Editor’s note: Anthony Griffith, a stand-up comic from Chicago’s South Side, has lived on the borderline of comedy and tragedy. At the very time his career as a stand-up comedian was taking off and he had finally achieved his dream of appearing on The Tonight Show, he was also enduring an unimaginable personal nightmare:…
The Upside: Purpose
One cool Saturday night in September 2015, my mama hung the next day’s church clothes on her closet door. She placed a cup of water on her nightstand next to my novel and climbed into her plush bed. Sometime during the night, while my mother slept, her soul went to be with Jesus. I watched…
Jesus’ Tears Give You Permission to Shed Your Own
Martha sat in a damp world, cloudy, tearful. And Jesus sat in it with her. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. — John 11:25 NLT Hear those words in a Superman tone, if you like. Clark Kent descending from…
Go Ahead and Cry
Growing Tears I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along. — Psalm 40:1-2 TLB As a…
The Innkeeper in Bethlehem: Living Beyond the “No”
For nothing is impossible with God. — Luke 1:37 The Innkeeper who gave Mary and Joseph a stable to stay in should be a model for us as we celebrate important seasons like Christmas without our loved one. That’s because the innkeeper had the ability to think and live beyond the “no.” “No room in…
There Is Grief in the Family Tree of Jesus
Abraham begot Isaac… David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. — Matthew 1:2, Matthew 1:6 Talk about heartbreak, sorrow, misery, and grief — all those things are woven through the fabric of our Lord’s family tree. Can you feel their grief behind these words? The grief of Abraham…
Season of Grief, Journey of Faith
Understanding Your Grief But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. — Isaiah 40:31 Grief is not an enemy or a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being human. Grief is…
Journey into the Fire of Surrender
For He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. — Malachi 3:2-3 The embers glowed as the blacksmith stoked the fire. One callused hand held a piece of metal to…
God’s Gift of Laughter
No, You Did Laugh The finest snippets of life are those in which laughter is at the core — events meaningful enough to be etched into our brains. Such times bring deep healing and shape who we become. They’re the kind we frame and display in a place of prominence, the ones we bring up…
Enlarge Your Soul through Grief and Loss
Enlarge Your Soul through Grief and Loss Loss is a place where self-knowledge and powerful transformation can happen. Paying attention to our losses enlarges our souls — when we pour them out before the Lord (see Psalm 62:8) and participate in what God wants to do in us. We all face many “deaths” within our…