While infertility, pregnancy and infant loss are often ignored by our culture, they are not ignored by God. Communities of faith are uniquely positioned to come alongside individuals, couples and families who mourn infertility and pregnancy and infant loss. In doing so, we can break the silence about this common yet hidden grief. A Hannah Service is one way to do this.
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35). If you’re a Christian committed to the marriage taught in the Bible, you’re going to stay committed to your spouse, even if Read more…
When my wife had a hysterectomy at the tender age of 28, I was very grateful for the meals our fellow church members prepared. This was the body of Christ in action! At a time in life when many couples were having children, we found ourselves with a life change Read more…
Although uncommon, infertility in animals occurs from time to time. This is something that farmers need to look out for as we move into the sophisticated world of the twenty-first century with hormone-injected meat and large-scale farming. Yet what about the farming families out there who are infertile themselves; those Read more…
Going through fertility treatment as a couple required resilience. Although my wife didn’t go through full-on treatment, she was affected by the medication that was prescribed to her for a period of time. The hardest part about fertility treatment for me was that it was seemed unnatural. You could argue that Read more…
Have you ever felt betrayed by God? Let down by him? Felt like he has forgotten you or is ignoring you? I’ve been there. Can we trust God? Is God trustworthy? How do we heal from betrayal? This is my story.
I had all but given up hope for my squash seedlings, so imagine my surprise when they kept sprouting everywhere! I was left with more than my garden could contain. What a reminder to me, that God can take our dried up, dead and discarded dreams, and breathe life into them.
When I started this journey, I actually started with a focus on fruit. Fruit for me represented many things, but especially my desire to see fruit of my womb.
Now that has changed.
Once I had not only established roots, but also started some great disciplines, like regularly reading my Bible, journalling and quiet times alone, I was impatient for the fruit. But I quickly realized that I needed to abide. I needed to take time to just rest in God’s presence. To get to know him better. To be sustained in him. To abide.
It hit me that you don’t get fruit if your roots aren’t healthy. So I focused on putting down deep roots with Jesus. The more rooted in Christ I became, the more I started to hear the word “abide”, so this is the first of a three-part blog: Roots – Abide – Fruit.