How do Christians process grief, loss, and unanswered prayers? In this personal review of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, I share how learning the biblical practice of lament transformed my faith and connected me with a community of believers walking through suffering together.
Few things have been more painful in my life than discovering that people were spreading lies about me behind my back. I’ve learned that when someone attacks your character publicly, there is often very little you can do to immediately repair the damage. Words travel fast. Rumors spread quickly. Once a narrative is created, many people accept it as truth without ever asking questions or seeking facts.
“What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me no more.”
Anybody remember that hit from the ’90s?
For many of us, it instantly brings back memories of the famous Saturday Night Live sketches featuring the Roxbury brothers, cruising from nightclub to nightclub, bobbing their heads to the beat, getting into awkward situations, and inevitably being thrown out of wherever they ended up.
I’ve been in love three times in my life: once in high school, once in college, and later with my wife. Today I want to revisit that first love, the one that shattered me in high school.
I never imagined I would find myself at rock bottom—a lowly, contrite, broken man with seemingly nothing left to lose. Well… almost nothing. I still have my health, and my old CR-V is somehow still hanging on. Lately, I’ve found myself praying often for both, asking God to protect me and keep that old Honda running a little longer…