Finding Jesus in the Midst of Grief, Loss, and Lament: Choosing Presence Over Pretending - w/ Bonnie Lewis

How learning to grieve and lament can deepen our faith, not destroy it. Mike Erre sits down with special guest Bonnie Lewis to explore why lament is so often missing from Christian spaces, and how embracing it can transform both our understanding of God and our healing from trauma. Sharing her gripping story of personal loss, chronic illness, and spiritual reconstruction, Bonnie walks us through the messy reality of questioning God, confronting shame, and learning to carry grief without letting it define us. This episode is a tender, honest reflection on loss, faith, depression, and rediscovering Jesus in the most difficult seasons of life.

Key Takeaways: • The Missing Voice of Lament in Evangelical Culture – Why many churches bypass pain and grief, and how this avoidance perpetuates shame and spiritual isolation. • Grieving Doesn’t Mean Doubting – Understanding that sorrow, doubt, and faith can coexist—and how the Psalms model holy protest and intimacy with God through pain. • Redefining Strength and Healing – How Bonnie and her family chose to move toward wholeness by making countercultural decisions in the wake of loss and chronic illness. • Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation – Mike and Bonnie draw on the typology of Walter Brueggemann to explore how disruption in our lives can deepen our theology and strip away false formulas. • Learning to Carry Grief, Not Escape It – Why the Christian life isn’t about avoiding suffering, but learning to walk through it with empathy, honesty, and hope.

Guest Highlights: Bonnie Lewis – Speaker, writer, and founder of "Find the Blue." With a degree in theology and specialization in spiritual formation, Bonnie shares her deeply personal journey through mold poisoning, debilitating chronic pain, and the stillbirth of her second child—and how that suffering challenged and reshaped her understanding of God, grace, and courage.

Resources Mentioned: • Find the Blue with Bonnie Lewis – Follow on Facebook and look for her upcoming podcast and website! • Walter Brueggemann’s Psalms Typology – Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation framework • John 11: Jesus Wept – Scriptural foundation for the practice of lament • Lamentations, Habakkuk, and the Psalms – Biblical books that model honest grief and spiritual wrestling • Romans 8:28 in Context – Exploring what “the good” truly means in suffering

Let’s stop pretending and start showing up for one another in the places of heartbreak and disappointment. Subscribe to the Voxology podcast, leave us a review, and follow us on social media to continue the conversation as we seek the voice of Jesus in all things.

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