What happens when the lies grief whispers begin to feel more believable than the truth of God's Word?

Dennis and Debbie Jordan know that struggle well. In 1985, their six-year-old son Ryan went to Heaven after a three-and-a-half-year battle with leukemia. In the nearly 41 years since, they've experienced the depths of grief, wrestled with difficult questions, and discovered the faithfulness of God in ways they never could have imagined.

Debbie is the author of Grief's Deception: Overcoming the 12 Lies Whispered to a Broken Heart, a book born out of their personal journey and years of ministering to grieving families.

In this first half of our two-part conversation, Dennis and Debbie share Ryan's story and help us recognize the first six lies grief often whispers: that we're prisoners of our regrets, that our child's death was somehow our fault, that we'll never survive, that no one understands, that God has abandoned us, and that we should be over it by now.

Through personal stories, biblical truth, and over four decades of perspective, they remind us that just because something feels true doesn't mean it is true.

Next week, we'll continue our conversation as we explore the remaining six lies and discover more about how God's truth can bring hope and freedom to grieving hearts.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Grief's Deception: Overcoming the 12 Lies Whispered to a Broken Heart by Debbie Jordan
• Dr. Lee Warren's appearance on the While We're Waiting podcast
• Davey Blackburn's appearance on the While We're Waiting podcast (Part One) (Part Two)
• Our Hearts Are Home
• While We're Waiting retreats and support groups

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! ~Jill

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

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Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

What happens when everything we thought we understood about God is suddenly turned upside down? That's what Scott and Shelly Myers had to grapple with after the sudden death of their 11-year-old son, Will.

Will was an old soul ... a bright, compassionate boy who loved books, stories, Scripture, and Jesus. He also lived with some significant health challenges, including a serious heart condition. And in October of 2012, Will unexpectedly went to Heaven.

Scott and Shelly share about the fog of those early days of grief, the impact of Will’s absence on their family, and the way loss caused Scott to take apart much of what he thought he understood about his faith, examine it, and put it back together again, piece by piece.

Scott also shares several powerful images from his book: faith being dumped out like the contents of carefully organized drawers and having to be sorted through again; God walking with us at whatever pace we can manage; and a beautiful reminder that in our deepest grief, God doesn’t stand at a distance ... He comes down into the hole and grieves with us.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I’m giving away a copy of Scott’s book, Not My Will, to the first three listeners who email me at jill@whilewerewaiting.org and request one. Just mention the Not My Will book giveaway in your email. The first three to respond will receive a free copy!

You can also click HERE to purchase your own copy of Not My Will.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! ~Jill

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

How do we keep moving forward after the loss of a child?

In the second half of my conversation with Jackie Baker, author of Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide, we turn to some of the practical challenges grieving parents face as they learn to live with loss.

Jackie shares four lies grieving mothers often believe - including the painful thoughts that we somehow failed our child or could have prevented what happened - and points us back to what is true. We also talk about why the second year of grief can sometimes be harder than the first and how to answer that difficult question, “How many children do you have?”

We discuss why we can’t walk this road alone, the importance of finding safe people, and some very practical ways friends and family can support a grieving parent. And Jackie shares how she has learned to intentionally look for “beauty in the brokenness” ... noticing the evidence of God’s goodness all around her.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Four lies grieving mothers often believe
• Why the second year of grief may feel harder than the first
• Navigating the question, “How many children do you have?”
• The importance of safe people, support groups, and counseling
• What helps—and what doesn’t—when supporting a grieving parent
• Intentionally looking for beauty in our brokenness
• The hope we have in Jesus

If you missed the first half of my conversation with Jackie, where she shares more about Sebastian and the unique challenges surrounding suicide loss, you can listen to last week's episode HERE.

You can learn more about Jackie, connect with her writing on Substack, and find links to her social media through her website. You’ll also find information about her book, Messy Mourning: Hope for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Child by Suicide, on our website, linked HERE.

Register for the fall Our Hearts Are Home conference HERE! You will be blessed by attending!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! ~Jill

** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.

Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel

Click HERE to follow our public Facebook page

Click HERE to follow us on Instagram

Click HERE to follow us on Twitter

Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministry

Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org