Showing titles in Death & Grief

Just like some plants need darkness to grow, many of us grow stronger in our faith in the dark and difficult times. It is in the sacred space of pain and promise that we begin to flourish. In this six-session video Bible study, Jennie Lusko offers biblical hope in your struggles through personal and vulnerable examples of God not only helping her survive the darkness but thrive in it.

What started as a wonderful love story for Mélissa and Scott ended 16 years later with Scott’s dramatic death, leaving Mélissa and her two young children to endure the unimaginable. In her desperation, Mélissa prayed for guidance, and God responded by sending her an army of angels to make her transition from wife to widow more bearable. Since her husband’s passing, Mélissa has felt a strong calling to use her voice to address the stigmas around suicide and mental health.

Facing your ultimate death can be scary, but in light of God's promises, it doesn't have to be. Finish Line provides practical and biblical help on topics such as finances, blessing others, end-of-life choices, heaven, and caring for those you leave behind so you can approach your own finish line with hope, joy, and peace.

First-time dad Daryl Potter never felt joy so deep. Then one week after his daughter’s birth, a devastating series of medical emergencies threatened the lives of both his wife and daughter and that innocent joy was gone forever.

Grieving the loss of a child to stillbirth can be a lonely and agonizing experience. Sadly, this overwhelming loss is far more common than one may think, affecting around 1 in 160 births. Gibson honestly acknowledges the sorrow, the loneliness, and fears that come from suffering the loss of a child while pointing to the gospel with gentleness and understanding.

Worship leader and recording artist Laura Story's life testifies that God doesn't promise to save us from all hardship. No matter how hard we pray, sometimes our circumstances don't change. Laura's own story took an unexpected turn when her husband, Martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The devastating news forever changed their lives and challenged Laura's belief in the little control she thought she had. Her discovery: that her struggles to accept her new situation ended up convincing her even more strongly of God's faithfulness and love.

Death and the treatment of the dead body loom large in our collective cultural consciousness. The authors explore the materiality and meaning of the dead body and the living's relationship to it. All the biggest questions facing the planetary human community relate in one way or another to the corpse. Surprisingly, Christian communities are largely missing in the discussion of the dead, having abdicated the historic role in care for the dead to the funeral industry.

Thomas G. Long, one of America's most trusted and thoughtful pulpit voices, provides a much needed theological and cultural critique of today's Christian funeral. Long begins by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise in number of cremations and memorial services.

On May 13, 1995, God called Zig Ziglar's oldest daughter, Suzan, home after a prolonged illness. Journeying through his own grief, Ziglar realized many things about himself, his family, his priorities, and God. In this comforting book, he uses his experience to encourage listeners to deal with the reality of loss and learn to take up the threads of life again as they find consolation and inspiration in the giver of all peace.

In 2009, Charlie and Jill LeBlanc experienced the unthinkable—the death of their 23-year-old son. Their loss was crushing, as it is for everyone who walks through the valley of the shadow of death and feels like recovery is beyond hope. Maybe you—or someone you love—has also experienced the heartbreak of losing someone close to you. If so, the LeBlancs compassionately offer you words of healing! In When Loss Comes Close to Home, international music ministers Charlie and Jill share their journey of recovery and rebuilding after life-shattering sorrow.

In Creative Comfort, author Natalie Weedman shares her journey through the profound grief of losing her 14-month-old son. Offering solace to those who have also known the loss of a loved one, she invites you to a place of radical vulnerability where God can both mend your broken heart and minister to you in ways that strengthen your faith foundation.

If God Is in Control, Then Why...? deals with that difficult question about the nature of God that plagues the minds of most people. Whether you are a lifetime believer in Christ or you have just begun looking for answers, the question, "If God is in control, then why...?" has probably been one you have heard or asked many times in your life. Craig Hill has gifted insight into God's Word and an ability to teach through riveting real-life stories.

In Someone I Know Is Grieving, Edward T. Welch leans on his many years of counseling grieving people to help listeners learn from their compassionate Savior how to respond to people’s sadness and hard times without advice or trying to “fix it,” but to instead hear their story, learn from others’ experiences, and depend on the Spirit for wisdom for what to say and do.

On a Sunday in May 2008, an F5 tornado hit the town of Parkersburg, Iowa, killing eight people and destroying 250 homes and businesses within a span of 34 seconds. The next day, Parkersburg's beloved football coach, Ed Thomas, made a stunning prediction: "God willing, we will play our first home game here on this field this season."

Step back for a moment, focus your eyes of faith, and come with Joni Eareckson Tada into a world you've heard about from your youth but have never seen: heaven. You just might discover that heaven is closer--and more real--than you've ever thought. Joni offers an inspiring glimpse of heaven and what we will find there.

Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? Join Roberts Liardon as he recounts his story along with three others who have taken the breathtaking journey to heaven and back. Let the mysteries of heaven unfold as you take an extraordinary journey to heaven and back. This text refers to the Paperback edition.

It takes time and space to grieve well, but often our culture doesn't afford us these things. Drawing from her own experience with grief, Natasha Smith invites us into a reflection on what it means to grieve and how to cling to hope even in our darkest moments. Instead of providing quick-fix solutions, this book creates space for us to take time to just sit and grieve, learn, and heal in healthy ways.

Loss is painful. Separation hurts. We need comfort. Oblivious to our suffering, the world around us speeds on as if nothing happened. Stunned, shocked, sad, confused, and angry, we blink in disbelief. The pain can be immense. We look for comfort. We long for it. Grieving hearts need it to survive. Multiple award-winning author, hospice chaplain, and grief counselor Gary Roe has become a trusted voice to many hurting, grieving hearts.

This 31-day devotional gives biblical comfort and practical support to men processing miscarriage. The loss of a baby in the womb can leave the father reeling, as well as the mother. He may feel confused, helpless, lonely, deeply sad, or just numb.

It is said that only two things are inevitable: death and taxes. But neither is absolutely true. Some people live in such a way that they avoid taxes altogether. And, for Christians who are alive when Jesus comes to Rapture His Church, death will be avoided as well. But for everyone else, the very thought of dying can rob them of joy in this life. Shakespeare wondered, “in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause….Ay, there’s the rub.” Christians should certainly have no such anxiety. Dr. David Reagan explores life’s ...