Practical Faith Academy Blog: S6, E11 - Lara Silverman, Singing through Fire

What if your wonderful life was suddenly ripped away and you were confined to bed for three straight years? That’s what happened to Lara Silverman, who suffered physically but eventually grew spiritually.

Silverman had just settled into her dream job as a federal prosecutor when she was struck with a rare neurological disorder that confined her to bed for years. But Silverman met and married her husband while bedridden, started making musical videos with him as she improved a little, became a widow a year later, and finally emerged from grief to find lasting joy and write a memoir.

In this episode, I ask Silverman about her journey, her views on suffering, and how to find peace and joy in every circumstance.

It's truly an incredible conversation. Speaking with Silverman put my own problems into perspective and pointed me toward God to wrestle with suffering and how it can offer eternal value.

Highlights of the podcast:

2:52 Act 1 of Silverman’s life was landing her dream job then losing it due to health

5:01 What Silverman’s life is like as she is bedridden with a rare, constant form of vertigo

6:39 Act 2: Meeting and marrying a terminal cancer patient who changed her perspective on suffering

10:50 How God pulls good purposes out of suffering

14:34 Act 3 was a joyful one-year marriage until her husband died.

18:32 Act 4: Questioning the Lord in her grief and anger, then going through a deep cleaning season to proclaim the Lord and inspire others

22:04 Where does her comedy and singing come from?

27:10 Silverman’s definition of joy

30:53 Inspiring stories from her Singing through Fire podcast

33:49 What would Silverman say to people who are going through fire and that’s all they can see?

36:53 Silverman’s best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith

39:23 How to get her new book and find her videos and other resources.

The Practical Faith Academy podcast can be played directly on the Cecil Taylor Ministries website at https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com/podcast. While on the site, please check out everything Cecil Taylor Ministries offers, including our Instant Content books and video studies for individual learners, small groups, and churches.

The episode is also available on major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple, YouTube, iHeartRadio, and others) and hosted on Podbean. Search on each platform for "Practical Faith Academy."