Live Like It's True {Bible Podcast}

Knowing your origin story matters.  Think about if you walk into a movie half way through, or open a book in the middle. You don't understand what's broken or missing. You can't understand what's been lost. It's like being slightly sad at the funeral of someone you never met, but secretly wishing the funeral would be over so you can get back to whatever you wanted to do wi...

 Why do the weeds grow and the flowers die? Why is there cancer, and divorce, and death? And why, even when my life is so full, do I feel so empty? The answers to these questions are found, not in some lengthy discourse, but in a relatively short story about a man and woman who lived in a beautiful garden, where they walked and talked with God. But then they ate the forbidden fruit and were driven...

"The end of your rope is the middle of God's Story." That's what Lisa Appelo says, as she reflects on the pain of losing her husband suddenly, leaving her to raise seven children.  If you're grieving over a loss, and wondering why God would ask for even more, the Bible story Lisa and I are unpacking is just for you. May you be inspired by a widow's faith, and amazed b...

Do you have any signs of an identity crisis? Do you have symptoms like:  Apathy, or searching for more purpose or passion in your life Questioning your goals and relationships Hopelessness or anxiety about the future When Moses encountered the burning bush, three times, he asked the question, "Who am I?" But God offers a better question for those struggling with their identity.  Guest :...

Do you feel small and uncertain? Are you tempted to stay quiet and passively do nothing—because you're not sure what little you could possibly do in the face of such big problems? Lynn Cowell and Amy Carroll are with me to talk about the story of Esther, and what her story in the Bible has to say about the false narratives of complacency and passivity.  Amy and Lynn both serve on the team at...

Do you know anyone who seems like the least likely person to ever turn and follow Jesus? You look at them and think, "There's just no way..." Maybe the person you think of as the least likely Jesus follower is you .  Well, today we're looking at the story of Saul (who becomes Paul) in Acts 9. He was a man who thought he would never, ever follow Jesus. And the people around him...

Has God been putting up roadblocks in your path?  Has he been making it impossible for you to "proceed with the route" you had in mind for your life? This can be really frustrating—especially when your plans revolved around pleasing God. Maybe you're feeling disillusioned or even angry—wondering what God is trying to do here.  If so, I think today's conversation is going to be...

Have you thought about your funeral lately? What if your funeral wasn't the end of your story? What if you knew there was life to to be lived afterward?  Would it make a difference in how you lived today? In the True Story of the Tomb, Erika VanHaitsma and I talk about the morning the women rose early to bring the spices they had prepared to Jesus's tomb—only to find it was empty. Listen...

Let's not rush too quickly past that moment when darkness covered the land, as the Light of the Word was slowly snuffed out. Oh, the agony of giving up his Spirit! Oh the love, as he did it.  I can't think of a better guest to have this conversation with than Asheritah Ciuciu. She has such wisdom, and tender compassion for you, as we contemplate that dark, Good Friday when it looked like...

Have you shared the true story of the Bible with anyone lately? Would you like to, but need a little help getting started? If so, you're in the right place.  Karlena de la Cruz, from StoryRunners is my guest, and we're talking about sharing the Easter story. Will you be gathering with friends or family this week? What if you took a few minutes to share an Easter story? Guest : Karlena de...

What if you were being lied to? Would you want to know? We're going to talk in this episode about listening to the true story, found in the Bible so that we're able to spot the false narratives of the world. Bible Passage: John 18:1-11 NASB Freebie:  Get your free Live Like It's True Workbook   Mentioned Resources:  Pointing Fingers, Throwing Rocks Article Control Girl: Lessons on S...

When somebody is being arrested, who's the person with the power? Who seems to be in control? Ordinarily, you'd think it was the guy putting the handcuffs on, right? Not the one with his hands behind his back. But when Jesus of Nazareth comes out into the open and faces hundreds of soldiers who are waiting to arrest him, it might look at first glance like he's just stepped into a tr...

How do you behave during suspenseful movie scenes? I tend to make lots of noise, and call out to the characters on screen who can't hear me (which drives my kids nuts). Today we're going to revisit and retell the suspenseful scene where Jesus is seated next to the one who will betray him: Judas. Bible Passage:   John 13:17-30 Freebie:  Get your free Live Like It's True Workbook   Me...

Have you ever watched someone betray Jesus? Have you felt the pain and shock of watching someone among you—someone who seemed to be a follower of God—turn against Him? This can be confusing and disorienting, but what if it's true that Jesus knows exactly what is in each of our hearts?  As we talk about the True Story of Judas, that's what we're going to find. And amazingly, even the...

Here in this True Story of Easter Series, we're talking about the King who is a Lamb; Jesus is the lamb who dies so the people go free. Today, we're going to talk about several metaphors that the Bible uses, which I hope will shed new light on this amazing story which I'm going to retell—with Jesus gathering his disciples in the upper room to celebrate the Passover, the night before...

If you were invited to a special dinner party, where the honored guests gathering around the table are all friends of Jesus who will be participating in a symbolic reenactment of the most important day in the history of the world, would you go?  What I've just described is communion, or the "meal of remembrance" which Jesus instated, during a very special dinner party he shared with...

How do you respond when God allows you to get hurt? How do you pray after he fails to prevent the pain you're experiencing? Or when he fails to do the thing that would seem most consistent with his kind and loving character? Bible Passage: John 11:38-44 and12:10-11  Freebie:  Get your free False Narrative Watchlist   Mentioned Resources:  Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of C...

Are you going through something really painful right now? Are you wondering, "Why, Jesus? Why didn't you intervene?" There are two sisters named Mary and Martha, in our story today, who are asking that very question after the death of their brother, Lazarus. As we discuss the plot twists found in this True Story of Lazarus from John 11:38-44 and12:10-11, I think you're going to...

Hey, hey! Welcome back to another season of Live Like It's True! This season, we're discussing the True Story of Easter.  Where else can I listen to the podcast? Go HERE to find this episode on your favorite podcast app, including Apple , Google , Spotify , and more. FREE RESOURCE: The Live Like It's True Workbook Mentioned: " About Me " (Which includes a new family photo....

How can you stir up curiosity in someone who thinks the story of Jesus is irrelevant to their lives—especially at Christmas time? We're welcoming Darin and Joy Stevens, who live in the UK, where it's not that people are against God; they just don't think he's relevant. So what can we learn from their experience as we engage an increasingly post-Christian culture and yet still s...

Are you living through the terror of a storm? Is there a situation that feels completely out of your control? And do you wonder if maybe God is asleep? Have you even wondered, "Does God care about me?"  Sarah Walton joins me to talk about the story in Mark 4 of the disciples fighting for their lives as a storm rages, with Jesus asleep in the boat.  Jesus does calm their storm, but not im...

Have you been born again? Do you know what this metaphor even means—and why Jesus used it to confront a Bible teacher named Nicodemus ? And what about the metaphor of wind or the imagery of the snake on the pole? And why didn’t Jesus just use plain English... or maybe Greek? Join me for a conversation with Aaron Brewster, where we discuss the story of Nicodemus from John 3.  Where else can I liste...

Have you ever been forced into a wilderness of discomfort? An out-of-your-control season where the comforts of life are beyond reach? And do you want to binge your way through your wilderness, thinking, "Oh? I have to live without that? Well, then. I'll just feast on this." Barb Roose joins me to look at the astonishing story in Matthew 4 of Jesus—who has been in the wilderness with...

Have you been feeling lonely recently? Do you ever feel misunderstood? Are there times you wonder if there's anywhere you really belong? If so, consider this: Jesus can relate. Alicia Bruxvoort joins me to talk about what Jesus did when he encountered the Lonely Spaces. Alicia admits that we can't escape loneliness. Even in a crowd, or in a marriage, or across the table from a friend, we...

What fears do you struggle with? What anxieties hold you back? Do you worry about the things you can't control?  Kristen Wetherell joins me to talk about Jesus's responses to our fears in Luke 12. If you only live once, there's a lot to protect and so much to fear. But if you live twice? If you know that you'll live forever? Well, then. What is there left to fear?   Guest : Kri...