Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 8

This Friday, March 28, is the anniversary of Nanci’s homegoing. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since she went to be with Jesus. I miss her every day, and am so thankful the great reunion awaits.

Nanci was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2018 and began a journal soon after. Her journals have so much Scripture and so many great quotations (especially from Charles Spurgeon) woven into them, way more than personal details of her battle with cancer. In her own words, and also through the words of others, she expresses the depth of her trust in the love and sovereignty of God. She is a wonderful example of seeking comfort and perspective in God’s solid truth.

Charles Spurgeon wrote in The Treasury of David, his commentary on the Psalms: “It would be better if we read our own diaries more often, especially noting the hand of the Lord in helping us in suffering, want, labour, or dilemma. This is the grand use of memory, to furnish us with proofs of the Lord’s faithfulness, and lead us onward to a growing confidence in Him.”

Just weeks before she died Nanci wrote, “I am once again facing situations which challenge my trust in God’s plan. My trust has not wavered, but quieting my heart in preparation for yet more unforeseen complications and procedures is difficult. So much already on my plate and now more! I really don’t doubt God’s purposes in His plan for me. But I need renewed mercy and endurance. Help always comes when needed… I can trust that the help I need for future situations will arrive right on time. (It certainly did!)”

People ask me if we will publish her journal, and I do hope to eventually use portions from it in some form, combined with my blogs about her last four years, and my own grief journey. For now, I encourage readers to see this index of what I’ve written on loss, grief, eternal hope, and Nanci’s life and homecoming. There are links to several blogs with wonderful insights written by her.

I’ve had many opportunities to share about Nanci, a biblical perspective on grief, and finding solid hope and healing in Jesus. Most recently, I was on my friend Brad Formsma’s podcast The WOW Factor, and we had a great conversation. I said a number of things in this interview that I haven’t said in prior ones, and hopefully this will be of help to many listeners.

Facing Grief with Hope on The WOW Factor

Do consider getting my booklet Grieving with Hope. I have had several people tell me God has used it to minister deeply to them as they deal with loss and grief. Every reader and listener who has experienced the death of their spouse, child, or dearest friend is in my heart and prayers as I write these words.

The entire physical universe was created for God’s glory. When we rebelled, the universe fell under the weight of our sin. Yet God did not give up on us.

The serpent’s seduction of Adam and Eve did not catch God by surprise. He had in place a plan by which He would redeem mankind—and all creation—from sin, corruption, and death. Just as He promises to make men and women new, He promises to renew the earth itself.

“‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure’” (Isaiah 66:22).

“In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1).

Many other passages allude to the new heavens and New Earth without using those terms. God’s redemptive plan culminates not at the return of Christ, nor in the millennial kingdom, but on the New Earth. Only then will all wrongs be made right. Only then will there be no more death, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:1-4).

Consider this: If God’s plan were merely to take mankind to the intermediate Heaven, or to a Heaven that was the dwelling place of spirit beings, there would be no need for new heavens and a New Earth. Why refashion the stars of the heavens and the continents of the earth? God could simply destroy His original creation and put it all behind Him. But He doesn’t do that. Upon creating the heavens and the earth, He called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Not once has He renounced His claim on what He made.

God isn’t going to abandon His creation. He’s going to restore it. Earth’s destruction will not be permanent but temporary. Just as our destroyed bodies will be raised as new bodies, the destroyed Earth will be raised as a New Earth. We won’t go to Heaven and leave Earth behind. Rather, God will bring Heaven and Earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard Heaven’s perfection from sinful mankind (Genesis 3:24). God’s perfect plan is “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1:10).

God has never given up on His original creation. Yet somehow we’ve managed to overlook an entire biblical vocabulary that makes this point clear.

Reconcile. Redeem. Restore. Recover. Return. Renew. Regenerate. Resurrect. Each of these biblical words begins with the re- prefix, suggesting a return to an original condition that was ruined or lost. For example, redemption means to buy back what was formerly owned. Similarly, reconciliation means the restoration or re-establishment of a prior friendship or unity. Renewal means to make new again, restoring to an original state. Resurrection means becoming physically alive again, after death.

These words emphasize that God always sees us in light of what He intended us to be, and He always seeks to restore us to that design. Likewise, He sees the earth in terms of what He intended it to be, and He seeks to restore it to its original design.

In his excellent book Creation Regained, Albert Wolters writes, “[God] hangs on to his fallen original creation and salvages it. He refuses to abandon the work of his hands—in fact he sacrifices his own Son to save his original project. Humankind, which has botched its original mandate and the whole creation along with it, is given another chance in Christ; we are reinstated as God’s managers on earth. The original good creation is to be restored.”

If God had wanted to consign Adam and Eve to Hell and start over, He could have. But He didn’t. Instead, He chose to redeem what He started with—the heavens, the earth, and mankind—to bring them back to His original purpose. God is the ultimate salvage artist. He loves to restore things—and make them even better.

“Ruined sinners to reclaim.” This phrase from the hymn “Hallelujah, What a Savior!” reflects God’s purpose in our salvation. Reclaim is another re- word. It recognizes that God had a prior claim on humanity that was temporarily lost but is fully restored and taken to a new level in Christ. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). God has never surrendered His title deed to the earth. He owns it—and He will not relinquish it to His enemies. In fact, Scripture tells us that “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

Note that it says Christ came not to destroy the world (which is his world) but to destroy the devil’s works, which are to twist and pervert and ruin the world God made. Redemption will forever destroy the work of the devil by removing his hold on creation and by reversing the consequences. Far from destroying the world, God’s plan is to keep it from being destroyed by Satan. God’s plan is to remove the destruction that has already been inflicted on it. His plan is to redeem the world. God placed mankind on Earth to fill it, rule it, and develop it to God’s glory. But that plan has never been fulfilled. Should we therefore conclude that God’s plan was ill-conceived, thwarted, or abandoned? No. These conclusions do not fit the character of an all-knowing, all-wise, sovereign God. Second Peter 3 does not teach that God will destroy the earth and then be done with it. Rather, it promises that God will renew Heaven and Earth.

God is not some hapless inventor whose creation failed. He has a masterful plan, and He will not surrender us or the earth to the trash heap.

That makes me want to thank Him right now. How about you?

God, expand our view of your greatness so that we may gain an appreciation for the greatness of your redemptive work. Thank you that you did not abandon us to Hell, but that you loved us enough to shed your divine blood to rescue us and our planet. Thank you that we have a future, and that Earth—from which you formed us, and over which you made us to rule—also has a future. Help us to anticipate that future today. And may our anticipation affect the decisions we make. We ask these things in the great name of our Redeemer, Jesus, the Lord of the earth.

Excerpted from 50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light.

From Eternal Perspective Ministries

Now available as a special edition with a leatherlike cover, Randy's 50 Days of Heaven brings eternity to light in 50 inspiring and thought-provoking meditations to be read one at a time, including questions of self-examination as well as prayer. These snapshots of Heaven will forever change the way you think about the spectacular new universe that awaits us! Many people who have read and appreciated the Heaven book will find this very helpful, not only as review, but as an opportunity to focus on bite-sized chunks.

50 Days of Heaven (special edition) retails for $19.99 and our everyday low price is $13.99. Through May 30, use the coupon code SPRING25 to get an additional 10% off.

This beautiful book makes a wonderful gift!

Two years ago, I did an interview with Davey Blackburn, who hosts the Nothing Is Wasted Podcast. Both of us have wives who died: Davey’s wife Kristi was murdered, and Nanci had passed away from cancer. (Read more about his story.) We talked about the sovereignty and love of God, as well as the New Earth, and the need to lose our faith if our faith is in the wrong God, a nonexistent God.

I think because the conversation was between two people who have experienced suffering and the death of a spouse, I felt like God's Spirit was present in an unusual way during the interview. I acknowledge that Davey’s circumstances were different than mine, and in ways, surely his suffering was greater; and of course, I am old and Davey is young. Still, we are two brothers seeking to trust Christ with our suffering and “looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

You can watch the whole interview here.

And here is a 15-minute clip where we discuss what it will be like to live on the New Earth—and how looking forward to resurrected life shapes how we view this present life under the curse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZJPiRhL3WU?si=KudCyYFLbzPNIsl5

A reader wrote our ministry, “For several years my husband and I have enjoyed giving most of our discretionary income to our church and various missionaries. But lately we have been counseled that we need to be more ‘responsible’ about preparing for our future, especially since retirement is only a few years away. How do we deal with the guilt we would feel about decreasing our giving, since we still desire to meet the needs we see all around us?”

There are two sides to the issue of savings. Scripture tells us that the wise man anticipates future needs, while the foolish man spends and consumes all his resources with no thought for the future. “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). Even ants store up provisions for the coming winter (Proverbs 6:6-8).

It’s a shortsighted person who fails to store up provisions (money, food, or materials) for upcoming times of predictable need. If you are planning to retire and have no other means of income, then it would be wise to make some plans for how and where you will live after retirement.

On the other hand, Jesus commended the poor widow of Mark 12:41-44 because she did something most of us would consider foolish. She gave her last two pennies to God, having no idea where tomorrow’s provision would come from, except that it would come from her Lord. In 2 Corinthians 8:3-15, the Macedonian Christians gave “beyond their means” to the point of leaving themselves impoverished. Paul commends them for it.

So when it comes to the “retirement dream,” we must ask ourselves, Whose dream is it? Is it God’s dream or the American dream? Consider one man’s plans for retirement: “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and be merry’” (Luke 12:18-19).

We aren’t told that this man was dishonest or irreligious. His plans make sense by our standards. But in the verses that follow God calls this man a fool. He tells him his life is over and asks, “Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus promises, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

The distinction between financial responsibility and financial foolishness is this: saving becomes hoarding when it is exercising our own sovereignty and financial independence so that God doesn’t have to come through for us.

James condemned the spirit of selfish stockpiling and indifference to a suffering world that had spread into the early church (James 5:1-5). And in Exodus 16 there is a graphic lesson against hoarding. We must beware of any savings or retirement or insurance plan that becomes a God-substitute.

This reader mentioned they have “enjoyed giving” to the Lord. The joy of giving is at the heart of a walk with God, so we shouldn’t stop giving sacrificially. Saving can be wise, but it is never a substitute for giving. If ever we don’t feel we can save and give, by all means we should give. Some people in Scripture are rebuked for saving too much, but no one is ever rebuked for giving too much.

The person who wrote us was also counseled to be more responsible. In the truest sense, generous giving is not just compassionate, it is also responsible. By giving we prepare for our eternal future, because we lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-24). Laying up treasures on earth is ultimately irresponsible. Why? Because it’s investing in something worthless, that will be annihilated in the coming holocaust of things (2 Peter 3:10-11).

Now, if they were counseled to be more thrifty, to reduce their lifestyle expenses in order to provide savings for retirement, this is probably wise. I believe that having less because we give is different than having less because we spend.

I know a missionary family who took their retirement savings and poured everything back into the mission. I suggest that God looks very differently at these people than at the Christian who spends his money on short-term indulgences with no thought of saving for upcoming needs or providing for his family’s future. To those who seek first His kingdom, and to those who sacrificially give of their assets to His kingdom, His promise is one of material provision (Matthew 6:32-33; Philippians 4:19).

I suggest looking for ways to save without reducing your giving. To that end, there are some practical questions to ask ourselves: Can we presently reduce some expenses that would allow us to continue to give generously and save money? Are there other means to supplement our income during retirement? Can we liquidate certain assets? Can we sell our home and buy or rent a smaller one? Or buy a comparable home in another area where it is cheaper to live? Is it necessary for us to maintain our present standard of living, or can we cut costs in our retirement?

The old saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.” But when Jesus spoke of laying up treasures in Heaven, He added a corollary: “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

Instead of spending our lives backing into eternity and clinging to our earthly treasures, we can turn around, walk forward and lay up our treasures in our eternal home. Then, instead of moving away from our treasures, we’ll spend our lives moving toward them.

God isn’t just in life’s monumental things. He’s present in the little things: rain drops, the artistry of spider webs, and the sound of an acoustic guitar. A child’s laugh, surfing songs, a swing set, sprinklers, and the smell of split cedar. Maple syrup, fresh green beans, buttermilk biscuits, and homemade strawberry jam. Ripe oranges straight off the tree. Pecan pie a la mode, chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven and a tall glass of cold milk (in my case, this would require a lot more insulin). A good recliner, the smell of leather upholstery, and a dog’s wagging tail.

If we disregard these and thousands of other gifts, we don’t just fail to notice them, we fail to notice God. God’s goodness is always evident if we look in the right place. “[H]e is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28).

Alexander Maclaren advised, “Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.”

May we remember that the ordinary, daily, and mundane acts of faithfulness and kindness that no one else knows are well-known by God. He is watching. He is keeping track. In Heaven, He’ll reward us for our acts of faithfulness to Him, right down to every cup of cold water we’ve given to the needy in His name (Mark 9:41). The ordinary, small things matter in light of eternity.  

There is comfort in 1 Corinthians 4:5, God “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” God will apparently find something, no matter how small, to reward “each one” for.

In the following episode from her daily radio program, Joni Eareckson Tada (who Nanci and I shared some unforgettable times with) says, “God makes much of little things.... He probably wants more encouraging notes sent than books written, more sandwiches shared than sermons preached, more Band-Aids applied than buildings built.”

Joni reminds us it’s the little things that mean a lot when God is in them:

https://player.simplecast.com/3d3d7c7b-1eeb-4142-906d-8e6cf2daf275?dark=false

A trusted friend of our ministry (who asked to remain anonymous) shared this important update about Syria with us. I felt that it would be good to share it so that it could inspire us to pray for the dear believers in that broken country. “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3, NIV).

In the last few days untold numbers of Christians and minority groups have been massacred by Syrian security forces. The violence is reported to have begun as retaliation against Alawites loyal to the former president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. 

In an effort to shed some light on the current situation, it is necessary to understand who the current president of Syria is. He goes by the name Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, and he is the leader of an extremist group of insurgents who call themselves Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS). 

Prior to his self-proclaimed presidency, his name was Abu Mohammad Al-Julani. He is a former al-Qaeda fighter who fought for three years in the Iraqi insurgency. He was later taken captive by American forces where he was detained for five years. Al-Julani has a rich history of extremist connections. After breaking with al-Qaeda he formed the al-Nursra Front, where he led fighters who sought to overthrow the president of Syria and establish an Islamic State ruled by Sharia Law. Much like the Islamic State, (ISIS). Al-Julani successfully overthrew the former president of Syria in December of 2024. 

The people of Syria have suffered under 14 years of war and unspeakable trauma. A partner who serves in Syria says, "The reality in Syria today is very dark." 

In times of uncertainty and unspeakable sorrow many are turning to the church for help. Alawites are a minority Shia Muslim sect who are being killed alongside Christians. Allawites are turning to churches for help. Pray they find safety and security in the arms of Christ. 

Pray for Syrian Christian leaders who are ready to serve those flocking to the church for help. May they be strengthened, resourced, and protected. Pray for food and basic necessities to be made available to those in need.  Pray for their families who serve alongside them. 

Another partner of a ministry in this area shares how in the face of threats they are "giving the word of God to everyone." He shared how he encountered a security force member who saw the cross and bible in his vehicle. This man hit his fist on the car and said, "Days are coming. We are going to get you one by one. We are going to step on your neck." 

This same pastor asks that we pray for "God to be glorified even in these dark times." Pray for church leadership. They can be a target. May God protect them and equip them to be sources of life and light in dark times. 

The people of Syria need our prayer, our voices, and our support. 

I had the opportunity to be on a panel hosted by the Barna Group and Pure Desire Ministries, talking about how we can help our brothers and sisters in Christ find healing from unwanted sexual behavior and trauma. Barna also shared new research about Christians and pornography use.

Christianity Report says:

Majority of Christians Struggle with Pornography, Study Reveals

A new study reveals a troubling trend among practicing Christians, with a majority admitting to viewing pornography. The Barna report, Beyond the Porn Phenomenon, conducted with Pure Desire Ministries, shows that 54% of Christians consume pornography, compared to 68% of non-Christians. Alarmingly, 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women engage with porn at some level.

Despite the clear biblical teachings against lust, many Christians have grown comfortable with their habit, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current church approaches. Pure Desire's Nick Stumbo expressed concern over the growing cultural shift, which has only worsened the church's battle against pornography.

What's more disconcerting is the sense of isolation among believers; 82% of Christians struggling with porn reported that no one is helping them. Churches are urged to address this issue head-on by partnering with experts, prioritizing education, and creating safe spaces for openness and healing. By doing so, they can provide hope and support to those facing this pervasive issue. 

Countless believers are in bondage to pornography, and many feel hopeless about being able to overcome it. We’re in a battle—big time—and we need a strategy to have victory in this area of sexual temptation. This is a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12), but as children of God, we are equipped to win it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Here are the questions I answered at the panel:

Why Are Christians Susceptible to Struggling with Sexual Purity?
What Are Some Pit Falls That Accountability Groups for Sexual Purity Should Watch out for? 
How Does the Gospel Give Us Hope for Change in the Area of Sexual Purity?
How Can Transparency from Church Leadership Encourage Others Who Need Help?

You can click each question to watch just that video clip, or watch the answers to all four questions in this one video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9advGD6H4I?si=txwSFcOzCVmuZ2OO

Here are some further resources:

Chapters 5 and 6 from my book  The Purity Principle are available on our site.
Years ago I wrote about carefully counting the cost of sexual immorality as a motivation to avoid it.
This is the first of three short articles focused on overcoming addition to pornography, and here’s one about Overcoming Temptation by Looking Past It—and Looking Up.
Here’s an article from Jon Bloom on How to Resist Temptation’s Mirage Moment.
Finally, my booklet  Sexual Temptation: Establishing Guardrails and Winning the Battle  contains clear, preventive guidelines we can follow to avoid immorality. It’s available from our ministry as a free download, and includes two appendices: "A Message to and about Pastors and Christian Leaders" and "The Perils of Internet Pornography."

In the first-ever gospel message of the newborn church, the apostle Peter preached that Psalm 16 is about Christ: “David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. . . . For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. . . . You will make me full of gladness with your presence’” (Acts 2:25-28, emphasis added). This effusive statement, attributed to the Messiah, is a triple affirmation of His happiness!

The passage Peter ascribed to Jesus includes Psalm 16:11: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The New Life Version says, “Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever.”

I’m convinced we should view this first apostolic sermon as a model for sharing the gospel today. Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, preached a prototype gospel message, asserting three times the happiness of the one who is at the center of the gospel—Jesus. Yet how many people, unbelievers and believers alike, have ever heard a modern gospel message that makes this point? Peter preached that Jesus was “full of gladness”; why shouldn’t we?

What if we regularly declared the happiness of our Savior? Imagine the response if we emphasized that what Jesus did on that terrible cross was for the sake of never-ending happiness—ours and His (see Hebrews 12:2). We would be proclaiming a part of the gospel that’s not only exceedingly attractive but also entirely true.

I share more about the happiness of the triune God in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvVviJpk230?si=Vu36QvtxKBwluOKY

It’s true that far too many Bible believers are in effect anti-supernatural. Some Christians argue against the miraculous with the same scorn of atheists and agnostics. The irony is stunning, since the Christian faith is rooted in the miraculous and dependent upon it. I believe absolutely that God does miracles today. I am completely convinced, for instance, that for decades the Lord Jesus has been appearing to Muslims in dreams and visions, bringing many people to faith. The evidence is clear, repeated, and consistent.

So the reason I believe that the teachings of certain dreams, visions, and personal experiences with God are not true is not that they are miraculous. It is that they contradict the inspired Word of God. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Some claims fail the test of Acts 17:11, which says the Bereans examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Now suppose I heard that a Muslim had a dream in which Jesus Christ said that Mohammed was a true prophet of God, and that Islam is the true faith. Here are my belief options:

1) The dream is true, and Jesus really said that. But this conflicts with Scripture—not because it is miraculous, but because Jesus and Mohammed made contradictory claims.

2) The dream really happened, but it was not Jesus speaking. Maybe it was just a dream influenced by someone’s pre-existing belief system, power of suggestion and/or by medications or even indigestion.

3) The dream really happened, and it was indeed supernatural, but it wasn’t Jesus speaking. “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).  

When there is demonic deception, the human being—sincere or not—can become a false prophet: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…” (2 Peter 2:1).

As Christians we should affirm God’s miracles. This does not mean 1) we should believe that everything claimed to be a miracle really is one, or 2) even when we do believe it was a miracle, we should assume everything remembered and said by the person is entirely accurate.

I think it’s also fair to ask whether we believe that the supernatural God has supernaturally revealed Himself and important truths to us in the Bible. And whether, when there is a conflict, that supernatural revelation trumps supernatural experiences. We do not require further revelation (as if God’s Word were not enough), but when someone claims to be bringing it, we evaluate it by Scripture, which remains our authority.

Here are some further resources:

How Can We Discern between Hearing God and Hearing What We Want to Hear?

How Can I Hear God’s Voice and Know That He Is Clearly Speaking to Me?

Where's the Line Between Discernment and Lack of Faith in Miracles?

What About Those Who’ve Never Heard the Good News of Jesus?

Do the Will of God You Know; Discern the Will You Don’t

I experienced profound grief when my mother died when I was in my twenties. She wasn’t only my mom; she was one of my very closest friends. I had the joy of leading her to Jesus a year after I became a Christian in high school at age fifteen.

I’ll never forget the Sunday morning when I arrived at our church, which my mom had also attended. Though she had died that week, I decided to preach anyway. A very strange thing happened. Usually when I walked in the door, old friends and new friends—fellow church members still excited about the freshness of our young church fellowship—would immediately greet me.

But this Sunday was entirely different. People I knew and loved walked in the other direction. A friend finally dared to approach me with a hug and talk with me. Once the ice was broken, a few others joined. But until that moment, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. They just didn’t know what to say.

It taught me a great lesson: always walk into, not away from, people’s grief. Talk about their loved one. Don’t pretend that nothing is wrong. Grief is the normal reaction to a horrible loss. Grief is nothing to ignore or fear. When we don’t talk to people about their loved one who died, we make them feel lonely and out in the cold.

In her book What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts), Nancy Guthrie writes, “Grief is like a lens or veil through which those going through it see and experience everything. It’s like a computer program running in the background at all times. When we speak to a grieving person about the one who died, and they begin to weep, it’s not that we ‘made them cry.’ Rather, we’ve acknowledged what was beneath the surface and given them an opportunity to release some of that sadness that was already there.”

In this audio clip, I share how those grieving need the church community:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKk8r--51Rk?si=naD3PVfnrwc1lBbr