Hope, Hurt, and Healing

In her early 20’s, Catherine Renfro received a phone call no one should have. In broken hopelessness, her brother, Barrett, called out with despair before taking his own life. She and her father would rush over to his home only to find out that he was no longer with them.

Catherine went through a season of grief that hundreds of thousands of people endure every year in America. But even in the midst of anger, suffering, and guilt, she would say that Christ never left her.

In Hope, Hurt, and Healing, Catherine Renfro addresses the reality of loss, the feeling of brokenness, the guilt of living on while also pointing to the hope of the gospel, the peace of relying on Christ, and the trusting in God even during the broken seasons. She offers a real look at suicide loss, but she does not simply live in the despair. Instead, she uses her own life to point people to Christ and lean on his goodness to discover hope for the present and healing for the future.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Preface
4. Chapter 1: Normal Life
5. Chapter 2: The Night That Wouldn’t End
6. Chapter 3: Racing Against the Clock
7. Chapter 4: Troubled
8. Chapter 5: But God
9. Chapter 6: Asking Why
10. Chapter 7: Lighten the Load
11. Chapter 8: Distinguishing Truth from Lies
12. Chapter 9: Taryn
13. Chapter 10: A Glimmer of Hope
14. Chapter 11: Grief in the Desert
15. Chapter 12: Truth to Behold
16. Chapter 13: Pure Joy
17. Chapter 14: A Story Worth Sharing
18. Chapter 15: A Willing Spirit
19. Conclusion: A Note to the Reader
20. Closing Credits