Latest in: Message of Hope
Although the holiday season characteristically fosters feelings of happiness and joy among family and friends, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can feel overwhelming for those coping with the death of a …
We are supposed to bury our parents, not our children, and especially not our infants. It goes against all we believe to be right. And yet it happens to thousands of families each year, …
Imagine that you and your spouse have just retired. Your home is paid off and you are ready to start checking things off of your bucket list; looking ahead to your golden years where you …
The Bible is full of promises and invitations that enable a meaningful healthy life. One of my favorite invitations is found in Galatians 6:2 which says, “Bear one another burdens, and so to fulfill …
Nature can be a gentle companion on the path towards healing, providing a sanctuary where hope can be nurtured. I learned the power of connecting with nature many years ago during one of the …
Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit the West Coast for the first time. As I drove along the highway, I watched out the window, admiring the beaches and the Pacific Ocean. Never …
Summertime is often associated with the beauty of creation—blue skies, a bright sun, gentle clouds; plants, trees, and grasses all dancing in a happy wind; birds chirping, squirrels hopping, and dogs napping in the …
Grief is a universal experience, touching the lives of each and every one of us at some point. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or the shattering …
Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and often tumultuous journey. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating grief, many find hope through various forms of art.
Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience, a natural response to loss.
For those who carry the weight of grief in their hearts, the transition into the new year can feel like a daunting journey, a bittersweet dance between the echoes of loss and the call …
How do we reach a place of gratitude amid grief? If there is a roadmap to this destination, I’m convinced it runs through places like despair and anger and abandonment and sadness, too.
How do we reach a place of gratitude amid grief? If there is a roadmap to this destination, I’m convinced it runs through places like despair and anger and abandonment and sadness, too.
I was fairly new in my Christian walk then, and didn’t yet understand how God sometimes allow suffering in order to bring us closer to Him, and can even use our pain for His …
I think it’s an instinctual act to harden ourselves amid trauma; to become guarded; to shutter our hearts. In order to heal, we are invited to do something that feels very counterintuitive: open up.
August 31st marks International Overdose Awareness Day each year. In recent years, the world has been coping with a devastating opioid epidemic that has claimed countless lives and left communities in disarray.... This day …
The month of July is recognized as Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to raising awareness of the support for a friend or loved one who has experienced the stress and loss …
The month of June is, among other things, the time of year when we celebrate our fathers on Father’s Day. It is another of the many occasions with the potential to trigger feelings of …
When I look back on that year the pain is ever present but love and joy are what fill my heart the most. It was the hardest yet simplest time in my life. And …
What I learned all those years ago was that in walking in the truth of my own vulnerable, fragile humanity, in reaching out and meeting a grieving person from this humbled place, God’s spirit …
Our beloved Pope Emeritus died in December 2022, so it seems fitting to honor him in this month’s message. In his work titled, "Spe Salvi" or "Saved in Hope," Pope Benedict declares, “The one …
If grief were a month, it would be February. Though the calendar assures us that the days are getting longer, we turn our faces towards a sky that often denies us the warmth and …
While there is an invitation to begin again at any time, the start of a new year can be a unique opportunity to strive towards something new or set a new goal for ourselves. …
Whatever your vantage point, stop and look around. This person may be currently grieving, that person may be about to be levelled by loss, that person may finally be coming up for air. You …
Arguably one of the most beautiful, poetic descriptions of what we can hope for, both for ourselves and our loved ones who have died, is the verse from 1 Corinthians: “Eye has not seen, …
No matter what loss you’re grieving, we don’t want you to be alone. Ever. But the truth is that many people are alone with their grief. There are myriad reasons for this reality, and …
In the weeks and months that followed 9/11, we shared with our church family, our friends, and colleagues the news of Becky’s tragic passing. Our church family kept saying how “strong” we were during …
A loved one dies, and so many blocks come crashing down. Plans crash. Dreams crash. A future comes to an end. The pain of our losses is shattering; our broken hearts don’t quite know …
There are so many situations in our lives where we withdraw from or exclude what makes us uncomfortable and confused, whether it is our own grief or another’s. How important it is though, for …
I have thought of this memory often since his passing; the image of my dying father on his knees will stay with me forever, teaching me a profound lesson each time the memory comes.
A Mother’s reflection on pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage and adoption.
Not one day goes by that I don't think about my Mom and miss her but I rest in God's promise that we will see each other again. It's that promise that carries me—and …
Looking at the sacred heart of Jesus, we see the heart of God made human, experiencing every hurt, pain and bitter suffering the human heart is able to feel.
...If, amidst the mishaps and disorder of this world, we seek God with all our hearts, we will come to understand that God’s ways are not our ways, and that sometimes love is found …
Jesus is teaching us that glory comes when we surrender ourselves—our decisions, our futures, our hopes, and most of all, our daily living to God.
Never would I have imagined how much losing someone I loved more than life itself would affect everything.
The stories of the saints do not appeal to use because of their comfort, but because of their decision to be faithful and good in their discomfort and unhappiness.
questioned His power; I questioned His love for me; I questioned who He was and was He even real.
Those first days and weeks felt like a bad dream that I couldn’t wake up from and it amazed me that one person could produce so many tears.
In this world of hardship, trial and trouble we all desperately need the peace of God to transcend our temporal problems.
If left unattended, we eventually become afraid of fear and will do anything we can to run from it.
One of the toughest challenges as parents is explaining to our children the topic of death and grief.
...just as the first followers of Jesus were overwhelmed by the way that God brought about Redemption... so too we can trust that the Author of our lives has an ending to our stories …
Everyone has a different time table for their grief. Often teens postpone some of their grieving until they are more mature or have a more emotionally stable environment.
Your experience can help someone else, someone else's experience can help you and this swapping of information can help one another through life's most horrible moments. You are not alone. This sharing is comfort.
Comfort does not mean troubles are eliminated, it means you will receive all the help, strength, encouragement, and hope you need to face the troubles and pain of today.
No matter how poor our hearts feel, we can still give and receive the greatest gift there is - Love.
Cornerstone of Hope was the only bright spot in my life during my darkest days.
The death of a loved one may deeply impact friends and family.
God wants to know your needs because His Heart is entwined with your life, as much and even more than as an attentive and invested father is with his child.
In anticipation of this year’s youth bereavement camps, we had some questions for our staff about last year’s camp program and issues faced by grieving children and teens.
In anticipation of this year’s youth bereavement camps, we had some questions for our staff about last year’s camp program and issues faced by grieving children and teens.
Often when we think of loss and grief, we think about the death of someone we love.
When you love, you are acting according to your deepest being, your deepest truth, your true self.
For Jesus in the garden had one agenda that superseded the agendas of all the others: Love. On Friday, Jesus died for love. He said it was his choice.
During this time, we have good reason to be disappointed and frustrated, but we have even better reason to hope, for we serve the God of all comfort and provision.
Self-care is a necessity, not a privilege.
PETE BLISS, TH.D., D.MIN. Q: What are the grief reactions faced by individuals who have experienced a suicide loss?A: Survivors often experience a wide range of grief reactions, including some or all of the …
PETE BLISS, TH.D., D.MIN. Q: What are the grief reactions faced by individuals who have experienced a suicide loss?A: Survivors often experience a wide range of grief reactions, including some or all of the …
There is no right way to grieve. It is ok to feel immense sadness.
We may not be able to change our grief, make it move faster or go away, but we can choose to interact with it and be active in our own healing.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time …
As we work with and support grieving children, we must be mindful of the fact that we are also guiding and supporting the parent or caregiver.
When we work with couples at Cornerstone of Hope, we usually talk about ways in which men and women grieve differently.
Pregnancy loss is a twisting rabbit hole through which one cannot navigate. It crests and plunges and banks itself without warning and the opinions of others contribute to the ride.
Nobody wants to think about the topic of suicide. Nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to imagine that their family could be impacted by it.
When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone. - …
WELCOME to the launch of the new and improved Cornerstone of Hope website and our first blog post on Message of Hope.
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