Death

One of the most moving scenes in musical "The Man from La Mancha" came as Don Quixote dying was roused by his lady Dulcinea to hear the words of the song, The Impossible Dream again.
"Tell me the words," he asks.

"But they are your words, my Lord," she responds.

He remembers then and sings the magnificent song that embodied his dream.

For years at funerals and during times of loss and grief, I have shared with those who are in the midst of their mourning these special blessings God gives us to cope with our sorrow and pain. They are Tears, Talk, Touch, Toil, Trust, and Thanksgiving. In my heartbreaks, my own words of comfort return to me as a benediction of grace. It was as if I heard an owl say, They are your own words, Philip. Listen to them.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

~ Mary Elizabeth Frye - 1932

God does not allow evil and suffering to continue because He does not love us, or is in some way detached and removed from us. God takes our suffering so seriously, that he took it upon himself on the cross. ~ Tim Keller

When I speak to a group about RELENTLESS GRACE, the questions are frequently penetrating and gut-wrenchingly honest. One question is asked more than any other. "Do you believe that God caused your injury?"

Evangelicals are familiar with Christ’s promise "that (we) might have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10b). We associate that promise with the peace, hope, and joy that comes from our reconciliation to God and our obedience to His commandments. Perhaps we are not as familiar with the concept in the first part of that same verse. "The thief comes to steal and destroy," the opposite to Jesus’ work. The false messiah causes discord, despair, and emptiness. Both the positive and the negative sides of this verse are usually associated with spiritual consequences for the believer or the unbeliever. This verse and others, have a clear application to the health of the physical body.

Psalm 39:4 NRSV
Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.

Last night, I had what my grandmother might have called a heart spell. My heart began to raise and skip beats. It made a funny feeling in my chest, raised both my pulse and my blood pressure, and was, to be honest, rather disconcerting. Of course, the on-call nurse for my doctor wanted me to drive more than an hour to the insurance plan emergency room (which we didn't do). I simply wanted it to go away so I could go to sleep.

The following questions and their answers link to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) web site. This does not imply an endorsement of BGEA and its related ministries by CIR or visa versa.

My brother and sister-in-law blame God for the death of their son. How can I help them?

I recently lost a family member. How can I get over my grief?

One of the hardest crosses to bear in this life is losing a loved one. "If only we could have one more day…" That is a common theme in the life of a surviving spouse or family member. It becomes even more difficult to bear when there is some type of guilt that lingers. "I wish I had just…"

This is a very comprehensive prayer. You may want to break it down into 7 parts and pray one part each day for one week.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please click on the link below.

Second Coming (Online Video)

note: Members can discuss this workshop in the Message Boards HERE

Welcome to the latest CIR Workshop: Survival from Life's Tragedies and Abuses.

Each month CIR has a live workshop and discussion with a published author or expert in the Christian recovery field. The sessions are approximately one hour long: 1st part of the session the guest speaker will presents a premise or principles of their work and the 2nd part of the session you get a chance to ask questions and get answers with emphasis on life application in recovery.

Tonight our guest speaker is Jan Coates. She is the author of