Christmas for you may not be the same, but I believe God can help you and it can be meaningful. This Christmas, decide to give gifts to those around you that do not cost money but are “gifts of the heart.” Christmas is a time of giving. God gave his son Jesus to be born Continue Reading >>
Author Archives: Liz Danielsen
The Light of God’s Love
Perhaps you are among the many people for whom this Christmas Season is not a season of joy but a trial and a challenge because of the losses you have had to face. For you, the Christmas cheer and the reason for celebration have long since been lost in the fog of confusion, disappointment and Continue Reading >>
The Benefits of Working With a Grief Counselor
Spiritual Care Support Ministries (SCSM) provides grief and bereavement counseling and support groups in Warrenton, Virginia, and around the world. With a faith-based perspective, SCSM provides compassionate care and emotional healing for individuals and families struggling with loss and pain, whether from illness or the death of a loved one, a chronic condition, divorce, or Continue Reading >>
Be Thankful for What I Know to be True
Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing Know that the Lord Himself is God. It is He who has made us; and not we ourselves. We are the people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts Continue Reading >>
Waves of Peace
Moments of uncertainty are often very hard to deal with–you just have to put all your trust in God. In those moments, your faith and understanding of God can be threatened. You need to take one moment at a time because one day at a time is just too much. You have to make a Continue Reading >>
Will you believe with us?
We live in a world that is rapidly changing. There are more shootings, tragic accidents, credit card debt, drug overdoses, suicides, divorce and all kinds of losses causing personal grief. It can get overwhelming. I had no idea that when I put the key in the door of the SCSM building in 2004 that the Continue Reading >>
I have been told that Christians should not grieve because our hope is in God. I love the Lord with all my heart, but I still feel like I am hurting emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually because of my loss. Is God disappointed in me?
God loves you so much, and He is not disappointed in you. You are asking a great question that is asked by others who are Christians. In I Thessalonians 4:13, Paul writes, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like Continue Reading >>
Dear Chaplain Liz, I am a caregiver. I love my wife very much and I would do anything for her. It really gets hard sometimes to meet all the demands of caring for her. Even as I write this, I begin to feel guilty that I even shared that with you. Why is it so hard for caregivers to be able to share their real feelings?
Thank you so much for being real. I don’t think that caregivers are the only ones who have a difficult time sharing their real feelings. For anyone, taking the mask off is difficult. When a person shares their feelings, they need to be around people they can trust. They need to know they will not Continue Reading >>
Be Intentional
Time goes by so quickly. Already summer 2016 is history. I am hoping that you have had time to be refreshed and feel renewed. However, there are so many distractions that keep us from doing what we really should be doing. If you are not intentional and do not plan well and stay open to Continue Reading >>
Marriage and 48 Years Later
Arvid and I just celebrated our 48th Wedding Anniversary. When I first met Arvid in Brooklyn, New York my heart was wounded. I was cross eyed, fearful and far from being the confident woman I am today. Loss of all kinds filled my life. I never thought any good thing could come to my life. Continue Reading >>
I have been in pain and chronically ill for years now. I have a hard time believing God can love me. How can you be so sure?
I believe that God loves me, you, and the whole world because the Bible tells me so. We all have to make a decision about what we believe. My belief comes from scripture. I do not rely on my emotions as they go up and down with the circumstances that I face each and every Continue Reading >>
God Has Our Tomorrows
Today I realized that my Dad, soon to be 91 years old, is having some physical challenges, and that he will not be with us forever. Most of you know that he is my stepdad but I call him “Dad.” He married my Mom with three children so many years ago after my own biological Continue Reading >>
Stand Still and Wait
It is a very busy world we live in. Every day we hear voices all around us telling us how we can be better. If you do this or that you will be a better person at what you do and where you are. If you buy this cream your skin will not age. If Continue Reading >>
How do I help my depressed friend? She does not seem to be able to make any decisions. She does not seem to care about anything and wants to sleep most of the time.
Clinically depressed people may not be able to experience any joy or hope. They cannot control their own thought processes and cannot switch from negative thoughts and try to “cheer up”. If you tell someone who is depressed to do so, you may only alienate the person and jeopardize your chances of reaching out to Continue Reading >>
Journaling To Help Work Through Grief
I like to journal. My sister died and I am having difficulty with her death and someone said that I should be using journaling as one of the ways to help me work through my grief. How do I begin? I am sorry to hear of your sister’s death. The grief journey can be difficult. Continue Reading >>