I remember shaking my head in disbelief when I heard the news. My friend and colleague, Rob Moll, had died in a hiking accident. He was only 41 years old. Moll left behind a wife and four children. It seemed too awful to be true.

Rob was no stranger to death. He wrote a book on death, and even worked in a funeral home and visited terminally ill patients to get acquainted with the topic. This week, Christianity Today ran a piece from his widow, Clarissa. I appreciated her honesty: “there is not a moment I do not long for the life I lived before.” And I was inspired by her grief-tested faith. “Grief may walk with us our whole lives, but our Savior does too.” I highly recommend reading her piece: My Husband Died Suddenly in the Wilderness.

If someone in your church has lost a spouse, I recommend this resource to help you walk through their grief. Urgent Care: Death of a Spouse is designed to help your church respond to this situation with grace, hope, and sensitivity, and with the practical tools necessary to offer tangible help.