Mark Allen Moore's Blog

As the holiday season concludes, many find themselves navigating the lingering shadows of grief and loneliness. This heartfelt post explores the unpredictable journey of healing, emphasizing the power of hope, faith, and community. Discover practical strategies to reach out, practice self-compassion, and seek meaningful connections, guiding you toward resilience and renewed joy even in the toughest times.

August 14th. That was the date of the last blog I posted. Honestly, I haven’t felt like writing. This last year has been a deep dive into the search for who I am in this season of transition and loss. It’s not that I “dove in,” but rather I was “thrown into” the deep end.... Continue Reading →

In the midst of pain and struggles, it's important to embrace the journey and allow it to bring about growth and maturity. Rather than seeking to simply move on from pain, the focus should be on moving through it, with endurance as the key. This process leads to transformation and a deeper connection with spiritual purpose.

In relationships, we seldom consider where someone lives emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. We all have to live somewhere, but dwelling on our pain and disappointments creates an expectancy that leads us into dark places of bondage. By making Jesus our dwelling place, we find joy and hope in the middle of pain and disappointment.

It’s been a minute since I’ve written anything. Actually, I haven’t posted anything this year. Truth be told, I haven’t had anything to write. Most of what I post comes from deep moments where I am pursuing something that is lacking in my own life and find some nugget of truth that impacts the hope... Continue Reading →

This might touch a nerve, but in the spirit of transparency, I have to admit that I’ve been disappointed with God. Not just recently. This probably doesn’t apply to you, but I have a tendency to judge God based on what He has done for me. When things balance out in my favor, then God … Continue reading When God Disappoints →

Earlier this year, Bill Johnson lost his wife to cancer. Three days later, he was behind the pulpit preaching. Here is a small section of what he taught: God is not a vending machine that I get to put a quarter into and withdraw from Him what I want. He chooses what He gives. But … Continue reading Don’t Despise the Valley Pt. 2 →

I was sitting in church this past Sunday and I was faced with the question that we’re all faced with throughout our lives. It’s a question that I’ve addressed on this blog many times, and I’m certain I will address many more times throughout my life. Is God REALLY Good? As I sat there listening … Continue reading Don’t Despise the Valley →

I love the Holiday Season. Thanksgiving and Christmas bring back memories of warmth in the midst of the cold, friends and family in the presence of loneliness, and giving to others in spite of a culture that tends to put themselves first (a topic for another blog). For some, however, this season is a reminder … Continue reading Feeling “Inspired” →

In life, we all face moments of loss and hardship that leave us feeling shattered. Finding hope in these trying times often feels unreachable. In this blog, I delve into a collection of quotes that impacted my journey from pain and loss to restoration. Whether you’re navigating a tough season or seeking direction for the next, these words offer a comforting reminder: you are not alone!

Letting the words of others bring comfort and peace

In my personal journey, I found that when the weight of disappointment begins to feel unbearable, the art of well crafted and heart-felt words have been like streams of living water. That’s why I love looking up quotes. They are much more than mere sentences; they are lifelines thrown out to us when we’re drowning in sorrow and discouragement. When darkness feels unending, these words act as a voice in a dark and lonely room. They whisper a reassurance that we have not walked these halls of disappointment alone, but great men and women have led the way and found beauty in the ashes.

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

Queen Elizabeth II

“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist minister and civil rights leader

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.”

Jean de La Bruyere, 17th Century Christian Moralist and Philosopher

“Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.”

Henry Ward Beecher, 19th Century clergyman, social reformer, and speaker

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Sometimes the people with the greatest strength carry the heaviest burdens.”

Unknown

“The little troubles and worries of life may be as stumbling blocks in our way, or we may make them stepping-stones to a nobler character and to Heaven. Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.”

Henry Ward Beecher

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”

C.S. Lewis, Best-selling author and theologian

“Scars are our reminder that we can get up and walk again.”

Kelly Balarie, Author and blogger

“If you say: I believed in God, I trusted God and He didn’t come through – You only trusted God to meet your agenda.” Pastor and Christian Apologist, Timothy Keller

Timothy Keller, Pastor and Christian Apologist

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” 

C.S. Lewis

“Things may not be logical or fair, but when God is directing the events of our lives, they are right.”

Luci Swindoll, Best-selling author and speaker

“God will often give you more than you can handle so you can learn to depend on Him rather than on yourself.”

Craig Groeschel, Senior pastor of Life Church and best-selling author

“Our faith is built in the dark, in the valleys, and during the back-breaking battles in life.”

Dana Arcuri, Author, speaker, and certified trauma recovery coach

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.“

Vance Havner, Revivalist and author

“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering…. The love of God did not protect His own Son…. He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.“

Elisabeth Elliot, Christian author, speaker, and missionary

“A believer may pass through much affliction, and yet secure very little blessing from it all. Abiding in Christ is the secret of securing all that the Father meant the chastisement to bring us.”

Andrew Murray, South African writer, teacher, and pastor

“We will never meet God in revival until we have first met Him in brokenness.”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Christian author and radio host

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955

“Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. It’s storming the gates of hell. The will of God is not an insurance plan. It’s a daring plan. The complete surrender of your life to the cause of Christ isn’t radical. It’s normal. It’s time to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.”

Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church and best-selling author

“Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties.”

C.S. Lewis

“My home is in heaven. I’m just passing through this world.”

Billy Graham, American evangelist

After the words of men and women that have impacted my journey, I wanted to list some of the key verses from THE Word that have also touched my life in the midst of disappointment, grief, and loss. Here are a few:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

Romans 8:28

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 147:3

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit”

Psalm 34:18

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

My hope is that these words will help you move from the ash heap to a beautiful place of endurance and renewed hope and purpose.

Peace.