Topic > When Life Hurts > Grief >
My mom used to listen to the Radio Bible Class on the radio. She also read the Our Daily Bread devotionals every day and the whole family joined in. I…
ReadOut of the Ashes
During hardship and trouble, tough questions often arise: Where is God? How do I respond to difficulties? Is God both good and all-powerful? In the Discovery Series booklet Out of the Ashes by Bill Crowder, you’ll explore Job’s struggle with the problem of suffering. Through Job’s story, discover how you can trust God despite unanswered...
The Warmth Of The Sun
On a November day in 1963, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote a song quite unlike the band’s typically upbeat tunes. It was a mournful song about love that’s been lost. Mike said later, “As hard as that kind of loss is, the one good that comes from it is having had the experience of being in love in the first place.” They titled it “The Warmth of the Sun.”
Heartbreak And Hope
When American country singer George Jones died at the age of 81, his fans remembered his remarkable voice and his hard life and personal struggles. While many of his songs reflected his own despair and longing, it was the way he sang them that touched people deeply. Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot said, “His voice was made for conveying heartbreak.”
Does God Care?
Minnie and George Lacy were faced with some questions: “Is Jesus enough? Is our relationship with Christ sufficient to sustain us? Will He be enough to help us want to go on living? Does He care?”
An Emergency Of The Spirit
In March 2011, a devastating tsunami struck Japan, taking nearly 16,000 lives as it obliterated towns and villages along the coast. Writer and poet Gretel Erlich visited Japan to witness and document the destruction. When she felt inadequate to report what she was seeing, she wrote a poem about it. In a PBS NewsHour interview she said, “My old friend William Stafford, a poet now gone, said, ‘A poem is an emergency of the spirit.’”
Is There Hope?
I sat quietly at the graveside of my father, waiting for the private family burial of my mother to begin. The funeral director carried the urn that held her ashes. My heart felt numb and my head was in a fog. How can I handle losing them both within just 3 months? In my grief I felt loss and loneliness and a little hopeless facing a future without them.
It was like death had played a cruel prank
For a week, I was glued to news updates on the status and stories of three ill-fated passenger airlines. My heart went out to the passengers who were killed and their grieving family members. It could very well have been someone I knew.
Two Men
Two men were killed in our city on the same day. The first, a police officer, was shot down while trying to help a family. The other was a homeless man who was shot while drinking with friends early that day.
Be Present
After 20 children and 6 staff members were murdered in a Connecticut school, the entire nation was stunned that such a horrific thing could happen. Everyone focused on the tragedy and the questions surrounding it: What kind of person would do such a thing, and why? How can we prevent it from happening again? How can we help the survivors? Amid the chaos, an unlikely group moved in and made a difference.
A Season For Everything
In the 1960s, the folk-rock band The Byrds popularized the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” It climbed to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gained worldwide popularity. People seemed captivated by the lyrics. Interestingly, though, except for the last line, those lyrics are from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.
Life After Loss: Grieving with Hope
“Grief is a journey that sooner or later we all must take,” writes counselor Tim Jackson. Sharing his personal experience and pointing us to the cross and the power of Christ’s resurrection, Jackson shows us how we can take that journey with hope. In the pages of this booklet, he walks with us through the grieving process and reminds us to “lean on our Creator and each other” for comfort.
Pass It On
I’ve noticed through the years that those who have suffered are quick to comfort other sufferers. When a young couple suffers the loss of a child, another couple who also lost a child in the past asks if they can help.
When Hope Is Lost: Dealing With Depression
Giving up on life or feeling that life has given up on you is a battle millions of people face in struggling with depression. In this booklet, counselor Jeff Olson takes a closer look at the nature and various components of depression. Discover how you can avoid being overwhelmed by the darkness of depression and experience the light of God’s hope for your future.
