Showing titles in Death & Grief

Before May 31, 2008, September Vaudrey's life was beautiful. But on that day, with one phone call from the ER, her whole world - everything she knew and believed - was shaken to the core. Katie, her 19-year-old artist daughter, had been in a car accident and would not survive. How does a family live in the wake of devastating tragedy? When darkness colors every moment, is it possible to find light? Can God still be good, even after goodbye?

Many Christians are unaware that Universal Reconciliation was the dominant view of the church for the first 500 years, with Annihilation and Eternal Torment as minority positions. Jesus Undefeated is an eye-opening examination of all three views of the afterlife and a God who is even more loving than we dare imagine. Discover the Gospel that is not merely "Good News", but fantastically "Great News."

Can people be free from physical illness? Are cancer and other life-threatening diseases avoidable? What can a person do to avoid sickness - from allergies to asthma to Alzheimer's? Rev. George Malkmus had similar questions on his mind when, at age 42, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Not willing to accept this cancer as "God's will" for his life, he began an intensive bibilical and scientific study to find out why - and to possibly find an alternative to the usually unsuccessful treatments of the medical profession.

Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God's disapproval. At 35, everything in her life seems to point toward "blessing". She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

Join New York Times best-selling author Shauna Niequist as she invites you to experience the precious gifts and wisdom that only come the hard way - through change, loss, and transition. In this collection of poignant essays, Shauna reflects on her own journey of making peace with change, the nuanced mix of excitement and heartbreak that comes with it, and the practices that offer us strength and hope along the way. A tribute to life at the edges, Bittersweet is a love letter to the bittersweet and sacred work that change does in us all.

You'll be enthralled by this story of a man and his lovable Labrador retriever, Hannah, and what their canine friendship can show us about life, grace, and long walks in the park. Hannah was Dave Burchett's best friend. He couldn't imagine starting a day without her tail wagging an energetic greeting, her body wiggling with sheer gratitude when her food dish was filled, and her unbridled enthusiasm for tennis balls.

We all dream about how if one thing was different in our lives it would finally make us content. But once we get the very thing we wished for, we are still left wanting more. Is it even possible to feel peaceful and satisfied in life? Wishing for "more" in life usually leaves you feeling unfulfilled and anxious—especially when we realize that more will never be enough. In The Secret to Complete Contentment Bible teacher and author Jack Countryman offers Bible verses and 60 thoughtful reflections to reveal why living in the love of Jesus is the only way to know true, lasting contentment.

Losing someone we love is never easy, but the Orthodox Church provides a wealth of resources that help us to bear it. Chaplain and bereavement coordinator Sarah Byrne-Martelli draws on these theological, scriptural, and liturgical resources, as well as the collected experience of a variety of people undergoing grief and loss, to provide a kind of road map to the grieving process. Included in the book is a guide to an eight-week bereavement curriculum that can be used in a group or on one’s own.

"If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?" And what of the suffering of animals, who neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it? The greatest Christian thinker of our time sets out to disentangle this knotty issue. With his signature wealth of compassion and insight, C. S. Lewis offers answers to these crucial questions and shares his hope and wisdom to help heal a world hungering for a true understanding of human nature.

Pete and Harriet Deison were enjoying a full life of being parents, grandparents, and partners in ministry when deep depression spiraled Harriet into a darkness that caused her to take her own life. Suddenly thrust into unimaginable grief, Pete, a Presbyterian minister, turned to his roots as a student and educator in an attempt to make sense of it all. Visits from Heaven is the love story of a man and his wife of 43 years, which quietly becomes the story of God's love for his children.

A loved one dies. Your world is upended. The emotional pain can be intense. Your heart begins asking questions. "Am I going crazy? Am I going to make it? Where is God in all this"? Many of the people around you don't know what to say or do. They utter cliches and platitudes. You need something more than this - far more. You need to know that it's okay to hurt, to be sad, and to grieve. And most of all, you need the comfort of God's presence. You need to experience his compassion and love. You need to know he is walking with you in your pain and grief.

When your baby dies, you find yourself in a life you never expected. And even though pregnancy and infant loss are common, they're not common to you. Instead, you feel like a stranger in your own body, surrounded by well-meaning people who often don't know how to support you. In Unexpecting, bereaved mom Rachel Lewis is the friend you never knew you'd need, walking you through the unique grief of baby loss. When nothing about life after loss makes sense...this book will.

When Alissa Parker lost her daughter Emilie in the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, she started a life-changing journey to answer soul-searching questions about faith, hope, and healing. As she sought for the peace and comfort that could help mend her broken heart, she learned, step by step, how to open her heart to God's grace and will. The story of Alissa and Emilie reminds us that the bonds of love continue beyond this life and that despite tragedy and heartache, we can find strength in our family and our faith.

Join David Faust as he helps answer questions such as: How should I deal with my fears about aging? What should I do when I retire? How can I enjoy a fruitful relationship with God as I grow older? How should I deal with grief when friends and family members pass away?

Finding Your Way after the Suicide of Someone You Love is a compassionate and practical guide that addresses the intensely personal issues of survivors of suicide (SOS). This gentle and faith-affirming resource helps survivors know what to expect, especially during the first year following a suicide. It includes personal stories of survivors and suggestions on how to move beyond survival to live life again.

As an author, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities, Joni Eareckson Tada has inspired people around the world with her story of faith in the midst of suffering. In this beautiful collection of hymns and devotions she acts as a "song leader," guiding listeners through their own painful seasons with heartfelt praises to God. Songs of Suffering includes 25 hymns with accompanying devotions to spark hope in hardship.

A beloved spouse dies. Your husband, wife, and life partner is gone. Your world is upended. The emotional pain can be intense. Your heart begins asking questions. "Am I going crazy? Am I going to make it? Where is God in all this?" Many of the people around you don't know what to say or do. They utter clichés and platitudes. "It's okay. You're strong. You'll get through this."

If you've lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you've discovered that few people understand the deep hurt you feel. Through a Season of Grief is the first 365-day devotional designed to support and uplift you in the first, most difficult year of bereavement. These devotions offer biblical comfort and practical teaching that will enable you to take steps forward each day toward healing. You will better understand the grieving process and will receive needed encouragement along the way.

In Courageously Expecting, author Jenny Albers meets you in this difficult season as someone who has also experienced the worst and cautiously hoped for the best. She invites you on a thirty-day journey through the complicated and often contradictory emotions that accompany pregnancy after a loss.

Practical and straightforward, yet warm and compassionate, Grieving with Hope clarifies the popular misconception that people move through stages of grief. This will be an encouragement to many, as grieving people often think something is wrong with them when their grief doesn't proceed neatly through stages. The reality is that grieving people jump back and forth between different emotions, sometimes wrestling with multiple emotions at once. This book is packed with short, biblically based, gospel-centered, topical chapters addressing the issues grieving people face.