Religious Grief

Charlie, a musical theater nerd with a deep appreciation for sprinkle-topped ice cream and other snack foods, is active in his church and comes from a family who loves and appreciates him for exactly who he is, purple pants and all. Tim, a lover of crinkle-cut pickles, black olives, and other forgivably disgusting crudités, belongs to a conservative Christian pastor and devout mother who move to the rural town to staff a small church that, predictably, holds little place for Tim. After meeting online and attending a youth group at another church, Tim and Charlie become fast friends.

What do we think of when we think about heaven? What might it look like? Who or what might be there? Since humans began to huddle together for protection thousands of years ago, these questions have been part of how civilizations and cultures define heaven, the good place beyond this one. In this engrossing cultural history of heaven, Catherine Wolff delves into how people and cultures have defined heaven over the centuries. She describes how different faiths and religions have framed it, how the sense of heaven has evolved, and how nonreligious influences have affected it.

In what was to become the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, the Oklahoma City bombing was one in a long line of violent attacks that have left communities across the nation searching for healing and hope. With the soaring message of the power of love to conquer evil, Grace from the Rubble tells the intertwining stories of four captivating individuals

As a troubled teenager, Tamara Laroux just wants the pain to go away. Crying out to God for forgiveness, she makes the heart-wrenching decision to end her life. As she plummets from her body to a place of vast darkness, torment, and agony, Tamara instantly realizes the finality of her rash decision and begs God to save her.

Her scars are soul deep Artist Cami Bolin has trust issues. Every man who should have loved her ultimately betrayed her. The word “father” leaves her cold, even when it applies to the one in Heaven, the one her current friends are trying so hard to get her to believe in. What does she need God for? She loves her work. She has a newfound granddad who treats her with a kindness she’s never experienced. She has all she needs, except there’s this guy… Temptation…or Divine intervention As a boy, Easton Cramer had two dreams. Convinced that his call to the ministry couldn’t coexist ...

The entire family is thrown into turmoil, however, when a carriage accident threatens the life and sanity of Grandpa Dinsmore and Aunt Enna, and Violet is burned with a troublesome secret. Everyone in the family is thrilled as young Elsie blossoms under the warmth of new love, but sorrow strikes as Lily is gathered into the arms of the Good Shepherd despite all the efforts to save her life.

Three abandoned children… Two erstwhile sweethearts… One missing sister… And no problem? After Iris Delaney kissed him and ran off eleven years ago, Camden La Salle never wanted to see her again. But Iris is back in town caring for her nieces and baby nephew, and she needs his help. Can Camden let go of their past history to help Iris with her present crisis for the sake of the children’s future well-being in this second chance Christian coastal romance with a side of suspense? Iris’s Issues… When Iris Delaney’s five-year-old niece calls her unexpectedly to tell her that her ...

Two years after Marilyn loses her fiancé to cancer, she becomes a Christian and marries Henry, joining him in a worldwide ministry that leaves little time for family or personal reflection. When her old grief resurfaces, she’s shocked by the tsunami that rips through their lives. Intensive counselling fails to bring healing, and when Henry writes a public letter that decimates their churches and spins them out of fellowship—and lifelong employment—she faces an emotional and spiritual reckoning that challenges her to the core.

Kate Braestrup's life was transformed by the loss of her husband; now Kate faces the possibility that she may lose her son. As a young mother, Kate Braestrup discovered the fierce protectiveness that accompanies parenthood. In the intervening years - through mourning her husband and the joy of remarriage and a blended family - Kate has absorbed the rewards and complications of that spirit. But when her eldest son joins the marines, Kate is at a crossroads.

The Yoder Family Saga follows widow Miriam Yoder and her four unmarried daughters, Megan, Rebecca, Josephine, and Lillian, as they discover God’s plans for them and the hope He provides for a happy tomorrow. Lillian Yoder is the baby of the family and is keen to grow up and find her way in the world. Noah Troyer has been captivated by Lillian since he was a young boy, but becoming an Amish wife is appalling to her. She wants to break free into the wide world just beyond her settlement. Can Noah capture Lillian’s heart before it’s stolen away by the ways of the world? Or, will the ...

The Yoder Family Saga follows widow Miriam Yoder and her four unmarried daughters, Megan, Rebecca, Josephine, and Lillian, as they discover God’s plans for them and the hope He provides for a happy tomorrow. Josephine Yoder works for bachelor Abe Schmidt on his horse farm despite her mother’s concerns. When a new farmhand arrives, tensions rise and tempers flare. However, a missing horse forces their unlikely alliance, igniting passions of a different sort. Will the horse thief be caught? Can Josephine’s wild heart be tamed, or will she be unwilling to sacrifice her independence?A ...

Written by Leonard Wibberley—author of over 100 published novels, including The Mouse That Roared. A man diagnosed with inoperable cancer sells his belongings to fulfill a lifelong dream to go on safari in Africa and hunt an elephant. But as he tracks the great creature, a bond forms between the hunter and the hunted, transforming the man and helping face his own death. “Beautifully, poetically wrought, this short novel echoes with a depth found in the best of fiction.”—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times “All that a reader might expect from this author is contained in this little ...

Two girls with a legacy to carry on. A third choosing to forge her own path. Welcome to Cardinal Hill, Indiana! This quaint fictional town is home to Faith Hochstetler, Leah Bontrager, Iris Mast, their families, and their trades. Faith, Leah, and Iris are united in their shared passion for turning their hobbies within nature into profitable businesses…and finding love! Find out how it all begins in this short, free prequel! Other books in this series: •The Beekeeper’s Calendar: Faith’s Story •The Soapmaker’s Recipe: Leah’s Story •The Herbalist’s Remedy: Iris’s Story The ...

A 29-year-old son and only child passes. He nudges his mother to open up to spirit so she can build a new relationship with him. Letters to David unlocks a door to spirit and offers hope for parents who have suffered tragic grief. There is an immediacy and accessibility to Claudia and David's relationship that provides laughter, tears, and hope to those grieving what they see as the "end" of a relationship. Enclosed, you will find valuable tools for healing and growth. We don't die, and our loved ones remain with us forever.

Through captivating stories and with disarming honesty, Bussie gives concrete, practical strategies to help listeners cultivate hope, seek joy, practice accompaniment, compost their pain, and rediscover the spiritual practice of lament. Tackling difficult questions without political divisiveness, Bussie speaks to both progressive and conservative Christians in ways that unite rather than divide.

Time doesn’t heal all wounds. Love does. Amy Harte, an Emergency Medicine physician, lost her mother to cancer suddenly on the day of her residency graduation one year ago. As a doctor, she struggles with not being able to save her mother and experiencing her best day on her worst. Since then, she has turned from her relationship with God in her guilt and grief. Near the fateful day’s anniversary, her father calls to tell Amy the bank may take her childhood home. Amy knows she must save the house that holds the last precious memories of her mother. Meanwhile, Amy meets a gorgeous ...

There’s nothing as devastatingly painful as the loss of a loved one. And getting through this pain will be one of the toughest things any of us will go through in our lives. Grief is a universal experience that everyone will endure at one point in their lives, yet it’s also a uniquely individual journey for every one of us.

He’d made mistakes...more than a few and probably didn’t deserve the second chance he’d been given. But he was going to do everything he could to prove himself worthy of it. Ray didn’t have a single doubt that a number of individuals were wondering where he’d disappeared to. With luck it would stay that way...but if it didn’t he probably wouldn’t be around to worry about it. Not even a week ago he’d arrived on the island with a windfall of money to his name but no where to go. Being given another chance was the last thing he expected when he arrived...or that it came from ...

A Journey Through Grief, Loss, Hope and Recovery will benefit those working through sorrow, and those comforting others. Choosing to thrive in the midst of trauma, loss, and illnesses that change lives forever for both young and old alike is the underlying message in this audiobook. It is never easy, but there is hope to thrive and not just survive the journey to recovery. In some way, pain, loss, and tragedy unmistakably touch all of our lives.

In this unabridged audio download, Letters from the Land of Cancer, award-winning writer Walter Wangerin Jr. offers his profound insights into the greatest challenge we face: confronting our own mortality. Diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in January 2006, Wangerin began writing letters to his friends and family members. Now he offers these intimate letters to all who ask questions about living and dying well.