Word & the Wild

Babylon falls. Persia rises. Exile ends.  Through visions of beasts and kingdoms, Daniel reveals the real power behind it all as two kings send open letters to the world—and God's people return to their homeland in a new Exodus. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One...

This week, the words of Jeremiah and Ezekiel play like sad country song in stereo. Jeremiah croons from the left ear, Ezekiel belts from the right, and together they narrate the collapse of Jerusalem. The temple falls, the people despair, and the lights go dark on Israel’s freedom. But buried in the sorrow are refrains of hope—promises of something new. Jeremiah and Ezekiel both whisper about a co...

This week, we hit a breaking point in the Bible’s story—and it’s not just emotional. It’s epic. Babylon descends, Judah falls, and the promised land becomes a prison camp. But Isaiah has already shown us what’s next. In this episode, Owen walks you through the moment God's people finally face the consequences—and the breathtaking seven-part roadmap Isaiah gives us for where the story still goes fr...

We don't know every detail of where this ride called life will take us. But we do know what waits for us at the end of the road. Here in WEEK 29, Isaiah and Micah reveal: God has a plan. His plan is different than ours. And, his plan is the one that will happen.  *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and i...

You feel that? It's the pull of the open road. It's Week 28 on our Bible adventure and we're on a road trip. It's not just any kind of road trip. It's a road trip through reality.... And, this week's psalms are the songs on the radio. Our destination? A place we've always longed for and never been. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break f...

After weeks of bad kings, feisty prophets, stormy politics, and spiritual drift, King Hezekiah pushes back against the chaos to recover peace and prosperity for his people. In the middle of an Assyrian onslaught, Judah becomes an island of calm and strength. What’s the secret to Hezekiah’s success? And how can we build our own island of spiritual stability in the storms of life? In this episode, w...

A storm is brewing—and the prophets tear our flimsy tent wide open. Owen takes us to the tropics in a modern parable, where we wake up to the warnings of Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. Yes, judgment is coming. So is a child. These are desperate days for the people of Israel, and we feel the same hurricane-force winds today. But, this storm won’t end the story. Even here, in the gathering dark, a light b...

When leadership breaks down, God doesn’t stay silent. He sends prophets—brash, untamed carriers of his voice and values. This week, we pan across the Bible’s epic landscape all the way back to the Garden to ask: What is leadership meant to be? What does it mean when the prophets arrive on the scene?  From Eden to Elijah, Isaiah, and Jonah, we trace the deeper purpose behind these chaotic character...

This week kicks off a whole new season in our Bible adventure—a time of civil war, crumbling kingdoms, and rapid-fire rulers. The story moves fast, but if you listen closely, you’ll hear a rhythm underneath. It’s a heartbeat. God’s heartbeat—paired with a pounding question: Do you love me? As the nation of Israel splits in two, we meet a gallery of leaders whose legacies rise or fall on what they...

A man who knew it all, did it all, and had it all makes a painful discovery—there’s one essential question he forgot to ask to get want he wants most of all. And now it’s too late.  This week, we walk through Ecclesiastes—his haunting, hard-won reflections on the meaning of life. And old king Solomon sends us a warning: What if the satisfaction you’re chasing is on the path you've ignored? *** Wor...

It feels good to pluck a hidden gem off the rack and take it home.  Reading Proverbs can feel like that. This week, Owen shows you how to crack a proverb—those zippy, two-line poems that hide the secrets of successful living in plain sight. Jump in, discover the beauty others miss... and, take home something you can't live without. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word...

Solomon’s name means peace...but his life says otherwise. This week, we follow the wisest man on earth as he builds a big kingdom, prays bold prayers, and still can’t quiet the ache inside. It’s a haunting look at how a life of success without satisfaction.  *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improv...

Ever hit a Psalm in the Bible and secretly thought, “Skip it”? For years, that was me. Too emotional. Too vague. Too hard to get something out of. Then something changed—and I fell in love. This week, we explore some of David’s psalms. I’ll tell you my story—and share four simple steps to take Psalms from “must skip” to “can’t miss.” *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Wor...

This week, David's personal choices set off a chain reaction that spins out of control and sends him on the run. As consequences mount, he rediscovers a love that outlasts his mistakes. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One Big Story Project. 👉 Find out more and jo...

The tragic miss that turned Saul into "Saul".... and why it's easier to make the same mistake than you think. Plus, how seeing double this week and what that's a good thing. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One Big Story Project. 👉 Find out more and join the 2027...

David solves Saul's "giant" problem... and then creates a "giant problem" for Saul. Why David and Saul's relationship blows up and what that means for us *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One Big Story Project. 👉 Find out more and join the 2027 waitlist at onebigst...

The Wild West chaos of Judges blurs into the background as we zoom in to follow the lives of a string of people who move the plot forward in a major way. Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David and more are on the horizon this week. Here's how to get a handle on this part of the story. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come bac...

Welcome to the Wild West known as Judges. This week, our journey takes us to a time when the Israelites live on the frontier. It's a dangerous borderland where life and peace hang in the balance. In these dark times, God calls in a series of vigilantes to rescue his people with their own brand of cowboy justice. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community...

Joshua and the Israelites as step into the Promised Land and move to clear out Canaan. It's a life and death struggle – and the threats are closer than they think. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One Big Story Project. 👉 Find out more and join the 2027 waitlist a...

It's not deja vu....it's Deuteronomy. Here in WEEK 12, Moses and the Israelites' wilderness wanderings come to an end... and come with a warning: God wants his people to remember what they would rather forget. Memory is essential to their survival. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for Jan...

Moses and the Israelites snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they turned their backs on the Promised Land and circle back to the wilderness. But there's more to the wilderness than punishment. God's preparing his people for their future. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January...

We gear up to break camp and follow Moses and the Israelites away from Mt. Sinai. The wilderness awaits. Will God's people reach their destination and fulfill their destiny? *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 as One Big Story *** The Word + the Wild community is on break for 2026. Why? To come back new and improved for January 2027 as the One Big Story Project. 👉 Find out more and join the 2027...

This is WEEK EIGHT... we are picking our way through the desert and having fun doing it. If you haven't already, now's a great time to subscribe to this podcast wherever you like to listen... And like the Word & the Wild facebook page. This week... Moses and the Israelites are out there in the desert getting all the particulars of what it takes to maintain a relationship with the God who rescu...

God gets close and shows us that he's complicated. But there's a beauty in the complexity that most people miss. As Moses and the Israelites are hard at work putting together that Tabernacle in the wilderness to create a space to meet with God... and God embeds some dramatic tension deep into our story... and we wrap our minds around why we should care at all. *** Word + the Wild is back in 2027 a...

This is WEEK SIX on our one-year Bible adventure... We have crossed over the one-month mark...as we are crossing the desert with Moses and the Israelites. It's all about Exodus this week. In Exodus, God gets personal. We learn his name. We see his heart. We get a peak into his motivations. And... when we push in for that close up, the image we see is intimidating, to say the least. *** Word + the...