Crosstalk: May 9, 2018

Julie Gossack is a wife, mother and grandmother who's been involved in teaching, discipleship and counseling ministries.  She's author of 'Hope Beyond Despair', a book helping the reader find truth after a loved one’s suicide.

Julie's book comes out of tragic, personal experience of suicide within her own family. When she was 13 years old her mother committed suicide. Six weeks prior to that her step-father also took his own life. Later suicides included a step-brother, a biological brother and a cousin.

Julie addressed suicides listed in Scripture, the reasons that people feel led to go down this path, the defiance she felt after her mother's suicide, how she worked through it, and how she dealt with the shame.

As the program continued, Julie answered the following questions related to this topic:

--What about loved ones who blame themselves and wonder what they could have done to stop a suicide?
--What about those who assume the Bible doesn't address their situation?
--How can we answer the question, 'Where was God when this took place?'
--Do people who commit suicide automatically go to hell?
--Does suicide permanently shatter the lives of loved ones with no possibility of moving forward?