About the Series - Starts November 15th, 2026
It’s hard to believe, but store decorations remind us that Christmas is just around the corner. In keeping with our vision to come alongside one another in life’s journey, we especially think of those who are dreading the holidays, those who wish they could jump from November 1 – January 1. If you are that person, or maybe a friend you know is hurting in this way, we have a gift for you. This Daily Treasure devotion will be packed with comfort, practical resources, and ideas for preparing for Christmas in the context of loss and grief.
Christmas is for those who grieve. Stay with us as we “follow the star” of Christmas in a way that will help us slow down and soak in the treasures of our Savior’s birth. This is a good time to share Daily Treasure with friends! Subscribe to Daily Treasure or listen on your favorite podcast.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Saturday’s Guest Writer
Reprinted with Permission, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/joy-grieving-world/, December 23, 2021, The Gospel Coalition
(MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is an award-winning writer and podcaster who helps bereaved people find flourishing after loss. Clarissa’s writing appears in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, RELEVANT, Modern Loss, Grief Digest, and more. She cohosted Christianity Today’s “Surprised by Grief” podcast and is a frequent guest on podcasts and radio shows. Clarissa’s debut book, Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss, was a best-selling new release in 2022. Her two new books, a devotional and a grief handbook for teenagers, released in 2024. Visit Clarissa’s website to learn more.
Daily Treasure devotions
Here are links to the grief relief resources shared in this week of devotions:
Thirty-three years after the deaths of his sixteen-year-old son, Mark, and his friend Kelly, Mark’s dad, Chuck, is offering his grief journey as a light in the darkness for those coming behind him…
I invite everyone to listen to Preparing for Christmas in the Darkness of Grief, a conversation between Chuck and me.
Grief can be so debilitating that it blinds you to God's presence. Many who grieve struggle to face the sudden loss, much less embrace it and rest in it…
Dr. Chuck F. Betters preached this series Surprised by Suffering, shortly after Mark’s death. Perhaps these messages are designed to comfort and encourage you in your own grief journey.
Listen to the intimate interview with Chuck and Sharon Betters as they talk about the loss of their son, Mark.
We don’t know what we don’t know. My friend, Vaneetha Risner knows grief and shares how to help the hurting during the holidays.
Help & Hope stories of other who have face grief and share their journey to encourage you.
Christine describes this heartbreaking season but does not leave us in the dark. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Christine transparently tells how depression strangled her and drove her to a point of hopelessness – and yet, the Lord did not abandon her…
Christine Chappell’s book…
When feelings of hopelessness, weariness, sadness, anger, anxiety, shame, and loneliness feel impossible to bear, it can seem like God is nowhere to be found. But there’s more to the story…
GRIEF SHARE: Find comfort for the season with: Surviving the Holidays.
While this article is written for people coming alongside grieving people, Nancy Guthrie’s insights can help grieving people better understand conflicting emotions.
Whatever you're going through, whatever loss you're experiencing this holiday season, you don't have to fake it with anybody; you can just be and feel whatever it is you're feeling. Hopefully tonight you'll feel a little more strengthened to move through this holiday season…
No stranger to personal trials, in January of 2016, she faced an overwhelming obstacle, the death of her 30-year old son, Randy, to suicide, a tragedy that left her, as well as his grieving wife and two young sons, devastated…
Are you stuck in your grief journey? Consider counseling with a biblical counselor. Check out these biblical counseling services.
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