Exploring My Strange Bible

Pslams teach us that protesting to God about horrors that take place in our world is a crucially important habit that we need to adopt. In this episode, We explore Pslam 22. We’re reflecting on the poets experience of extreme suffering and pain. We address what it means to hold on to the conviction that ‘God is good’ and has redemptive purposes when the world seems like it is falling apart. This poem teaches us the meaning of ‘lament’ and ‘protest’. It is very powerful, there is so much going on here.

As a new follower of Jesus, I loved the Book of Psalms. I remember realizing for the first time that multiple points in Jesus’s life teaching, he used the language of the psalm to express his own thoughts. Jesus models for us what it means to use the psalms as language for our own prayers. This first teaching is based on Psalm 3, it is about learning how to pray in the midst of great fear and anxiety in our lives.

In this teaching we are exploring the word “covenant” and how it is crucially important for understanding the storyline architecture of the whole story of the bible. It really only gets used in a small number of ways in modern English.

In this episode we’re exploring a biblical word that is commonly used, but mostly not understood: glory. This is actually a crucially important concept for understanding the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In this first teaching, I explore the biblical word and concept of holiness: God’s holiness, people’s holiness, the story underneath it all, and more. This is an extremely important idea for understanding what followers of Jesus believe about God and themselves.

In this episode, we explore the final pages of the bible (Revelation chs. 21-22) and how they describe the resurrection and the new creation. In this poetic visions, John shows how the new creation is both similar and dissimilar to the world as we currently experience. What does that mean? Why is that important? We address these questions in this episode… take a listen!

The discussion dives into Paul's profound thoughts on resurrection and new creation from 1 Corinthians. Acorns symbolize transformation, representing the potential for believers to grow into something extraordinary. The concept of divine judgment contrasts with human accountability, highlighting struggles with understanding scripture. Fire serves as a powerful metaphor for justice, challenging listeners to embrace purification and renewal. Ultimately, the dialogue calls for a shift from self-interest to self-sacrifice, urging a deeper reflection on hope and divine love.

A deep dive into the biblical narrative of slavery and liberation in Romans 8, drawing parallels to the Exodus story. Explore the power of groaning as an emotional release and the hope for future glory. Reflect on creation's longing for redemption and the promise of liberation through Jesus amidst a broken world.

In this episode we'll explore the nature of Christian hope from 1 Peter ch.1. We'll learn the story of a Holocaust survivor named Victor Frankel and what he learned about human psychology and hope. This story gives us a profound insight into the important role that hope based on the resurrection of Jesus can play in our lives.

The discussion centers on the intriguing story of two disciples who fail to recognize the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It highlights how preconceived notions can blind people to deeper truths. There’s a fascinating exploration of visual representations of Jesus and their impact on belief. The narrative also emphasizes humility, encouraging listeners to confront their own assumptions. Ultimately, it explores the transformative nature of recognizing Jesus' true identity and the profound implications of the resurrection.