Last week Steve and Brian tackled the big theological questions about suffering. This week they turn to the pastoral question: what do you actually DO when suffering shows up as a phone call, a hospital room, a funeral, or a friend saying "I'm angry with God"? Steve and Brian walk through six practical suggestions for supporting someone in grief — and Brian shares vulnerably about losing his twin daughters Hannah and Olivia at 30 weeks, contrasting what was helpful with what was not. As Steve says up front: "If I could pick one episode for everybody to listen to, I would pick this one."

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction

• [01:24] The Question: How Do We Support a Grieving Friend?

• [04:02] #1: You Don't Need to Defend God From a Grieving Person

• [07:37] #2: Avoid Cliché Explanations

• [09:38] #3: Ask Permission Before Praying or Sharing

• [10:42] #4: If You Want to Help, Be Specific

• [12:19] #5: When Someone Asks "Why?" — Discern What They're Really Asking

• [13:40] #6: Remember the Anniversary — Grief Gets Lonely Later

• [14:10] Brian's Story: Hannah and Olivia

• [17:33] Closing

People's Questions Answered

"What is the best way to help a friend through a tragedy when they are asking, 'Why would God allow this?' or 'I'm so angry with God.' How do we support them without making them feel like we are pushing Jesus on them?"

Key Scripture References

• Psalms of Lament ("How long, O Lord?")
• Jeremiah
• Job
• Habakkuk
• Jesus's cry from the cross
• Romans 8 (creation groans and God works for good)
• Mary and Martha at Lazarus's tomb (John 11)

Connect With Us

Submit your questions at cherryhillsfamily.org/podcast, text "podcast" to 217-546-4818, or use the link in the show notes.

The Midweek is also on YouTube! Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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Pastor Steve and Pastor Brian tackle one of the biggest topics anyone can bring to the Christian faith: pain, suffering, and the character of God. Grouping four listener questions together, they wrestle with why God allows suffering, whether all afflictions are ordained by God, whether the Old Testament God is really a violent dictator, and how to reconcile God's character with the conquest passages in Joshua. Their honest, humble answers point back over and over again to the same truth: what you believe about suffering ultimately depends on what you believe about the character of God — and that character is most clearly revealed at the cross.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction
• [02:02] Q1: How Can We Follow a God Who Allows So Much Suffering?
• [06:13] Q2: Are All Afflictions Ordained by God?
• [12:20] Q3: Is the Old Testament God a Dictator?
• [15:57] Q4: How Do We Reconcile the Violence in Joshua?
• [21:00] Summary of All Four Questions
• [22:52] Closing — Coming Next Week: The Pastoral Side of Suffering

People's Questions Answered

Anonymous: "How can we follow a God who allows so much suffering?"

Anonymous: "Are all afflictions ordained by God?"

Anonymous: "Is God in the Old Testament a dictator who punishes people when they refuse to follow Him?"

Anonymous: "How should we understand divine wrath and violence in Joshua?"

Key Scripture References

• John 11 (Jesus weeps)
• Romans 8:19-28 (creation groans; God works for good)
• John 9 (man born blind)
• Job 1-42
• Lamentations 3:33 (God does not afflict from His heart)
• Hebrews 5:8 (Jesus learned obedience)
• Hebrews 4:15 (great high priest)
• Genesis 15:16 (iniquity of the Amorites)
• Deuteronomy 9:4-5
• Leviticus 18
• 2 Peter 3:9 (God is patient)

Coming Next Week

Part 2 will focus on the emotional and pastoral side of suffering — how to be present with people in pain, what NOT to say to someone grieving, and how to walk through suffering when it comes to us personally. As Steve says: "None of what we just talked about should be said to somebody who is in the middle of suffering."

Connect With Us

Submit your questions at cherryhillsfamily.org/podcast, text "podcast" to 217-546-4818, or use the link in the show notes.

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Welcome back to Season 2! Pastors Steve and Luke kick things off by tackling the number-one question Steve was asked in 2025: what does the Bible say about cremation versus burial?While Scripture never explicitly commands one or the other, it does offer clear patterns and rich theology about the human body. Steve walks through four biblical statements on the topic, and Luke and Steve discuss why the theology of the body may be the most compelling reason Christians have historicallypreferred burial. Bottom line: this is a passing-lane issue where Christians have real freedom — but the biblical logic and beautiful symbolism of burial are worth understanding.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction — Welcome Back to Season 2!
• [01:00] Reminder: Passing Lane Issues vs. Double Yellow Lines
• [01:34] The Question: Cremation vs. Burial (Multiple People Asked)
• [01:44] The #1 Question Steve Was Asked in 2025
• [02:27] Why This Question Feels Weightier as We Get Older
• [03:26] Statement 1: There Is No Commandment Against Cremation
• [04:33] Statement 2: Burial Is the Overwhelming Biblical Pattern
• [05:30] Custom Doesn't Establish Command — Room for Diversity
• [06:14] Statement 3: The Few Cremation References in the Bible
• [07:16] What's the Biblical Logic Behind the Burial Tradition?
• [07:45] Statement 4: The Human Body Is Valuable in the Bible
• [08:53] Burial as a Seed Being Planted — 1 Corinthians 15
• [09:18] Can God Still Resurrect a Cremated Body?
• [10:40] Resurrection Depends on God's Power, Not Body Condition
• [10:56] So What Should Christians Do?
• [11:40] Steve's Two-Question Framework
• [12:05] Luke's Personal Perspective — Grandpa Cremated, Others Buried
• [12:57] Could Cremation Actually Be a Testimony to God's Power?
• [14:11] Freedom, Discernment, and Hope — Bottom Line
• [14:37] Closing & How to Submit Questions (Backlog Note)

People's Questions Answered

From several listeners: "What does the Bible say about cremation versus burial?"

Key Takeaways

• Cremation is NOT a sin — Christians who choose cremation are not jeopardizing their resurrection or receiving a lesser eternity
• Financial cost is a legitimate reason to choose cremation, and God understands that
• The strongest argument for burial isn't a specific verse — it's the theology of the human body
• Burial powerfully pictures a seed being planted in anticipation of future life (1 Corinthians 15)
• Resurrection does not depend on the condition of the body — it depends on the power of God
• If God can create Adam from dust, He can resurrect any body — cremated, decomposed, lost at sea, or destroyed in disaster
• Luke's insight: Cremation might actually be a testimonyto belief in God's power to raise the dead despite any circumstance

Key Scripture References

• Genesis 2:7 (Adam formed from dust)
• John 19:40 (Jewish burial custom)
• John 12:24 (seed planted)
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 (body as temple)
• 1 Corinthians 15 (resurrection body)
• 1 Samuel 31 (Saul's body)
• Amos 2:1 (Moab burning bones)

Note About Questions

There is a backlog of questions from listeners. If you submit a question now, it may not be answered this season — but rest assured, they're not being ignored! The pastors will get to them in future seasons.

Connect With Us

Submit your questions at cherryhillsfamily.org/podcast, text"podcast" to 217-546-4818, or use the link in the show notes.

Subscribe, share, and leave a 5-star review!