ind Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong

Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you believe in Jesus but death, hell, or the afterlife still make your stomach drop, this episode is for you. Emmy sits down with Matt Holtzman to talk honestly about fear, grief, heaven, hell, Scripture, and the kind of hope that does not rush past the hard questions.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why honest questions about death do not make you a bad Christian
• How Scripture, mystery, and pastoral care can hold together when answers feel incomplete
• One low-pressure next step if grief, doubt, or fear has been feeling too heavy to carry alone

Matt brings his experience as a caring ministries pastor who has walked with people through grief, final days, doubt, and fear.

Your next step: bring one real question into the light with someone you trust, and find people who can walk with you at First Pres.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Christians still fear death (and why it's okay to ask)

04:09 What do you say to someone who's afraid to die?

08:12 Can you really be sure what happens after death?

16:14 Holding faith and mystery together without pretending

24:21 What if you're afraid of hell—or for someone you love?

29:27 Your next step if grief, doubt, or fear feels overwhelming

Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres: https://firstprescos.org/belong
Watch More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you’ve wondered whether prayer really matters in everyday life, this episode is for you. This conversation offers an honest look at why prayer can feel hard, what it changes, and how to take a real next step without pretending.

Why prayer can feel slow, silent, or confusing
What prayer changes even when your situation stays hard
How to begin again with honesty instead of pressure

**Find Your Place To Belong At First Pres:** https://firstprescos.org/belong

**Watch More Episodes:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnLY-c1KPtO7a_Zw4LIVbMhbevfOMgApx

If you know a conversation matters but you keep putting it off because you do not want to make it weird or make it worse, this is for you. This episode will help you understand why conflict feels so loaded and how one honest step can move you toward trust, real community, and belonging.

- Why hard conversations can feel emotionally expensive even when you care about people
- How to tell the difference between peacemaking and avoidance
- One low-pressure next step for saying something true without trying to fix everything at once