Showing results for "Ministry" in Death & Grief

Every person who lives long enough will eventually encounter circumstances that are difficult to explain theologically. From years of counselling experience, Dr. James Dobson offers assurance of God's constant care, even when human suffering is beyond our comprehension.

Inspiration to make your earthly experience more heavenly... Have you ever felt a sense of unfinished business with those who have preceded you into eternity? Ever wished you could have even a few minutes to articulate your love and appreciation for their impact on your life? In Letters to Heaven, best-selling author Calvin Miller inspires us all to say what we haven’t yet said to those who brought a brightness to our lives or challenged us to live more fully through their own.

When Sarah Berger’s nineteen-year-old son went to heaven in an inexplicable single-car accident, Sarah found herself plunged into soul-searing grief—the kind that can ruin marriages and destroy faith. But that is not her story. With an unrelenting grip on the Lord’s hand, Sarah clung to the promise that God is close to the brokenhearted. Now, for the many others who grieve losing loved ones to accidents, illnesses, and even suicide, Sarah points them to the God of all comfort. This book opens listeners’ hearts and minds to embrace God’s promises in the midst of grief.

This paradigm-shattering book will free you from the forces that would turn you into a victim. It will lead you step by step through a simple process that will free you from the pain of the past and protect you from the pain of the future.

Christians today are often not prepared to suffer well and have a short-sighted view of pain and trials. Ken Boa shows how God uses suffering to shape his children for eternity and to grow them in Christlike character. The book of 1 Peter tells us suffering is both a guarantee and comparatively brief; we shouldn't be surprised when it comes to us. The nature of our affliction is not as important as our response to it. God is at work through our hardships and wants to use them to prepare us for eternal life. Suffering can make us bitter or better. Rediscover living hope, present joy, and a glorious future.

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?

Finding grace in the everyday…Kara Tippetts knows the ordinary days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow . . . and the devastating reality of stage IV cancer. In The Hardest Peace, Kara doesn’t offer answers for when living is hard, but rather she asks us to join her in moving away from fear and control and toward peace and grace. Most of all, she draws us back to the God who is with us in the mundane and the suffering, and who shapes even our unmet expectations and pain into beauty.

What does human suffering have to do with God's power and love? Everyone has a "Gethsemane," a place and time in our lives when we face sorrow on the deepest level. To help us understand the relationship and interaction between human suffering and God's power and love, author Leslie Montgomery looks at the details of Jesus' example to show how valuable lessons can be learned through suffering.

In this narrative of grief, Pastor Mel Lawrenz chronicles how his family struggled to survive the sudden death of their beloved daughter. In raw, vivid episodes, he describes the immediacy of the pain and the uncertainty of what comes next. In the agony of traumatic loss, Lawrenz apprehends the realities of love and life and offers insights on how to navigate our life priorities before or after tragedy hits. You are not alone. You too can find a way forward.

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.

When Mary Lou Quinlan’s beloved mother, Mary Finlayson, dies, her family is bereft - until Mary Lou searches for her mother’s "God Box", her private cache of notes to God on behalf of family, friends, and strangers. To Mary Lou’s amazement, she finds not one but 10 boxes stuffed with hundreds of tiny petitions that span the last 20 years of her mother’s life.

Note by note, Mary Lou unearths a treasure of her mother’s wishes and worries and insight. Mary asked God for everything from the right flooring for her daughter’s home to a cure for her own blood cancer.

Few losses are as painful as the death of someone close. No valley is as vast as grief, no journey as personal and life changing. Compassionate and wise guides Raymond Mitsch and Lynn Brookside shine a light on the road through grief. They can help you endure the anguish and uncertainty; understand the cycles of grief; sort through the emotions of anger, guilt, fear, and depression; and face the god who allowed you to lose the one you love.

In your darkest hour, when the pain seems almost too much to bear, God is there for you. He sees your grief. He hears your cry. He sends others to keep you company along the way. Let these prayers ease your heart and be companions for your own grief journey. Grief is a fragile and intimate process. We all grieve differently, and there are no secret healing formulas, no 12-step recovery programs, and no shortcuts for the grief journey…