With God

Is pet grief real? In this second half of the conversation, I'm joined by three guests who know that grief firsthand: my daughter Calla; Sue, who lost the pit bull she rescued; and Heather, who has grieved many animals through her work rescuing pets with medical needs. I also share my own story — about Charles, the pet I brought home after losing my son Ezekiel. Together we ask whether the grief we feel for an animal deserves the same weight we give any other loss. We also share how difficult it is to make the decision to say goodbye.

New here? Start with part one, "Pet Loss: Grieving the Ones Who Need Us Most," then come back to this.

It's hard sometimes to listen to the promptings of God especially when they come from people around you. But God ahs been shifitng my gaze and changing my heart to be more open. To be more willing to let go of control and allow him to move and bring his will to light.

Welcome to the first episode of my podcast with a new ame. istent o me ramble a bit about some thoughts I've had about my home and is it acting like a Church? Have I opened it to the poor and needy? Is my family spreading the kingdom of God to others? Is my home a place of peace and rest?

We are changing!! Welcome to the WITH GOD podcast, where we do everyday life WITH GOD. Listen as I explain why the name change and a new format. No more video podcast just audio and shorter run times. I am hoping to post every week and talk about what God is doing. I will continue to have guests so if you are interested in talking about what God is doing let me know.

My guest panel today talks about the loss of their beloved pets. Some people do not think pet loss or pet greif is real or valid. But today we talk about what these pets meant to us, how we handled having to decide when to put them down and how our bonds with these little friends are made. This is part One.

Sunday May 3rd is Bereaved Mothers' Day — MAny people do not know about bereaved mothers day, but it is a day where we honor and recognize women who have lost a child. In this solo episode, I share an update on where the podcast is heading and sit with a question that's been shaping me: can pain and gried reshape and reform us? Does God grieve with us?

If you're walking through loss, especially the loss of a child, I hope this episode meets you with tenderness and reminds you that your grief is not borne alone.

This episode was released last Easter. It's a good reminder for us how to celebrate all God has done for us and remember the victory in the Resurrection

I am reposting this episode from Good Friday last year. This year my heart was heavy and tormented in a way. There has been so many spiritual battles being fought. This Good Friday I am acutely aware of the grief associated with my own sin, and the reason he had to go to the cross in the first place.

This episode I discuss the grief of those that are gone, and the heaviness of grief. What was the grief of the Father on this day?

What happens when the love of your life dies — and you have seven children?

In this episode of Grieving with God, I sit down with Carrissa Yoder to talk about widowhood, parenting through loss, and what faith looks like when your world has been torn apart.

Carrissa shares about losing her husband — the man she deeply loved — as well as the grief of losing her sister. She speaks honestly about how each of her children has processed loss differently, and how surprising and humbling that has been as a mother.

We talk about:

• The reality of the second year of grief — and how it can feel harder in new ways

• What it’s like to want to do nothing but grieve

• How community showed up in ways she didn’t expect

• The tension of trusting God while living with deep pain

• Parenting children who are grieving in their own unique ways

• The role of therapy in walking through loss as a family

• How grief evolves over time instead of simply “getting better”

She reminds us that acknowledging pain does not mean we doubt God’s goodness.

Carissa's Instagram - @carissayoder

https://www.instagram.com/carissayoder/?hl=en

Chapters

00:00 — Carrissa’s Story: Love, Loss, and Widowhood
03:55 — How Grief Changed Their Family
07:48 — Children, Therapy, and Individual Grieving Styles
11:41 — When Community Shows Up
15:32 — Losing More Than One Person
19:32 — The Second Year of Grief
25:26 — Moving Forward and Relocating
28:41 — Parenting Through Uncertainty
33:37 — Trusting God With the Future

In this episode, we sit with a story shaped by unexpected turns—years of infertility, an autism diagnosis, traumatic and rapid labors, and a daughter who walked through infertility, adoption, and a child facing serious medical challenges.

Our guest shares what it has been like to carry grief and faith across generations: first as a mother navigating her own losses, and now as a grandmother supporting her daughter through medical diagnosis she never saw coming. We talk honestly about the shock of early delivery, the ache of leaving a tiny baby in the NICU, and the confusing mix of joy and grief that can exist at the same time.

This conversation doesn’t offer easy answers or spiritual clichés. Instead, it explores how God’s presence often shows up quietly—in Scripture that anchors us, in prayers we barely have words for. Drawing from Psalm 139, we reflect on what it means to trust that every child is fearfully and wonderfully made, even when the story feels unbearably fragile.

If you’ve ever wondered where God is in the middle of medical trauma, infertility, or watching someone you love suffer, this episode is an invitation to consider that He may be closer than you think.

He Grieves with us!