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. The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Lara 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. 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. Lara Silverman is an author, singer, and comedian. Her memoir book is “Singing through Fire.” It’s available through online booksellers, such as Books to Read, Amazon, and others. You can find her podcast, “The Silverman Show,” on YouTube, in which she interviews others who have faced critical illness or other crises and found joy in the fire. Her same YouTube channel contains a number of comedic and musical videos. Also find Lara (and her comedy) on Instagram at Lara Palanjian (her maiden name) and on Facebook at Lara Silverman. I’m Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I’m focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. I’m excited that my new devotional workbook, “The 40-Day Spiritual Soak: Growing by Immersing Yourself in the Bible’s Favorite Verses,” releases in November. If you pre-order, I offer three special benefits. You can find these benefits and pre-order by visiting https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/products/pre-order-the-40-day-spiritual-soak-book. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). Backstage Pass also chronicles my writing and self-publishing journey as I release my latest book, “The 40-Day Spiritual Soak,” during 2026. On UnisonFamily.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I’m joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Books & Videos at the top of the page. In particular, prepare for Christmas with my Advent video studies, “The Misfits of Christmas.” You can purchase with options for an individual or for a small group or adult Sunday School class. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That’s my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.
