Eric, we’re honored to have you here on the Praying Through Blog. Would you tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks for inviting me! I've been married to Jenny for twenty-four years. We have five children in the home (ranging from 10 to 19 in age), and we've lost four children through miscarriage. I work full-time as an Associate Pastor in our local church. On the side, I co-host a podcast and I write.
You're the author of a number of books, but most recently of "Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage." For those who don't know, this really is the first book of its kind in that it is for men. Why do you think no one has written a book for men on miscarriage?
There are few books for fathers grieving miscarriage because we tend to speak about pregnancy loss as an exclusively female issue. That's unfortunate because it leaves many men to suffer in silence. Every pregnancy involves a mother and a father; every miscarriage involves both.
Why do you think God called you to write "Ours"? What is your prayer for this book and for the men reading it?
The Lord loves suffering people, and he loves to comfort them. I trust the Lord called me to write Ours so that an overlooked segment of his image-bearers will be comforted with the gospel. I pray that men come face-to-face with Jesus as they walk through the Gospel of Luke.
How might your book bless and encourage men grieving miscarriage? How might it bless women as the secondary audience?
The book walks through the Gospel of Luke in 31 short, applicable devotions. These are followed by prayer prompts and space to journal. Grieving men will be reminded that Jesus is “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He suffered, and he demonstrated compassion toward the suffering. Jesus is a Savior they can trust. This, in turn, will bless grieving mothers as he joins in her mourning and going to Christ.
As you know, our ministry serves families journeying through Child Loss through Biblical Truth and encouragement. Would you take a moment to share a bit about your experiences with miscarriage?
After three live births, my wife and I experienced our first miscarriage very early in the pregnancy. We subsequently had another live birth, after which we experienced two painful miscarriages. Years after the birth of our fifth child, we had a surprise pregnancy. No sooner than we'd embraced this pregnancy, we lost the baby to miscarriage. Throughout these losses, I experienced various emotions—fear, shame, grief, despair, and anger. These were difficult to process as I'd heard almost no men speak about miscarriage. I also had many questions to which I couldn't find answers. I wrote Ours as the book I wish I'd had.
What words of encouragement would you like to share with men walking through the grief of child loss? Is there something you'd like to share with men that you wish you would have done differently?
Not only did the Son of God become fully human, but he also experienced the fullness of human suffering. He knows what it is to be afflicted; to suffer loss. In fact, Jesus suffered and died to save you. This means that you can go to him for help without fear of your sin interfering or of his inability to understand. He can give you rest.
I wish I had talked more with Jenny and with my friends about the struggles I experienced internally. By keeping them bottled up, I robbed myself of both companionship and help.
Where can readers connect with you? Where can they get a copy of your book? Do you have any promos you'd like to share with us?
Readers can find me as @emschumacher on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They can find links to my books at emschumacher.com. The Good Book Company is also offering one of the appendices in OURS as a free download: "A Helpful Guide For Men to the Medical Side of Miscarriage" by Jenn Hesse.
ERIC SCHUMACHER is a pastor, author, and songwriter. He is the author of Ours: Biblical Comfort for Men Grieving Miscarriage (The Good Book Company, 2022), the novella My Last Name (Eric Schumacher, 2021), and co-author of Worthy (Bethany House Publishers, 2020) and Jesus & Gender (Kirkdale Press, 2022) with Elyse Fitzpatrick. Eric received his MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Iowa with his wife and five children. Learn more at emschumacher.com or follow Eric on Instagram or Twitter.