The first truly distinct feeling I had when Elli died, apart from the pain of being cut off from her, was guilt. Is guilt. For guilt has leeched onto me and threatens to suck my life out. Elli died in our care, in our home. Caring for her was our responsibility that day –we had…

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Lament for a Son is a chronicle of Nicholas Wolterstorff’s journey through the loss of his 25-year-old son Eric in a mountain-climbing accident. Dr. Wolterstorff is a professor of philosophical theology at Yale Divinity School, but as he writes in this journal-style lament, first and foremost he is a father who has buried a son.…

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We cannot ask for lives free of problems.We cannot ask God to weave a magic spell around us so that bad things will happen only to others and never to us. But people who pray for courage, for strength to bear the unbearable, for the grace to rememberwhat they still have left instead of what…

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What is “Joy In the Journey” about? Recently, a few readers have questioned the purpose, content, and value of this blog. And several people have criticized me for saying that things aren’t always great in my life. So, since many of you seem to be new to me, I thought I’d introduce myself and share…

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An anonymous person posted to my last blog entry a comment that I have decided to respond to here, rather than just in the comments. First, they said “‘Me time’ is a lie.” However, in Genesis we learn that God rested on the 7th day. In the Torah, over and over we read God instructing…

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We currently serve in a small church just a few miles from our home. We’ve been there for nearly 5 years, so I’m in the midst of guiding my 3rd child through the toddler stage there. (And since Elli was so developmentally delayed, she never really left the toddler stage either.) Through this time, I’ve…

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