11 min read ⭑

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I love the hole-in-the-wall places that serve great casual food and ice-cold beer! My husband and I fell in love over tacos in a restaurant in Findlay, Ohio. The place was an old house converted into a Mexican restaurant. It had uneven floors, mismatched dishes, and about 10 small (always wobbly) tables. The servers made you feel at home and welcome to take your time over dinner. We still keep two of their souvenir glasses in our freezer to serve up ice cold drinks at our house.

The restaurant’s byline was “delightfully tacky,” and I guess that describes the real me behind the web bio! My goal is to serve up great spiritual “food” in an approachable and casual atmosphere. I want my readers and listeners to “come as they are” and feel comfortable lingering over thoughts, questions or conversation.

Currently, we live in Jacksonville, Florida, which means nice weather, ocean waves, flip flops and outdoor seating. Casual beach vibes suit me much better than the gray winters of northwest Ohio.

I love to linger on a patio and talk for hours with someone close to me. I’m not one for small talk (ask any grieving parent), so my go-to meal would be comfort food in a casual, unhurried place.

I believe it takes time and a measure of relaxation for God to weave his way into our relationships. I love any meal or place that invites such an experience.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I have two pretty common places that provide great spiritual revival for me: the car and the ocean.

Driving in silence, with my windows open, restores my soul. If I can be on a small road where the trees overlap above me, even better. I think it’s a combination of the silence and solitude.

The car used to be the only place I felt comfortable truly grieving the loss of our son. I hate to cry in front of others, so my car was a safe place to let out the ugly cry when I needed it. It’s also a safe place to pitch a fit when I’m overwhelmed by the anger or exhaustion of grief.

No one but God can hear me yell or see me stomp my feet when I’m in my car, and he always waits until I’m done.

Patiently, he sits with me and waits until my emotions are spent, then he allows his great love to overwhelm me until I am comforted and peaceful again.

As I tell grieving moms in “Surviving Sorrow: A Mother's Guide to Living with Loss,” you should definitely pull off the road if you need to ugly cry or pitch a fit with God!

Second, the ocean always feeds my sense of awe and wonder at the majesty and power of our God. The ocean reminds me that I stand on this earth only because Almighty God holds back the water. When I need to increase my faith that God is in control, I go to the beach.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Procrastination is my kryptonite! I’ll wait until the last minute to do absolutely anything: big or small, important or insignificant.

I’ve tried many time management tools and listened to experts’ advice. I understand the process. But I can’t seem to get my brain to jump unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Do you want to hear something outrageous? I coach law school graduates (I’m a recovering attorney and law professor) to pass the bar exam. I teach time management, prioritization and discipline. Yet my latest project, “Predicting Jesus: A 6-Week Study of the Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah,” was not completed in a disciplined way. The Bible study was under contract about a year before the manuscript was due.

It was my worst nightmare. All that time. Who better to waste it than me?

I set up schedule after schedule and even promised others I would stick to it. I really wanted the study to be fantastic, so there should have been no problem, right? Wrong.

Schedule after schedule went by the wayside. Promise after promise got broken. Predicting Jesus involved a ton of studying and could not be written quickly. My husband often said, “Well, Kim, it’s not going to write itself!”

Eventually, I pulled the last few months together and the study was submitted on time. Completely ridiculous, but there you have it!

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

My professional time is spent in the best job: teaching kindergarten. I’ve left the legal profession behind and could not be happier!

My obsession is the Bible, and it saved me from the pit of grieving a child when I was only hours into my Christian life. I didn’t know Jesus when our son died from strep throat at 3 years old. At the moment Austin Lee Erickson passed from this life to the next, God made himself known to me and proved that heaven is real.

The Bible became my lifeline because it allowed me to know God. If you are struggling to dig out of any pit of despair or heartbreak, please try putting your faith in Jesus and then picking up a Bible.

If you already know Jesus but have not really been using your Bible as a tool to heal your broken heart, please try it. Ask God to make himself known to you through his Word. He will. I promise.

How can I promise such a thing? Because I didn't promise it first. God did. One of the most important things I learned as a grieving mom with a Bible in her hands is that God always keeps his promises. If God said it, he’s going to do it. Over and over again, the Bible proves this truth.

The Bible can save you from whatever is troubling you. It is an obsession worthy of its name — the Word of God.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?

What pops into my mind first is how I know it when God is not energizing and driving my work! God doesn’t energize my work when I’m out of step with him. When I’m stubborn or disobedient to what he’s already shown me, I feel stressed or irritable. When I’m putting my effort into something that’s not what he’s asked of me, it never goes well, and it never feels smooth.

Years ago, when I was still young in my walk with the Lord, I was offered a promotion with a significant jump in position and pay. As I prayed about it, the Lord very clearly put it into my mind: No, this is not what I want for you. No.

Period. End of discussion. I told my boss, “Thank you, but I must decline.” He was persistent, though, and I was greedy. I wanted the money. I was already doing the job as the interim during the recruiting process. I might as well just do it. I changed my answer and took the job.

It was a disaster! I was so stressed. I couldn't sleep. My hair started falling out. I wasn’t spending time with God. I wasn’t studying my Bible or writing. Things at home seemed strained. Ugh.

I resigned after six months. In God’s good grace, I had gotten a new boss who was a believer, so I was simply honest with her, and she understood. I went back to my old position and everything felt right in my world again.

Unfortunately, I have another example in “Surviving Sorrow.”

God put this book on my heart many years before I wrote it. I did not want to minister to the grieving. “It’s too hard,” I said, begging God to remove this from me. His answer? No. Loud and clear again in my heart.

Like a toddler pitching a fit, I refused. Even after he allowed my heart's desire to be a Bible teacher and publish “His Last Words, I still refused. Opportunities to write and speak began to stop, nearly drying up completely. My stubborn disobedience remained, and I was officially in “time out.”

Finally, I stomped and yelled enough to know that God wasn’t going to change his answer. He wanted me to write the book he imprinted on my mind and heart more than eight years earlier. How did I know he wanted this book written? Because it came out like water, smooth and refreshing, tumbling onto the pages.

I find that God is always faithful to energize and fuel my work when I am open to his guiding force. When I keep my eyes and ears and heart open to him, the Lord not only comes through, but he’s often quite obvious about it. God is not trying to hide his will from us, and he’s quite patient when we try to ignore his promptings. Thank goodness!

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

This year, I am going through my Bible from Genesis to Revelation (sometimes I go backward, or I read topically or randomly). I’ve made it to the Gospel of John. I’m captivated once again by the intimate picture of our Savior. I use a pencil as I read, underlining or circling, and writing notes in the margin. Yes, I write in my Bible! I dog-ear the pages. I add sticky notes. My Bible is a mess!

But it’s evidence. It’s the proof I need that God exists, that he’s our Creator, that he’s our Redeemer. My marked-up Bible holds the conversations I’ve had with God.

It holds the history of our relationship, both personally and as mankind. My Bible is my most vibrant tool for talking to God.

When I’m praying or even listening to worship music, my mind can wander. When I’m digging through my Bible searching for God, pencil in hand, ready to record whatever he might show me, he can hold my attention for hours on end.

He enthralls me through his Word.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

Beth Moore’s study “Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman” changed my life because it opened up to me the world of studying my Bible looking for God himself, always asking, “What does this tell me about God?” Studying the Word of God changed me forever.

Don’t worry, the next two are short books that don’t have homework! “The Green Letters” by Miles J. Stanford is imprinted on my mind for something along these lines: Stop praying for what’s already been done. Essentially, it taught me that complete forgiveness was already accomplished by Christ on the cross, and the Holy Spirit has already been given to me, providing power beyond my imagination. It changed my prayer life.

“The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer opened the writer in me. I was writing in “professor” mode until I read “The Pursuit of God.” Tozer allowed me to see that I could write emotionally about my God. I could open up about my inner thoughts and allow my heart to be heard through my writing. This book may take a bit more effort to read, but it’s worth every minute you pour into it.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

You might guess by now that my Bible is my lifeline. It is. The Bible remains my anchor. One other resource that remains a steady place for my soul is the “Streams in the Desert” devotional. 

I’ve used many devotionals through the years, but I always come back to this one when my heart is hurting.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

My next Bible study releases in a few months, so I’m having labor pains for “Predicting Jesus: A Six-Week Study of the Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah” right now! This is the worst part for me — marketing! Ugh. I love to study, write and teach. I wish the rest would just work itself out! But I realize what a privilege it is to publish with Moody, and I want to steward it well, so I’m working on a launch team and marketing plan. My prayer is that plan will glorify God and point people to Jesus.

Meanwhile, my heart and mind are turning to my next ideas. I have another book I’d like to write about God and grief (this time without pitching a fit or being placed in timeout). I have another Bible study I’d like to write, too. Since God speaks to me through words, it’s words that most often capture my mind.

My prayer is that God will continue to allow me to write about him in a way that helps others believe in him and trust him, especially through difficult times.

I still find it incredibly difficult to minister to the grieving. I especially find it difficult to get the word out about “Surviving Sorrow.” I don’t want anyone to need this book. I hate sending it to people because it means someone’s worst nightmare has happened. I’m hoping that this next season will bring fresh strength and perspective to my grief ministry. I’m praying that my willingness to embrace my role alongside the grieving will continue to increase.

Grief is an unwelcome visitor. Just ask Kim. She knows that, in times of grieving, a heaviness fills our hearts that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it themselves.

In those times, it’s easy to feel as though no one else understands what we’re going through or what we feel. But the apostle Paul did. While facing persecution in Asia, he and his fellow missionaries felt “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8, ESV). And yet in Paul’s brokenness, he experienced a tender closeness with Jesus as the Holy Spirit comforted him.

That experience taught Paul that when we feel utterly alone, Jesus is there. Two thousand years later, we can still trust that truth because God always keeps his word, and he promised that he’s “near to the brokenhearted” and that he “saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV).

If — or when — grief pays an unwelcome visit, will we cling to those promises?

Kim Erickson began following Christ after the death of her 3-year-old son. Jesus and the Bible saved her from the pit of grieving the loss of a child. She began a writing and teaching ministry to help other women find outrageous joy from a deeper relationship with God. She’s now the author of His Last Words: What Jesus Taught and Prayed in His Final Hours, Surviving Sorrow: A Mother’s Guide to Living with Loss and Predicting Jesus: A Six-Week Study of the Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah. You can connect with Kim through her website, Facebook or Instagram.

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