Steve at Ocholochnee Bay, Florida.

They seem so far away now, the ones we love, beyond our touch and beyond any means for them to touch and comfort us. Now it is up to us to comfort one another. The following articles were very helpful to Nan and me during our time of grief. While dealing realistically with the pain, they faithfully embrace the comfort of Jesus Christ, the sovereignty of God, and the time tested merit of unconditional trust in Him.

• Recent Updates
  
  
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  • New Articles - Last Updated December 12, 2012
    
    
  • New Songs - Last Updated May 6, 2011
    

• Book Reviews
  
  
  • Books for Those Who Grieve
    
    

• Daily Devotions for the Grieving
  
  
  • The Bow in the Cloud, by John R. MacDuff
    If your grief is fresh, you may want to start here. This site contains 31 days of devotions, designed specifically to comfort the grieving Christian.
    
    
  • The Night Watches, by John R. MacDuff
    The grieving Christian can find great comfort through a deeper knowledge of God: His attributes, His character, His promises, His sympathy, His provision; and this section of 31 chapters, most shorter than two pages, is well suited for the early days of grief.
    
    
  • A Book for the Bereaved, by John R. MacDuff
    
    
  • Other writings from John R. MacDuff
    
    
  • Devotions for Those Who Grieve:
    Selections From Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon
    
    
  • Christ in the Psalms:
    Henry Law skillfully presents the faith-building, grief-healing, and soul-sustaining comfort that is to be found in the book of Psalms. Through these devotional writings, he extends a warm hand, lifting us up, and inviting us into the very heart of God.
    
    
  • Free Daily Devotions from GriefShare
    GriefShare provides free, daily devotionals to grieving people for a whole year. I have just started my subscription, but so far they look good. However, this is only part of what they do. Be sure to click on their Home button to find out about their group ministries.

• How to Comfort Grieving People
  
  
  • The Hope Within Us: Bringing Comfort to the Bereaved
    By Nan Wright, Stephen's mother.
    
    
  • The Early Days:
    Surviving the First Few Days of Bereavement
    By Greg Wright, Stephen's father.
    
    

• Praying for Grieving People
  
  
  • The Virginia Tech Massacre: A Prayerful Response
    By Greg Wright, Stephen's father.
    
    
  • My Prayer is for the Solitary Griever
    By Greg Wright
    
    

• Music for the Grieving
  
  
  • Songs of Encouragement
    Hymns and choruses written by Greg Wright and others to encourage the grieving.
    
    
  • Hymntime: Grief
    
    
  • Songs of Hope
    The singer originally made these recordings to encourage a dying friend. Now they are posted on the web in realaudio and mp3 formats.
    
    
  • Music for the Soul
    Music For The Soul is a nonprofit Christian ministry committed to providing life-changing healing through music and song. Be sure to click on their lyrics. These folks minister not only to grieving people but all kinds of hurting people.
    
    

• Web Sites
  
  
  • The Twenty-Third Psalm This web site provides a wide range of resources for people who are hurting including: single parents, caregivers, the ill, the divorced, and the grieving.
    
    
  • God's Tiny Angels God's Tiny Angels is a non-profit Christian organization that is dedicated to providing continuous support to families who have been touched by the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or infant death and to those facing infertility challenges.
    
    
  • Suffering
    Several inspirational articles regarding suffering, put together by a man who has suffered much.
    
    
  • Suffering and Persecution
    Several articles on suffering and persecution, many from a Reformed perspective.
    
    
  • Depression and Grief
    Several articles on depression and grief, many from a Reformed perspective.
    
    
  • Funeral Helps
    This site has several short funeral sermons for believers. They are short enough for the early stages of grief, usually less than four pages, and I found them to be very encouraging. The site also contains funeral sermons for non-believers and other special situations.
    
    
  • Grief With Hope Missing, trying to relocate
    Rev. James Alexander, a PCA Presbyterian pastor, lost his only son Matthew in the crash of TWA flight #800 on July 17, 1996. Since that time, Rev. Alexander has used this web site to reach out to many others, telling them that a correct understanding of the sovereignty of God is the key to dealing with grief. He has several helpful publications that are free. In addition, the article A Grandmother's Testimony to God's Faithfulness is well worth reading.
    
    
  • Death and Dying
    Many articles presenting a Calvinistic perspective on death.
    
    
  • John Piper on Suffering

• Sermons That Glorify God and Encourage Believers in the Midst of Grief
  
  
  • Hope for Wayward Sheep
    What is the heart of God towards his people when they bring suffering upon themselves? What is the heart of God towards His people when they suffer the consequences of their own mistakes? As we examine the scriptures, we find a God who forgives and restores.
    
    
  • More Than Conquerors:
    Encouragement for the New Year
    This is a word of encouragement to the Christian who feels beaten down and conquered. Take heart: you do not have to let the enemy of your soul win. In His love, God has so thoroughly equipped you that you can be more than a conqueror in the days to come.
    
    
  • When Time Does Not Heal:
    The Application of the Chief End of Man to the Wounded Heart
    Whether or not a Christian ever recovers from the suffering he experiences is very much dependent on his understanding of why he was created. A clear understanding and application of the doctrine of the chief end of man is foundational to healing.
    
    
  • Why Me?
    Enduring the Severity of God in the Context of His Grace
    This short article explores the why me question from the perspective of both the severity of God and the grace of God.
    
    
  • Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
    Thinking Biblically About the Problem of Sin in Our World
    by Robert G. Spinney
    
    
  • Trusting God in the Dark
    This exposition of Isaiah 50:10 by Robert G. Spinney encourages believers to keep on trusting in the character of God when life is mysterious and confusing.
    
    
  • Are You Trusting in the Lord?
    MP3 File with Outline
    This exposition of Proverbs 3:5-6 was preached at Grace Baptist Church, Mount Juliet, Tennessee, shortly after two church members were killed in an automobile accident.
    
    
  • The funeral service of Shawn Sandlin
    Shawn and a friend were murdered on February 22, 2002. The funeral service reveals the determination of a bereaved family to worship God in the midst of what is surely one of the worst kinds of grief: the murder of a loved one.
    
    
  • Death and Its Immediate Sequel for the One Who Dies in Union with Christ
    (audio) Pastor Albert Martin, 2004.
    
    
  • Biblical Directives for Godly Grieving:
    Gleanings from a Grieving Heart
    (audio) Pastor Albert Martin, 2004.
    
    
  • Trusting God Even When We Don't Understand
    Pastor Bob Gonzales Jr., from Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Easley, South Carolina has written this sermon in the midst of his ongoing struggles with fibromyalgia. It is an exhortation to continue to trust God, even when we do not understand his reasons for letting us suffer.
    
    
  • Comfort for Mourners
    Clear-headed wisdom and biblical comfort for those who mourn.
    by Henry Law
    
    
  • Comforting Thoughts of Heaven
    by Octavius Winslow
    
    
  • Sickness
    How does God use sickness in our world? This article provides a biblical perspective regarding the universal prevalence of sickness, its benefits, and the special duties to which it calls us.
    by J. C. Ryle
    
    
  • Bereavement, The Submission and Solace of Spiritual Life
    by Octavius Winslow
    
    
  • A Letter Out of Grief: A Short Letter from a Puritan Pastor After the Deaths of All Three of His Children
    by Samuel Danforth
    
    
  • The Ruler of the Waves
    by J. C. Ryle
    
    
  • When God Doesn't Answer
    by Coty Pinckney.
    
    
  • Behold Your God: Sustaining Principles Amid Dark Providences
    by Dean Allen
    
    
  • Coping With Bereavement
    by William Payne
    
    
  • Why Christians Suffer
    by J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M.
    
    
  • Comfort for Christians
    by A. W. Pink
    
    
  • The First Bereavement
    by John R. MacDuff
    
    
  • The Best Friend
    by J. C. Ryle
    
    
  • God's Fatherly Pity
    by C. H. Spurgeon
    
    
  • What Is That Good That All Things Work For?
    by Ralph Erskine
    
    
  • Concerning Them Which Are Asleep (pdf)
    by John O. Means
    
    
  • The Death of Elizabeth Gill
    The sermon preached by John Gill, upon the death of his daughter Elizabeth, who died at the age of thirteen.
    
    
• Hold Fast to Your Faith by Drawing Near to Jesus Christ
  
  
  • Fighting for Joy
    This article outlines a practical approach for finding joy in the Lord. It takes the article Have You Ever Felt Spiritually Exhausted? and expands on it.
    
    
  • Have You Ever Felt Spiritually Exhausted?
    Encouragement to find your strength in the joy of the Lord.
    
    
  • Fellowship With God - Our Highest Privilege, by Ian Hamilton
    In our communion with God we are so prone to look first into our own hearts to see what love to Christ is there. In doing so ... we make ourselves the center of the spiritual life, and view our communion with God through the cracked and skewed lens of our own hearts.
    
    
  • Remember
    A poem about intimacy with God
    
    
  • Intimacy with God
    from Horatius Bonar's Follow the Lamb
    
    
  • Jesus Christ Himself
    by Charles H. Spurgeon
    
    
  • The Happiness of Drawing Near to God
    by Thomas Watson
    
    
  • Experiencing the Joy of Christ
    by Octavius Winslow
    
    
  • Keeping the Heart
    by John Flavel
    
    
  • Go and Tell Jesus
    by Octavius Winslow
    
    
  • Christ Altogether Lovely
    by John Flavel
    
    
  • The Lord Is My Shepherd
    by James Bell
    
    
  • The Writings of Octavius Winslow
    
    
    • Books by Octavius Winslow
      
      
    • Sermons by Octavius Winslow
  
  
• Enduring the Holidays
  
  
  • New Year's Day
    • More Than Conquerors: Encouragement for the New Year
      
    • Grace Upon Grace: The Many Colors of the Grace of God
      
      
  • Anniversary of Bereavement
    • Second Anniversary of Bereavement
      
    • Third Anniversary of Bereavement
      
    • Fifth Anniversary of Bereavement
      
    • Seventh Anniversary of Bereavement
      
      
  • Valentine's Day
    Peace, Perfect Peace
    
    
  • Christmas
    • Is Something Wrong With Christmas?
      
    • Fighting for Joy During the Holiday Season
      By Seeking, Believing, and Remembering Jesus
      
      • Click here to listen
        
      • Right Click here to download
    
    
  • Easter
    • There at the Cross
    
    
  • Father's Day
    • Father's Day Reflection, 2005
      
    • White Water Rafting and Father's Day
      
    • The Beauty of the Word Son
      
    
    
  • Mother's Day
    
    • There's a Song for the Hurting
      A poem for pointing the grieving person to the rest found in Christ.
      
    • God, Comforting as a Mother
      By Octavius Winslow, taken from Isaiah 66:13.
      
    • On Receipt of My Mother's Picture
      By William Cooper, who wrote many well known hymns such as God Moves in a Mysterious Way, lost his mother during early childhood. Upon receiving her picture as an adult, he wrote this tender poem.
      
      
• Surviving the Death of Infant Children
  
  
  • Holding Onto Hope Nancy Guthrie lost two children during the first six months of their lives. This is a link to excerpts from her book, Holding Onto Hope. The book describes the loving hand of God in the midst of suffering. More than that, the book addresses one of the greatest challenges of a grieving Christian: how to glorify God in the midst of grief and how to grieve in a godly way.
    
    
  • More about Nancy Guthrie
    
    
  • God's Tiny Angels God's Tiny Angels is a non-profit Christian organization that is dedicated to providing continuous support to families who have been touched by the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or infant death and to those facing infertility challenges.
  
  
• Comfort Through Consideration of the Character of God
  by Dr. Jerry Nelson
  Missing, trying to relocate
  
  
  • His Majesty -- The Awesome Other
    
    
  • His Power -- Our Mighty God
    
    
  • His Faithfulness -- The Faithful One
    
    
  • His Sovereignty -- Who's In Charge?
    
    
  • His Omnipresence -- The God of Everywhere
  
  
• Learning to Trust God
  by Elisabeth Elliot
  
  
  • Learning to Trust God
    
    
  • Trusting His Sovereignty and Love
    
    
  • The Difference a Quiet Heart Will Make
    
    
  • Faith for the Unexplained
  
  
• Dealing with Depression
  
  
  
  • Do the Next Thing
    Often during a season of grief and suffering, depression can be paralyzing. This article may help.
    
  
  
• Struggling Against Cancer
  
  
  • Calm Amidst the Storm
    by Kathie Keathley
    
    
  • Facing an Affliction That's Like a Sentence to Death, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
    by J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M.
  
  
• Dealing with Anger and Bitterness
  The trauma of bereavement is often exacerbated by anger and bitterness. Tempers run wild, passions are unrestrained, and the very people who should be focused on comforting one-another let unkind words fly. Perhaps these articles can help.
  
  
  • From Bitterness to Repentance: The Story of the Thief who was Angry with God
    This article uses the story of the thief on the cross to explore the implications of anger against God.
    
    • Click here to listen
      
    • Right Click here to download
    
    
  • A Grieving Mother Asks Me: Where Did Her Son's Soul Go?
    Some questions are very difficult to answer. Hard questions come from parents who have buried their children. But the hardest questions of all come from parents who recognize that their deceased children lived their whole lives completely indifferent to the safety of their souls. When they ask, where did my child's soul go, how can I tell them what the Bible says without further breaking their hearts?
    
    
  • Must I Forgive
    Grief is often made worse by unforgiveness. This short, less than 3 page, article from Rev. Richard D. Phillips, of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, addresses the requirement that Christians forgive the unrepentant.
    
    
  • One More Nail -- Learning to Forgive
    
    
  • The Quiet Sermon -- The Conversion of the Thief on the Cross
    
    
  • Overcoming Bitterness and Living for the Glory of God
    
    
  • Forgiveness from the Heart
    The trauma of bereavement is often further aggravated by bitterness. To get relief one must understand what it means to forgive with the heart.
    
    
  • When We Receive Injuries and Abuses From Men
    by John Flavel
    
    
  • It Is Never Right to Be Angry With God
    by John Piper
    
    
  • Is It Ever Right to be Angry With God?
    by John Piper
    
    
• Our Journey in Grief: Articles by Greg and Nan Wright, whose only child, Stephen, died in a bicycle accident at the age of thirteen.
  
  
  • The Steve Wright Memorial Site
    
    
  • When the Rain Won't Quit
    Written for those times of intense sorrow, when the quiet voice of faith is drowned out by the louder voice of feelings.
    
    
  • Is Christ Enough?
    In times of intense sorrow, is Christ enough?
    
    
  • How Could God Do This?
    Where to run when grief is too intense for rational explanations.
    
    
  • Where Is God Now?
    What does it mean, during a period of bereavement, when we lose all sense of the spiritual presence of God, when the light of His countenance is gone, and when sensible presence and sensible communion are replaced by apparent desertion?
    
    
  • How Can I Trust a God Who Lets Bad Things Happen?
    Learning to trust in the character of God.
    
    
  • Immanuel, God With Us
    When sensible communion returns: being comforted by God.
    
    
  • Too Serious About the Wrong Things
    An encouragement to teenage boys to be serious about God.
    
    
  • Overcoming Bitterness and Living for the Glory of God
    Dealing with anger and finding a reason for living after bereavement.
    
    
  • Biblical Assurance of Salvation
    Sometimes a recent bereavement serves to remind us that death can come at any time--without warning--even when we are enjoying good health. These reminders encourage us to be prepared to face God at any time.
    
    
  • Forgiveness from the Heart
    The trauma of bereavement is often further aggravated by bitterness. To get relief one must understand what it means to forgive with the heart.
    
    
  • Safely Home: Biblical Preparation for Tragedy
    Things the Christian can do now to be better prepared when tragedy strikes.
    
    
  • The Security of the Heart:
    How to Secure the Heart Against the Terrorists of the Flesh
    
    
  • Faith and the Fear of God:
    How to Know Whether Your Faith is Thriving or Dying
    The book of Ecclesiastes ends by saying that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. We might be disappointed that it does not say to believe the Gospel. However, the Fear of God is often the lense through which we see faith in the Old Testament. This sermon examines how faith and the Fear of God are connected. It then advises on how you can examine the way you fear God in order to know if you are about to lose your faith. Sadly, loss of faith is often one of the casualties of bereavement. Learn what you can do to keep this from happening.
    
    
  • Fighting the Good Fight of Faith in the Valley of Bereavement
    This sermon discusses seven ways the grieving person is tempted.
    
    
• Comfort During Financial Hardships
  
  
  • The Love of God in the Midst of Financial Difficulties
    
    
• Right With God
  
  
  • The Lord of the Rings and the King of Kings
    
    
  • Making Sure You Really Are a Christian