S1E8: ‘A New Year - A New You’: A Conversation

In this deeply pastoral and honest conversation, Donna Crouch joins host Shekeinah Hill to unpack one of the most universal — yet often avoided — human experiences: pain.

Drawing from John 11 and the story of Lazarus, Donna shares from both Scripture and personal experience to explore how suffering, grief, and despair are not signs of weak faith — but often spaces where faith is formed.

At the beginning of a new year, when hope and expectation can sit alongside unexpected hardship, this episode reminds us that God meets us not only in breakthrough — but also in lament.

⚠️ Disclaimer & Support

This episode contains discussions around grief, loss, suffering, and emotional pain which may be sensitive for some listeners.

If this conversation raises difficult emotions or you need support, you are not alone. The following Australian support services are available:

• Lifeline Australia — 📞 13 11 14
https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Beyond Blue — 📞 1300 22 4636
https://www.beyondblue.org.au

• 1800RESPECT — 📞 1800 737 732
https://www.1800respect.org.au

If you are in immediate danger, please call 000 🚨

✨ Key Themes

1. Jesus Weeps With Us ❤️
God does not stand distant from our pain. The compassion of Jesus Christ shows that grief and faith can exist together — and that lament is a biblical response to suffering.

2. Movement Is Medicine 🚶
Healing is often not immediate or passive. Emotional, spiritual, and relational movement can be part of the process God uses to restore us.

3. Take Off the Grave Clothes 🕊️
Pain can leave behind beliefs, identities, or coping mechanisms that no longer serve us. Like Lazarus of Bethany, we may need community to help remove what keeps us bound.

📖 Key Scripture References

• John 11:1–44 — Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
• John 11:35 — “Jesus wept”
• Colossians 1:24 — Sharing in Christ’s sufferings
• Book of Job — Faithfulness amidst suffering
• Book of Psalms — Biblical expressions of lament and hope
• Book of Lamentations — Grief, sorrow, and trust in God
• Genesis 12–21 — Abraham & Sarah waiting for Isaac
• Genesis 37–50 — Joseph’s suffering and redemption
• Book of Esther — God’s providence amidst adversity

💬 Standout Quotes

💭 “Suffering and hardship are going to be part of progress.”
🤝 “Compassion doesn’t mean we’ve got to have the answers.”
📖 “Despair is part of life — and Scripture gives us language for it.”
💔 “You can be so blessed in one area of life and still deeply hurting in another.”
✨ “Life has tension all the time — it’s finding Jesus in those tensions, not the absence of them.”
🚶 “Healing often requires movement.”
🕊️ “We may need community to help us remove our grave clothes.”

🚶 Next Steps

• Spend time reading John 11 and reflect on how Jesus responds to grief 📖
• Journal honestly using a Psalm of lament (e.g. Psalm 13 or Psalm 42) ✍️
• Talk to a trusted friend, pastor, or mentor about any pain you may be navigating 🤝
• Identify areas where you may feel “stuck” — and consider what movement could look like this week 🧭

🔗 More Information

For more information about Hillsong Church Australia, visit hillsong.com/australia
For more from the Hillsong Australia Podcast, visit hillsong.com/Australia/podcast