Most churches are well equipped to help families when they experience expected, chronologically correct deaths. When Grandma Jones, age eighty-eight, “goes to be with Jesus,” certain protocols automatically spring into place. The pastor meets with the family, the prearranged funeral arrangements are utilized, and the obituary the family has been working on for a while is … [Read more...]
First, remember: How looking back can help the grieving move forward
In the end, grief is about how we remember. Memory is powerful. It shapes our lives in many ways. Memory impacts our emotions. Memory shapes the significance we give to current events. Memory influences what we expect from the future. So the effort to grieve well could be reframed as learning to remember in healthy ways. Too often our church members try to define “getting … [Read more...]