Clearly with Jimmy & Kelly Needham

Want to try out the See For Yourself Bible study? Try it free today!You can know how to study the Bible and still feel completely stuck when you actually open it. In this episode, we talk about the real obstacles that derail Bible reading—not lack of intelligence, tools, or training, but the everyday realities of confusion, offense, and busyness. These are the moments that quietly convince us to close the Bible and not come back.We walk through what to do when Scripture doesn’t make sense, when it says something we don’t like, and when life feels too full to slow down and read at all. Along the way, we make the case that confusion isn’t failure, offense isn’t a flaw in the Bible, and boredom doesn’t mean nothing is happening. In fact, these moments are often where the most meaningful formation takes place—if we’re willing to stay.This conversation is less about Bible study techniques and more about endurance: learning how to keep showing up, how to build tolerance for discomfort, and how to trust that time in God’s Word is doing something even when it doesn’t feel spectacular. If you’ve ever thought, I want to read the Bible, but it’s harder than I expected, this episode is for you.

Check out our Bible Study that teaches you to read all of God’s word.Art of Noticing bookmark👉 Become a Patreon PartnerIn this episode, we tackle what we believe is the single most overlooked skill in Bible study — not better tools, deeper knowledge, or more information, but the simple discipline of slowing down and noticing what the text actually says. It sounds obvious. It isn’t. And it’s the reason many of us miss the richness of Scripture altogether.We walk through why our instinct to rush to meaning, application, or personal takeaway often short-circuits understanding. Instead, we make the case that careful observation — paying attention to repeated words, contrasts, grammar, structure, and small details — is the foundation of faithful Bible reading. Using examples from Luke 18, Leviticus 4, Romans 8, and Galatians 5, we show how noticing what’s right in front of us unlocks clarity, depth, and theological insight that most of us skim past.Along the way, we talk about why this practice requires patience, curiosity, and a conviction that every word of Scripture is intentional and inspired. We also explain why familiarity with the Bible can actually become a liability if we don’t approach the text with humility and a healthy suspicion of our first impressions.If your Bible reading often feels flat, rushed, or confusing, this episode offers a reset. It’s an invitation to linger, observe, and let God’s Word unfold — trusting that real transformation comes not from trying harder, but from seeing more clearly.

Check out our Bible Study that teaches you to ready all of God’s word.Art of Noticing bookmarkAs we kick off a new year, we turn our attention to something many of us want to do more faithfully — reading the Bible — but often struggle to do with joy, clarity, or consistency. In this episode, we reframe what’s actually happening when we open the Scriptures by walking through four metaphors that reshape how we approach God’s Word.We talk about the Bible as a bridge that leads us into relationship with Jesus, not an end in itself. As vocabulary, giving us language to recognize God’s voice and understand what’s happening in our hearts and in the world. As a library, made up of real books with real authors, purposes, and narrative arcs that deserve to be read as whole works. And finally, as a window, revealing the glory of God and transforming us not by self-inspection, but by beholding Him.This conversation is about more than reading plans or checking boxes. It’s about recovering wonder, confidence, and joy in Scripture — especially when passages feel confusing, boring, or distant. We also introduce the heart behind our upcoming study See for Yourself, and explain why equipping people with skills for Bible reading has been a central passion of ours for years.If you’ve ever felt stuck, discouraged, or unsure of what you’re supposed to be doing when you read the Bible, this episode is an invitation to see Scripture differently — and to come to it with renewed expectation, clearly.

Christmas rom-coms, alternative universes, and Nicolas Cage — yes, somehow they all make it into this episode. We walk through Kelly’s Christmas message on Luke 2, exploring why God’s answer to our deepest brokenness wasn’t a strategy, a checklist, or a five-step plan… but a person. A baby. The most unexpected rescue operation of all time.In this teaching, Kelly shares why the arrival of Jesus is far more than a sweet nativity scene: it’s the moment God sits down at the desk, takes our exam for us, hands us His perfect score, and then delights — truly delights — to give it away. We talk about how salvation is more than debt-forgiveness, how righteousness is a gift earned on our behalf, and why God is far more eager to be with us than to simply fix our circumstances.Whether you’re in a season that feels heavy, hopeful, confusing, or all of the above, this message is a reminder that God didn’t send us a plan to execute — He sent us Himself. Emmanuel. God with us. And that changes everything.

It’s that time of year when people start panic-Googling “gift ideas that don’t feel like I bought them in the checkout line.” So we decided to help — Clearly style. Which means: we gave ourselves permission to talk about our favorite things, roast each other, confess our competitive board-game issues, and accidentally pitch half a dozen companies who did not ask for our endorsement but probably should.In this episode, we walk through the books, tools, gadgets, apps, candles, pens, games, and wonderfully analog objects that make our daily lives happier, smoother, or at least less chaotic. From Bibles to board games, from Greek notebooks to Suno AI bangers, from Kelly’s beloved Remarkable to Jimmy’s Micron pen obsession — it’s all here.If you want gift ideas, want to feel better about your own quirks, or just want to laugh your way through our most unserious episode of the year… welcome. These are a few of our favorite things — clearly.🎁 Favorite Things — Linked ResourcesBibles & Study ToolsNew Inductive Study Bible — Amazon LinkGreek New Testament Notebooks — Amazon LinkAnalog & Digital ToolsAnalog To-Do List (Uggmonk) — Product PageRemarkable Tablet — Amazon LinkAn Exercise in Proactive RepentanceLifestyle & HomeJackson Vaughn Candles — Official SitePortable Charger — Amazon LinkMusic / CreativitySuno — suno.comBoard Games & Family FunHouse Rules Board Game Shop — Official SiteTicket to Ride — Amazon LinkTelestrations — Amazon Link

We are sponsored by America World Adoption Agency. Join us in moving God’s kingdom forward in supporting adoption by signing up for their emails here.We love our kids. We really do. We just don’t always love the sticky floors, the endless questions, the “surprise” tantrums in the Target parking lot, or the way someone always needs a snack the literal second we sit down. But somewhere along the way, our culture decided that children themselves are the burden — and that’s where we draw the line.In this episode, we push back on the modern “kids = life-ruiners” narrative and look at what Scripture actually says (spoiler: only blessings, zero curses). We explore why children are image bearers, sanctifiers, future world-changers, and, yes, occasional free labor and potential retirement plans.If you’re a tired parent, a hesitant soon-to-be parent, or just someone who’s accidentally internalized the cultural eye-roll toward kids, come laugh, rethink, and get recalibrated with us — clearly.📚 Additional ResourcesWho Should a Church Help (and Not Help)?Your Child Is Your Neighbor — The Gospel CoalitionA Jesus Heart for Children (Part 1)Children: Burden or Blessing?The Sanctity of Unwanted Life

We are sponsored by America World Adoption Agency. Join us in moving God’s kingdom forward in supporting adoption by signing up for their emails here.We love worship, and we also love ruining bad ideas about worship. Today we are looking at five myths every church musician has probably heard at some point — like that we usher people into God’s presence (spoiler: that’s Jesus’ job), or that the Spirit’s main gig is “changing atmospheres”. We even talk about why “spontaneous” doesn’t automatically mean “spiritual.”So if you’ve ever led worship, attended worship, or just judged someone’s worship from the back row, this one’s for you. Grab your coffee, retire your skinny jeans, and join us as we bust a few myths — clearly.Recommended Book: You are What You Love by KA Smith

We are sponsored by America World Adoption Agency. Join us in moving God’s kingdom forward in supporting adoption by signing up for their emails here.Second Corinthians is Paul at his most personal, most pastoral... and most sarcastic. In this episode, Jimmy and Kelly unpack a letter full of tension: comfort and affliction, strength and weakness, ministry and mockery (hello, “super apostles”). Kelly’s got a full highlight reel of favorite verses, Jimmy tries to make “ratchet” happen, and together they explore why this book is a lifeline for anyone in ministry—or anyone just barely hanging on.From Paul’s theology of suffering to his defense of real, gritty, unimpressive faithfulness, 2 Corinthians will wreck you and rebuild you. Also, we may or may not suggest a graphic novel version.So pull out your Bible, your one-pager (get them here), and maybe a thorn in the flesh or two. Let’s go.

This episode is sponsored by America World Adoption Agency. Join us in moving God’s kingdom forward in supporting adoption by signing up for their emails here.What do Gaza, foreskins, and your spouse’s eschatology have in common? This episode. In classic Q&A fashion, we jump from current events to covenant signs to the real-life challenge of disagreeing theologically with someone you love.Jimmy and Kelly talk through how Christians should respond to cultural chaos (spoiler: read your Bible and love your neighbor), why God chose circumcision as the sign of His covenant with Abraham (yes, including “sensitivity”), and what to do when you and your spouse land in different places theologically or church-wise.Come for the clarity, stay for the circumcision jokes. This one’s classic Q&A Lane — curious, biblical, and just the right amount of unhinged.Resources:Give them Grace

🧡 If You Don’t Who Will?It is easy to think someone else is going to step up but we NEED YOU! Help us continue to make episodes and we are dreaming big for 2026! Just a few perks:Our Growing Catalog of one pagers for every book of the BibleHang out with us during our Live Recordings (and ask questions!)Access to our team ChatYou get celebrated during our Partner appreciation month👉 Become a Patreon Partner🎙️ Clearly – Ghosts: What’s Actually in the Bible?In this Halloween-week special, Jimmy and Kelly finally go where all good theologians fear to tread: ghosts. Like, actual spirits of the dead. Is that a thing? Or are we just reading into spooky campfire stories?Turns out—the Bible has some stuff to say.They dive into:The shockingly real ghost of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28Moses (ghost?) and Elijah on the mount of transfigurationWhy the disciples thought Jesus was a ghostAnd why Jesus didn’t say “ghosts aren’t real”—he said they don’t have bones 👀Also covered: ☠️ Necromancers, mediums, and why “never necro” should be a t-shirt 👻 Why ghosts (if real) don’t act like movie ghosts 🧠 Why demons are way more common than ghosts 🚫 And why you should absolutely not try to talk to eitherThey unpack everything with biblical grounding, lots of side-laughs, and a giant fake reaper looming over the episode. Literally.So whether you’re wondering if haunted houses are real, or just looking for a better theology of the supernatural—this episode will give you a lot to think about (and maybe stop you from buying that Ouija board at the garage sale).