In the midst of Sunday morning final worship rehearsal, I picked up my phone to text a lifelong, cherished friend to let her know I was spending the morning praying in song for her, her husband, and their family. The song above is one of the songs we sang that morning. It is the song that, during rehearsal earlier in the week, brought tears to my eyes as I prayed for these friends who were in a time of waiting, knowing what was to come. It is the song we practiced right befor

Warning: If you're not a member of my denomination, The Reformed Church in America (RCA), this post might be a little less than exciting. However, the themes of grief on which it touches are broadly applicable and I think you'll find them valuable. If you choose to read on, here's a brief glossary of terms: denomination speaks to a nation-wide grouping of churches affiliated through agreed upon theology, etc; classis is the local governing body--in my case a grouping of all R

When a person experiences the death of a significant person in his/her life, an evaluation of faith and belief inevitably follows. For that reason, as a grief counselor my first session with a client includes a spiritual assessment. Because I don't want anyone to be caught off guard, I also introduce the assessment by explaining the reason for it; then I leave the conversation open ended and see what comes next. I've heard a lot ranging the gamut of emotions and beliefs. I've

Luke Perry. I chose this particular GIF because it is one of my most favorite moments of his on, as we all know by now, my favorite show: Beverly Hills, 90210. When he died, I was flooded with in-person, email, phone call, and text message check-ins to see how I was coping. I laughed them all off; I mean it is very sad, but I never personally knew him, so do I have a right to grieve him? Immediately my bereavement counselor brain says, 'No one can tell you who to grieve or ho

NBC's smash-hit drama, "This Is Us" is one of those shows the unique ability to unite people across many lines. From the collective gasp at the end of the pilot to the weekly post-cry exhaustion, fans are united in their love of all things Pearson. Post-cry exhaustion, for those who don't know, is not an exaggeration. The writers, the actors, the staging and lighting, the music; all combine every week to bring us to heights and depths of emotions most of us regularly try to a