Grief doesn’t just take what you love. It changes who you are.

In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham continues the conversation about grief as a rite of passage by stepping into what may be the hardest part of the journey—the middle space. That in-between place where you are no longer who you were, but not yet who you are becoming.

Jay shares honestly about disorientation, about learning to function in a life he didn’t choose after the loss of his bride, Christine, and about the quietness of God in seasons where clarity doesn’t come quickly. He speaks to the tension of wanting a map while discovering that what we truly need is proximity to the Father.

If you’ve felt lost, numb, behind, or unsure of who you are anymore, this episode offers language for that experience. The middle is not wasted space. It is sacred ground where identity is refined, dependence grows deeper, and God meets us daily with just enough grace.

You are not behind. You are in between. And God is still good there.

Find out more about me here: https://jaycookingham.com

I’m on @buymeacoffee. If you like, even maybe love my podcast, you can buy me a coffee and support me. It’s a simple way of showing your support and helping me grow the podcast. Thank you!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/jcdude56t

If grief is a rite of passage, then stripping is part of the journey.

In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham continues the conversation from Episode 53, exploring what grief takes from us—and why that painful undoing is not a sign of failure, but a necessary part of transformation.

Jay speaks candidly about the roles, rhythms, language, and assumptions that grief dismantles after the loss of his bride, Christine. He reflects on the feeling of being “undone,” not as something broken beyond repair, but as evidence that the work is not finished yet.

This episode invites listeners to slow down, resist the urge to rebuild too quickly, and allow God to meet them in the rubble. Grief strips away much, but it cannot strip away God’s presence, love, or redemptive work in our lives.

If you feel disoriented, unfinished, or unsure who you are anymore, this conversation offers permission to engage the process honestly—one step at a time, with God.

Grief is not a problem to fix, a disease to cure, or a sentence to serve. It is a passage to walk through.

In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham reflects on grief as a rite of passage—one that is entered, not chosen, and one that changes us whether we’re ready or not. Drawing from his own six-year journey after the loss of his bride, Christine, Jay shares how grief dismantles what was familiar and invites us into a deeper, more honest walk with God.

This conversation explores grief not as something to conquer, but as sacred ground where lament, worship, endurance, and intimacy with God are formed. Jay speaks candidly about what hasn’t worked, what still hurts, and how redemption doesn’t come through answers or explanations—but through the presence of God Himself.

If you feel stuck, behind, exhausted, or unsure why this journey is taking so long, this episode offers a reframing that may bring freedom: you are not failing—you are in passage.

Find out more about me here: https://jaycookingham.com
I’m on @buymeacoffee. If you like, even maybe love my podcast, you can buy me acoffee and support me. It’s a simple way of showing your support and helping megrow the podcast. Thank you!
Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/jcdude56t

In this episode of The NEXT Podcast, Jay Cookingham gently reframes the idea of “goals” through the lens of grief, loss, and faith. These are not resolutions meant to fix pain or rush healing. They are sacred goals for widowers—and for anyone walking with grief—who are learning how to live faithfully with loss.

Jay walks through seven intentional goals, including honesty, stewardship, endurance, remembrance without drowning, worship through lament, community, and trusting God’s definition of good. Each goal offers space for breath, truth, and surrender rather than pressure or performance.

Rooted in Scripture and personal experience, this episode reminds us that grief doesn’t reset with the calendar, but God remains present and faithful in every season. As the year unfolds, listeners are invited to walk forward slowly, honestly, and imperfectly, trusting a God who crowns our year with His goodness and surrounds us with His presence.

Find out more about me here: https://jaycookingham.com

I’m on @buymeacoffee. If you like, even maybe love my podcast, you can buy me a coffee and support me. It’s a simple way of showing your support and helping me grow the podcast. Thank you!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/jcdude56t

A new year always invites reflection—but when grief is part of your story, reflection becomes sacred work.

In this episode, Jay Cookingham talks honestly about what it means to carry both sorrow and hope into a new season. Six years into life as a widower, Jay reflects on the tension between “praise reports” and the parts of grief that are harder to share—the wounds, the exhaustion, the stories behind the tears.

This episode is about telling the whole story. Not just the victories, but the battles. Not just the fruit, but the pain that produced it. Jay explores biblical lament, the courage of honesty, and the truth that mourning and celebration can exist side by side.

If you’re navigating grief, supporting someone who is, or wondering how God’s goodness fits into ongoing pain, this conversation creates space for honesty, worship, and hope.

Find out more about me here: https://jaycookingham.com

I’m on @buymeacoffee. If you like, even maybe love my podcast, you can buy me a coffee and support me. It’s a simple way of showing your support and helping me grow the podcast. Thank you!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/jcdude56t

Remember: God is good. He is always good. And He always answers out of His goodness.

Episode 50 marks an important milestone on The NEXT Podcast, and Jay reflects with gratitude on the journey so far—fifty honest conversations shaped by loss, faith, and the steady presence of God.

As the calendar turns to a new year, this episode gently acknowledges a truth many grieving hearts know well: while the date may change, grief often remains. The New Year doesn’t automatically feel fresh or hopeful when loss still walks beside us.

Drawing from C.S. Lewis, Scripture, and his own experience of entering another year without Christine, Jay explores grief not as a destination, but as a process—one God meets us in daily. He reminds listeners that God’s mercies are not reserved for New Year’s Day, but are new every single morning, even in the wilderness of sorrow.

This episode is an invitation to release the pressure of forced resolutions, to honor the reality of ongoing grief, and to lean into God’s faithfulness one day at a time. If you’re stepping into a new year carrying old heartache, this conversation offers hope, honesty, and the reassurance that God is still making a way forward.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” … or is it?

For many walking through grief, Christmas doesn’t feel wonderful at all. In this deeply honest episode, Jay reflects on another Christmas without his bride and the complicated, messy reality of holding grief and celebration at the same time.

Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, and the truth of the gospel, Jay explores the difference between seasonal cheer and lasting joy. He reminds us that joy is not the absence of sorrow, but the presence of hope — rooted in belonging to Jesus, the Light of the world.

This episode offers comfort for those who feel lonely, weary, or out of sync with the holiday season, while gently pointing listeners back to Emmanuel — God with us and God for us — even in seasons that don’t feel merry or bright.

If Christmas feels “not so wonderful” this year, you’re not alone. This conversation invites you to choose worship, receive God’s indescribable gift, and trust His goodness as you move forward.

Christmas comes wrapped in lights, music, and cheer, but for those walking through grief, the season can feel completely out of sync with the heart. In this episode, Jay speaks honestly about the tension between cultural “holly jolly” expectations and the real weight of loss, especially when facing Christmas without the one who helped make it meaningful.

Drawing from a personal Christmas Eve journal entry, Jay reflects on how traditions shift, memories surface, and grief deepens during the holidays. Yet he also shares the deeper truth that anchors his heart: Christmas isn’t built on mood, but on Emmanuel—God with us. Even in seasons of grief, God continues to give strength, presence, peace, and hope.

If this Christmas feels different or difficult, this conversation will meet you with honesty, comfort, and the reminder that you don’t have to manufacture joy.

You simply must make room for the One who enters broken places with love.