Edifi Podcast Network

Cradled in Hope

Cradled in Hope

Jesus cradles us in hope as He cradles our babies in Heaven. What if the hope of Heaven had the power to heal your heart after the loss of your baby? Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss are heartbreaking experiences that no mother should ever have to endure. Drowning in sadness, you cry out in pain, “God, where are You? Why did You let my baby die?” You feel abandoned by Him and question His goodness. How will you ever live without your precious baby? Will you ever see him or her again? Ashley Opliger asked these same questions when her daughter, Bridget, was born into Heaven at 24 weeks in her first pregnancy. In a crisis of faith, Ashley chose to surrender her suffering and allow God to heal her heart. She found purpose in her pain when she started Bridget’s Cradles, a nonprofit that now comforts thousands of grieving families across the country. Through her own story of heartbreak, Ashley will guide you on a journey to trust God’s promise to restore your joy, use your grief for good, and spend eternity with your baby in Heaven. Podcast episodes feature hope-filled messages, stories, and guest interviews. Grieving mothers will be reminded that though we may grieve, we do not grieve without hope! Episodes release on the 1st of every month. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode!

Episodes

  • 41 - Facing a Life-Limiting Diagnosis in Pregnancy with Hope and Grace with KC Tregoning 41 - Facing a Life-Limiting Diagnosis in Pregnancy with Hope and Grace with KC Tregoning Play in Edifi Player

    41 - Facing a Life-Limiting Diagnosis in Pregnancy with Hope and Grace with KC Tregoning

    KC Tregoning is a bereaved mom who found out about **_Bridget’s Cradles_** after receiving a tiny knit heart in the delivery room. KC attended her first **_Hope Online_** support group with us just one month after Alan had passed. KC lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Matt, and their three fur babies. She is the proud mom of Alan who reigns in Heaven. After a turbulent pregnancy, KC and Matt found out at their 31-week appointment that their son, Alan, had a condition that was not …

  • 40 - Q&A with Ashley and Kristin 40 - Q&A with Ashley and Kristin Play in Edifi Player

    40 - Q&A with Ashley and Kristin

    Join us for the final episode of our 3-part summer series called "Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin." Ashley Opliger and Kristin Hernandez are both bereaved moms who desire to point other grieving moms to the hope they've found in Jesus. This month's episode is a Q&A; with Ashley and Kristin using listener- submitted questions. **In this episode, we discussed:** * How to navigate relationships after losing a baby * Forgiving friends and family who have hurt us in our grief …

  • 39 - Important Truths about Babies in Heaven with Ashley and Kristin 39 - Important Truths about Babies in Heaven with Ashley and Kristin Play in Edifi Player

    39 - Important Truths about Babies in Heaven with Ashley and Kristin

    Join us for this special 3-part summer series called "Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin." Ashley Opliger and Kristin Hernandez are both bereaved moms who desire to point other grieving moms to the hope they've found in Jesus. New episodes will release each summer month (June, July, and August) with this month's episode title being "Important Truths about Babies in Heaven." At the beginning of the episode, Ashley shares a personal update about her son, Brenner, and his recent …

  • 38 - Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin: A Foundation of Biblical Hope 38 - Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin: A Foundation of Biblical Hope Play in Edifi Player

    38 - Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin: A Foundation of Biblical Hope

    Join us for this special 3-part summer series called "Conversations of Hope with Ashley and Kristin." Ashley Opliger and Kristin Hernandez are both bereaved moms who desire to point other grieving moms to the hope they've found in Jesus.  New episodes will release each summer month (June, July, and August) with this month's episode title being "A Foundation of Biblical Hope." **In this episode, we discussed:** * Where do we place our hope after we've lost a baby? * What is "hope" anyway? …

  • 36 - God So Close - Relying on the Holy Spirit as a Grieving Mom with Becky Thompson 36 - God So Close - Relying on the Holy Spirit as a Grieving Mom with Becky Thompson Play in Edifi Player

    36 - God So Close - Relying on the Holy Spirit as a Grieving Mom with Becky Thompson

    **Join us for a conversation with Becky Thompson about how to rely on the Holy Spirit as a grieving mom. In the midst of a season of suffering, we do not have to wait to meet God on the other side; rather, He is a God so close Who longs to be near to us in our pain. ** Becky shares her story of losing her daughter at eight weeks and how the Lord brought hope to her broken heart. She decided to trust in Him knowing that she couldn't lose Him too. ** ** **In this episode, we …

  • 35 - The Good She Brought Me + Draw Near to Him with Ashley Opliger 35 - The Good She Brought Me + Draw Near to Him with Ashley Opliger Play in Edifi Player

    35 - The Good She Brought Me + Draw Near to Him with Ashley Opliger

    **Join us for a discussion with Ashley Opliger about the good that came from the birth and death of her daughter, Bridget. Ashley shares how her loss shifted her focus to Heaven and living for God's Kingdom. In this episode, Ashley encourages grieving moms to draw near to God by reading His Word. She invites moms into a relationship with Him because she believes He is the only One who can heal their broken hearts. His amazing gift of salvation gives us the hope of Heaven with Him and our …

  • 34 - Redemption in our Marriage and Family after Losing our Daughter with Steve and Heather Colvin 34 - Redemption in our Marriage and Family after Losing our Daughter with Steve and Heather Colvin Play in Edifi Player

    34 - Redemption in our Marriage and Family after Losing our Daughter with Steve and Heather Colvin

    **Join us for a conversation with Steve and Heather Colvin about how the Lord brought healing and redemption to their family after losing their daughter, AnnaJoy. ** Through a testimony of radical transformation in their marriage after AnnaJoy passed away, Steve and Heather founded a nonprofit ministry called **AJ's Place: A Foundation of Hope**. They help families afford memorial stones for their babies who have gone to Heaven too soon. **In this episode, we discussed:** * How the …

  • 33 - The Beautiful Brokenness of Grief with Kelcey Crone 33 - The Beautiful Brokenness of Grief with Kelcey Crone Play in Edifi Player

    33 - The Beautiful Brokenness of Grief with Kelcey Crone

    **Join us for a conversation with Kelcey Crone about the beautiful brokenness of grief. After their son was born into Heaven, Kelcey and her husband were in a pit of despair. Not only were they grieving their son, but his loss exposed their sin from the past and in the present. ** **In the nakedness of their grief, they turned to God, and He saved their marriage. Both individually and collectively, God radically transformed them and gave them a new purpose in serving others and living …

  • 32 - The Moon is Always Round – Seeing God’s Goodness Even When Your Baby Has Died with Jonathan and Jackie Gibson 32 - The Moon is Always Round – Seeing God’s Goodness Even When Your Baby Has Died with Jonathan and Jackie Gibson Play in Edifi Player

    32 - The Moon is Always Round – Seeing God’s Goodness Even When Your Baby Has Died with Jonathan and Jackie Gibson

    Join us for a conversation with Jonathan and Jackie Gibson about seeing God's goodness even when your baby has died. After their daughter was stillborn, Jonathan wrote a book called The Moon is Always Round. The book is based on a catechism he taught his oldest living son about how God is always good even when we can't see it (just like how the moon is always round even when it's not fully visible). Jonathan (Jonny) shares the inspiration for his book as well as his grieving journey …

  • 31 - Hope When the Holidays Hurt with Kristin Hernandez 31 - Hope When the Holidays Hurt with Kristin Hernandez Play in Edifi Player

    31 - Hope When the Holidays Hurt with Kristin Hernandez

    **Join us for a conversation with Kristin Hernandez about finding hope when the holidays hurt.** Kristin shares from her new advent journal about how to grieve with hope through the Christmas season when you're missing a baby/ies in Heaven. After losing five precious babies, Kristin talks about how her faith helped her through the holidays. Our topic is Advent, which in Latin means "coming" referencing the longing of our Messiah. We discuss parallels between the Jews waiting in the Old …

  • 30 - The Gift of One Day – How to Grieve a Grandchild and Support an Adult Child Who Lost a Baby with Kerry and Chris Shook 30 - The Gift of One Day – How to Grieve a Grandchild and Support an Adult Child Who Lost a Baby with Kerry and Chris Shook Play in Edifi Player

    30 - The Gift of One Day – How to Grieve a Grandchild and Support an Adult Child Who Lost a Baby with Kerry and Chris Shook

    **Join us for a conversation with Pastor Kerry and Chris Shook about how to grieve a grandchild and support an adult child who has lost a baby.** After losing their grandson, Jude, they had to learn how to navigate grief both from the perspective of grandparents and parents. In this episode, they share how they came alongside their son and daughter-in-law and walked with them through their grief. Kerry and Chris give practical ideas on how to show up for your children who are grieving a baby …

  • Bonus Episode - Wave of Light 2022 Bonus Episode - Wave of Light 2022 Play in Edifi Player

    Bonus Episode - Wave of Light 2022

    This is a special bonus episode highlighting the program from the Wave of Light event that Bridget's Cradles hosted in Wichita, Kansas on October 15, 2022, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. **In this episode, we shared:** * The program and announcements from our Wave of Light 2022 event * Scott Evans' remarks and Ashley Opliger's speech and prayer from event * A thank you to our generous corporate and memorial sponsors * The Shine Their Light Award Winners' speech (Jon and …

  • 29 - Joyful Sorrow – Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief and Trauma with Julie Busler 29 - Joyful Sorrow – Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief and Trauma with Julie Busler Play in Edifi Player

    29 - Joyful Sorrow – Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief and Trauma with Julie Busler

    **Join us for a conversation with Julie Busler about mental illness amidst loss and grief.** Julie shares her story of how loss and trauma impacted her mental health and caused her to become suicidal. As a missionary overseas, she was hospitalized in a Turkish psychiatric ward due to her suicidal ideation. Through intense healing from the Lord, medication, and therapy, Julie found hope and joy again. But God didn't heal her entirely of her depression. She has learned how to allow joy and …

  • 28 - Trusting God’s Character after Losing a Baby with Ashley Opliger 28 - Trusting God’s Character after Losing a Baby with Ashley Opliger Play in Edifi Player

    28 - Trusting God’s Character after Losing a Baby with Ashley Opliger

    When you lose a baby, your whole world falls apart. It's common to wonder where God is and why He would allow you to suffer in this way. You feel abandoned by Him and question why He would let your baby die. Unfortunately, we are not immune to the fallen nature of our world corrupted by sin and death. But take heart! Jesus has overcome the world and defeated death forever. And, best of all, He promises us eternity in Heaven with Him and our babies through salvation in Him. In this short …