Donna Eller joins me on the podcast again this week.  If you missed last week’s episode, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her daughter, Julie … some of it in Julie’s own words from the journals she kept during her fierce battle with cancer. Today we extend our conversation to cover a wide range of very practical issues faced by bereaved parents, including giving grace to a spouse who may be grieving very differently than we are … and we’ll also discuss Donna’s more recent experience with grief in the loss of her husband Tim.  We pick up our conversation right where we left off last week. Click HERE to listen to Part One of my conversation with Donna.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

My friend Donna Eller is my guest on the podcast today.  In the first half of this two-part episode, she shares the story of her independent, funny, and faith-filled daughter Julie, who went to Heaven following a fierce battle with cancer in 2015.  But there’s more to her story, as Donna has also experienced the loss of her 8-day-old grandbaby (Julie’s son Noah) as well as her husband Tim more recently.  Though I’d heard Donna’s story when she attended our While We're Waiting Weekend in 2018, it wasn’t until this conversation that I realized the profound impact baby Noah had on their entire family, and how God used his life to prepare them for what was to come.  I believe you’ll be inspired by Julie’s faith journey as read from her own journals by her mom.  Lean in today and be encouraged.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

When we first formed the While We're Waiting ministry back in 2011, we were advised by a ministry consultant to change the name.  "While We're Waiting", he said, "It sounds like you're sitting kicked back in a recliner just waiting to go to Heaven."  Of course that's not at all the concept we had in mind when we chose the name, but I really didn't have a word to clearly and concisely explain the correct concept until my conversation with Dr. Lee Warren a few weeks ago.  He introduced me to the Hebrew word "Qavah", which perfectly expresses the meaning behind the name of our ministry.  Listen in to hear the story of "While We're Waiting".  Click HERE and HERE to listen to the podcast episodes I've recorded with my daughter Bethany about sibling grief.  Click HERE for more information or to register for the Our Hearts Are Home conference scheduled for October 13-14, 2023, in Indianapolis.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

On July 31, I received a text from my friend Terry Young, letting me know that his wife Joy had laid down for a nap that day & woke up in Heaven.  At first I couldn’t believe it -  my dear friend Joy was much too full of life to be gone - but she was.  Joy was known for exclaiming at every opportunity, “The best is yet to come!" & for her the best had come.   When Terry found Joy that afternoon, she was lying on their bed with her Bible open to Psalm 46 and was in the middle of writing a note of encouragement to some fellow bereaved parents.  She lived to serve others, and to remind everyone she knew about the hope we have in Jesus, and she did that right up until the moment she stepped into Heaven.  She had no greater desire than for others to know Jesus personally and by re-releasing this episode, I’d like to give her one more opportunity to make that appeal.   Joy didn’t know when she laid down that day that God was going to take her home, but she was ready to go.  As you listen today, please make sure you’re ready too.  Joy herself is going to tell you how you can have that assurance & know that the best is yet to come!  Plan of salvation:  Realize you are a sinner. No matter how good a life we try to live, we still fall miserably short of being a 'good person.' That's because we're all sinners. We fall short of God's desire for us to be holy. The Bible says, 'No one is righteous - not even one' (Rom. 3:10).  Recognize that Jesus died on the cross for you.  'But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners' (Rom. 5:8 ). This is the good news, that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place when we least deserved it.Repent of your sin. The Bible tells us to 'repent therefore and be converted' (Acts 3:19). The word 'repent' means 'to change our direction in life.' Instead of running away from God, run toward him.Receive Jesus in your life. Being a Christian is not just believing some creed or going to church on Sunday. Being a Christian is allowing Christ himself to take residence in your life and heart. Jesus said, 'Behold, I stand at the door [of your life] and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in' (Rev. 3:20).If you haven't invited Jesus into your life, pray a sincere prayer like this one:  'Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins. I turn from my sin & open the door of my heart & life. I confessI would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Lisa Thacker joins me once again on the podcast today.  If you missed last week’s episode, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her son Dalton, who took his own life at the age of 16 with absolutely no warning signs or indications of what he was about to do. Today we extend our conversation to cover a wide range of very practical issues faced by bereaved parents, particularly those who have experienced the loss of a child to suicide, and discuss how she now finds herself taking up Dalton's microphone to share the hope of Jesus with others.Click HERE to listen to Part One of my interview with Lisa Click HERE to access Lisa's blog - "Surviving My Past Because Of My Future"Click HERE to visit the Dalton's Difference Facebook page. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Dalton Thacker was a vibrant young man with an infectious smile and a passion for sports and history.  He loved to tell jokes and make people laugh, and in 2020, he chose "grit" as his word for the year.  He was a goal setter with a desire to score 1,000 points in basketball over his high school career, and to make it to state in track and field.  On May 14, 2020, Dalton took his own life with absolutely no warning signs or indication of what he was about to do, leaving his family reeling in the aftermath.  His mom, Lisa, joins me today to talk about their experience, likening it to walking on a tightrope.  Over time, she came to accept that when there are no answers, Jesus is the answer. Listen in and be encouraged.  Click HERE to access Lisa's blog - "Surviving My Past Because Of My Future"Click HERE to visit the Dalton's Difference Facebook page.  Lisa refers to an interview I did with Kim Erickson.  Click HERE to listen to Part One of that interview, and HERE to listen to Part Two.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

"Trauma lies to you, and pain lies to you, and it makes you think:  This is always how I'm going to feel, and this is always how it's going to be.  And the truth is, if you're still alive, God has a plan for your life, and your life has purpose and meaning."   Encouraging words from Dr. W. Lee Warren, neurosurgeon and author of the new book "Hope Is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things".  When Dr. Warren's 19-year-old son Mitchell died of multiple stab wounds to his neck in August of 2013, he found himself "infinitely sad, hopeless, tormented, lost, and faithless for a while".  In our conversation today, Dr. Warren takes us down that dark mental staircase to the furnace of suffering, then leads us back up out of the pit.  He shares the path he took to find once again the abundant life promised by Jesus in John 10:10.  It involves a treatment plan that requires what he refers to as "self brain surgery" ... and the first dose is hope! Click HERE to visit Dr. Warren's website, where you can order his books and sign up for his weekly newsletter, "Self Brain Surgery".  Click HERE to subscribe to Dr. Warren's daily podcast, "The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast".  Click HERE to connect with Dr. Warren on Substack.Dr. Warren's books are also available on Amazon.  Click HERE to connect with his author page.    I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

"You have to do what you know to do, even when you don't feel like doing it. Persevere, pray, read the Bible, and surround yourself with a supportive community" ... Good advice from Tommy and Susan Cartwright, whose son Chad died following an accidental heroin overdose in 2011.  Today we extend our conversation from last week and discuss the sometimes unhelpful things people say, dealing with the holidays, moving past the "why" to the "what now", and finding the path from pain to purpose.  I believe you'll be encouraged by our discussion.  Click HERE to access the "How the Non-Bereaved Can Help" document that was referenced in this episode.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

We had the incredible privilege of hosting two While We're Waiting events in Botswana, Africa, a couple weeks ago, and today's episode opens with a brief summary of our time there.  The bereaved parents we met there were gracious and kind, and we are so grateful that we were able to play a small role in assisting them to find community with others who truly understand the journey of child loss, and are leaning on Jesus to get them through.   It was an experience I'll never forget.Today I also have the pleasure of introducing you to my friends, Tommy and Susan Cartwright, from Pineville, Louisiana.  They are the parents of Chad, a personable young man with a magnetic personality and a tender heart, who served honorably in the United States Army, completing a 13-month-tour of Iraq.  He fought another battle as well, and that was a battle against addiction, and ultimately God received him into Heaven in May of 2011 due to an accidental heroin overdose.  Today, the Cartwrights share his story, and discuss the impact his passing had on their marriage relationship.  Come back next week as we extend our conversation to include some very practical issues faced by parents after the loss of a child.   Click HERE to access the "How the Non-Bereaved Can Help" document that was referenced in this episode.  Click HERE to listen to my interview with Scott and Karen Harmening.  Click HERE to listen to my interview with Lisa Armstrong.I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

In last week’s episode I shared a panel discussion from the Discerning Biblical Truth for Bereaved Parents Conference on “Ten Truths About Child Loss” … and if you missed it, I hope you’ll go back and listen … especially if you find yourself wondering if what you’ve been experiencing after the loss of your child is “normal”.  Today, I’d like to share another panel discussion from that conference … This one is titled, “Discerning Truth in the Battle:  Lies of the Enemy and Putting on the Armor of God”.  We all know that we as grieving parents are especially vulnerable to the attacks of Satan, and this discussion will give you some tools to fight back.  Again, the panel includes Brad and I, Don and Patsy Akin, blogger Melanie DeSimone, and Gary & Laura House, who founded the Our Hearts Are Home Ministry.  A video of this discussion is available on YouTube and you'll find the link below in the show notes.   And be sure to come back next week, as I’ll be sharing with you some of our experiences from the While We’re Waiting Weekend for Bereaved Parents we hosted in Botswana, Africa!  I can’t wait to tell you all about it!  Click HERE to view this discussion on YouTube. Click HERE to learn more about the Our Hearts Are Home ministry and read about their many offerings for bereaved parents. Click HERE to follow Melanie DeSimone's blog, "The Life I Didn't Choose",I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message!** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry. We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting! Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parentsClick HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country. Click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channelClick HERE to follow our public Facebook pageClick HERE to follow us on Instagram Click HERE to follow us on Twitter Click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation to the While We're Waiting ministryContact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org