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Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that wanted to go jogging this morning, but remembered that Proverbs 28:1 says, \u201cThe wicked run when no one is chasing them.\u201d So it stopped.<\/p>\n
I appreciate all the emails testifying how the conference messages on restoration<\/a> that dropped last Thursday set so many of you ablaze. Most Christians who are impacted by a book, an article, a podcast, or a spoken message will never tell the author\/speaker, so it\u2019s always encouraging to receive such testimonials. God uses every one of them.<\/p>\n One of my publishers \u2013 Tyndale \u2013 informed me that sales for my book Hang On, Let Go: What to Do When Your Dreams Are Shattered and Life Is Falling Apart <\/em>may not be enough to keep the book in print.<\/p>\n I was horrified when I heard this because the book has saved countless lives. Some from suicide, others from depression and immeasurable pain. I continue to receive such reports from readers.<\/p>\n I hope you will read this article that the publisher helped me write because it may help you, a friend, or a loved one this holiday season. The book is on sale at a 65% discount for a limited time through the link in the article. (Thanks, Tyndale.)<\/p>\n The holidays are when many Christians feel the most acute pain, hence, why we\u2019re featuring this article today. Here it is.<\/p>\n The Silent Suffering of the Season<\/strong><\/p>\n The twinkling lights feel harsh. The cheerful carols sound hollow. While the world celebrates around you, you\u2019re drowning in a crisis that makes every \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d feel like salt in a wound.<\/p>\n If this is your reality this Christmas season, you\u2019re not alone\u2014and more importantly, you\u2019re not forgotten.<\/p>\n Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for millions, it\u2019s the most painful. Behind the festive facades, people are grappling with:<\/p>\n Relational devastation<\/strong> that leaves hearts shattered: family rifts that tear apart Christmas traditions, the empty chair where a loved one used to sit, or the crushing loneliness of spending another Christmas alone.<\/p>\n Health crises<\/strong> that cast shadows over every celebration: cancer diagnoses that change everything, chronic pain that steals joy, mental health struggles that make getting through each day feel impossible, or watching someone you love battle an illness you cannot fix.<\/p>\n Financial collapse<\/strong> that strips away not just presents under the tree, but dignity, security, and hope: job losses right before the holidays, medical bills that pile up like unwanted gifts, homes lost, dreams deferred, and the shame of not being able to provide.<\/p>\n The cultural pressure to be merry makes the pain even more acute. When everyone else seems to be celebrating, your crisis feels magnified, your grief more isolating, your struggle more shameful.<\/p>\n