Have you been walking through hard circumstances and you felt like you just needed to voice those feelings and frustrations to God and maybe even wrestle with him about why you are in these circumstances? Oh friend, I don't know if you realize it, but that is one of the steps of lament.

I am so excited to Mark Vroegop on the podcast this week as we focus on what it means to lament. I think sometimes people are confused about this word, so I cannot wait to talk about his book, *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament. He truly has so much wisdom on this—you don't want to miss this episode.

Also, Oct 15th is pregnancy and infant loss Remembrance Day and I know this is part of both Mark's story as well as mine, so he will be sharing his story that birthed this book and then we will dive deeper into lament. Whether this is part of your story or not, I know there is so much truth in this episode especially his definition of lament and the 4 key elements. If you are walking through grief, you do not want to miss what he has to say.

Also, I am so excited for someone to win a copy of Mark's book: *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy. All the details of the book giveaway are on my websithttps://amzn.to/3ZQG0FFe at jodisnowdon.com or you can click this direct link: https://kingsumo.com/g/1v94kdm/dark-clouds-deep-mercy-book-giveaway

If you prefer watching the interview, here is a link on youtube to our episode: https://youtu.be/8bIA2CoerFg

Book Recommendations:

• *Knowing God by JI Packer
• *Desiring God by John Piper
• *Waiting on God by Andrew Murray
• *Disciplines of a Godly Man by R Kent Hughes
• *Pilgrim Progress by John Bunyan

For those walking through grief- I highly recommend Episodes 188-196 where I do one episode for each letter in my STRENGTH Acrostic in my book! See details below:

• Seek God and Invite Him into the Pain -- Depth Podcast Episode 188
• Tearfully Allow Yourself Time to Grieve and Process the Emotions -- Depth Podcast Episode 189
• Replace your Finite View with God's Infinite Perspective -- Depth Podcast Episode 190
• Embrace God's Character Development in the Midst of the Chaos -- Depth Podcast Episode 191
• Never Lose Sight of God's Grace -- Depth Podcast Episode 193
• Give Praise to God Even as Your Heart Breaks -- Depth Podcast Episode 194
• Trust God is Good When Your Mind is Doubting and You Don't Understand -- Depth Podcast Episode 195
• Honestly Share Your Story and Help Another Hurting Heart -- Depth Podcast Episode 196

Mark Vroegop has been Lead Pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis since 2008. He previously served as Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Holland, Michigan, from 1996-2008. He's a graduate of Cedarville University (B.A.) and Cornerstone Theological Seminary (M.Div).

Mark and his wife, Sarah, have three married sons, a daughter, and two grandkids.

He's an award-winning author of multiple books, including *Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, the 2020 ECPA Christian Book of the Year.

His newest book, *Waiting Isn't a Waste released in June 2024 through Crossway. Mark is a frequent conference speaker, and he serves on the board of The Gospel Coalition.

*Note: If you are interested in purchasing this book or the books recommended, I would love for you to use the Amazon Affiliate link above to help support the podcast. Thank you!