No More Tears: Comfort for the Grieving

By Dr. Samuel White III

Are you and your family grieving the death of a loved one and need comfort? No More Tears will comfort you as you cry for your beloved, cope with the loss, and create a new life of peace and joy. Moreover, it provides information on how to comfort the bereaved of all ages, develop a grief support group, conduct a memorial service, and give a eulogy.

It is a masterful creation, bereavement bible, and a missal of encouragement that I would recommend to those who are grieving and those working in the field of grief and loss (Kathleen M. VanNeste-Kortebein, MS, LPC, bereavement specialist).

An excellent and introspective read that will guide you toward understanding your grief and coping with your loss. This book will lead you in the right direction to live a more peaceful and joyful life. Terrific advice and resources to assist and comfort the bereaved. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with grief (Anna Goff, MSW, hospice social worker, grief counselor).

No More Tears is a must-read for all pastors, ministers, deacons, and grief counselors who comfort the bereaved(Rev. Deloris Greer-Stevens, Friendship Baptist Church).

The pages are filled with valuable information, instruction, and encouragement (Dr. Samuel Bullock Jr., Bethany Baptist Church).

A book that I highly recommend to all psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counselors who care for the elderly (Sandra White, director of operationsEast PACE Southeast Michigan).

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512763911

Dr. Samuel White III

Dr. Samuel White, III is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Pastor, Spiritual Care Manager, prolific writer of 14 books, and founder of Agape Theological Seminary. Dr. White wrote this self-help book to inspire readers, to love themselves, live in the moment, have an attitude of gratitude and enjoy life with Jesus.

Book preview

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Endorsements

Introduction

Chapter 1.  Weeping

Chapter 2.  Endure for a Night

Chapter 3.  Joy in the Morning

Chapter 4.  Wiping Away the Tears

Notes

Bibliography

Appendix 1.  Holiday Healing Tips

Appendix 2.  Memorial Service

Appendix 3.  The Symptoms of Depression

Appendix 4.  Grief Quiz

Appendix 5.  How to Prepare a Eulogy

Appendix 6.  Comforting Scriptures

"WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT

BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING."

(Psalm 30:5)

TO

OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

WHO WIPES THE TEARS FROM OUR EYES

Preface

As a Pastor and a Hospice Chaplain, I have witnessed the devastating effects that grief has on individuals and families. Death not only takes our loved ones from us, it can potentially destroy our lives. The inability to cope with the death of a loved one has the potential to steal our joy, rob our peace, vanquish our faith, fragment our family and ruin our lives.

There is nothing more overwhelming to the human spirit than the death of a loved one. It is a universal experience that we all must endure. The religious and the non-religious; the strong and the weak; the rich and the poor all grieve the death of a loved one. No one is exempt from the sting of death. It can break your heart, trouble your mind, and try your soul.

Death is democratic and unpredictable. It will take who it wants, when it wants and how it wants. It does not matter how moral, wealthy or healthy we are. It does not matter what our color, class or creed is. Death will take the young, old, spiritual and the unspiritual. It does not matter who our loved one is, what they have done or have not done, they will eventually die.

All of our love, prayer and medical care will not stop death from taking our family member, friend or loved one. Their death may come unexpectedly or be a long painful process, but it will come. Generally, death comes when we least expect it and often are unprepared for it.

The death of a loved one has led some to substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, apathy, depression, despair, hopelessness, criminal behavior, and even suicide. Those who are spiritually weak can get weaker and prone to self-destructive behavior. Death of a loved one can drain us spiritual, emotional, and physically. People can be so overwhelmed with grief that they can hurt themselves. I wrote this book for everyone who has suffered from death and needs comfort.

Some people are so overcome with grief that they have dropped out of life. They become prisoners of their sadness and hopelessness. They restrict themselves to a lonely life behind closed doors or a smiling façade. A part of them has died and they find it difficult to go on.

Do you feel as if your life is over and it is hard for you to go forward in life? Is your heart broken and you feel like giving up? Are you a prisoner of sadness and despair? This book will help to set you free from your grief and develop a new life.

There are people who have let death hardened their hearts and made them bitter. In an effort to protect themselves they have stopped loving and caring for others. They have built an emotional wall between themselves and everyone else. They have become distant and disconnected from others, and are unwilling to develop new relationships and or nurture their old ones.

Does this describe you? Do you feel alienated from friends and family? Have you distanced yourself from others? If you are feeling lonely and isolated, this book will heal your broken heart and help you reconnect with others.

Others have lost faith in God and are riddled with doubt. Their unanswered prayers and long suffering has taken its toll on their faith. They have cried to the heavens asking, Why? and received deafening silence. It may be hard for you to still believe in an all-powerful God when your prayers seem to have gone unanswered. Do you still have faith? Do you find it difficult to pray? If your faith has been challenged, you need to read this book. It provides spiritual words of encouragement and faith building scriptures.

I have seen families become divided because of their inability to cope with their mother’s death. Brothers and sisters arguing with one another over family heirlooms, funeral arrangements and old unresolved issues. Has death put a strain on your relationships and fragmented your family? If it is hard for you to keep your family together, this book offers information that will re-develop your relationships and bring your family closer together.

No More Tears is for every individual or family who is grieving and struggling to accept the death of a loved one. It provides a bereavement process called the Healing Cycle which will gently challenge and comfort you to cry, cope and create a new life for yourself. Its reflective questions and coping skills will help you do the grief work that is necessary for your healing. This grief workbook is especially helpful for the person who wants to work on their grief in the privacy of their home.

No More Tears shares vital resource on how to give grief counseling to adults, teens, children and families. This book will teach you what to say and what not to say to someone who has suffered loss. You will learn how to empathize, empower and enable the grief stricken.

No more Tears shares how to develop a Grief Support Group for families, churches, community centers and funeral homes. An outline, purpose and practices of the Grief Support group will ultimately bring comfort to religious and nonreligious people.

Finally, No More Tears has a resourceful Appendices that provides information on Holiday Healing Tips, Memorial Service, Signs of Depression, Grief Quiz, Eulogy Preparation and a list of scriptures that will bring comfort to the broken hearted and heal the wounded soul.

Acknowledgments

I must acknowledge our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Wonderful Counselor who comforted me when I was grieving the death of loved ones. I cannot praise Him enough for giving me the grace to grieve and the strength to go on with my life. It is because of Him that I learned the meaning of the scripture, Weeping endures for a night, joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

I want to acknowledge my lovely wife who has always been there for me whenever I grieved the death of a family, friend, or church member. She is an anchor in a storm who keeps me from drowning in my tears of despair. While I was being strong for others, she is always strong for me. I thank and praise God for her unbreakable, unconquerable spirit. Moreover, I cannot thank her enough for her words of wisdom and constructive criticism for this project.

I thank God for my assistant ministers Rev. Greer Stevens, Rev. Stevens and Minister Bean and the Deacon Ministry, who worked with me in Funerals, Grief Support Groups and comforting the bereaved. Also, a special thanks goes to all the Friendship Baptist Church ushers, nurses, soloist, musicians, choirs, Wounded Healers and Culinary Committee who provide a service for bereaved families.

A special thanks to Rev. Greer-Stevens, Mrs. Sandra White, MSW, Dr. Samuel Bulloch, Anna Goff, MSW, Ms. Kathleen M. VanNeste-Kortebein, MS, LPC for their insights and written endorsements. I truly appreciate the educational expertise, experience and depth of wisdom of these servants of God. Finally, I am eternally grateful for my editor, member and friend Elaine Rainey for her hard work and commitment to literary excellence.

Endorsements

"Dr. Samuel White, IIIs’ book No More Tears, is a masterful creation of his years of his experience as Hospice Chaplain, Pastor, and also as a vessel through which God has facilitated healing and brought hope to the suffering soul. No More Tears is a Bereavement bible and a missal of encouragement.

Dr. White notes the work of some of the more established experts in the field of Grief and Loss like LaCicero, and Wolfelt to reinforce his innovative bereavement process called, The Healing Cycle: Crying, Coping and Creating. As a Bereavement Specialist, I would recommend this book to those who are grieving and those working in the field of Grief and Loss."

Kathleen M. VanNeste-Kortebein, MS, LPC, Bereavement Specialist

"No More Tears is a must read that captures and transforms the spiritual, physical and emotional burden of death and loss to a view of hope, help and healing. The pages are filled with