Job and The Grieving Process

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Three years ago this month I shared a series of devotions on the book of Job and how his process of grieving the loss of his ten children is so relatable today. Following are links to those 31 daily meditations.

• Naked I came. Naked shall I return :: utterances from a very numb person
  
• The Lord gave. The Lord has taken away :: a cloaked accusation of sorts
• It may be that my children :: worry, on the surface, is not problematic
• Shall we not receive evil? :: clichés keep us stuck in denial
• Job opened his mouth :: after seven days of sitting shiva, Job can no longer contain his hurt
• Why? :: sometimes questions keep us stuck in our pain
• What I dread befalls me :: suffering loss sometimes produces a fear of future pain
• He wounds but he binds up? :: a damaging theology that stifles the grieving process
• The arrows of the Almighty are in me :: blessed denial fades making way for intense grieving emotions
• Does God pervert justice? :: religious people sometimes feel a need to play detective with our pain
• Now you have destroyed me altogether :: bad theology can create toxicity in the one who us grieving
• You will forget your misery :: advice sometimes only angers people in pain and keeps them stuck in grief
• I am a laughingstock to my friends :: all Job could feel was a sense of finger pointing
• Though he slay me, I will hope in him :: such bargaining is further evidence that Job is grieving
• If a man dies, shall he live again? :: the death of a loved one causes us to contemplate our own mortality
• What is man, that he can be pure? :: there is a temptation to blame victims when bad things happen
• My pain is not assuaged :: sometimes training in church causes us to think in simplistic clichés
• My spirit is broken :: we need to step into our pain to release it
• Why are we stupid in your sight? :: "being there" for a grieving person can be awkward but very helpful
• I know that my Redeemer lives :: without hope it is so easy for grief to stall in despair and depression
• Look at me and be appalled :: in great loss our mind goes to dark places
• If ... Then ... :: the intense pain of grief can never be eased by rules, principles or formulas.
• He is not there ... I do not perceive him :: a person can feel so alone. sometimes God seems absent
• Oh, that I were as in the months of old :: dealing with the past is a normal and essential phase of grief
• I cry to you for help and you do not answer me :: grieving is complicated by unanswered prayers
• He burned with anger :: we learn to grieve because we have to
• The LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind :: all I hear is God asking Job to trust him
• I lay my hand on my mouth :: there is a time to be still and know that He is God
• Will you even put me in the wrong? :: it is so easy to lash out at God when we suffer great loss
• I have uttered what I did not understand :: only God can bring beauty out of the ash heap of our grief
• The Lord blessed the latter days of Job :: sometimes we get a second chance at life after grief

I dedicate these meditations to those who have suffered loss. Please feel free to share with hurting friends.

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What does it mean to be blessed?

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I guess a lake view is a blessing to some.

What do you think of when your hear the word "blessing"?

Check out my commentary here.

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Terminator Genisys | ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Yes. I am a fan of the Terminator series. A few things that I liked about this installment:

    •   Loved the way that they reimagined the story using an alternate timeline.
    •   The casting of Sarah Connor stayed true to the original movie.
    •   The smile. The throwback signature lines. Made me smile out loud.
    •   The twists and turns in the plot kept me engaged and on my toes.
    •   21st Century technology greatly improved the special effects.
    •   Lastly. Arnold. He resurrected the series after that last failed t-flick.

If you are a fan of the Terminator series, I think that you will like this one. A lot.

I liked the movie and, on a Terminator scale of ten, give it ★★★★★★★★.

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Catch my other mini-reviews by selecting the Movies link in the menu bar above.

Theologian Quiz

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Who had/has a theology that included these ideas:

• Transubstantiation is a valid view of communion;
• The bible contains errors;
• It is okay for Christians to drink beer;
• Purgatory and prayers for the dead;
• Possibility of salvation after death.

Here are your choices:

1. John Calvin
2. N.T. Wright
3. Arminius
4. John Shelby Spong
5. C.S. Lewis
6. John Wesley
7. Martin Luther

Check here for the answer and let me know how you did.

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The New Colossus

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Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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* A poem by Emma Lazarus engraved on a tablet within the pedestal on which the statue stands.