Christmastime is here, a season of joy and merriment, happy gatherings of family and friends, peace on earth and goodwill to all. Both tradition and pop culture remind us that all is merry and bright this time of year. And yet for some who are grieving the holiday season only amplifies sorrow. As the rest of the world is making merry the pains of suffering and loss seem unbearable and profoundly alienating.

The British statesman Edmund Burke believed that “beings made for suffering should suffer well.” What are we to do with grief in a season that exacerbates misery? Should we lean into it or flee from it? What are we to do with our grief when it subsides into the background but never truly leaves us alone? What possible good is there in our grief? How do we grieve well and avoid the many pitfalls of grief? And how might we find joy in the midst of grieving?

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by two guests—Jimmy Humphrey and Andrew Snyder—to wrestle with the challenging topic of grieving well.

About Jimmy Humphrey

Jimmy Humphrey is host of the Jimmy’s Table Podcast, a show about the intersection of faith, life, and culture. Jimmy describes himself as curiously evangelical, politically homeless, and a dreamer of small things.

Jimmy went to Bible college and seminary to study theology and prepare for ministry at Lee University and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. But “life happened” and he ended up with a career in the mortgage industry at one of the nations’ largest banks as a high-level underwriter and analyst.

You can follow Jimmy on Twitter @TableJimmys

About Andrew Snyder

Andrew Snyder is a philosopher-theologian with an interest in the intersection between stories and life, neither of which—he would argue—can be properly understood apart from the other.

Andrew recently finished writing his doctoral dissertation on Søren Kierkegaard's understanding of anxiety's educative role in developing one's self and has been releasing digital content focused on the paths of myth and meaning. The flagship of this content can be found on the recently launched podcast, Mythic Mind. The first series walks through Kierkegaard's The Concept of Anxiety and The Sickness unto Death. The next series will focus on stories.

You can find Andrew’s writings and videos at https://www.andrewnsnyder.com/

You can follow Andrew on Twitter @Andrewnsnyder

Hosts of the Conservative Minds podcast Kyle Sammin and Corey Astill join Josh to discuss the timeless questions of what conservatism actually means, how the Left more utopian than they often admit, whether they actually read all eight hundred pages of Whittaker Chambers’ Witness, and which tomes and authors are indispensable to the serious conservative thinker.

About Conservative Minds

A podcast about conservative ideas and thinkers. Hosts Kyle and Corey explore what it means to call yourself a conservative, where conservatism has been, and where it's going. Each week, they select readings and conduct a discussion to share with you their investigation.

You can follow the podcast on Twitter at @consminds

About Kyle Sammin

Kyle Sammin is a Senior Editor at Philadelphia Weekly who covers politics, history, law, and sports. He is also a senior contributor to The Federalist and writes regularly for Broad + Liberty. You can find many of his writings at https://kylesammin.com/

You can follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleSammin

About Corey Astill

Corey Astill has over 15 years of experience in Congress, government relations, and law. He is Vice President at Business Roundtable, an Association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies working to promote a thriving economy, where he leads the Health & Retirement Committee and Smart Regulation Committee.

Before joining Business Roundtable, Corey served for a decade as a senior advisor in the U.S. Senate. Most recently, he served as Legislative Director for Senator Deb Fischer, managing the Senator’s legislative staff and coordinating her leadership activities in her capacity as a Deputy Whip. Earlier in his career, Corey served as Staff Director of a subcommittee on the Senate Finance Committee, Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the Joint Economic Committee, and Counsel for former Senators Dan Coats and Bob Bennett. He began his career as a legislative aide to former Senator Jon Kyl.