Lament Archives - Christine M. Chappell

Guest Hosting the Shepherd Press Podcast: Seeking the Lord When Words Fall Short

Recently, I was invited to serve as a guest host for "The Shepherd Press Podcast". It was a pleasure to facilitate this discussion with Grace, and I pray the episode is an encouragement to listeners!

2 months ago

Hope + Help for Preparing for Glory with Elizabeth Turnage

What happens to us when we die? What do sickness and death say about the strength of our faith? What is anticipatory grief? And how does prayer help to prepare us for entering glory? Elizabeth Turnage addresses these questions and more in this new episode of the Hope + Help Podcast!

3 months ago

Hope + Help for Depression with Ed Welch

In what way does Jesus welcome those who are experiencing depression? Why is it true that "faith can feel good, and faith can feel horrible"? And how does the gospel offer hope to those who fear that they'll stay stuck in the darkness? Ed Welch addresses these questions and more in this new episode of IBCD's Hope + Help Podcast!

8 months ago

Hope + Help for Unanswered Prayer with Ste Casey

What makes unanswered prayer a "strange double sorrow" for believers? Why is it important to "fight for sight" in seasons where God seems unresponsive to our prayers? And how does Paul's testimony in 2 Corinthians 12 help us to process the fact that God is still good even when "he gives pain to those he loves"? Author, pastor, and biblical counselor Ste Casey addresses these questions and more as we discuss his book, I Prayed and Nothing Changed: What God is Up to in the Silence.

9 months ago

11 Free Resources on Biblical Lament

Biblical lament is something I've taught, spoken, and written about a number of times, but only recently did I come to realize that I had enough lament-related resources to share in one post! On this page, you'll find a few interviews from the Hope + Help Podcast archives on the topic of lament, as well as a number of articles that will help you to think more deeply about the topic. In addition, this post features two printables—one of which is brand new.

12 months ago

The Gift and Skill of Praise in Lament

If you don’t tend to associate groaning to God with giving Him thanks, you’re not the only one. I confess there have been times when praising the Lord was nowhere near the top of my mind in my sorrow. But over the years, the Spirit has helped me to better understand these two contrasting ways of addressing our Heavenly Father—to see that we needn’t sacrifice praise on the altar of lament (or vice versa). Even our most desperate cries can be “couched in praise,” just as “[in] the context of praise, lament and even protest can be an important function of faith.”

1 year ago

Hope + Help for Waiting on God with Mark Vroegop

What are biblical four principals we can apply when we find ourselves in a situation that requires us to wait? How does the gospel offer encouragement to someone who feels like their waiting is a waste of time? In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Mark Vroegop on his latest book, Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life.

1 year ago

You Lamented—Now What?

“There’s a lot of talk about how to lament these days, but what do we do after—what comes next?” My friend’s question was intriguing. He was right to identify the need for extended reflection. After all, the moments following lament are just as important as the pain-pressed prayers themselves. We must choose to do something next, so what will it be? Withdraw in self-pity? Lash out at loved ones? Self-medicate with creature comforts? Give ourselves over to the futility of restlessness or the fruitlessness of resignation? We need wisdom, lest the choices we make do more harm than good. Because all of life is lived before God, how we move forward from lament truly matters. So what wisdom does he offer to us in these fragile and frustrated moments?

1 year ago

Connecting Depressed Moms to Biblical Lament

When caring for a mother who is walking through depression, it’s unwise to overlook the sustaining grace God has for her through lament. As featured at the Biblical Counseling Coalition.

2 years ago

Hope + Help for Overcoming Bitterness with Steve Viars

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Steve Viars about his book, Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life's Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy.

2 years ago

Hope + Help for Layered Losses with Vaneetha Risner

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Vaneetha Risner about her book, Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption.

2 years ago

Hope + Help for Sorrowing Moms with Katie Faris

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Katie Faris about her book, God is Still Good: Gospel Hope and Comfort for the Unexpected Sorrows of Motherhood.

2 years ago

Hope + Help for Practicing Lament with Mark Vroegop

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews Mark Vroegop about his Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy Devotional Journal.

3 years ago

Hope + Help for Painful Pasts with Lauren Whitman

In this episode of the Hope + Help Podcast, host Christine Chappell interviews counselor and author Lauren Whitman about her book, A Painful Past: Healing and Moving Forward.

4 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.

4 years ago

Hope + Help for the Broken-Hearted with Mark Vroegop

In this episode of The Hope + Help Project, Christine Chappell interviews author/pastor Mark Vroegop on the topic of his new book, "Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy", learning how the God-given language of lament offers the broken-hearted hope and help for life’s sorrowful seasons. During the conversation, Pastor Mark shares his family's personal story of tragic loss, and how lament provided them—and ultimately, his church community—an outlet for their pains to be voiced while placing their trust in God. We talk about the key components of lament, heart-attitude cautions (what lament isn't), and why today's culture has such a hard time walking alongside broken-hearted people. Pastor Mark also offers practical steps for traveling by faith through grief and sorrow, as well as encouragements on how to cling to biblical hope, even when we've lost all sense of it.

6 years ago