If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world? If God is good, why did my babies die?

Today we're chatting all things Sunlight in December: A Mother's Story of Finding the Goodness of God in the Storm of Grief with our very own Kristin Hernandez. It's been one month since the book launch, and we're having a conversation about the entire book writing process- from the idea for the book, to challenges and discoveries made while writing it, to where Kristin hopes things will go from here.

If you, or someone you're close to, has walked through infertility, miscarriages, and/or the loss of an infant, you'll want to keep a copy of this powerful memoir about death, doubt, and hope; you'll also want to tune into today's episode to discover more about Kristin's heart for the book, and stay for a fun book-themed lightening round to close things out!

Get Sunlight in December here

Connect with Through the Lens Podcast here

How should we approach counseling as believers? What does the Bible say about counseling and how can we find a counselor that is a good fit? In today's episode, we're sharing our personal experiences with counseling, exploring ways to find a counselor who is a good fit, and providing Biblical encouragement to consider when seeking support. Our hope is to simply encourage you by sharing our own experiences, and even more so, by sharing Biblical wisdom to consider as you assess whether counseling would be a helpful next step for you.

Episode 46 of Through the Lens Podcast is here and today we're chatting all things exercise + fitness! But don't shut this off just yet if you're not much of a fitness enthusiast - we promise there will be some helpful tips in here that we think anyone in grief will find interesting.

In this episode on Moving Through Grief, we share the connection between fitness + grief, what types of fitness formats are recommended for the griever, and what about when you're just not motivated?

How about you - are you using movement as a healthy outlet to support your grief journey? For many of us, starting on an exercise regimen after loss can feel uninspiring at best, daunting at worst. On today's episode, we're sharing our personal pre- and post-loss fitness journeys, including how our relationships to fitness have changed in light of our grief.

We also discuss the physical and mental benefits of exercise for the grieving person and share some simple, practical strategies and mindset tips for getting moving again.

We're baaaack!!

Hey Through the Lens friends, we definitely went radio silent there for a bit but we are back on the airwaves and kicking things off with a conversation about Grief These Days. Tune in as Kristin and Holly discuss what our grief looks like these days in this pandemic season and 6 years out from the losses of our sons. Everything from counseling to books and what's making us happy these days as we continue to lament, hope, and process our suffering through the lens of the Gospel.

In this episode we ask about your counseling experience; email us at [email protected] or drop us a private message over @throughthelenspodcast on IG.

Books mentioned:

Holding Onto Hope by Nancy Guthrie

Walking Through Fire by Vaneetha Risner

When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada

12 losses. That's what mama Christy Miller has lived and learned through, and today we get to hear her story of growing and grieving, clinging to Christ, the hope of heaven, and the joy + peace on THIS side of eternity that can only be provided by way of the Holy Spirit.

Christy has 4 living children, with one on the way. She and her husband are advocates for foster + adoption, and her loss journey includes an ectopic pregnancy, blighted ovum, early and late-term miscarriages, IVF + infertility, and lots and lots of grief, joy, hope, pain, and love.

Christy is a close personal friend of mine (Holly) and is a worship leader at a local church here in Virginia Beach, VA. While I'd heard her story before, I found myself speechless + humbled all over again Christy's testimony. "Years ago I would have said, 12? No way, I'm not doing this. But-here I am, and we're on the other side, and yes-there's sadness and there's heartbreak-and there's also been a lot of healing and blessings (that don't wipe away the grief)."

Through the Lens Podcast Episode 44: Growing and Grieving with 12x Loss Mama Christy Miller is now available where podcasts are served.

Connect with Christy on Instagram @christyleighmiller

Hear more from Christy and her husband Daniel via their church Trinity

Be sure to connect with us via Facebook or Instagram @throughthelenspodcast. We'd be honored to hear your story.

Holly here-I've had empathy on the mind lately. There's been a lot of horrible things happening in the world lately, in America right now. Between COVID and the brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd in past few weeks...these are some very big events that, while I am learning, and I fear I don't know enough to effectively speak on a podcast about.

But then again, we're not here to have all the answers to be experts on anything other than sharing in our human experiences of suffering and grief and striving to keep our eyes fixed on heaven, on Jesus, the only one who can redeem and restore. So I hope that's what you'll take away from this conversation starter today-that He alone can redeem, and He has chosen us, His church, to be conduits of His grace and truth. And in order to be effective vessels for Gospel hope, especially in times of suffering and grief when hope is most needed, we must seek to grow in empathy. To move from apathy to empathy.

So here is a brief overview of how I personally have experienced growth in empathy due to my own personal trials, and how I'm pursuing continued growth in empathy as I grow in learning and love for my neighbors who are different from me. Because, as 1 Corinthians 12 says, if one part of the Body suffers, we all suffer.

Today we get the honor of learning from Kim Erickson, author of Surviving Sorrow: A Mother's Guide to Living With Loss. Kim began following Christ in 2008 after the death of her 3 year old son. She is a lawyer, she lives in Florida with her husband Devin and her son Ethan. As I (Holly) read through Kim's book in preparation for this episode, something that really stuck out to me was in the intro—Kim speaks to the reader-to the grieving mom-and she says something really simple, yet profound. She says, "take my hand. Borrow my hope."

In today's interview, Kim does just that. She takes us on a journey of hope that only the restoration of the Gospel can bring. Over 10 years into her grief journey, Kim has so much to offer in sharing her story and the freedom Christ brings to us loss mamas. We chat about anger/angry prayers, the temporary nature of this life, scriptural examples of lament, and a stunning glimpse into heaven provided by her precious son Austin, which ultimately led Kim to begin following Jesus.

Tune in today. Borrow Kim's hope, hurting mama. You're not alone in your grief, in your anger, in your hope.

Read Surviving Sorrow

Connect with Kim

Be sure to connect with us via Facebook or Instagram @throughthelenspodcast. We'd be honored to hear your story.

One of the things that has been the most encouraging to us in our grief has been connecting with others who "get it". People who can link their arms around us, cry with us, pray with us, point us to the truth, all while nodding their heads along with us and saying "me too". Our grieving experiences have been greatly impacted by so many books, blogs, songs and organizations and we want to share some of our favorites with you!

In today's episode, we're sharing some of our favorite grief-related resources...or "Griefsources" as we're calling it. We've divided these resources into several categories: books, music, small business, podcasts, nonprofits, and blogs, and we're passing along some of our favorites to you, as well as some of your favorites that you've shared with us!

We recorded this episode a few weeks ago, before many of us realized the seriousness of COVID-19 and before a majority of our country went into social isolation. We are thankful that God remains the same even when things feel so uncertain, and we can't think of a better time to share some of our favorite resources with you!

Griefsources links:

Books:

I Will Carry You by Angie Smith

When God Doesn't Fix It by Laura Story

The Scars that have Shaped Me

Grieve, Create, Believe by Rachel George

Even Broken Can Be Beautiful by Sarah Rieke

Joy in Suffering by Rosemary Pope

Holding Tight to Permanent in a World That's Passing Away by She Reads Truth

A Grief Observed by CS Lewis

Suffering is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot

The Moon is Always Round by Jonathan Gibson (children's book)

Safe in the Arms of God: Truth from Heaven about the Death of a Child by John MacArthur

Holding On to Hope by Nancy Guthrie

Hearing Jesus Speak into your Sorrow by Nancy Guthrie

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee by Sharon James

Mourning and Dancing study by She Reads Truth

Music:

Our Song in the Night by Michael Van Patter

It is Well by Bethel Music

The Rock Won't Move by Vertical Worship

It's Quiet Uptown by Hamilton

Where I Belong by Switchfoot

Podcasts:

The Joyful Mourning Podcast

The Heart Lessons Podcast

Blogs:

Scribbles and Crumbs

Rachel George

Kristin Ironside

Kristin Hernandez: Sunlight in December

Holly Colonna: Lessons from Benji

As we kick off 2020, we're joined by our friend Rachel George to talk about clinging to God when you don't feel His presence, the unique sorrow of loss upon loss, and processing grief through creativity. Rachel shares her story of miscarriage, losing her 1-month-old son Clive, and losing her 9-day-old daughter just 14 months later. Rachel authentically shares about the ways she wrestled with God and questioned her faith as she grieved her children. We chat about the truth we can cling to when we don't *feel* the Holy Spirit and when God feels silent. Rachel also shares about her new book "Grieve, Create, Believe: Process Your Loss with Intention and Truth". You definitely don't want to miss this episode. We invite you to brew a hot pot of coffee, cozy up with a blanket and some tissues, and join us as we dive in to the new year with Rachel George.

Twinkling lights, familiar carols, and family gatherings can make the void feel that much deeper when you're missing someone special. Christmastime can feel bittersweet and even downright painful when there is an empty stocking on the mantle or an unfilled seat at the table. For anyone who's grieving, this can be a particularly difficult time of year. In today's episode, we're talking about grief at Christmastime and chatting about Nancy Guthrie's article "What Grieving People Wish You Knew at Christmas" (found on desiringgod.org). We hope you'll find encouragement and support here as we chat about our struggles with this season, as well as the hope we have in Jesus--our Emmanuel, God with us.

As we continue the conversation on hope in the hospital, we're joined by our friend Tanisha Garnier of Namesake Ink. Tanisha shares her story of hope in the hospital, including the pain of infertility, the loss of her precious son Xavier at 21-weeks gestation, and the miraculous life of her daughter Ezra, who spent the first 3.5 months of her life in the hospital. Tanisha beautifully shares how the church reflects Christ in how we love one another through suffering and of the unshakable hope we have in Jesus in the midst of our deepest grief. We were so incredibly encouraged by Tanisha's story and we hope you will be too!

Be sure to connect with us via Facebook or Instagram @throughthelenspodcast. We'd be honored to hear your story.