In this episode, host Lara Silverman begins the Theology in the Fire series with Mark Jones, a former dentist and longtime prayer pastor and elder at Mana House in Portland, Oregon. He teaches on prayer, intimacy with God, surrender, and spiritual warfare. Mark shares how years of offense and bitterness toward two church leaders became his entry point into understanding spiritual warfare, culminating in a confession and reconciliation during communion that brought freedom. He explains spiritual warfare basics and stresses that believers can be influenced though not possessed. Rather than fixating on deliverance or the devil, he argues surrender and intimacy with God are the primary strategy for resisting Satan’s lies, taking thoughts captive, and walking in daily grace, offering practical guidance for beginning each morning by greeting God, surrendering, receiving God’s love, and committing to consistent time with the Lord.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:53 Mark Story of Bitterness
03:42 Fasting and Freedom
10:47 Spiritual Warfare Basics
16:23 Culture and Worldly Influence
22:38 Deliverance or Intimacy
24:31 Surrender as the Start
36:22 Why Surrender Wins Battles
45:48 Morning Surrender Practice
46:46 Surrender Brings Power
48:13 Surrender As Worship
52:14 Daily Strategy Warfare
55:28 Enemy Lies Exposed
57:49 Taking Thoughts Captive
01:07:02 Transformation By Spirit
01:09:44 No Compartmentalizing
01:14:18 Good Morning God Routine
01:23:10 Forty Day Heart Change
01:24:30 Final Blessing Outro

Resources and Links:
Dr. Jones' books on Amazon.
Dr. Jones posts daily on his YouTube channel.
You can also find his materials on Be with Jesus 365.

Dr. Jones has Bible Studies on the YouVersion Bible App.
Steps to Intimacy with God
40 Day Worship Experience
Understanding Spiritual Warfare
40-Day Worship Experience Youth Devotional

Watch the Singing Through Fire podcast on YouTube.
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PODCAST DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to the Singing Through Fire podcast! I’m your host Lara Silverman, and this is where we:

• Worship when it hurts
• Discuss hot takes from the furnace of affliction
• Explore a biblical theology of suffering with a side of sass and sarcasm

From lamentations to laughter, this podcast is for anyone desperate for hope who has ever asked, "Why, Lord, why?”

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe because I upload content every Tuesday and Friday!

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2nd Corinthians 4:17.

In this episode, host Lara Silverman continues the “Faith in the Furnace” series on Singing Through Fire with entrepreneur, podcast host, and former bivocational pastor Matthew Efird who shares his family’s testimony of suffering and faith. Matthew recounts learning during his wife’s pregnancy that their son Noah had Trisomy 13, the months of anticipatory grief, and Noah’s birth on March 7, 2020 and death on March 9, including God’s mercies surrounding timing just before COVID shutdowns. He describes praying for healing, moving toward costly acceptance, lament through tears, Scripture, worship, and community, and reframing Noah as “fully healed” in Christ. Matthew also discusses their oldest son Walker’s genetic epilepsy, wrestling with anger, relinquishing control, taking life one day at a time, and encouraging careful empathy that points sufferers to God’s character.

*Chapters*
00:00 Meet Matthew Efird
02:06 Noah Diagnosis Journey
05:04 Birth Loss And Mercy
06:43 Faith Under Unanswered Prayer
11:14 Costly Acceptance And Surrender
14:22 Is God Still Faithful
19:56 Abraham Isaac and Why
23:25 Lament and Grief Practices
27:21 Holding Joy and Sorrow
28:38 Permission for Joy
29:35 Healing Hole Metaphor
31:02 Surrendering Control
32:55 Feeling God in Grief
35:24 Honoring Noah’s Life
40:04 Hope and Key Verses
41:44 Thankful Through Loss
44:55 God Outside of Time
50:18 Walker’s Epilepsy Journey
55:45 Trusting God’s No
58:34 Empathy Without Harm
01:00:44 Final Blessing

Matthew's new book, Even Though, We Will
Matthew's Facebook
Matthew's LinkedIn
Matthew's Website
Matthew's podcast on YouTube
Matthew's podcast on Spotify

Watch the Singing Through Fire podcast on YouTube.
Listen on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple podcasts.
Connect on Facebook.
Connect on Instagram.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to the Singing Through Fire podcast! I’m your host Lara Silverman, and this is where we:

• Worship when it hurts
• Discuss hot takes from the furnace of affliction
• Explore a biblical theology of suffering with a side of sass and sarcasm

From lamentations to laughter, this podcast is for anyone desperate for hope who has ever asked, "Why, Lord, why?”

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe because I upload content every Tuesday and Friday!

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2nd Corinthians 4:17.

In this episode, Lara Silverman welcomes Jim Burgoon—strategist for Faith-Driven Leaders, host of the Unshakeable Life Podcast, military veteran, and former pastor—to share his “faith in the furnace” story, centered on his wife’s decades-long battle with four major mental illnesses, recurring hospitalizations, and a near-suicide attempt while raising children and leading in ministry. Jim describes the church’s frequent lack of support and stigma around mental illness, his 2017 decision to step down and relocate for better care, and how surrendering control to Christ sustained him. The conversation addresses asking “why,” lament, and rejecting prosperity/word-of-faith formulas, emphasizing that God’s “no” can be about timing or eternity. Jim also recounts losing his mother and sister to cancer in 2023, a suicide attempt by his wife, and his own chronic illness, highlighting hope, truth over feelings, and trusting God’s goodness through suffering.

Jim's Bio

Jim Burgoon is a strategist for faith-driven leaders, podcast hosts, and
content creators. He is the host of The Unshakable Life Podcast. A
military veteran who is certified as both a Leadership Development
Coach and DISC consultant, Jim helps leaders stop hiding and start
building. He serves the "forgotten but called"—entrepreneurs and
leaders who are tired of hustle culture and ready to lead from a place
of rest. Jim’s approach shifts the focus from "earning your worth" to
stewarding your calling. Whether he is coaching on content strategy,
leadership development, or deep spiritual health, his mission is simple: to help you build a purpose-rooted life that stands firm when
the world gets chaotic.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:41 Jim's Furnace Story
03:18 Diagnosis Not Identity
06:05 Church Stigma and Support
08:59 2017 Turning Point Move
10:33 Hope and Surrender
13:15 No Dead Ends With God
15:31 Why Questions and Sin
18:12 Healing Theology Myths
24:46 When God Says No
28:13 Jeremiah 29 Context
31:07 Mom and Sister Cancer
33:40 Grief Without Bitterness
34:14 Obedience to Resign
35:00 Hardest Year Unfolds
36:06 Cascade of Loss
37:05 Anger and Trust
38:01 Discipline or Comfort
40:25 Lament as Worship
42:14 Sovereignty and Evil
45:39 Grief and Joy Together
47:42 Eternity and Salvation
50:13 Suffering Opens Hearts
54:08 Redefining Good
56:38 Sanctification and Fruit
01:01:11 Chronic Illness Endurance
01:04:27 Surrender and Resets
01:07:19 Caregiving by Truth
01:10:22 Final Encouragement

Resources and Links:

Jim's podcast, The Unshaken Life

Watch the Singing Through Fire podcast on YouTube.
Listen on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple podcasts.
Connect on Facebook.
Conn

PODCAST DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to the Singing Through Fire podcast! I’m your host Lara Silverman, and this is where we:

• Worship when it hurts
• Discuss hot takes from the furnace of affliction
• Explore a biblical theology of suffering with a side of sass and sarcasm

From lamentations to laughter, this podcast is for anyone desperate for hope who has ever asked, "Why, Lord, why?”

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe because I upload content every Tuesday and Friday!

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2nd Corinthians 4:17.