March 15, 2022
by Eric Stillman
Life is hard, and we can not always figure out what God is up to, or what good He could possibly bring through the difficult situations in which we often find ourselves. One of the surest anchors for our soul when we feel unmoored is to look to the cross. From an earthly perspective, God never seemed more absent or unloving then He did on that day, as Jesus, His innocent Son, hung on that cross. The disciples were having the ground pulled out from under them as they watched the one to whom they had dedicated their life for the past three years dying on the cross, while God did nothing about it. They must have wondered what kind of Father would let His innocent Son die an unjust death like that without rising to His defense? God never seemed more absent or unloving than He did on that day....Keep Reading
Posted in: Suffering Tags: Suffering, hope, Cross
May 12, 2020
by Amy Swanson
Pastor Eric recently made a request for testimonies of learning to trust God through suffering and loss. A hard ask, but one I hope we can rise to because the faithfulness of God appears in so many forms and fashions. And I believe it is through the telling of these stories, even the ones longed to be forgotten, that others can find comfort, assurance, and maybe even a step towards healing.
That is my prayer, anyways, and what leads me to share my story. ...Keep Reading
Tags: Jesus, Suffering, hope
May 5, 2020
by Eric Stillman
This Sunday, I will begin a new preaching series on suffering, loss, lament, and trust, using Lamentation and the Psalms of lament as the backdrop. In light of this, I am replaying what I wrote on this blog on September 11th, 2007, after going through a very personal loss.
“The baby died.”
If there were a list of things you hope you never have to hear, “the baby died” would have to be up near the top, somewhere right above “I’m leaving you” and “It’s definitely cancerous.” Last Wednesday, as I was on the phone with Andy Hood, my cell phone began to ring, with an unfamiliar Manchester number on the caller ID...Keep Reading
Tags: Suffering, Death, hope
May 8, 2018
by Eric Stillman
In 1721, 18 year-old Jonathan Edwards, one of the most brilliant American minds as well as one of the most influential preachers, preached a sermon that addressed the question, “What is our hope in Christ?” His answer, in good preacher form, was in three points: our bad things will turn out for our good, our good things will never be taken away, and the best is yet to come. I want to briefly address these three reasons for our hope....Keep Reading
Tags: Suffering, hope
March 20, 2018
by Eric Stillman
Today’s post is a favorite story of mine, taken out of Jim Cymbala’s Fresh Power. Cymbala is the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, and has written many inspiring books about the power of God to transform lives. This story is a testimony to the verse listed above, and is especially encouraging for all who give their life in service of the gospel.
Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David and Svea Flood went with their two year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa ...Keep Reading
Tags: Suffering, hope
March 18, 2014
by Jim Quigley
I have really appreciated the sermon series on suffering and hearing all the testimonies in regards to how my brothers and sisters in Christ are undergoing, enduring, or have persevered through sufferings and trials. It has served as a glorious reminder that God can allow our suffering to happen and then use it to conform us more into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. This series has also showed that God can use our suffering in order to comfort and encourage others who are also undergoing trials and tribulations. It paints a beautiful image of how the Church is to be united as one body, working together to serve and help one another in our times of need....Keep Reading
Posted in: Death Tags: Death, hope
May 28, 2013
by Eric Stillman
Kneeling beside the lifeless body of a 4 month-old boy in a hospital room last Friday morning, praying through tears alongside a heartbroken mother and father, I was overwhelmed by two realities. The first was how desperately I wished that God in His mercy would breathe His breath of life back into Henry, snatch Him back from the grave and bring glory to Himself. The second was just how utterly hopeless this situation would be if Jesus had not conquered death. In that place of inexpressible sorrow, I found myself clinging to the risen Jesus like a rope that could pull me and Henry‘s parents, Michael & Sarah, out of the chasm that threatened to swallow us up.
How do you recover from the loss of a child so young and so innocent? Apart from the hope that is found in Jesus, I have no idea....Keep Reading
Posted in: Death Tags: hope, Death of a child
April 9, 2013
by Eric Stillman
‘œElijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. ‘˜Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.‘™ Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.‘ (1 Kings 19:3-5)...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Faith, hope
