Lynn Eib - When God & Grief Meet: True Stories of Comfort & Courage

Great writing about grief is all too rare. In this book you will journey with people who have faced incredible losses the kinds most of us dont even want to think about: people who have lost loved ones to cancer, heart attacks, car accidents, plane crashes, suicide, and even murder. Yet despite unbelievable grief and distress, each found a God who cared and was present. This is an essential book for all who have suffered a loss I guess that means everyone.

JAMES A. AVERY, M.D.

Medical director, Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care; assistant clinical professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Lynn Eib weaves together a magnificent patchwork of grievers stories with the golden thread of the powerful testimony of Gods words. If youre so brokenhearted you dont know if youll survive if your soul is so parched it feels as if its cracking and turning to dust if youve cried to the point that your tear glands feel as if theyve dried up, dont miss the soothing and healing balm in this wonderful book. When God and grief meet, true healing can begin.

WALT LARIMORE, M.D.

Award-winning medical journalist; coauthor of His Brain, Her Brain

When youre grieving, it helps to spend time with other people whove been there people who understand the very real fears, disappointments, and sorrow that you are going through. In When God & Grief Meet, Lynn Eib introduces us to a series of people who not only share their stories of grief but who offer us wise insights and practical ideas for getting through it.

NANCY GUTHRIE

Author of Holding On to Hope and coauthor of When Your Familys Lost a Loved One

When God & Grief Meet is a poignant collection of heartwarming real-life stories of those who have found the significance of spirituality in searching for guidance through their grief journeys. This book is a valuable resource to address the most challenging questions one experiences following the loss of a loved one. Lynn has, once again, through the stories of others found comforting words to create peace at this most difficult time in life. I wholly endorse this very valuable grieving tool.

JUDY LENTZ, R.N., M.S.N.

Chief executive officer, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association

Grief is hard and lonely work, but in these compelling stories and honest reflections from Lynn Eib, you will find a community of people who understand your sorrow and a God who restores your hope.

HAROLD G. KOENIG, M.D.

Professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; associate professor of medicine; codirector, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University Medical Center

The price of human caring is grief and loss. Whatever ones present state of loss, Lynn provides the reader with an understanding of the grief process and how the application of an active faith can help one live through troubled times. The gift of this book to someone in need will make all the difference.

ROY SMITH, M.DIV., PH.D.

Licensed psychologist; president, Pennsylvania Counseling Services

Once again Lynn Eib takes readers on a peace-seeking journey with God as the guide. Lynn masterfully takes on the difficult but universally prevalent subject of grief. Her words will resonate with you and comfort you long after youve finished the book.

JULIE K. SILVER, M.D.

Assistant professor, Harvard Medical School; author of What Helped Get Me Through

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When God & Grief Meet: True Stories of Comfort and Courage

Copyright 2009 by Lynn Eib. All rights reserved.

Cover photo copyright by Veer. All rights reserved.

Author photo copyright 2005 by Steve Lock. All rights reserved.

Designed by Beth Sparkman

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked YLT are taken from Youngs Literal Translation.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eib, Lynn.

When God & grief meet : true stories of comfort and courage / Lynn Eib.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4143-2174-5 (sc)

1. Consolation. 2. Bereavement Religious aspects Christianity. 3. Grief Religious aspects Christianity. I. Title.

BV4905.3.E35 2009

248.866 dc22 2008031034

Build: 2021-04-21 22:38:26 EPUB 3.0

T O MY HUSBAND

I N THE WORDS OF J OE W ISE:

I M IN LOVE WITH MY G OD

M Y G ODS IN LOVE WITH ME.

A ND THE MORE I LOVE YOU THE MORE I KNOW,

I M IN LOVE WITH MY G OD.

I M FOREVER GRATEFUL

I WAS PART OF G ODS PLAN

TO TURN YOUR

MOURNING INTO JOY.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Every time I finish writing another book, I am sure it will be my last. And then God puts another book inside my head and I have to write again. I can tell you that without His supernatural touch, I would have had nothing of eternal value to say. If anything in this book comforts your heart, please give Him all the credit.

I also would like to say thank you to:

My prayer partner and dear friend, Elizabeth Hirsh, for praying me through all my writing and expertly editing my manuscript so I look much better to my publisher.

My husbands prayer partner and my dear friend, Dr. Marc Hirsh, for giving me a job that allows me to share the Lord with so many suffering and grieving people (and for not retiring yet!).

All the members of my Grief Prayer Support Group for allowing me to test some of my book ideas on them and for entrusting me with their grief-storms.