Suffering with hope

Pain Will Not Have the Last Word

Pain has taken its toll on me โ€” physically, emotionally, and mentally. The damage isnโ€™t always visible on my face or in my words, but itโ€™s always there, tempting me to view everything through the lens of an aching heart and a weary spirit. No one lives this life untouched. We all experience the brokenness… Continue reading Pain Will Not Have the Last Word

Suffering with hope

You Are Not Too Human for Jesus

*Today, โ€œJesus Will Meet You Thereโ€ releases into the world. And I couldnโ€™t be more grateful to finally be able to share it with you. In celebration, I am giving you an inside peek, sharing the introduction of the book with those of you who followย Deep Well of Hope. As this book releases, I pray… Continue reading You Are Not Too Human for Jesus

Suffering with hope

When The Waves Threaten to Take You Under

My cousins and I were enjoying a carefree summer day as we often did at my grandparents house in Wisconsinโ€”building sand castles, swimming in the lake, and pushing each other off the old wooden raft that floated a good distance from the dock. I was young, but I remember the details of this particular day… Continue reading When The Waves Threaten to Take You Under

Suffering with hope

He Holds Our Tears in Loneliness

At a momentโ€™s notice, chaos could erupt in our home. This day was no different. Although every day was difficult with my sonโ€™s illness, some stand out as ones that will forever be etched in my mind. And this was one of them.Something triggered him, as had happened countless times before, and a two-hour-long episode… Continue reading He Holds Our Tears in Loneliness

Suffering with hope

Grief is Not a Sign of Unbelief

โ€œThen Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, โ€˜Naked I came from my motherโ€™s womb, and naked shall I return.โ€™ The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.โ€™โ€ Job 1:20-22 When loss comes, grief… Continue reading Grief is Not a Sign of Unbelief

Suffering with hope

Fighting for Faith When Doubts Abound

โ€œMay your compassion come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate needโ€(Psalm 79:8).  Itโ€™s a prayer that Iโ€™ve often prayed over the past two decades of trials. As the waves of tribulation seemed to relentlessly beat upon me and my family, itโ€™s a prayer that has also been riddled with doubts over Godโ€™s… Continue reading Fighting for Faith When Doubts Abound

Suffering with hope

When Nothing Makes Sense, Remember These Three Thingsโ€ฆ

Newsletter Something on my mindโ€ฆโ€œEverything in my life always goes wrong! I know God can prevent it if he wants to, so it seems like he enjoys inflicting pain on me.โ€ Tears welled up in my teenage sonโ€™s eyes as these words of discouragement and borderline despair flew out of his mouth.ย  I caught myself… Continue reading When Nothing Makes Sense, Remember These Three Thingsโ€ฆ

Suffering with hope

A Story of Redemption is Being Written in Your Life

The past several years, God has been stripping away the frills of earthly success, independence, and self-confidence in me. Like Elijah, I have felt hidden by the Lord, severely tested by difficult and painful circumstances. I have been in a battle for faith in response to Godโ€™s silence and the relentless furnace of affliction. My… Continue reading A Story of Redemption is Being Written in Your Life

Suffering with hope

Comfort in the Cross

"Where are you, LordWhen the darkness swallowsWhen your silence deafensIn a multitude of sorrows? Where is your comfortWhen pain aboundsWhen companions fleeAnd loneliness resounds? Where is your justiceWhen the innocent are huntedWhen the wicked prosperAnd their evil is flaunted? Where is your compassionWhen a heart can bear no moreWhen weariness overwhelmsAnd it's too much to… Continue reading Comfort in the Cross

Suffering with hope

There Is Purpose in This Place

I admit, I often battle discouragement in my pursuit of health. I am beyond grateful for the extensive treatment protocol that Iโ€™ve been allowed the opportunity to pursue this past year. And yet, while it gives me great hope, the process is still brutal--with no guaranteed outcome. Iโ€™m confident that this journey wonโ€™t be wasted,… Continue reading There Is Purpose in This Place