Posts tagged 4th 30
How Does God Meet Us In Suffering?

In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author of The Scars that Have Shaped Me; How God meets us in Suffering, has experienced all these life crises and more. Rather than despair and giving up when wave after wave of loss hits, Veneetha encourages us to allow suffering to draw us into the heart of God.

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Grief and Lament

Is it ever ok to question God’s love or wisdom, especially when you love and serve Him but experience tremendous loss? Dr. Frank A. James, President and Professor of Historical Theology at Missio Seminary in Pennsylvania joins Dr. Chuck F. Betters to talk about this very question.

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Sexual Abuse and the Church

In this interview, Ellen Dykas discuss how the church can help create an environment where abuse victims feel safe and helped. This is not an easy topic to discuss nor is it easy to hear, especially if you are a victim of sexual abuse. But it is imperative that we hear from people like Ellen who are passionate about going into the dark places with the light of Jesus and inviting others to go with her to offer the hope and help only Jesus gives.

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From the Streets to the Pulpit

Jonathan Gonzalez lived with painful circumstances throughout his childhood that forced him to take on adult decisions far sooner than he was ready. In this conversation with Chuck Betters, Jonathan describes the horrifying accident that left him bleeding out in the backseat of a car. In desperation he prayed a prayer that would change everything.

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Homesick for Heaven

In this conversation with Sharon Betters Elyse Fitzpatrick describes how a difficult time in her life resulted in her longing for something more. She concluded she was homesick for heaven. Elyse helps us better understand how a biblical view of heaven can be a source of great comfort when life turns upside down.

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For Moms--Hope in the Trenches

While most do not experience motherhood as a crisis, every mother has experienced periods of weariness, frustration, regrets – and shame because we just don’t feel like we’re enough for the tasks at hand. In this conversation with Sharon Betters and Melissa Weisenfels, Christina Fox, a mother herself, encourages us that there is minute by minute help and hope for mothers, no matter what season of life. Christina has a special love for mothers struggling to find hope in those especially hard days and shares her love in her book Sufficient Hope, Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms.

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Dementia with Dr. John Dunlop

In this interview Sharon Betters asks Dr. John Dunlop, author of Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia, to define dementia, the stages of dementia, what it is like to care for a loved one with dementia, and more. He reminds us that every person is made in the image of God and that truth needs to be the grid through which we view those with dementia and the kind of care we give.

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Loving Your Friend Through Cancer with Marissa Henley

At age 34, Marissa Henley learned she had a rare form of a deadly, aggressive cancer. Her diagnosis sent her on a journey to find the best treatment which meant long separations from her family. Marissa weaves her story in the context of how to walk with a friend through the battle of her life. Marissa equips us to not only know how to respond practically but how to better understand the questions and fears of a cancer fighter.

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Healing After Abortion with Lovette Vassar

When Lovette told her mother she was pregnant, her mother took her to an abortion clinic despite protests and tears. A few months later, Lovette was again pregnant, and though she cried, she followed the routine and returned to the abortion clinic. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lovette Vasser shares her story with hope that her journey to healing will help other women.

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Waiting with Purpose When Dreams Are Delayed

We’re all waiting for something. It might be a spouse or a baby. It might be healing or a home. Regardless of what we're waiting for, it’s easy to feel discontent when things aren’t going as planned and our dreams are delayed—especially when questions of 'Why?' and 'How long?' remain unanswered. God uses seasons of waiting not only to teach us patience and make us more like Himself, but He also uses unmet longings to paint a powerful picture of the bride of Christ waiting for the day when He returns and God’s kingdom reigns.

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Mental Illness & Suicide

In this conversation Judy Springer tells how she has lived with mental illness and continues to live with the aftermath of suicide. After a lifetime of the unrelenting pain of mental illness, Judy’s beloved husband, Scott, took his own life. Judy shares their story as a way to redeem some of the pain of Scott’s struggle to find healing and death.

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Intentional Grieving

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.

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Hope in Waiting

Whether you are in a waiting room right now because of cancer, stroke, traumatic injury, a child struggling to hold on to life, a health crisis of any kind, you know the emotions of waiting – fear of the unknown, sadness over knowing life will never be the same, anger – you name it. Yet in the midst of it all, Elizabeth reminds us of the certain hope and peace of the gospel.

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And then the Darkness Came

As a single Christian woman living alone in the mountains of Western Maryland she had already dealt with total vision loss in one eye. Now, the gravity of the possibility of total blindness was yet another blow as Edith felt even her “new normal” begin to crumble. In Christ, Edith has found purpose for her pain, strength sufficient for the struggles, and blessings beyond measure as she shares her message of hope to “Walk by faith, not by sight”!

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