Ephraim Ministries - Being Fruitful in Suffering

05/05/2024

Sixteen years ago our lives were forever changed. This months' blog talks about the grief that has been our unwelcomed companion over the years. And how that grief has changed over the years.

If you’re grieving the loss of someone today, let me encourage you to do the hard work that grief requires. So that one day you will be able to tell grief just how much space it can take up in the room.
Be sure to read this months' blog below

Sixteen years ago today, our lives were forever changed by the death of our youngest son Jamie. As our minds tried to grasp the shock and horror of what had happened – grief instantly flooded the room. On that day, and for many days and years later – grief filled the room. Over the years

01/29/2024

https://ephraimministries.org/pressing-on-3/ When we lose a loved one, moving forward in life seems an unsurmountable task. Fear tells us that if we move forward, we are letting them go. That we will forget them. There’s this feeling of guilt that we have let them down by continuing to live. Fear says there’s no way you can live without them.

But fear is a liar.

Be sure to read this month's blog for encouragement through those "empty days".

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13 (NIV) Earlier this month we celebrated the start of a new year. One thing I always loved about a new year was getti...

12/13/2023

12/11/2023

If you’re facing a holiday season that brings great sadness to your heart, please know you are not alone. Remember the words of Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Your sadness and disappointment are real. It is okay to bring them to Jesus this Christmas season. He is the only one who can bring us deep and lasting comfort for life’s sorrows. It is His birth as a babe in a manger, and his death on a cross and resurrection that gives us Hope to endure this life. Please read this month's blog for more encouragement "Sometimes It's Not The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year".

I was at a dinner party and the hostess asked us to go around the circle and share a favorite Christmas tradition that we did with our families. My mind immediately started racing trying to find something to share that wouldn’t leave everyone in tears. I was having a nice time and didn’t want to

10/10/2022

https://ephraimministries.org/triggers-can-change

Triggers are a sensory reminder that can cause painful memories to resurface. They can be extremely debilitating and be a contributing factor to isolation when dealing with stressful life events. While they can have a powerful impact on us, they don’t have to control our lives forever.

We grieve over the person we lost in death. But the triggers manifested from that grief can cause us to lose even more of our lives. If we don’t make a conscious effort at some point to deal with those triggers.

Just as the intensity of grief can change over time – so can triggers. Healing is possible my friend.

If you're walking through that journey of death right now and grieving someone close to you, be sure to read this months' blog "Triggers Can Change" for encouragement.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 Triggers are a sensory reminder that can cause painful memories to resurface. They can be extremely debilitating and be a contri...

09/26/2022

Many of you have followed us over the years and know that when Jamie died I lost my voice. I was a singer, speaker and I couldn't do it anymore. But God was gracious and allowed me to find my voice again through writing. And so I wrote and poured my heart out (sharing many of those writings with you along the way). Eventually finding my voice again and feeling led to write a book to fully explore the devastating journey that child loss takes on a family. In the process of working on putting our book together - we were asked to be part of a collaborative effort with other grieving parents and create a resource book for grieving parents. We put our book on hold and jumped on helping out this wonderful project.
If you have experienced the loss of a child, then the authors hope that reading accounts of others who have walked this path will bring new insights, a measure of comfort, and evidence that you can trust God with your life and circumstances. For those who have not experienced child loss, the book will help equip you to come alongside a bereaved parent in their greatest time of need.
We're extremely thankful to Dr. Gary and Laura House for allowing us the privilege of being a part of this project. This book is now available on Amazon and will be available across the US (as well as Canada, Australia and South America). Money made from the proceeds of the book does not go to the authors but to the ministry of helping grieving parents.

Until Then: Stories of Loss and Hope