isaiah 11:1-5.
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Jesus, meet us here in these unknown, difficult, anxiety-ridden spaces and bolster us as we lean into your grace, direction, and love.
We were saying our prayers tonight and thanking Go We were saying our prayers tonight and thanking God for the various things from our day.
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Ely interrupts me, and says, "Rooooaaar!"
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I laughed. "Yep, and thank you, Lord, for Brown Bear, Brown Bear," I said.
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He gives me a soft smile as I finish our prayer.
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I love his participation, his own unique way of expression in prayer. I love his heart and pleasures in simple things. And I know, without a doubt, that little one-word prayer of gratitude reached right to the heart of God.
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#cantstealmyjoy #adayinthelifeofEly #disabilityawareness #differentlyabled #differentnotless #specialneedsmom #rarediseasefamily #Godsbeloved #cln2 #childlikewonder #prayersofachild #childlikefaith
Wrapping up infusion 111 over here right now. This Wrapping up infusion 111 over here right now. This kid got in some music therapy today!
🎵
What looked to become a very short visit because of his intolerance to the noise turned into half an hour of Ely taking the lead and Mary, the music therapist, following along. Ely would hum and "sing" and she played the xylophone, and the two put on quite a concert in this tiny room of the pediatric cancer institute. My face hurts from smiling.
🎵 
#musictherapy #joyfulnoise #cantstealmyjoy #adayinthelifeofEly #team4titusandely #infusion #rareisbeautiful #differentlyabled #differentnotless #cln2 #brineura #miracleshappeneveryday
Happy New Year, everyone! . We have words for 2020 Happy New Year, everyone!
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We have words for 2020, don't we? But I've got words for a lot of years these past few and I've learned that there are also always beautiful gifts to behold.
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So, I'm grateful for the disruption, the re-evaluation, the simplification, the re-prioritization.
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I'm thankful for home projects, home offices, home-grown food, home therapy, home school, home church.
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I'm thankful for new passions, new learnings, new books, new friends, new traditions, new yard, new countertops, new adventures.
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I walk into 2021 no fool. (well maybe little bit of one.) I've been saying this for years and I'll say it again. I have no idea what 2021 holds for us, but I guess this joy-seeker (and finder) can't help but feel hopeful anticipation. Here's to the next leg of the journey. 💛
As we I pulled up for our last infusion of 2020 an As we I pulled up for our last infusion of 2020 and Ely's 110th infusion total so far, I was filled with an assurance of hope.
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I can't often put into words what its like to live with such heavy loss at the expense of batten disease, and also live with hope and gratitude in the face of batten disease.
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(That's right- in yo face, batten!) Ah-hem. Sorry couldn't help myself.
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On the heals of grief comes hope. And on the heals of hope comes grief. It's complicated.
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Somehow hope keeps haunting me though. In the middle of this Christmas season, as grief wells up, the "magic" of the season feels absent,  there is something that just won't be put to rest, won't go away, won't stop softly tapping me on the shoulder and reminding me of Jesus's presence... His victory. Its hope.
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#cantstealmyjoy #adayinthelifeofEly #victoryinjesus #holidaygrief #joyfulliving #joyandpain #gratitude #rarediseasefamily #specialneedsmom #missingbig #adventuresinheaven #team4titusandely #cln2 #battendisease #biomarin #raretreatment #infusionday
I remember the first time we experienced isolation I remember the first time we experienced isolation and rejection at the hands of a faith community. On the other hand, I also could sit here for a week straight and recount story after story of our family being brought to the centerfold of our faith community.
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Thankfully, the latter has been the majority of our experience. But I can't say the same for far too many individuals and families who live with disabilities.
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I remember the moment God began kindling in my heart a quiet mission. A mission to help families with disabilities and faith communities come together. To serve together. To journey life with one another. Each side just needs some help communicating and educating. We don't know what we don't know. God showed me I've got a foot on either side of that gap and with His leading, I could perhaps help make that gap a little bit smaller.
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As this mission has grown to a blaze in my heart, I enrolled in the Beyond Suffering Disability Ministry Certification course through @joniandfriends .
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Nov 22 I handed in my last assignment, completing the course. All throughout those 5 months, I cried, identified with so much, and I learned way more than I knew. I'm so grateful, and I look forward to what might be next.
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#disabilityministry #disabilityawareness #disabilityministrycoach #lifewithoutlack #cantstealmyjoy #roomatthetable #roomformore #indispensABLE #specialneedsmom #rarediseasefamily #joniandfriends #bridgingthegap #beavoice

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