Naomi left Bethlehem full and came back empty. Her husband was gone. Both sons were gone. And when people who knew her tried to greet her by name, she stopped them. Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara. Bitter. Because that's what she was. She felt like God hadn't held up His end of the deal. Maybe that sounds familiar. Maybe what you hoped for, what you felt like God was going to deliver, just hasn't materialized. Gerald Sittser lost three generations in one car accident and wrote this: The experience of loss does not have to be the defining moment of your story. The defining moment can be your response to it. We don't get to choose the roles we play, but we do get to choose how we play them. So if you're carrying something painful today, is it possible that God is still writing something in your story that you can't quite see yet?

Pursuing God with Gene Appel is designed to help you pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by Eastside’s conviction that God’s grace is for everyone, each episode invites you to discover God’s presence and activity in your life.