Hope After Child & Sibling Loss/the empty chair endeavor
This is where grief is allowed to be brutally honest, faith is allowed to wrestle with hard questions, and hope doesn't mean forgetting after the unthinkable loss of a child or sibling, from a Christ centered perspective. Our conversations are real and often raw as we talk about what happens to faith, family, identity and purpose when the empty chair becomes permanent … and how GOD can meet us there.
When someone we love dies, life changes forever. Faith can become complicated. Questions about GOD can become unavoidable, joy can feel disloyal, and the empty chair at the table can remain painfully real.
This podcast doesn't offer easy answers or ask you to "move on." Instead we walk together through the hard questions of grief -- anger, doubt, faith, marriage, family, surviving siblings, holidays, anniversaries, and what it means to build a life you never imagined living.
Through personal stories and conversations with bereaved parents and siblings, as well as honest reflections about GOD and scripture, we explore what it means to grieve deeply while still holding on to hope.
Because hope doesn't forget the empty chair!
Hope After Child & Sibling Loss is part of the Empty Chair Endeavor - a place where grief is welcomed, faith is allowed to wrestle with difficult questions, and those who have lost someone they love can discover that they are not alone.
The host, Greg Buffkin, brings his personal experience with grief into this role, after he and his wife Cathy experienced the devastating loss of their 26 year old son Ryan to suicide in October 2015.
DISCLAIMER: The views, beliefs, and opinions expressed by our guests may not necessarily be shared by this podcast or its host. We believe there is only one triune GOD: the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit. We believe that
Jesus humbled himself to become fully human, conceived by the virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, retained his divine character and identity, lived a sinless life, executed on a Roman cross as an atonement for the sinfulness of mankind, buried, and raised back to life three days later to offer the hope of eternal life to all who would receive his free gift by grace through faith. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
* Reaching over 100 countries with messages of hope.
Hope After Child & Sibling Loss/the empty chair endeavor
Latest Episodes
Grace in the Wilderness of Grief with Sharon Hawkins, Bradley’s Mom
One minute you’re talking in the driveway, and the next minute your whole life splits into before and after. Sharon Hawkins joins us to tell the story of her son Bradley, a larger-than-life 21-year-old with a contagious laugh, an Eagle Scout...
Leaning on Faith And Community After Losing Annie, with Cheri Fletcher
Thirteen days can change an entire family’s history. We sit down with Cheri Fletcher to remember her daughter Annie, a 29-year-old singer-songwriter, social worker, and photographer whose sudden decline ended in an unthinkable goodbye. With ...
Wrestling With GOD Through the Loss of Three Children, with Roxanne Hutchison
We sit down with Roxanne Hutchison to talk through the unthinkable reality of losing three children and a son-in-law and what it takes to keep living when your family feels shredded. We explore honest faith, the loneliness of stillbirth and ...
Cultivating a Grief Garden with Ron & Nan Deal, Connor’s parents
A sudden illness can take a child in days, but the grief can echo for decades and it changes far more than most people realize. I’m joined by Ron and Nan Deal as they share the story of losing their 12-year-old son, Connor, and what 17 years...
From Sudden Traumatic Loss To Restored Hope with Linda Stirling, Jeff’s Mom
One phone call can erase the world you thought you were living in. Greg Buffkin talks with Linda Stirling, president of Umbrella Ministries, about the sudden and unthinkable loss of her 19-year-old son, Jeff, who was killed in an airplane cr...
Fan Mail
Greg, as a survivor of childhood abuse from a step grandfather.. I would love to share my perspective either way you one day.. it was very bothersome to me when your guest said 'forgive Ryan for not telling you' Children don't tell. Even as adults we feel shame. I almost died from my shame. It is a subconscious that takes over. I would love to share more. But that's very triggering to hear her say 'forgive him' for not telling you. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 by the grace of God I'm alive, I almost died before I could admit my abuse to my parents or even myself.
Abilene, Texas
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast
That Sounds Fun Network