Every time a believer mounts from this earth to paradise, it is an answer to Christ's prayer...The soul cannot be in both places: the beloved one cannot be with Christ and with you too. Now, which pleader shall win the day? Click here to read the rest.
I quietly went to our bedroom, closing the door behind me. And by the bedside, I prayed and calmly lay my son on the altar. I did not like doing it. I cannot say my heart was in it... Click here to read the whole thing. Save
"As death overcomes the body and the believer passes into life eternal, in the last moments of grace, is the still small voice of the Lord the last and clearest thing a child of God hears on earth?" Click here to read the entire post. Save
Hans didn't “leave home” until the evening he went to his Heavenly home... Click here to read the entire post. Save
Experiencing the wrenching pain of child loss has helped me to recognize more fully that most grieving people have an intense need for hope, for assurance that they will someday be reunited with their loved ones. Assurance and hope based on facts leads to peace and can take the edge off grief when it threatens …
Originally published October 15, 2016 In these past nine months since Hans drove to the highway, I have dreamed of him only once. I had this dream shortly after he left us and it was very brief. In my dream, Sunday worship had just concluded and Hans was standing with a group of men outside …
Love photographs them in the heart! (William Thoseby, "Foot-prints on the Sands of Time" 1869) It is true there are strong consolations and compensations in Divine providence, but even the Christian consolations cannot drink up all the heart's sorrow in the hour of separating death. We cry with truth, but yet in tears, "O death, …
"This heavy sorrow is what I feel. It is not a reflection of what I, as a Christian, believe. I know where our son is and I believe what God has told me about our eternal home. Why then do I sorrow? It is because each crashing wave of grief is my flesh crying out …
In response to a reader... "I chose this verse today because it expresses what I like to think my son may have been thinking in the moments before he left his body for Heaven. Hans believed on Jesus as his Savior and Redeemer. This means Hans was counting on nothing other than Jesus' victory over …
Dear Grieving, Believing Parent: This hymn never fails to lift my spirit and I can't wait to sing it with all the saints in glory. Take a few minutes' break from your day to view the video below. I think I can promise you will be encouraged. With God's help, let's train ourselves to keep …
Anyone who has lost a loved one wants to know where that person is now. For the believer in Jesus, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord 2 Cor 5:8. But where is that? And what is it like there? And what are they doing up there right now, …
Continue reading Book Review: The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur
PSALM 84 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. 1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! Hans was happy at home. He loved this place, our little log house - our little tabernacle in the woods; the land, the creek, the surrounding fields and forests. And …
Our last Christmas tree with Hans was cut in mid-December 2015. Usually, the spruces stay fresh and last well into January, sometimes sprouting new growth and even shedding pollen in the house. Manfred ordinarily cuts the tree and the children haul it home on a sled. But this time last year, Manfred’s knee was giving …
I can truthfully say, with a hurting, but thankful heart, that the Lord is preserving me through this trial. I stand softened and malleable to his loving hand as He bathes my raw wounds with His love. I experience a heightened sensitivity to his presence in the depths of my pain. I believe I am …
You Can Trust Him. 