Learning Grief with Hope- John Onwuchekwa | 449
Dad Tired
Jerrad Lopes
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 30 December 2024
⏱️ 49 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
What do you do when life falls apart—and you're still expected to lead, provide, and hold it all together? In this episode, Pastor John Onwuchekwa shares his story of unexpected loss, spiritual exhaustion, and the slow, grace-filled process of healing. Through raw moments of grief, relational strain, and a sabbatical that reshaped him, John shows why grief isn’t something to get over—but something we have to learn to carry.
Together, John and Kaleb explore how Scripture, friendship, and deep honesty help Christian men navigate sorrow without losing hope. If you’re in a season of loss—or walking with someone who is—this conversation offers comfort, language, and direction.
 What You’ll Learn:
- Why grief isn't linear—and why it doesn't mean you're doing it wrong
- The difference between honesty and hopelessness
- How grief affects marriage, friendships, and spiritual rhythms
- Why isolation is more dangerous than tragedy
- How Ecclesiastes and the resurrection became anchors for John’s healing
- What to do (and not do) when walking with someone who's grieving
Scriptures References:
Ecclesiastes – Finding hope in hard truths
1 Thessalonians 4; 1 Corinthians 15
Acts 1
Isaiah 53
John 11
Episode Resources:
1. Book: We Go On by John Onwuchekwa – Available at major booksellers and wegoontour.com
2. National Tour: We Go On Tour — A live evening of music, film, comedy, and teaching on grief and hope-wegoontour.com
3. Sponsor: Dwell Bible App -dwellbible.com/dadtired
Invite Jerrad to speak: https://www.jerradlopes.com
Read The Dad Tired Book: https://amzn.to/3YTz4GB
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey y'all and welcome back to the Dad Tired podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Dwell. |
| 0:03.9 | If you've ever tried to read the Bible in a year, you know it's a challenge. Life gets busy |
| 0:08.0 | and falling behind can feel inevitable. That's why quiet moments with a coffee. With Dwell, you can follow amazing Bible-in-year plans |
| 0:25.7 | that take just 10 to 20 minutes a day. One plane we love? One story that leads to Jesus by the |
| 0:30.9 | Bible Project. It reveals how every part of Scripture connects to Jesus, highlighting themes |
| 0:35.4 | that tie the whole Bible together. It's perfect if you want to |
| 0:38.6 | see the big picture of God's Word. Remember, listening to the Bible in a year isn't just about |
| 0:43.3 | getting through God's Word. It's about letting God's Word get through you. It's about dwelling |
| 0:48.1 | on Scripture and letting it transform your heart and your mind. So if you're ready to journey through |
| 0:52.6 | the Bible in 2025, get started |
| 0:54.7 | today at dwellbibble.com forward slash dad tired. That's dwellbibble.com forward slash dad tired. All right, guys, excited to be with you and with Pastor John on Wachequa. |
| 1:20.7 | Talking about grief, man. |
| 1:21.7 | I think it's really important to kind of touch some of these subjects around the holidays. |
| 1:26.2 | John, I'm a local pastor too, and grief's always a thing in this season. |
| 1:31.2 | And even for me to, like, have some tools and get my mind spinning on how to help people process grief. |
| 1:36.8 | Think about grief is really, really big. |
| 1:38.6 | And so excited to be with you, man. |
| 1:40.0 | How are you doing today? |
| 1:40.9 | Yeah. |
| 1:41.3 | Oh, man. |
| 1:41.7 | I'm doing well. |
| 1:42.6 | Can't complain at all. |
... |
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