In this wide-ranging interview, two mothers who have experienced the grief of losing their children transparently answers questions from how to push the question “why” through the grid of God’s love and sovereignty, to how to protect marriages assaulted by grief. Nancy’s loss of two children uniquely qualifies her to offer help and hope in sorrow’s darkest night.

Loss of a Child is MARKINC's first resource, encouraging over 2 million hearts with help, hope, and healing. In this interview, Dr. Chuck and Sharon Betters discuss their story as parents who lost Mark, their sixteen year old son, in a devastating car accident. They are honest and they are real about their struggle to not only face each day without Mark but also to reconcile the love of God with His sovereign care.

You start your day thinking it will be like any other. And then a text with four words, “Eva not breathing. Pray.” Within hours, the unexpected death of your daughter propels you and your family down into the deepest sorrow you have ever experienced. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Mel Lawrenz introduces us to his beloved daughter Eva and how her unexpected death led his family into the read more…

In this poignant conversation, a son, Dr. Chuck L. Betters, talks to his mother, Sharon Betters, about her grief journey after the loss of her sixteen-year-old son, Mark. They use Sharon’s book, Treasures in Darkness as a jumping off place and dive right into some of the hardest places of grief with the goal of offering help and hope to other grieving parents read more…

Jacke Rose, founder of Grieving Moms Finding Hope, joins Sharon Betters to talk about her journey to find hope and purpose after the death by suicide of her son, Randy. The loss of a child cannot be fathomed but Jacke’s son also unsuccessfully attempted read more…

Her oldest son’s battle with drug addiction ended when drug induced hypothermia took his life. Several years later, her youngest son made a decision that would forever change his life and resulted in imprisonment. How does a mother not just survive but find hope and joy when a tsunami of grief repeatedly slams her deeper into an abyss of sorrow?

In this moving and sometimes emotional conversation, Sharon Betters talks to Susanna Musser and her friend and counselor, Heidi Scott, about the sudden, accidental death of Susanna’s adopted son, Tommy. This conversation will not only encourage others in similar places, but will give listeners a renewed understanding of the burdens some parents bear and how to help them.

Dr. Chuck Betters talks with Dr. Jim Meyer who lost his first wife. Jim shares the story of his family’s sorrow and cautions listeners that though someone who is broken might look whole on the outside, grief and depression might be ever present companions. Jim describes the depression he experienced and how his journey produced in him a passion for offering help to others who are grieving. Jim also shares how the Lord is redeeming his pain through his marriage to Kathy.

“So who am I now that there’s only one place at the table….one pillow with a head dent, one towel damp after a shower? There’s only one toothbrush in the holder. The seat is never left up anymore. I can still write…

When Clarissa Moll’s young husband, Rob, died unexpectedly, she soon realized she was at a crossroads. Would she walk toward hope or slide into hopelessness? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Clarissa answers such questions as: Is there any way to prepare for such a tragedy? Are there stages for grief? What kind of work can grief do in our hearts that grows the fruit of the spirit? How is it helpful to “welcome” an emotion like fear – how does dissecting an emotion help us keep those emotions in check – or should we even try to keep them in check? What about regrets? Read more…

In this poignant conversation with Sharon Betters, a little over a year after the death of her beloved pastor husband, Sherry shares how Mike helped prepare her to be intentional in life after his absence. Her story will not only encourage widows but anyone who struggles with this foreign land of grief.

Melanoma, the word strikes fear into the hearer, especially when it is a diagnosis for a loved one. Al Groves and his wife, Libbie, heard these words and knew life would never be the same. In this  conversation with Sharon Betters, Libbie shares the journey that her family experienced in the year after her husband Al’s diagnosis of terminal cancer. She offers her family’s story as a means of coming alongside of others who are struggling with cancer, God and grief.

In this conversation,Jessalyn Hutto brings hope to women who grieve the loss of their children through miscarriage. She offers a priceless gift to those women coming behind her who have experienced such deep loss. Jessalyn reminds listeners that Jesus cares very deeply about every child who is lost to miscarriage and He cares very deeply about every mother who is deprived of that life.

About one million babies world-wide die each year within 24 hours of birth. What if you knew from the time you were about five months pregnant that your baby would be one of those children? In this conversation, Sharon Betters talks to Diane Bansbach about what it was like for her to learn her much wanted baby girl, Amy, might not survive birth, let alone live outside her mother’s womb. Diane and Sharon share a few tears as Diane steps back into that season of loss and grief and tells Amy’s story in a way that offers hope and counsel to those facing a similar tragedy.

Days away from the joy of holding their first child, Bill and Michelle feel their world crumbling as the doctor’s words settle in to their souls, “There is no heartbeat.” Justin and Carrie look forward to welcoming their second child into their home when their doctor gives them the same horrific news.  Two couples, two responses to loss that seems almost impossible to bear.

Days, months, and years after the loss of her sister, Natasha Smith tried to hide the grief she carried. But the pandemic took away her ability to hide her sorrow and her five-year-old’s response to her unexpected tears gave her permission to grieve – not in a room by herself but with her https://markinc.org/help-and-hope/can-you-just-sit-with-me-with-natasha-smithread more…

In this sometimes emotional conversation, Doug shares with Dr. Chuck F. Betters some of the ways his brother’s death affected him and how grief for a child is different than the grief of an adult. It’s our hope that Doug’s story will help parents understand the grief of their children a little better and also encourage those who have lost siblings at a young age.

Joy was 10 years old when her mother lost her battle with aggressive breast cancer. Her two little sisters looked to her for mothering. She became her father’s confidante as he tried to navigate grief, single parenthood, and looking for a new wife. Joy’s story gives listeners a glimpse into how the loss of a parent can create an ever widening circle of grief that takes years to process.