Healing Haven

05/26/2026

Oneness with Christ

“But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:17. Oneness with God opens the door for intimacy and understanding. It is a place of peace and contentment, a divine union where we lose our sense of separate existence. It is a living bond that not even death can break. But many people still talk about the Lord as if He is “up there” and we are “down here.” He is with us and desires closeness, communion and active participation in what He is doing. Did you know the phrase “in Christ” is used over 150 times in one form or another by Paul in the New Testament? This means we are invited to participate in His life. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are brought into intimacy with God as beloved children. We are grafted into the vine. John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Our deepest identity is no longer defined by our brokenness, failures or performance. In Christ, we are accepted, loved, secure and hidden. Union with Christ changes healing from: “How do I fix myself?” To “How do I remain connected to the One who heals? This is such good news! Christ does not desire to heal us from afar-He wants to come close.

“Against the prevailing mindset of our day—you are what you make of yourself—union with Christ tells you that you can discover your real self only in relation to the One who made you. You are not, you cannot be, self-made. Union with Christ tells you that you can only understand who you are in communion with God and others. And that is a wildly countercultural claim.”― Rankin Wilbourne

05/24/2026

05/19/2026

Are you grief illiterate? I was! When I first started doing psychotherapy, I couldn’t understand why all of my patients were getting better except for the ones who were grieving. Sometimes they would come in and seem to be doing worse? Ignorantly, I kept trying to help “fix” their grief. I finally decided to pray and ask God about it rather than reading more books and trying new interventions. He told me that grief is not something to help people “get over.” The best that we can do is help them “go through it” by being empathetic, present, patient and to listen when they feel like talking.

Grief is a time in a person’s life when they may feel very strong and even frightening emotions. Often they feel many emotions simultaneously, which can be confusing and disorienting. But there are also physiological responses. Many people have sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, fatigue, body aches and cognitive challenges such as trouble concentrating. I’ve learned that people can have “skin hunger” or “touch starvation.” It is a craving for comforting human touch. They often report to me that they feel lonely, judged and isolated. Others seem go on with life like nothing has happened, and little things such as comparing grief experiences can make their pain worse. Friends don’t understand why they no longer want to attend small group, or hang out with couple friends when their spouse dies. The loss is tremendous in many ways. Death can also be a traumatic experience both for the person going through the process, and for the caregivers. Trauma then compounds the grief, making it even more of a struggle to go on with life. Grief is hard work, and I believe that the notion that grief somehow has an ending is false. Feelings of grief can occur long after someone has passed away and I don’t believe you ever stop missing someone's presence in your life.

So how can we help those grieving? Romans 12:15, says “mourn with those who mourn.”Some translations use “weep.” Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, demonstrating that grief is not a lack of faith, but a human necessity, summarized in the phrase "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Sometimes I just sit and cry with patients who have lost a loved one.

Witness and validate their sorrow.
Presence over solutions or platitudes
Release any judgement. No one’s grief should be compared to another persons, and no one is doing it incorrectly. Give them space to grieve and accept that they are doing the best they can to heal.
Pray for them and help lift any heavy loads they may be carrying due to the loss. Don’t just ask, drop of meals or assist with any needs. Check in consistently, not just a few weeks after the loss.

**If you’re the one walking through grief today, know this: Your pain matters to God. Your tears are counted. Your questions are heard. You are not alone, and the One who numbers the stars also numbers the hairs on your head and the tears on your cheeks. Even in deep sorrow, there is an opportunity to receive divine healing, comfort and grace.

05/12/2026

Tonight, all are welcome!

05/06/2026

So good!!

05/04/2026

Tomorrow night! Everyone welcome, come join us!

05/03/2026

For anyone with codependent tendencies or those who feel responsible for everything!