

The Scriptures Are Real
Kerry Muhlestein
The Scriptures Are Real (TSAR) with Kerry Muhlestein is a podcast where we look at elements of the scriptures that have become real to us. We interview both experts (people with language, archaeological, historical backgrounds, etc.), and lay folks, and explore times when the scriptures became real to them. This is done from the viewpoint of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that there is real power in the scriptures and that as they become more real we can better apply them to our lives and draw more power from them.
If you listen to this podcast you will learn all kinds of interesting background information that will help you understand and learn more from the scriptures. We believe it will allow you to add real power to your life.
My gratitude to my co-host Lamar Newmeyer. Also to my friend Rich Nicholls, who composed the introductory music.
If you listen to this podcast you will learn all kinds of interesting background information that will help you understand and learn more from the scriptures. We believe it will allow you to add real power to your life.
My gratitude to my co-host Lamar Newmeyer. Also to my friend Rich Nicholls, who composed the introductory music.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 18, 2024 • 1h 27min
S 3 E18 Andrew Skinner and Jacob's Masterful Sermon on Covenant and Christ (week of Feb. 19, 1st episode)
For registration and other information, go to TSAR.website.For Easter Book Kerry speaks of that has just been published, go to https://www.seagullbook.com/easter-connection.htmlFor the article that Andrew Skinner mentions, go to https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol34/iss1/2/In this episode Kerry and Andrew Skinner explore the incredible sermon given by Jacob in 2 Nephi 6-10. They delve into the context of the sermon and how Jacob used Isaiah in the sermon and how it addressed what was happening in their lives at the time, and how Christ and Covenant were the answer. They speak of Jacob's exploration of his people's covenant relationship with God, and what that has to do with us. They also explore how the theme of not being cast off from God and that covenant relationship with Him is much of the theme of 2 Nephi. They speak of the infinite power of Christ's atoning sacrifice and what that has to do with the Nephite need at the time and our need in our day. They show how Jacob teaches about how to take advantage of Christ's atoning sacrifice and what makes it difficult for us to do so. They also look at the joy that is available for those who do take advantage of Christ's atoning sacrifice and of God's redeeming desires.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Feb 11, 2024 • 55min
S3 E17 Patrick Mason on Nephi's Psalm and Our Need for It (week of Feb. 12, 2nd episode)
You can register for workshops at TSAR.website, and get on the list for the Missouri workshop or Church History tour by emailing thescripturesarereal@gmail.com In this episode Kerry and Patrick plumb some of the depths of Nephi's psalm. We talk about what anger is, what we do about it, and answers we learn from Nephi. We examine what we can learn from Nephi's growth and learning, and how we can try to go through the same thing. We explore the beauty of Nephi's humanity and the purity of what he is trying to become. We try to take his powerful and moving writings and make it applicable to each one of us. We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Feb 11, 2024 • 51min
S3 E16 John Tanner and the Path of Holiness in Nephi's Psalm (week of Feb. 12, 1st episode)
You can register for the workshops at TSAR.website, and get on the list for the Missouri workshop and Church History Tour by emailing thescripturesarereal@gmail.com We explore 2 Nephi 4, or Nephi’s psalm. We look at the context of the beautiful psalm, and what caused Nephi to feel such a heartfelt, deep-seated stirring. John Tanner reads two of his own poetical renditions of the psalm. We explore what it teaches us about being born again and the pathway go holiness and godliness and how those teachings can apply to us at whatever level of godliness or holiness we are in. We look at how this all ties to Christ and His atoning sacrifice, and the need to trust in Christ’s transformative power and its ability to truly change us.You can read about John's renditions at https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1287&context=jbms#:~:text=Tanner%20decided%20to%20write%20lyrics,of%20an%20American%20folk%20song.You can listen to them at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ndrUaVeNAA (there are other renditions as well).We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Feb 4, 2024 • 27min
S3 E 15 Getting More from Scriptures with the We Believe App (week of Feb. 5, 3rd episode)
You can find the materials, and registrations, that Kerry talks about at https://www.patreon.com/EnlightenEdgeEDU/posts. In this episode Kerry and James Moore discuss the founding of the We Believe app, and how it can help with scripture study and help families and individuals of all types to find greater success as they throw themselves into the Come Follow Me Program. They discuss the value of scripture study and how using the app can help the scriptures become more real.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Feb 4, 2024 • 1h 11min
S3 E 13 Casey Griffiths on 2 Nephi 2, the Atonement, Joy, and Agency (week of Feb. 5, 1st episode)
You can find the materials, and registrations, that Kerry talks about at https://www.patreon.com/EnlightenEdgeEDU/posts. In this episode Casey and Kerry talk about the context of Lehi's great teachings to his son, and how their family situation affected what he taught. The delve into the complexity and beauty of those teachings, highlighting how it helps us understand mortality, and emphasizing how Lehi centers it all on Christ.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Feb 4, 2024 • 39min
S3 E 14 Kerry's small deep dives on 2 Nephi 2 (week of Feb. 5, 2nd video)
You can find the materials, and registrations, that Kerry talks about at https://www.patreon.com/EnlightenEdgeEDU/posts.In this shortcast, Kerry explores elements of the Fall and redemption and opposition. He uses some elements of Egyptian cultural understanding to help us more fully understand what Lehi was trying to convey. We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Jan 28, 2024 • 1h 7min
S3 E12 Natalie Hunsaker and Isaiah Teach about How God Cares (week of Jan. 29, 3rd episode)
Access Kerry's book on Isaiah at https://amzn.to/3Ukya4z.Access the new deep dive website Kerry has been talking about by going to TASAR.website or Patreon.com/enlightenedgeeduWe talk about Natalie's work, etc., which can be found at comhttps://nataliehunsaker.com/In this episode, Kerry and Natalie discuss Isaiah in the Book of Mormon in general, and the specific context of Nephi's quotation of Isaiah 48 and 49 in particular. They also discuss how Natalie's Isaiah art project has led her to consider some of the imagery in those chapters and how that plays out in the lives of people in general, and in her life in particular. Kerry and Natalie draw lessons from that that are real for all of us.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Jan 28, 2024 • 1h 14min
S3 E11 Kent Brown on How God Brings Genuine Growth, Lessons from Lehi's Journey (week of Jan. 29, 2nd episode)
Access Kerry's book on Isaiah at https://amzn.to/3Ukya4z. Access the new deep dive website Kerry has been talking about by going to TASAR.website or Patreon.com/enlightenedgeedu Access SPARC (the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Cultures) by going to www.sparcproject.org In this joint SPARC /TSAR (The Scriptures Are Real) broadcast, Dr. Kent Brown goes through some of the things he has learned about the trail Lehi and family must have taken to get to the Land of Bountiful. He addresses the necessities of the journey, such as ways to pay for things, the need to travel at night, ancient trade routes, etc. He uses this to talk to us about the growth we see in Lehi's family, and the sometimes lack of growth, and lessons we can learn from that. We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Jan 28, 2024 • 1h 23min
S3 E10 Andrew Skinner on the Power of God in Lehi's Family (week of Jan. 29, 1st episode)
Kerry has been speaking about the new deep dive website: https://www.patreon.com/EnlightenEdgeEDU or TSAR.websiteWe spoke of the following books and articles:Learning to Love Isaiah: https://amzn.to/3Ukya4zAndy’s article: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=6&article=1042&context=mi&type=additionalIn this episode we talked about the journey of Lehi’s family, and lessons we can learn from that. For example, we discuss how we see a difference between Nephi taking charge of his testimony as opposed to Laman and Lemuel, and draw lessons from that. We illustrate some scripture study skills, and discuss Nephi’s powerful testimony and how he draws on the Exodus story to help us learn those lessons. We talk about how covenant is reflected in the story and what it teaches us about God’s love for us, and the special kind of love and relationship available within the covenant and how that relates to our lives now. We speak of likening the scriptures to ourselves and what that really means in Nephi’s context and how that all helps us understand the Isaiah passages in this part of the Book of Mormon, and what those passages teach us of Christ and Joseph Smith as well as ourselves.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and for our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

Jan 21, 2024 • 19min
S3 E9 Anita Wells on Nephi's Teachings about the Lamb of God (week of Jan. 22, 3rd episode)
For Kerry's "Daily Bread" thoughts and other great content, go to TSAR.website or Patreon.com/enlightenedgeedu. For Anita's children's book "Nephi, Nephi, the Scriptures Are True," go to https://amzn.to/3SruAUP. In this episode Anita points out the powerful symbolism that Nephi uses when he repeatedly uses the phrase "the Lamb of God" to describe Christ. She points out the surprising amount of times that the phrase is used and the way understanding what it can mean helps us further understand Nephi's vision. They also explore ways that this is used elsewhere in the Book of Mormon. The discuss Passover symbolism in Lehi's life. They also discuss how this is another evidence of the Hebrew nature of the Book of Mormon. They also explore the way Lehi's family continues to grow in their understanding of Christ and the way Nephi's vision affects it.We are grateful for our sponsor, Lisa Spice, and our producer, BJ Muhlestein, and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.