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Hope After Child & Sibling Loss/the empty chair endeavorAuthor: Greg Buffkin/Trauma Recovery & Healing Journey Host
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 Language: en-us Genres: Christianity, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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“I Still Believe” with Janette Henning, Melissa Camp’s Mom
Episode 4
Tuesday, 1 September, 2026
A 21-year-old newlywed. Ovarian cancer. A mother watching the unthinkable unfold while trying to keep breathing. I’m joined by Jeanette Henning as she tells the story of her daughter, Melissa Camp, who died in February 2001 just three months after marrying Christian music artist Jeremy Camp. The details are tender and raw: the surprises in the hospital, the moments that felt like miracles, and the shock of realizing that even when you’re praying hard for healing, the outcome can still break your heart. We talk honestly about what grief does after child loss, not just emotionally, but physically and relationally. Jeanette shares how different family members grieve in different ways, why that can feel isolating, and what she learned when she stopped expecting her husband or her kids to fill the void. If you’re a bereaved parent searching for Christian grief support, we spend real time on lament, the freedom to bring anger and questions to God, and the slow work of learning how sorrow and joy can coexist over decades. Jeanette also explains how Melissa’s journals became a lifeline and later a message for the world through the book Melissa: If One Life, plus a devotional journal focused on intimacy with God. We connect that legacy to the film I Still Believe and the ripple effect that continues as people write in to say, “I’m the one life.” If you need hope after tragedy, or you’re trying to understand faith in suffering, this conversation offers a steady place to land. Please share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the line that hit you hardest. To learn more about Janette, Melissa’s story, and Umbrella Ministries, click the links below.*** https://www.janettehenning.com/about*** https://www.umbrellaministries.com/Share any comments here *** If you have an Apple account, please take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts if you enjoy this podcast by clicking the link below. By doing so you help increase our visibility and discoverability for others, and we value your feedback!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hope-after-child-sibling-loss-the-empty-chair-endeavor/id1654053256**** You can also opt to leave a review or rating on Podchasers by clicking the link below. Your opinions matter and mean so much to us!https://www.podchaser.com/HopeAfterChildSiblingLossTheEmptyChairEndeavorYou can contact us by email at: hope@emptychairendeavor.comIf you would like to share your story on an upcoming episode, please send us an email so that we can talk with you about it.Thank you for listening!
