How does the heart understand grief when it is broken by the death of a loved one? To survive and live forward, those who grieve must find answers. Beyond the Broken Heart is an eight-week support and ministry program for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Author Julie Yarbrough chronicles her personal experience combined with a deep love of Scripture and years of leading grief support groups to create an authentic and deeply personal exploration of the grief journey. The Leader Guide includes session plan outlines for eight group sessions to assist leaders in forming and sustaining grief ministry groups. In addition, leaders will find step-by-step instructions to guide them through the group session process and tips for launching, planning, and facilitating a successful group experience. There are also suggestions for creating a group to serve several churches or community programs. “Julie Yarbrough has walked through the valley of the shadow of death and experienced the pain and anguish of great grief, and she knows firsthand the comfort and strength that only God can provide. I commend this remarkable grief ministry program to you highly.” James W. Moore, Pastor in Residence, Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas “With wisdom informed by her own experience and a warm regard for those who grieve, Julie Yarbrough guides the brokenhearted on an honest journey toward acceptance and hope. A refreshingly excellent resource for grief support.” Stephan Bauman, Senior Minister, Christ Church New York City “Julie Yarbrough weaves understanding, care, and comfort together in such a way that the seemingly intolerable becomes tolerable, one breath at a time. This resource provides everything you need to promote, establish, and conduct grief groups throughout the year.” Judith Bone, Director of Adult Discipleship, Brentwood United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee "A gift to those who face the difficult journey through the grieving process. I highly recommend this program, not only for those who have lost, but also for those in the helping professions who offer guidance and counsel to the grieving." Ann Reese, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

It seems like only yesterday when five friends with separate dreams stood together at their graduation ceremony at Stanford, turned their tassels, and looked forward with optimism. But two decades later, Neva, Annette, Lauren, Tamara, and Heather have all experienced a reality much different than the dreams they once envisioned. A troubled marriage and unexpected motherhood threatens to still Nevas voice forever. Annettes inability to conceive a child is challenging everything she knows to be true about herself. Lauren is weary from juggling her career, motherhood, and marriage. Tamara has abandoned the hope of a loving relationship in favor of an all-consuming career. But it is Heather who is in the worst trouble of all. A heartbreaking job loss sends her spiraling downward into darkness, and she attempts suicide. As she slips into a coma, the friends reunite at her bedside, forge a stronger friendship, and finally face hard truths about themselves. In this poignant tale, the secret of each womans shattered dream is finally revealed, forcing each to embark on a unique journey to discover what beauty lies beyond the broken.

Pete Greig, the acclaimed author of Red Moon Rising, has written his most intensely personal and honest account yet in God on Mute, a book born out of his wife Samie's fight for her life and diagnosis of a debilitating brain tumor. Greig asks the timeless questions of what it means to suffer and to pray and to suffer through the silence because your prayers seem unanswered. This silence, Greig relates, is the hardest thing. The world collapses. Then all goes quiet. Words can't explain, don't fit, won't work. People avoid you and don't know what to say. So you turn to Him and you pray. You need Him more than ever before. But somehow . . . even God Himself seems on mute. In this heart-searching, honest, and deeply profound book, Pete Greig looks at the hard side of prayer, how to respond when there seem to be no answers, and how to cope with those who seek to interpret our experience for us. Here is a story of faith, hope, and love beyond all understanding.

This all-in-one guide is designed to better equip clergy and the church leaders to meet their congregations' needs in a spiritually grounded and scientifically sound manner. Succinct, easy-to-read chapters summarize all a pastor needs to know about a given problem area, including its signs or symptoms, questions to ask, effective helping skills, and, most importantly, when to refer to a mental health professional. Synthesizing what research says about treatment approaches for mental health issues, this user-friendly reference is filled with guidelines, case scenarios, key points to remember, resources for further help, advice on integrating scripture and theology with the best available research, and tips on partnering with others to provide the best possible care for each church member. Each chapter is designed for quick lookup by problem area, empowering church leaders to understand and help meet the challenges facing the children, adults, families, and communities that they serve.

The award-winning author of Widows Wear Stilettos and grief recovery expert helps women cope with the legal and financial difficulties associated with the death of a spouse as well as going back to work, and eventually dating again. 10,000 first printing.

She's seen slave dungeons in Ghana. Genocide in Rwanda. Systemic sexual abuse in Brazil. Child abuse and domestic violence in the US. After forty years of counseling abuse survivors around the world, Dr. Diane Langberg, a world renowned trauma expert, remains certain that what trauma destroys, Christ can and does restore. This book will convince you, too, of the healing heart of God. But it's not a fast process, instead much patience is required from family, friends, and counselors as they wisely and respectfully help victims unpack their traumatic suffering through talking, tears, and time. And it's not a process that can be separated from the work of God in both a counselor and counselee. Dr. Langberg calls all of those who wish to help sufferers to model Jesus's sacrificial love and care in how they listen, love, and guide. The heart of God is revealed to sufferers as they grow to understand the cross of Christ and how their God came to this earth and experienced such severe suffering that he too is "well-acquainted with grief." The cross of Christ is the lens that transforms and redeems traumatic suffering and its aftermath, not only for the sufferer, but it also transforms those who walk with the suffering. This book will be a great help to anyone who loves, listens to, and seeks to help someone impacted by trauma and abuse. There is no quick fix, but there is the hope for healing through the love of God in Christ.