Facing the Darkness of Grief and Loss Continued from Searching for Sunshine, Part I Heart hurting? Missing someone you love? Last time I shared the story of Gerald, a man who lost the people he loved most in this world to a terrible accident. He gave us a courageous charge in the face of loss: head into the darkness until you reach the sunshine – it's there – on the other side of the deep, dark valley of grief. Keep going. Oh, and don't forget to hold tightly to the hand of Jesus – He [...]

Facing the Darkness of Grief and Loss If you've lived very long in this world, you have likely experienced the searing pain of loss and the resulting blanket of grief that descends with it. Some losses are minor and come to us through annoying circumstances: losing our keys, misplacing our phone, etc. Other losses are life-altering and strike deep in our hearts: a beloved pet needing to be put down, the end of a love relationship, or the death of a loved one. These types of losses can leave us reeling and wondering if we will ever feel [...]

Think of the last time you had a really, really good laugh. Proverbs 17:22 says a merry heart is good medicine. Is this merely a "spoon full of sugar", or is there actual scientific evidence to support this metaphor? Why, yes! Otherwise this would be a very short article. Recent research demonstrates that when we laugh, our immune system is strengthened, our mood is boosted, pain levels diminish, and stress levels decrease. 1 Sounds like good medicine to me! Here are just a few more of the positive benefits of having a good belly laugh: [...]

We make a lot of choices, some important, some not so serious. Still other choices will shape our stories in profound, irrevocable ways. There is a famous story of an early Anabaptist reformer named Dirk Willems. During the time of the Reformation, many Anabaptists were persecuted for their theological convictions that differed from the state churches around them. Dirk, arrested and imprisoned in the Netherlands, managed to escape. While fleeing across the ice with his captors in pursuit, Dirk realized that one of his captors had fallen through the ice into the frigid water.1 What choice would he make? [...]