Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 23

Is There Anything Wrong With Not Believing in Hell?

One of my favorite singers has recently come out questioning the validity of Hell. She said she left her belief in hell behind.

There have been other noteworthy christians who have written books or preached about love winning out in the end. That a God of love couldn’t be separated from His loves for an eternity.

I like that idea of God allowing everyone to enter Heaven, but isn’t that notion like a happily ever after fairy tale? Where in the Bible does anyone say there isn’t a place of separation from God?

Where?

The Old Testament mentions a place of death. Jesus spoke many times of this type of place. Revelation speaks of it throughout.

So, the question goes out, if you don’t believe in Hell why do you believe in the other parts of the Bible?

If you can’t say that the entire scripture is truth, what kind of faith do you have? If you don’t believe in Hell are you saying Jesus lied when he spoke of this place? And if Jesus lied then he wasn’t sinless. Then his death and sacrifice was for nothing.

If we start to pick apart the Bible and say, “I believe this but not that,” you are getting into some dangerous territory. If you start to make up your own beliefs on your wants and emotions, then you aren’t believing in Jesus.

You are worshipping your own man made god you happen to call Jesus.

Some people may say go chill and let them believe what they want to believe. “What harm will it do? Really? If they don’t believe in Hell, but there really is a Hell, what harm are they doing?”

It’s the harm of not knowing all of God but only a piece.

God wants a relationship with each one of us. He wants us to know Him fully. But if we stop Him when things get uncomfortable, we are missing out on fully knowing Him.

It’s like a good friend. Good friends tell each other everything. But would you like a friend who doesn’t believe you when you tell him something?Or how about a friend who doesn’t allow you in certain aspects of his life. You can hang out at certain places, but they keep you away from their other friends as if ashamed.

That would hurt you.

Do you not think it hurts God when we do that to Him?

How would it feel if you found a great new restaurant and you didn’t tell your best friend about the best burrito you ever had? You know they would love this burrito. You know they need to try this burrito, but you never tell them. Then they die without ever knowing the secret of the best burrito.

It may sound simplistic, but if you know Jesus and don’t share it with others because you believe there isn’t any reason because their isn’t a Hell…but what if you’re wrong? What if they die not knowing because you thought it wouldn’t matter?

Please…please…please don’t just believe or think something because of wishful thinking. I could wish for spring to last all year long…but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Seasons change, there is proof of the changing of seasons. If they changed last year, they will most likely change again.

And again.

And again.

The same with Jesus. If you believe Jesus and Jesus said there is a place of separation (even though you don’t want to believe it) then you have to believe in the same place Jesus mentioned.

If you don’t…then once again, you are in some dangerous soil because then anything you believe can change with a passing wind.

May you stand firm in your belief. And may you understand what you believe. And may you understand the difference between a hope and a belief.

Peace

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Nervous…but Good

Growing pains are essential. We should never settle for what we know and assume there is nothing more to learn. As we get older we tend to stay away from new tricks, but sometimes you have to branch out.

That’s the nervousness inside me. It’s like being a kid again and getting ready for the first day of school. I was never excited about that first day. I was the one already counting down to Christmas break three months away.

But I know we cannot rest in our laurels or accolades of glories past.

Old glories fade. I’m not one to live in the past.

It’s time to live in the now.

This week I am releasing my newest book. By Friday people will be downloading it or receiving the paperback in the mail.

On one side I am excited about sharing this book that has been inside me for years. On the other I am nervous because I’ve had this book I love inside me for years and I’m not sure how it will be received.

I have learned over the last three years that everyone isn’t going to like everything I write. I’ve gotten bad reviews. But those bad reviews are not going to stop me because I’ve received many other favorable reviews from readers across the globe.

It’s all about perspective in life. I can sulk about someone dissecting my books and pointing out the flaws. Or I can listen, digest and learn from it.

Life is about learning. Life is about putting what we have learned into practice and application too.

If you are not living out what you have learned, what was the use of learning it? Just so you can say you learned it?

No, life is about living and growing.

If you are not growing, it’s time to do something different. It’s time to take a chance. It’s time to get a little nervous and step out into a new trail.

May we all step out into something new this week. Sometimes God calls us to follow Him in places we would have never dreamed, but if we follow, we know He is always with us.

It’s when we don’t follow when we notice Him missing. But He doesn’t leave us…we leave Him.

So where is God calling you to follow?

If you listen, He may be calling you now.

Peace

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Book Review – The Untold Story of the Darkest Days

Whenever I release a book I let various people read it before it’s published to get a feel for how the readers may react. I know that everything I write is not great, so I need other peoples perspective to grow and improve. I use these reviews to determine if I need to rework, adjust, redo or just totally scrap the book. Many times these beta readers point out things I cannot see and make suggestions which in turn makes the book much better.

Here is a review from Peter Cohron who is an avid reader and reviewer.

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DARKEST DAYS by Eric Suddoth This past spring, I thought a lot of my Easter devotionals centered on the time between the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, trying to emphasize the despair of that period, when all hope seemed to be gone.

This unpublished (as yet) book tells that story. And each chapter is told from a different viewpoint, from Mary to the disciples to Roman soldiers and so on.

And it is well told. Mr Suddoth’s prose recreates those horrible days, maybe too well. The despair, the depression, followers losing hope, followers almost going crazy–all this is palpable. All this is felt by the reader, so well is it described. This story wrings a lot out of you, but if you want to get a near-experience to what those days were like, wait for this book to be made available.

Peter Cohron

Thank you Mr. Cohron for this review. I am honored each time you read my work and take the time to review it.

If you are interested you can preorder the book for download now. Paperback preorders will be available soon. It will be available in time for Easter.

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Book Blurb – The Untold Story of the Darkest Days

Shock. Anger. Sorrow.

As the storm clouds rolled into Jerusalem on that execution day, inner turmoil was also raging through the people who knew Jesus.

Confusion. Regret. Guilt.

Darkness quickly covered the world the moment the light of the world took his last breath on the cross.

Doubt. Devotion. Fear.

It didn’t matter if they loved Jesus or hated him. The moment he died, the world sunk into a period of uncertainty.

It was a time when staying in the shadows seemed like the safest place to hide. It was a period when doubt outnumbered the mustard seeds of faith. Some were on the precipice of hopeful belief. Others were wondering if they were awakening to three years of disillusionment.

Hate. Discord. Pain.

No matter their notions of Jesus, the moment after his death was presumably the start of the darkest days in history.

Will they forget everything Jesus had taught them? Will they retreat in disbelief? Will they mourn in despair? Will they retaliate in vengeance?

This is the untold story of those unwritten days.

Available NOW for preorder. Will be available in a couple of weeks!

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Travel Hopes

Well, I did a thing today. I was eating lunch at my parents house and I got notified of some cheap flights. So I started looking. I started texting. I started comparing. I started finalizing.

Then I booked the flight.

Amsterdam here I come…if they allow me to come.

I was supposed to take my niece on a trip last year for her high school graduation. COVID happened and smashed that plan.

So, now, hopefully in August we will be touring Amsterdam. Embracing the beauty of the canals and walking beside the tranquil waters Van Gough gazed upon. But we will probably steer away from the red light district. I’m not that crazy when I travel.

I traveled to France 2 years ago and toured Normandy. It was hard to stand on the beaches, but I’m glad I did it. The same may be said of the house where Anne Frank hid in Amsterdam. It may be hard to go in, but there are somethings people need to see to understand how blessed one person is.

This is going to be the first trip I’m taking with both my sisters since being a little kid. I travel often with my sister Amy. And recently my mother had wanted to tag along in Ireland and Italy. This time will be the first with my sister Lori.

There is something rewarding in traveling with family. Experiences that cannot be remade. Tons of photos. Probably a few extra pounds of desserts. Memories that will hopefully be cherished.

So, after a few hours from booking the flight for the five of us, I’m already scurrying through maps.

Who wouldn’t want to see the famous tulips and windmills of The Netherlands. Or taste an authentic Belgium Waffle a train ride away. Or sightsee Western Germany. Or maybe stop in at the often forgotten small country of Luxembourg. And who knows, Paris is only 3 hours away.

So many things to see in 7 days.

So many memories to have in 7 nights.

So many good things to hope for 5 months away.

And if the trip gets cancelled…it will be okay. We can do it in 2022. The important thing is we want to do it together. 3 generations.

So…I guess I better start learning some Dutch.

Here’s to a better 2021!

Peace

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I’m Tired

I’m tired. I’m just going to say it. I am just flat out tired.

I’m not sleepy. I am getting plenty of sleep. I’m going to bed and actually waking up before my alarm goes off. But I don’t want to get out of bed. I just want to lay there and breathe.

I was speaking to someone earlier this week about feeling drained. I’m good at giving encouraging advice, but when I look in the mirror, I don’t hear my own words.

Then tonight at work I was speaking to a coworker and friend and I just said, “I’m tired and I don’t know why.”

She nodded and agreed she was in the same boat.

Are we becoming a society of people who feel tired and drained? The more I talk to people the more I see the heaviness behind their mask.

Can we blame COVID and the stress of a constant changing world for our fatigue? I think we can.

Medical practitioners are feeling it. Teachers are feeling it. Bankers are feeling it. Hospitality workers are feeling it. If you have a job, you probably are feeling it. If you are unemployed, you are definitely feeling. If you are retired and staying hidden in your homes you are feeling. If you are a kid going to school in the new normal, you are feeling it.

Basically, if you are breathing, you are probably feeling it.

In the midst of the stress and swirling chaos I have tried to focus my thoughts on good ones. But it seems that after a year of hopeful thinking, I’m getting tired of looking for the silver lining.

But it’s not just me getting tired.

I’m already tired. There is no getting…I’m flat out tired.

As I write those words it saddens me because I have so much to be thankful for. I have a good job, great family, nice home. I have everything that I could need or want.

But as I write those words it is showing me that maybe I’m not focusing as much as I should on eternal things.

I’m grateful for my comforts, but I didn’t say my faith, my hope, my salvation.

If everything vanished…if my job was eliminated…if my family passed away…if my home burned to the ground would my hope die as well? Or would I still have it?

Maybe I’m tired because I was focusing on temporary relief, when I needed a permanent one. Maybe I’m tired because I’ve been deceiving myself for the last year that I was focusing on God when I really was focusing on things given to me by God?

What if my state of drain is God’s way of showing me that I need to realign my priorities.

What if the good things I do are just taking up time of when I can focus on Him?

I don’t know the answer. I’m just here to say that if you are feeling drained, you’re not alone.

I’m feeling it too.

May we all close our eyes. And take a deep breath. And then another. And another.

And then repeat.

May we each turn to God in our times of weakness and feel His strength renew us, refresh us, heal us, restore us, and just make us whole.

Peace

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The Story Behind The Untold Story of the Darkest Days

In January 2019 I came across a flight sale to Europe. I didn’t have any particular place I wanted to go and decided that whatever city was cheapest when I went to order my ticket was the place I would go.

A city in Germany was cheapest before lunch, but by time I got approved for my week off, Switzerland dipped in price. So Zurich it was.

I had always wanted to go to Switzerland, but I have many places in my giant bucket list which should be called a small novel with the number of places I want to see. So, I usually don’t care where I go. I just usually go where the cheap flights lead.

If you are interested in my trip to Switzerland, I blogged about each city in October 2019 if you are interested.

Well, I started in Zurich and then traveled by train to Lucerne and then Lauterbrunnen and then Zermatt and then Chur and then finally back to Zurich in a weeklong journey.

Riding the train through the beautiful terrain of Switzerland was unbelievable. The quaint villages, hilly landscapes, the high peaks of the Alps. So many sights to see.

While my sister would fall asleep on the train, I would stare out the window and watch everything.

During the train ride from Zermatt to Chur, the longest train ride of the week, my mind started to wander. I started thinking of a story I had wanted to write for years but never knew how to write it.

I had been intrigued with the time period between the crucifixion and the resurrection for years. I had longed to know what the people were going through during these depressing days, but I could never find any answers.

Through the years of pondering these days I felt like I had come to know the heaviness the people endured during these days, but I didn’t know how to write the story. I wanted to show different viewpoints, but I didn’t know how to show it.

Suddenly, on a train in the middle of the Alps a heavenly moment occurred. It all became clear how to write the book I had wanted to write for years.

I got out my notepad and quickly scribbled the early rough draft. I still have it saved on my phone to remind me of the time when all the haze and confusion for years vanished and everything became clear.

In that moment it was like God showed me how to write this beloved book that I have cherished in my mind for years. And I am so excited to share it with you.

There are some books that authors say is their pinnacle. I still feel fairly young in my writing career, but if anyone reads any of my books, this is the book I hope they read.

Some test readers have praised the book and others have not. Not everyone will enjoy this deeply emotional book, but I hope they give it a try.

If you are interested you can pre purchase the book. Or contact your local library to purchase it. Or wait until someone else buys it and hates it and then they can give it to you.

All in all, I hope you give it a try.

Peace

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Reflections from Pisa – Mary

Writing and journaling have many benefits. One is I can recall the tiniest details around something I am writing…even years later. This piece was written in a McDonalds in Pisa on April 26, 2013 after seeing all the churches with the scenes of the burial of Jesus.

Yes…I was eating at a McDonalds in Pisa. As humorous as it sounds I was craving some fries and a Big Mac.

I had spent the day admiring the Leaning Tower, the chapel and the baptistry of Pisa. There isn’t much to Pisa so by the afternoon I had seen everything. So I journeyed away from the touristy area and snuck into McDonalds.

I had always wanted to go to Italy since my sophomore year of college when I took an art history class. I wish I could paint, but I can’t. But I love to look at art.

I backpacked alone with my two suitcases. I started in Venice and got lost in the mazing streets that twisted beside the beautiful canals. I stepped into many churches and sat in the pews and reflected on all the history that was surrounding me.

Then I traveled on to Florence and fell in love with the beauty of the renaissance. I walked though many museums and admired the classics first hand.

I then stopped at Pisa to witness the renown leaning tower.

Since I was alone I had plenty of time to reflect. One of the things that hit me was their love of Mary. I had always known the story of the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. I knew the surface biblical story.

But walking through the churches in Italy woke me to the human Mary. The Mary that stood at Calvary and watched her son being crucified. The Mary that held her dead son in the desolate tomb. The Mary that left the tomb in anguish, leaving her son behind the stone.

I had always pictured Mary as the woman who God chose. But I had somehow missed the part that Jesus was her son. Just as any mother would fall apart if their child died before them, Mary witnessed the horrific death of her first born.

So, I pulled out my iPad and started writing these words. They are not the best. I don’t think I ever put these words to music. But I think this may have been the beginning of my expedition for my upcoming book, The Untold Story of the Darkest Days, which will be out in the coming weeks. It was in this McDonalds in Pisa where I started to see the brokenness and hopelessness that Jesus’ followers must have felt the moment he breathed his last on the cross. It was at that moment I feel they too breathed their last breathe of hope.

So I quickly typed this recalling the various paintings and sculptures thinking how Mary felt.

RISE – Mary’s Perspective

If I had only known

And if he wasn’t already grown

I would have forbidden him to go

If I can go back in time

Whisk him away to another life

A new place to live in hindsight

But God there was something special about him

Words cannot express the miracles that were around him

He opened eyes, strengthened legs, and raised the dead

Why didn’t he do the same when we laid him to rest?

I waited for him to rise

I waited for him to rise

But now I walk to his grave

Like I have the past two days

And I will everyday

I will rise and fall like the sun

Tears will well up for the dawn

I’ll mourn from now on

But God didn’t you tell me he would rule the nations?

But now that he’s gone I look like a fool to my relations

But I believed it was you, I believed it was true

Now I’m left with a doubt that time will not undo

I believed he could rise

I believed he could rise

What is this?

Where has he gone?

Whose taken him,

Whose taken my son?

What is this?

He arose like the dawn?

Where is he?

Where is my son?

I’ve been longing for you to rise

I’ve been longing for you to rise

My son, my lord, my Christ

May we try and imagine how Mary felt. May we imagine how we would have felt too.

Peace

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The Nap

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain tapping on my skylight windows. I wanted to rollover and go back to sleep. But I couldn’t. I had things to do.

I went to church and then headed to work. It’s tax season so a few extra hours here and there add up. But I was still tired.

I worked through the afternoon and decided to call it quits earlier than normal.

I went home. Got a pillow. Covered up with a blanket. Flipped on Netflix. And fell asleep.

Sometimes we need a little nap.

It’s funny because actually at church the topic was partially about rest. So I guess I obeyed by shutting the world out for a couple of hours.

The nap was delightful. I woke up refreshed. I felt my shoulders lighter. The tension was eased. And all I needed was a nap.

Do you need a nap?

Are you running ragged trying to keep up with a sprinters pace? Are you juggling too many balls without an audience or a three ring stage? Are you trying to do it all when you don’t even know what it all is?

It’s time for a nap.

It is really okay. You are not weak. You are not a failure. You are not incapable.

It is okay to be tired. But it’s not okay to be tired when you can take a nap.

I love the analogy of pouring out of yourself. If you have a bucket of water and someone needs some water, you look and notice you have plenty and you pour some out. Then someone else asks for some water and you pour more out. Eventually you are pouring and pouring and you don’t notice you are running out. You won’t have enough water for yourself because you are trying to care for everyone else.

But your bucket will eventually get empty.

People will keep coming to you for water because they remembered you had it before. Then you will feel overwhelmed more because you don’t have water for yourself or them. And you may feel like a failure because no water is found.

But there are other people in the world with water. You are not the only person who had water. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to tell someone to wait because you need water. It’s okay to ask people to wait because you need to replenish your bucket.

Don’t forget to get poured into. You cannot always be the filler. You have to be the fillee as well.

Don’t wait to get filled when you are dry. If you water a dead plant, the water isn’t going to do any good. The water will go through the soil, but it will not save the plant. Because it’s already dead.

Are you almost a dead plant?

You’ll not be of any good to anyone if you are a dead plant.

So take some time to get some rest. It doesn’t have to be sleep. Your rest could be music. It could be cooking. It could be taking a hike and breathing in some fresh air.

But you deserve it.

When God created the world He rested on the 7th day.

If you’re going on years of no rest, do you think you are better than God?

Then take a break. Breathe. Refocus. And start again with a new snap in your step.

Throughout the Gospel it was noted that Jesus would go away by himself. Was He resting? I tend to think He was.

Jesus rested and so can you.

So, if you are feeling tired and deflated. You are not alone. But you don’t have to keep on suffering.

Nap. It does a body good.

I’m so glad I did.

Peace

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The Scandalous Bride

If your love cheated on you, would you forgive them? Could you?

What if they cheated again?

And again?

What if it wasn’t just a one time affair, but an adulterous lifestyle?

Could you still forgive them knowing they were going to cheat on you tomorrow?

Some may say they could forgive them and still love them? But do they really love them or the life they have with them?

I can see people saying, “it’s hard to start over. I have everything that I have ever wanted. A lifestyle I couldn’t have on my own. Means that I would never have if I walked away.”

So they stay.

But do they love their spouse? Really?

What about the cheater? Do they love the one they made a vow to always love? Even though their wandering eyes lead them into situations they shouldn’t be. Do they love their spouse even though they treat them like nothing special?

I would think many people would tell the selfish spouse to stop cheating and focus their life on restoring their marriage they have now. To ship up or ship out. To straighten their act or leave.

But why don’t we say that to ourselves when we look in the mirror and see all the times we have cheated on God?

We can point fingers and judge the adulterous spouse, but if we are a follower of Christ, we are His bride.

And we cheat on him daily.

And He always forgives us, even when we don’t deserve His merciful grace.

But even after we receive His love, we saunter out of the house in our finest attire and strut the street looking for our next good time.

Why do we regard the sanctity of a earthly marriage in higher regards to a heavenly one?

Why do we do things that causes God to cringe, but instead of asking for forgiveness, we give Him an excuse.

The Bible was written 2000 years ago, things have changed. He wasn’t talking about this. But there are worse things than this.

We think our trespasses should be ignored because everyone else is doing it too. But to God, it’s still wrong.

We think God is all love, but He also feels the hurt and jealousy when we betray Him. We think grace covers a multitude of sins, but the grace came from a painful sacrifice. We think we should be free to do as we like, because we want to do it.

But how would you feel if someone betrayed you? Would you keep forgiving because the other person just felt like doing it? You probably would feel hurt.

So, why do we think God doesn’t feel this?

Why do we turn a blind eye to the sins of our friends and family and label it compassionate love?

Why is it when you try to help someone in sin get out you are labeled a prude, judgmental or self-righteous?

We quote the Bible and say Christ was love, but Christ also told people they wouldn’t make it into Heaven if they kept living like they were living. People didn’t always walk away smiling when they left Jesus. Some walked away sad and depressed because they saw the error in their ways and they didn’t want to stop it.

How are you walking?

Are you walking down the aisle happily in love, trying to please God the best that you can? Or are you running down the aisle, flicking off the groom in your scandalous ways?

You have to choose.

So, how are you going to walk tomorrow?

Peace

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