Lots to catch up on today. On this episode we talk through a couple of follies that are hitting our culture - the remaking of classic movies, the stupidity of Christians, and a GenZ Bible to name a few. We then take a constructive turn to begin talking about some of the ancient heresies (a different kind of folly) that have plagued our churches for generations. Today we touched on Nestorianism, the belief that Christ's two natures can be separated. What are the implications of this for our faith and why is it so important to confess in the hypostatic union (Jesus is 100% man AND 100% God)? All this and more on this week's episode of Suffering Servants! Enjoy.

In this frigid episode, we talk about the impact of the cold on our ministry. We then pick up the conversation where we left off last week about apostasy, but this time with a bit of a stronger emphasis on the pastor. We also take a look at an article by Carl Trueman, who writes what the church can learn from the Lutherans, in particular suffering. Enjoy!

Lessons from the Lutheran Tradition by Carl Trueman

Follies this week include the cold and snow and the "church" of unbelievers!

We don't talk about apostasy much in the church. "Falling away" is a very real thing that is plaguing the church and people don't even realize it. Scripture speaks of warnings many times and we would do well to heed to these warnings. In this episode, we talk about what apostasy is, how does one end up falling into this, and how can we prevent it. We go where God has promised to reveal Himself to us: in the assembly where we hear His Word and receive His gifts.

We are kicking off 2024 with a bang, talking about Christian charity and what is our response to the love that Christ Jesus has shown to us. In this episode we review Christmas, both personally and at the Family of God (the good, bad, and ugly). We then take a look at an article written by a student that we felt missed the mark about why we as Christians love and serve our neighbors. Is it a "should"? Or is it a "get to" when it comes to charity. All that and more as we bring in another year on the Suffering Servants podcast. Enjoy!

New music is "Cold World" by Red from their latest album "Rated R"

It's the first Christmas episode for the Suffering Servants podcast! We are joined by two familiar voices (Nick and Joel) and a new voice (Dean) on the show today where we talk about a ton of Christmas happenings. Has Christmas become "too secular"? What can our response be? What is the significance of the Virgin Mary giving birth to a son? Does it matter that she is a virgin? (yes). We also talk about some of our favorite Christmas memories. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas to all of you.

*note from Tyler* - this was my first time with 5 microphones and as an amateur podcaster, it was harder to navigate than I thought. Please bear with us through some of the echo, especially for the last 25 minutes or so. While the sound might not be pristine, the content is exceptional.

Today, as Pastor Hill finishes his vacation, Tyler is joined by a dear friend of the Family of God. Ron Hughes has been serving with us for over ten years and has become an intricate part of the ministry. Our people love him and gravitate towards him because of his experiences. On the show today, we talk about those experiences. As a veteran in recovery, Ron has much to say with regard to faith, community, and the power of the Holy Spirit. He talks about his journey as a recovering alcoholic and how God works in our lives, especially at our lowest moments. We pray that you are blessed by the conversation today.

If you would like to be put in contact with Ron, please let us know!

We are back this week with an intriguing read: Faith in the Face of Tyranny. 

We talk through the importance of the Bethel Confession, a document composed by German pastors Herman Sasse and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with a similar skeleton to the Formula of Concord. What is the role of the Holy Scriptures in our lives? What about the Aryan Paragraph and the Jewish Question? What is the risk to taking a stand when groups openly oppose specific groups of people? All that and more on this week's show.

Follies include virtue signaling, compromising your faith, and "THEE" Ohio State University.

"This episode is incredibly special to me. To sit and chat with one of my favorite people in the whole world truly is such a gift. I pray that you hear my sister's story of her multiple trips to the NICU with her son, Beckham, and with her, truly see the goodness of God even in our suffering." - Tyler




We do not own the rights to the song "Goodness of God" by Jenn Johnson and Bethel Music.

On today's episode, Pastor Nick joins us as we continue our discussion on Pastor Bradley Gray's book, Finding God in the Darkness. Mental illness has a way of crippling the one that it ails and so often it feels like there is no way out. Empty words are spoken over the one who is suffering, yet there still seems to be no hope. What is the solution? Is it memorizing more Scripture? Is it "just have more faith"? Or is it turning to the only one who can sit with you in the depths of mental illness, because He truly does value your suffering, and refuses to let you go through it alone. All that and more on this weeks episode! Enjoy!

Another episode about Depression: https://sufferingservants.buzzsprout.com/2105824/12218750

Follies include alligators in Lake Michigan, the rich in Gaza raging war, and social media censoring a manifesto of a murderer. You can read it here.

On this week's episode, we digest Halloween and all the happenings from the week. Then we take a turn and look at chapter one of Pastor Bradley Gray's "Finding God in the Darkness." Pastor Gray is writing from a personal traumatic experience from a few years ago in which God allowed him and his family to experience some intense suffering. What has he learned? Where was God? What are some of the platitudes that we may offer up as an excuse to not suffer with our brothers and sisters? What is our response to suffering? All of this and more this week. Have a listen!

Purchase Pastor Bradley Gray's book, Finding God in the Darkness

Follies of the week include a Halloween snafu, and, of course, the ongoing Michigan Football scandal.