Even though it may not feel like it, grief can be a source of great hope. The way that we react against what is wrong comes from a deep desire for things to be made right. Our loss may actually lead to healing and restoration. The Bible assures us that better days are coming when God Himself will wipe every tear from our eyes. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,” it says in Revelation, “for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Our guests this week have walked through deep and unexpected grief and what even seemed like unfair losses. Best-selling Christian author Philip Yancey uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death while he was still in college, one that illuminated the sometimes overbearing religious convictions of his mother. Yancey shares how he dove into his family’s origins and how he ultimately found healing from what he calls “toxic faith.” After nearly thirty years of marriage, author Mike Nappa lost his dear wife, Amy, to cancer. Mike turned to scripture to help him get through the day and to cope with processing his grief—and even today, he sees how grief and joy can coexist.

 

Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling

Jesus Always

Jesus Listens

Past interview: Eddie Montgomery

Upcoming interview: Leslie Schilling

Samaritan’s Purse: https://sampur.se/44HesSt 

Revelation 21:3-4 NIV

 

Philip Yancey

Christianity Today magazine 

The Jesus I Never Knew

What's So Amazing About Grace?

Where the Light Fell 

Polio

iron lungs

American civil rights movement

Martin Luther King Jr.

Center for Disease Control

G.K. Chesterton

Columbine High School

Virginia Tech

Sandy Hook

www.philipyancey.com

 

Mike Nappa

Reflections of the Grieving Soul

Psalm 16:8 NIV

Queen Elizabeth

John 15:11 NIV

Matthew 26:38 NIV

Interview Quotes:

“When you grow up in a church environment, it's easy to learn how to behave, how to give a testimony, how to pray, how to do the things that look spiritual. And then one day you wake up and wonder, Is this just a learned behavior pattern that I have, or is it genuine? Am I really connecting to the God of the universe?“ - Philip Yancey

“I started looking for people who were made larger by their faith.“ - Philip Yancey

“Don't just give up on God because of the way God may have been presented to you. It's worth that quest to try to find who God really is and to find that God loves you. And God indeed does imagine a role for you on this earth that no one else has. That's why we were created. We were created in God's image to reflect something of God back to others.” - Philip Yancey

“There's nothing that you can do to get God to love you more. No amount of spiritual calisthenics, no amount of trying to be more spiritual than everybody else—there's nothing you can do for God to love you less.” - Philip Yancey

“God wants to remake us in a way that's good for us. God wants to restore us. God wants to give us a calling, a reason for being, a reason to live on this planet, and grace is the attitude that God has toward us all the time.” - Philip Yancey

“I understand that God is really who He said He was, just like I thought He was before, in the moments of great joy and in the moments of great sorrow. And He is always near in the moments of great joy, and when it gets hard, He doesn't step back and run away. He'll just stand there and stay with you.” - Mike Nappa 

“The grief that we have is not something to be thrown aside any more than love would be thrown aside. The grief that we have is something to visit and understand and take value and take benefit from.” - Mike Nappa

“I don't have to be consumed by grief. It can just be part of who I am as I also experience joy and happiness.” - Mike Nappa

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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!

Audio Episodes:     https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 

Bonus Podcasts:     https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw 

Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer:  https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C 

Peace for Everyday Life:     https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj 

Peace in Uncertain Times:     https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u 

What’s Good?     https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj 

Enneagram:     https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY 

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