There are times when grief threatens to swallow us whole. It seems like it will never end. Recently, I’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death alongside several people who long for peace and healing… This week I went to the funeral of a precious woman and I was really moved by a post by her son regarding the bereavement process. “We lost…
Chester Bennington. Chris Cornell. Friends. Both died by suicide just 2 months apart. Individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide are at an increased risk of suicide themselves. One study reports that people bereaved by suicide (Survivors of Suicide, aka SOS) within the past year were 1.6 times more likely to struggle with suicidal ideation, 2.9 times more likely to create a suicidal plan,…
One of the things I love about the Masaii Mara in Kenya is that you never know what is around the next bend. You can drive for miles and see nothing but wide open plains dotted with acacia trees and then out of nowhere you see a lion crouched for a kill. Each safari is unique…each carries unexpected surprises, both good and bad. (Click here…
You know how it is. You bump shoulders everyday with people who ask, “How are you?” If you are like most of us, you lie and answer “Fine.” Fine. Fine? What does that even mean? “I am well.” “I am happy.” “I am hurting.” All of these responses are telling, but fine — what does that really mean? I’ve struggled the past couple of months…
Little did I know when I chose to pray Isaiah 26:3 for my family this year, the need we would have for the Lord’s peace. Just two weeks after I wrote that post, Jeff fell hiking the Appalachian Trail and injured his knee. I was over an hour away. My heart threatened to leap out of my throat as I fought back the tears and wrestled to…
When asked to discuss suicide in the Bible, most people point out Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. Recently I began to meditate on Matthew 27 and tried to imagine what was going through Judas’ mind when he betrayed Jesus. Did he know the chief priests wanted to kill Jesus? Did he think they were going to give him a position in the church or community…