Taking the Journey of Grief with Hope

Article by: Bridgehaven Team

Grief is more than sadness. It is losing someone or something that was a part of you and then trying to answer, “Who am I now?” If we love, we will grieve.

If we want to love one-another well, we must know how to offer care during times of grief. The goal of this seminar is to give you guidance for the journey of grief, whether you are the one walking this road or whether you are walking with a friend who is grieving.

This is a free seminar (please RVSP below). We hope that many people in our community come and learn how to process this powerful emotions we will all face many times over the course of our lives.

The concepts and process of this seminar can also be applied to grief triggered by the loss of innocence (to various forms of abuse), the loss of a dream (infertility, divorce, job loss, chronic pain, a rebellious child, mid-life crisis, etc…), the loss of stability (an elderly parent surrendering independence to live with children, a fire destroying your home, a natural disaster, etc…) or the living death of divorce.

Evening One

December 8th at 4pm and 6pm

Step 1. “Preparing for Your Grief Journey”
PREPARE yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually to face your suffering

Step 2 “Identifying the Pieces of My Story”
ACKNOWLEDGE the specific history and realness of my suffering

Step 3. “How Has My Life / Story Changed?”
UNDERSTAND the impact of my suffering

Step 4. “The Darkest Part of My Journey”
LEARN MY SUFFERING STORY which I used to make sense of my experience

 

Evening Two

December 15th at 4pm and 6pm

Step 5. “The Journey Is About More Than the Destination”
MOURN the wrongness of what happened and receive God’s comfort

Step 6. “My Loss Story in His Story”
LEARN MY GOSPEL STORY by which God gives meaning to my experience

Step 7. “Where is ‘Better’ on This Journey?”
IDENTIFY GOALS that allow me to combat the impact of my suffering

Step 8. “Beginning to Live the Rest of My Story”
PERSEVERE in the new life and identity to which God has called me

Step 9. “Living the Rest of Your Story”
STEWARD all of my life for God’s glory

Appendices

  1. Memorial Ceremony for an Unborn Child
  2. Applying the Grief Seminar to Losses Not Caused by Death
  3. Small Group Care Plan for the Whole Journey
  4. Healthy Ways to Capture Memories
  5. Bible Readings on Grief
  6. Recommended Books
  7. Parenting Tips and Family Devotions for Each Step
  8. What Do I Do Now?

TAKING THE JOURNEY OF GRIEF WITH HOPE
Part One: Saturday December 8, 2012
Part Two: Saturday December 15, 2012
Presentation By: Brad Hambrick
Time: 4:00 to 5:30 pm or 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Location: The Summit Church, Brier Creek South Venue
Address: 2415-107 Presidential Drive; Durham, NC 27703
Cost: Free
RSVP: Part One // Part Two