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 Land of Grief. In this conversation, Mel talks about giving freedom to people to grieve their way, how lament is a gift, and how his theology gave him the freedom to grieve honestly as he clung to the Lord. Mel and Sharon belong to that club no one wants to join – where admission requires the loss of a child. There are treasures in the conversation for anyone in grief and for those who love them.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

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Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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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. Frank’s story of loss started when his younger brother, Kelly, was trapped in a snow cave on Mt. Hood and an unyielding blizzard prevented rescue. News outlets from all over the world covered the fear and anguish of Frank’s family as they waited for news about Kelly. Frank describes the emotional roller coaster of hope, fear, confusion, despair and lament as they waited and then as they realized Kelly would not survive. As a professor, author, seminary president, how is it possible Frank struggled with hard theological questions about suffering and lament? Frank’s transparency will encourage you to better understand how God welcomes your questions and holds you tightly in His grip when you struggle to understand His purposes.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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“Christmas. What will we do about Christmas?” This was one of the first grief-stricken questions Sharon asked her husband, Chuck, hours after learning of the death of their sixteen-year-old son, Mark. In this poignant interview, Chuck and Sharon Betters speak candidly about how they approached their first Christmas without their youngest child. If you are struggling with grief in this season that is considered the happiest of all, listen, and be encouraged that there are treasures in the darkness designed to help turn your heart toward Jesus.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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Having a long-term or chronic illness can disrupt your life in many ways. Managing your illness can be overwhelming as you try to understand what's happening in your body and how you can best use the energy you have each day. Chronic illnesses can be frightening, because you may not understand why this is happening to you. In this transparent interview, Sharon Betters leads the conversation with three women who share some of their daily challenges as they live with the impact of Multiple Sclerosis, recurring cancer and Heart Disease, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, and multiple auto-immune diseases. You will be encouraged in your own life journey as Carol Marker, Sherry Bitler, and Debbie Kahler open up their hearts and share practical ways to make the most of each day, to live life with purpose, and to see God's gracious love in the pathways He has chosen for them.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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Twenty-nine-year-old Erin Kauffman was enjoying the fruit of years of education and working. She loved her newly purchased home and bought a new car that she could load up with equipment when traveling to school sponsored music events. Erin filled her time with work, music, friends and ministry. Then the unthinkable happened. A driver fell asleep at the wheel and at sixty miles per hour slammed headfirst into Erin’s car. In this moving conversation with Sharon Betters, Erin describes the devastation of realizing the bottom half of her body was crushed, the long rehab, and how this accident changed the direction of her life. Though Erin continues to struggle with long term pain and acknowledges that her medical care is like a part-time job, she offers hope to anyone in similar circumstances. Erin’s story also will inspire listeners to trust that when everything feels impossible, that’s when we can see the Lord’s grace and strength in ways we never imagined possible.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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The title of Nate Brooks’ book, Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness, describes the transparent conversation he had with hosts Sharon Betters and Heidi Nequist. 

Caregivers are one of the most forgotten communities. They often find themselves in this position quite suddenly and must navigate a whole new way of life, often alone, as they quietly persevere in giving their lives for the good of another. Nate knows what this is like and brings wisdom and hope while at the same time admitting this pathway is hard, so hard.

The day he brought his wife home from the hospital, he was suddenly responsible for a whole new layer of living that included caring not only for his wife’s needs but taking care of three young children and all that means – piled on top of his already very busy life. Among other things, he talks about how he learned to take care of himself so he could function and keep all these balls of everyday life in the air. Nate talks about how hard it is to be godly and doesn’t shy away from admitting the moment he thought, “I didn’t sign up for this,” and how in the next moment he realized, “Yes, I did – on my wedding day.” Nate gives exhausted caregivers hope by being transparent about the hard and about how God meets us in those hard places. This conversation is for caregivers and those who love them.

Link to Nate’s Book:

https://www.amazon.com/Disrupted-Journey-Walking-Through-Chronic...

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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Rosann has experienced disappointment, pain and loss – but her scars and wounds are not obvious – very much like many of you. Today Rosann lives with the kinds of chronic illness that many of you contend with – often alone in your struggles because they are not visible wounds or scars. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Roseann offers encouragement to fellow travelers, that though the pathway is often hard and you feel hopeless and helpless, there is a light in the darkness and purpose in the pain.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19.

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Preparation for retirement requires more than just financial planning. For most people, and especially for Christians, it comes with a host of other considerations—when to retire, where to live, and how to spend one’s time. Many find themselves asking, "Is there a right way to retire?" And what about the cultural perspective, “I’ve worked hard all my life, this time it’s all about me!” Is it ok to pursue pleasure that was unattainable before retirement? And what if unexpected changes in our health make it impossible to do what we want. How do we deal with disappointment and discontentment? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Dr. John Dunlop addresses these questions and shares practical strategies for Christians as they approach their retirement years. John encourages listeners to start thinking about retirement while they are young and shares suggestions for determining how to intentionally live with purpose in this last season of life.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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In the book co-authored by Susan Hunt and Sharon Betters, Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture, each chapter ends with a storyteller who is at least seventy years old. Each woman gives the readers a glimpse into what aging with grace looks like for her. One of those storytellers is Carol Arnold. Carol was eighty-three years old at the time of the interview. She travels the world continuing the work of the organization her husband started, Equipping Pastors. Surely Carol is a model of flourishing in old age as she regularly gets on a plane in order to spend hours teaching about marriage in less than optimum circumstances. But is traveling the world at eighty-three years of age the only way to flourish? In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Carol answers this question and encourages us to understand flourishing in any age is not about doing but rather about “being”. No matter your age, you will be encouraged and guided by her insights.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

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Lucy Malmberg’s grand adventures in life began when her parents hid her in a blanket-covered box as waited in line to board a plane to America from Ukraine after World War II. Her parents passed on to her a legacy of not only love for America but a passionate love for Jesus. In this conversation with Sharon Betters, Lucy freely shares how her faith guided her beloved husband George and her in the co-founding of Wedgewood Pharmacy, now, the largest national specialized pharmacy in veterinary compounding and a leader in the animal health industry. Lucy describes the legal battle that took them all the way to the Supreme Court. She also shares treasured wisdom taught by her parents that influences her to this day. Lucy’s intimacy with Jesus and passion for prayer is woven throughout this conversation, including her description of how she lamented before the Lord through four miscarriages and the loss of her stillborn son. Lucy’s love affair with her Savior will instill in listeners a longing for the same intimacy with Jesus.

The Help & Hope podcast is produced by MARKINC Ministries. You can find more Help & Hope episodes and all that MARKINC has to offer, by visiting helpandhopenow.org. You can also download the FREE mobile app, Help and Hope, by using this link - https://subsplash.com/markincministri..., or by searching Help and Hope in your mobile app store.

For MARKINC to continue to offer these helpful FREE resources, we need your help!! Please donate to MARKINC Ministries and invest in offering these helpful resources to those in need of hope. Safely donate on the website, mobile app, or by using this link https://markinc.org/donate/.

Comment your questions on any of the videos! We cannot wait to hear from you all!

Thank you for all of your support, and welcome to the MARKINC Family!!

We have this hope (Jesus) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… Hebrews 6:19

Be sure to connect with us on social media!

Send us a text

Support the show