Day 180 - Forgive Everyone Involved

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Forgive Everyone Involved Day 180 When someone close to you has taken his or her life, a natural tendency is to try and understand the reason for it and to place blame. Be cautious. Focusing on blame will only make you bitter. Bitterness will not resolve any issues, but will block your healing. Shelly lost her son through suicide. She says, "Yes, there are people we could blame. But the greater challenge to us as Christians was to rise up and say, 'We forgive. We're not going to hold them accountable in any way, shape, or form.' "We did whatever we had to do to align ourselves in a way that we could imagine the Lord Jesus Christ doing. When we were willing to do that, we released healing, and we released miracles." Turn your thoughts to the things of God—His words, His attributes, His creation, His promises—and not to blame. "But there is forgiveness with thee" (Psalm 130:4 kjv). Lord, forgive me and open my heart to forgive others who are involved in this situation. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Our Daily Bread -- Giving All April 25, 2015

Read: Romans 12:1-8 Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 21-22; Luke 18:24-43 Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. —Romans 12:1 During his only inaugural address as the US President, John F. Kennedy issued this challenge to Americans: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” It was a renewed call for citizens to surrender their lives in sacrifice and service to others. His words especially inspired the sons and daughters of men and women who had served their country in war. His meaning was clear: What their parents purchased, often with their very lives, must now be protected by peaceful means. An army of volunteers arose to answer that call, and through the decades they have accomplished an immeasurable amount of humanitarian work around the globe. Centuries earlier, the apostle Paul issued a similar call to Christians in the opening verses of Romans 12. Here he urges us to give our bodies as “living sacrifices” in service to the One who paid with His life for our sins. This spiritual sacrifice must be more than mere words; it must be an investment of our lives in the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of others. Best of all, our serving can be done right where we are. —Randy Kilgore Father, show me this day the many ways my life can be surrendered to You, and then give me the strength to begin to act. Don’t always ask Jesus what He can do for you; ask Jesus what you can do for Him. INSIGHT: In Romans 12:1 Paul encourages us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God by exhibiting behavior that is pleasing to Him. However, verse 2 encourages us to have our minds renewed as well. God wants us to be totally His in both actions and thoughts. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 179 - Suicide: Cultural Taboo

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Suicide: Cultural Taboo Day 179 Suicide is considered taboo in today's society. Often people do not know what to say to you or how to respond to you if you have lost a loved one to suicide. As a result, people often avoid you instead of risking discomfort or awkwardness. This is uncomfortable for you as well, but you must get beyond those feelings and ask others for the help you need. One way to seek help is through a grief recovery support group. In this setting you can find people who will be concerned friends, who will not worry about the "right" words to say or the "best" way to respond to you. They will accept you, love you, and not have expectations of you. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11 nkjv). O God, help me to reach out and seek help from others who are grieving, too. Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Our Daily Bread -- Hope Lives April 24, 2015

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9 Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 19-20; Luke 18:1-23 Your faith, being much more precious than gold . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:7 When unspeakable tragedy shatters people’s lives, they search for answers. Recently, a mother who had lost a teenager said to me, “I can’t figure it out. I don’t know if I can believe anymore. I try, but God doesn’t make sense to me. What does it all mean?” There are no easy answers to such big concerns. But for those who have trusted Christ, there is hope—whether we are basking in blessings or grinding through grief. Peter spells this out in his first letter. In glowing terms, he praises God for our “new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3 niv) through our salvation. That hope can bring joy even in the middle of tragedy. He also assures us of the permanence of this hope (v.4). He then tells us of the heart-breaking reality that we may “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (v.6 niv). Those who have suffered loss turn hopeful hearts toward Peter’s next words: These come so that “your faith . . . may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (v.7). Trials—seemingly random and inexplicable—can be seen differently in the light of these words. In the midst of tragedy, the power and beauty of our salvation can shine through because of our great Savior. And that may be just enough light to get a troubled person through another day. —Dave Branon The light of salvation shines clearly even in the darkest night. Lord, You assure us that the grand salvation You provided is proved genuine in our pain and that it leads to glory for You. Help us to begin each new day with renewed hope in You. INSIGHT: The hope that Peter describes in today’s reading is also a major theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In Romans 5:5 he describes this hope as a reality that flows from our growth in Christ. In Romans 8 he discusses our hope as something we anticipate from our salvation. Romans 12:12 reminds us that hope is grounds for great joy. Romans 15 describes hope as something we learn through trials, yet something that is characteristic of our God (v. 13). Clearly, to Paul and to Peter, hope is very important in the life of faith. Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Day 178 - Others Do Not Know What to Say

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Others Do Not Know What to Say Day 178 "We were so deep in our grief that we didn't know how to ask for help," Shelly says of her son's suicide. "We didn't know how to communicate that. There were times I wished someone would have intruded upon our grief and said, 'Do you need someone to talk to? Do you need someone to share with?'" If you have lost someone to suicide, there are times when even those closest to you don't know what to say. They may even pull back. This isn't because they don't love you. It's because they simply are at a loss for words and don't know how to respond. Explain to them or show them that what you need is a friend. "[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:7, 8 nasb). Lord, when I don't know what to say and my friends don't know what to say, let us all just rest in Your love. Teach us to love one another. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Our Daily Bread -- Now Go! April 23, 2015

Read: Exodus 4:10-17 Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 16-18; Luke 17:20-37 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. —Exodus 4:12 (niv) More than 10,000 evangelists and Christian leaders sat in a giant auditorium in Amsterdam in 1986 listening to world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham. I sat among them, listening as he narrated some of his experiences. Then, to my surprise, he said, “Let me tell you: every time I stand before the congregation of God’s people to preach, I tremble and my knees wobble!” What! I wondered. How can such a great preacher who has enthralled millions with his powerful sermons exhibit trembling and wobbling knees? Then he went on to describe not fear and stage fright, but intense humility and meekness as he felt inadequate for the daunting task to which God had called him. He relied on God for strength, not on his own eloquence. Moses felt inadequate when God sent him to deliver the enslaved Israelites from their 400-year captivity in Egypt. Moses pleaded with the Lord to send someone else, with the excuse that he had never been a good speaker (see Ex. 4:10,13). We may have similar fears when God calls us to do something for Him. But His encouragement to Moses can also spur us on: “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (v.12 niv). As Billy Graham said that day, “When God calls you, do not be afraid of trembling and wobbling knees, for He will be with you!” —Lawrence Darmani What task does God have for you to do today? Depend on Him by asking for His help. Wherever God sends us, He comes alongside us. INSIGHT: When God called Moses to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage, Moses was reluctant to obey, giving various reasons why he was not qualified. He questioned his own identity and worthiness (3:11), his lack of authority (3:13), his credibility and acceptability (4:1), and his incapacities (v.10). Although God answered each of Moses’s excuses, God was angry with Moses for resisting what He had asked him to do (v. 14). Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

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Our mission is to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all. Our vision is to see people of all nations experiencing a personal relationship with Christ, growing to be more like Him, and serving in a local body of His family. To read today's Our Daily Bread online visit www.odb.org. Copyright © 2015, Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA. Written permission must be obtained from Our Daily Bread Ministries for any further posting or distribution. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe