Episode 49: The Kingdom Principle of Suffering (featuring Bryan Elliott)
Telling stories of turning transition into transformation. There is Life After Ministry.
Episode Summary
What do you do when life shatters around you?
When everything you built - your family, your future, your faith - feels like it’s slipping through your fingers?
Bryan Elliott knows suffering intimately.
A tragic accident left his brother in a vegetative state.
Addiction nearly destroyed his daughters.
A brutal murder stole one of them forever.
His businesses collapsed.
His marriages unraveled.
His world should have crushed him.
But it didn’t.
Instead, Bryan woke up the morning after his daughter's murder with something that made no sense: peace.
Not numbness.
Not denial.
Actual, undeniable peace.
And then, something even crazier - joy.
How?
This episode of Life After Ministry goes deep into the mystery of suffering, not as something to survive, but as something that transforms.
Bryan doesn’t just talk about enduring pain - he talks about what it means to co-suffer with Christ, to find God in the darkest pit, and to come out on the other side more alive than ever.
If you’ve ever walked through a season where God felt absent - where the wilderness stretched on too long and the heartbreak felt too heavy - this is the episode you need to hear.
Because maybe, just maybe, your suffering isn’t the end of the story. Maybe it’s the beginning of something bigger than you ever expected.
Key Takeaways
Why suffering is not just something to endure, but something God uses to transform us.
The kingdom principle of co-suffering with Christ and how it leads to co-glorification.
How to recognize God’s presence in the darkest seasons, even when He feels silent.
Why suffering is an accelerant in spiritual growth and how it prepares us for what’s next.
The role of grief, loss, and pain in shaping our faith and revealing God’s goodness.
How Bryan’s story of unimaginable suffering led to an unshakable trust in God’s sovereignty.
Chapter Markers
00:10 | Welcome & Bryan’s background
01:15 | A tragic accident that unraveled his family
07:31 | When life keeps taking - divorce, addiction, business collapse
16:23 | The moment Bryan’s daughter was murdered
17:06 | Waking up with peace - and why it didn’t make sense
20:54 | Why suffering is an accelerant, not an obstacle
26:22 | What we’re missing about suffering as believers
33:42 | Encouragement for those walking through suffering
40:51 | How to move forward and trust God in the process
If you’re walking through a season of suffering, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
We’re giving away 14 copies of Bryan’s book, As In Heaven, for free. Be one of the first 14 people to email talk@pastoraltransitions.com, and we’ll send you a copy.
Want more resources on navigating life after ministry? Visit PastoralTransitions.com for guides, support, and practical help to walk through this season with clarity and hope.
To dive deeper into Bryan's ministry and find more resources on healing, restoration, and kingdom living, visit M46Ministries.com.
This is one of the most raw, gut-honest conversations we’ve ever had. Listen now, and let it reshape how you see suffering.
Find resources. Find hope.
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