It‘s an odd word, one we seldom use these days. We might use words like consolation, cheer, support, but years ago, I heard that one word, “solace” in a sermon, and I knew exactly what it meant. I cannot remember anything else about that sermon, but that one word—solace. Do you need solace this morning? Could you use a cup of comfort or consolation or cheer? Those of us who are on the healing journey after a loss can quickly find a place of solace in the book of Psalms: ”[God

We all do this—try to figure out God, try to understand the why in our lives. A tragedy strikes our family, and we can’t comprehend what happened. Where is the compassionate God who loves us? We feel abandoned, deserted, left to cope all on our own. The God who loves us is still there. His compassIon still flows from his heart to ours, but often there’s a disconnect on our end. How could this tragedy, this sadness, this death be happening? How could my child, my spouse, my mo

Is is possible to have real joy after losing a loved one to suicide? Yes, I think it is. I am a mother and a wife, but I call myself a wounded healer. I was wounded deeply by the suicide death of our 18 year-old son, but I have healed—finding peace, even joy! How did I get to peace and joy after such a sad and tragic loss? Just as you may be right now, I was stuck in the pit of bitterness and anger, and this was the question that started my road to joy. “Elaine, do you want

The words in this graphic were written by James, and put in the New Testament book by the same name. Mary was the mother of James and also the mother of Jesus, so they are half-brothers. Just imagine having Jesus as a brother in your house and in your family! In Galilee, where they grew up, I’d venture to say, they had both suffering and cheer. You see, sometime along the way, their earthly father, Joesph died. It is mentioned that “both parents“ were looking for Jesus in th

Rhetorical question, right? Everyone needs patience! But, the real question is “How do we become patient?” This may seem difficult for us to grasp, but God really does care when we are short of patience. And he does supply us with an answer for spiritual growth in the area of restraint, calmness, composure, endurance. He does desire for us to be un-complaining and even-tempered. His formula for success is found in the verse below: There are three parts to our growth in pati