Andy Crouch interviews Donna Harris, Founder of Builders + Backers, a movement of community-focused entrepreneurs. They discuss the biblical practice of lament as an essential step to deal faithfully and productively with the uncertainty and loss that all of us face in a worldwide pandemic.

Lament is an encounter with God that precedes redemptive action. In lament we approach God in a way that “enfolds complaint with trust” in his sovereignty and goodness. Donna discusses a six-part flow of lament:

1. Crying out to God

2. Affirming trust in God

3. Petitioning God to restore

4. Making additional arguments

5. Expressing rage against loss and injustice

6. Praising God in assurance of his promises to hear us

Donna’s main thesis is that lament is not only essential for processing our grief, but also for effective problem-solving and creative action in the face of crisis. She reveals how lament has fueled the Be a Neighbor Campaign, which mobilizes volunteers and entrepreneurs to serve needs and solve problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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