Grief & Loss

When Sorrow Becomes Prayer: Understanding and Practicing Lament

What do you pray when sorrow leaves you struggling for words? Join me September 30 for a free online workshop on understanding and practicing biblical lament. Through teaching, guided reflection, and prayer practice, we’ll explore how to bring our honest anguish before God in faith—and leave time for your questions during a live Q&A.
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5 days ago

Podcast: Moving from Weeping to Worship

Cheryl Marshall welcomes Christine Chappell to explore how believers can move from weeping to worship in seasons of discouragement. Drawing from the Psalms of Lament and Christine’s forthcoming book, "Lament: Crying out in Faith," the conversation unpacks what biblical lament is, why it matters, and how it can help Christians experience genuine gladness, grow in grace, and embrace both honest sorrow and steadfast praise.
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3 weeks ago

Podcast: Overcoming Discouragement with the Gospel

Cheryl Marshall welcomes Christine Chappell, biblical counselor and author, to discuss how believers can overcome discouragement by turning to the gospel, especially through the practice of biblical lament. Christine shares her personal story of grief, depression, and faith, offering practical frameworks and spiritual truths to help listeners pour out their hearts before God in seasons of struggle.
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1 month ago

When It Could Be Worse—But It’s Still Hard

How does God’s Word help us think more deeply about responding to hardship—especially when it seems “lesser” than “worse” possibilities? Are we wise to pit actual suffering against hypothetical outcomes? And does doing so help people draw near to God in their need? As we care for people in these situations, Scripture shows that we needn’t bypass reality for the sake of thanksgiving. We can help them to acknowledge what’s hard in their life without betraying gratitude for God’s grace.
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2 months ago

Video: Lament in Counseling Care

How do we walk with people through suffering without minimizing their pain or misrepresenting God? This webinar recording explores how biblical lament equips us to care well for hurting people—honestly, faithfully, and with Christ-centered hope.
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4 months ago

Help for the Holidays: Virtual Event for Women

Embracing the joy of the season can be challenging, especially when fractured family ties or unfulfilled longings for companionship exist. What might it look like to navigate these difficult dynamics in a wise, God-honoring way? During this free 75-minute live webinar for women, authors and counselors Camille Cates, Christine Chappell, Julie Lowe, and Lainey Greer host a helpful conversation about experiencing relational tension, family estrangement, and singleness during the holiday season.
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9 months ago

Finding God’s Peace with Grief Overwhelms

"What if your grief isn’t wasted — but held, used, and transformed by God Himself? In this Grace Conversation, I’m joined by Mrs. Christine Chappell for an honest discussion about what God does with your grief. We talk about the difference between stoicism and worship, learning to cry out to God from the depths (Psalm 130), and what it means to let Him become the center of our sorrow instead of ourselves. Together, we explore how Christ meets us in our affliction — 'how He can make us fruitful even in the land of our pain' (Genesis 41:52). Grief becomes dangerous when we stop running to Him as our refuge, but grace reminds us we don’t have to face it alone. Even seeking help is an act of faith — a reflection of Christ-like humility."
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9 months ago

Hope + Help for Reproductive Loss with Tanya Flores

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Tanya Flores, co-founder of Reproductive Loss Network . They discuss the profound impact of reproductive loss, including miscarriage, infertility, and abortion, and how these experiences can affect individuals physically, spiritually, and relationally. Tanya shares her personal journey and the importance of compassionate responses to those grieving. The conversation also highlights the need for Christ-centered counseling approaches and the significance of creating supportive environments within churches for those experiencing reproductive loss.
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10 months ago

Engaging Sorrow According to Ecclesiastes

As we read through Ecclesiastes, we see that sorrow is symptomatic of what we lost in Eden. It isn’t exclusively a fruit of personal sin—it’s also what we feel as we suffer the unavoidable effects of original sin. This category is key to engaging sorrow wisely. It explains why life is so hard to begin with and leads us to look to our Redeemer for hope.
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12 months ago

FamilyLife Today Interview with Mark Vroegop and Dave & Ann Wilson

In this powerful FamilyLife Today episode, hosts Dave and Ann Wilson sit down with pastor and author Mark Vroegop and biblical counselor Christine Chappell to explore the biblical practice of lament. Discover how lament is more than just complaint – it’s a prayer language that moves you towards deeper trust in God, even in the midst of profound sorrow. Mark and Christine share insights from their own experiences and ministries, emphasizing the importance of a “theology of sorrow” and why sadness is a valid, even necessary, response to life’s brokenness.
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12 months ago

Parent Loss with Lucy Ann Moll

In this video recording from the 2023 Midnight Mercies Virtual Summit, Lucy reflects on the sudden death of her mother and shares how God mercifully met her in the midst of her grief.
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3 years ago

Stillbirth with Jackie Gibson

In this video recording from the 2023 Midnight Mercies Virtual Summit, Jackie reflects on the stillbirth of her daughter and recounts how God mercifully met her in the midst of her grief.
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3 years ago

Child Illness & Miscarriage with Katie Faris

In this video recording from the 2023 Midnight Mercies Virtual Summit, Katie reflects on the fears surrounding her children's genetic illnesses along with the grief of miscarriage, and recalls how God mercifully met her in the midst of one of the most overwhelming seasons in her life as a mom.
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3 years ago

Child Loss with Sharon Betters

In this video recording from the 2023 Midnight Mercies Virtual Summit, Sharon reflects on the sudden tragic loss of her son and recalls how God mercifully met her in the midst of depression and grief.
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3 years ago

Unexpected Divorce with Shannon McCoy

In this video recording from the 2023 Midnight Mercies Virtual Summit, Shannon reflects on her journey through depression in the wake of divorce and shares how God mercifully met her in the midst of it.
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3 years ago

Top 5 Friday: Christian Books on Grief

In this replay, I share my Top 5 Christian books on grief, discussing WHO they're for, WHY I think they're helpful, and WHEN to recommend them. Special thanks to this week's top viewers (Cynthia, Maree, & Ruth) for making the broadcast conversational. And congratulations to Cynthia, who won this week's book giveaway by engaging with the most comments during the livestream.
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5 years ago

Hope + Help for Loss and Grief with Paul Tautges

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, Christine Chappell interviews Paul Tautges about his book, "A Small Book for the Hurting Heart: Meditations on Loss, Grief, and Healing," exploring how the gospel of Jesus Christ offers comfort and strength for those walking through seasons of mourning.
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6 years ago

Hope + Help for Death-Awareness with Matthew McCullough

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and pastor Matthew McCullough. They discuss Matt's book, "Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope" to learn how cultivating "death-awareness" clarifies the relevance of Jesus's promises in the midst of our everyday problems. During the conversation, Matt offers listeners an overview of the Christian tradition of "memento mori" (latin: remember death) and explains some of the reasons why death-awareness was such a prominent part of daily life in earlier centuries. He also considers why 21st century Western Christians have increasingly shoved the realities of death from their consciousness—and examines the various negative impacts such death-avoidance has had as a result. Finally, Matt carefully unpacks the hope and help of the gospel of Jesus to the problem of death-avoidance, encouraging listeners to remember their identity in Christ as they seek to better understand the enemy of death and its implications for fruitful Christian living.
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7 years ago

Death Will Come When Christ Calls

It was not until I became a follower of Christ that my perspective on death changed, and I came to understand it as something more than an instrument of destruction. In Christ, death is no doomsday — it’s a gateway.
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7 years ago

8 Truths to Remember in the Midst of Sadness

The card references 8 common lies we may find ourselves listening to as we walk through seasons of sorrows, and pits them against eternal biblical truths. By providing a wealth of key Scripture references, Dr. Newheiser reminds the sorrowing to look to their identity in Christ and God's unchanging character as a means of sustaining grace.
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7 years ago

Hope + Help for Grief Care with Nancy Guthrie

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author and bible teacher Nancy Guthrie. They discuss Nancy's book, "What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts)" to better understand the raw emotions people face as they experience grief, and to learn how to compassionately and confidently interact with those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Nancy shares about walking through the deaths of her two infant babies, and how grief can become a hurdle in everyday relationships. She offers some cautions about what not to say to someone who is grieving, and also suggests possible conversation starters that demonstrate a proper esteem of the loss. Additionally, Nancy observes the misguided assumptions supporters can sometimes make about grieving people, and shines a light on the pain that is felt when friends and family keep their distance. Lastly, Nancy steers listeners back to the hope of heaven through Jesus Christ, and examines why spiritual sentimentality is too flimsy to offer real hope in the midst of unbearable pain.
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7 years ago

For the Baby I Didn’t Hold: A Poem for Grieving the Miscarried & Stillborn

While this poem is for my dearest nephew, Timothy Sawyer, born 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches long, it is also for family members who have walked alongside a grieving parent—who have shed tears for a baby they never cradled in their arms. May the love for that child never be deferred, lost, or forgotten, but cherished and proudly worn as a reminder of the joyous reunion that awaits upon the horizon. May we grieve, may we hope, and may we look forward to the day when sad things come untrue.
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7 years ago