Daily Bible Refresh

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads from Romans 11:13–29 in The Message translation, exploring Paul’s powerful metaphor of roots and branches to challenge spiritual arrogance and celebrate God’s inclusive, covenant-keeping love. Speaking to Gentile “outsiders” grafted into Israel’s ancient, holy root, Dr. Brad warns against any sense of superiority over the Jewish people and conf...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Acts 15:1–21 from The Message and explores what it truly means to “let outsiders inside.” He walks us through the early church’s fierce debate over whether non-Jewish believers had to be circumcised and fully keep the law of Moses, highlighting Peter’s powerful reminder that God had already welcomed these outsiders by giving them t...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reflects on Matthew 15:21–28 and Jesus’s encounter with the Canaanite woman from a progressive Christian perspective. Reading from The Message translation, he explores how this outsider’s bold, persistent plea for her daughter’s healing actually stretches Jesus’s own understanding of who is included in God’s abundant love. Dr. Brad highli...

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 14:34–36 from The Message, reflecting on how healing comes not through religious qualifications or perfect theology, but through a simple, desperate reach for Jesus—“a fingertip on the hem” of his garment. Drawing from his own life, including the example of his granddaughters and his ministry to people facing cancer, Dr. Brad explores h...

In this episode of The Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Acts 14:19–28 from The Message and explores what it really means to follow a faith that doesn’t shy away from hardship. Drawing on Paul and Barnabas’ brutal experiences—being attacked, nearly killed, and yet still returning to encourage new disciples—Dr. Brad unpacks the idea of “putting grit in the lives of the disciples” and expo...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Revelation 15:1–4 from The Message and unpacks its powerful imagery from a progressive Christian perspective. He explores the sea of glass as a symbol of chaos finally stilled, the song of Moses and the Lamb as a liberation anthem for oppressed people, and the radical idea that God’s justice leads to the inclusion of all nations , not...

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 8:23–27 from The Message and reflects on Jesus calming the storm while asleep in the boat with his terrified disciples. From a progressive perspective, Dr. Brad emphasizes that faith does not guarantee a storm-free life; instead, it assures us that God is present with us in the chaos, closer than the waves. Drawing on his own cancer jou...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Romans 9:14–33 from The Message and explores what it means that God is “in charge of mercy” and calls us by name rather than counting us as numbers. Drawing on the imagery of the potter and the clay, Brad unpacks how God’s personal selection, love, and compassion redefine our identity from “nobodies” to “beloved.” He also offers a p...

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads from 2 Peter 2:4–11 in The Message, exploring a hard but deeply relevant passage about judgment, justice, and spiritual leadership. He reframes the story of Sodom and Gomorrah through the lens of Ezekiel, highlighting that the true sin of Sodom was arrogance and a refusal to care for the poor and vulnerable—not whom someone loves. Brad then exp...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 14:22–33 from The Message , the story of Jesus walking on water and rescuing Peter as he sinks beneath the waves. From a progressive perspective , Brad highlights Jesus’ fierce commitment to solitude and prayer after serving the crowds, Peter’s very human mixture of faith and fear, and the way grace meets us before we “get it r...

In today’s episode of the Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 16:1–4 from The Message and reflects on Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees and Sadducees, who pressured Him for spectacular signs to prove Himself. Dr. Brad unpacks why Jesus refuses to “perform on command,” what the “Jonah sign” really means, and how the deeper pattern of death and resurrection shows up not only in S...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Acts 18:24–28 from The Message and reflects on the story of Apollos, a gifted and eloquent preacher who was “accurate up to a point” in his understanding of Jesus. Brad highlights how Priscilla and Aquila gently and privately helped Apollos grow in his faith, offering a compelling picture of humility, teachability, and behind-the-sc...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Acts 17:10–15 from The Message and reflects on the story of Paul and Silas in Berea and Athens. He highlights how the Bereans received Paul’s message with enthusiasm yet carefully examined the Scriptures for themselves, showing that real faith welcomes honest questions and critical thinking. Dr. Brad also draws attention to the quie...

In this episode of the Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 15:32–39 from The Message , reflecting on Jesus’ feeding of the 4,000 as a powerful picture of compassion that comes before miracles. From a progressive Christian perspective, Brad highlights how Jesus first hurts for the people —not seeking a platform or proving a point—before multiplying bread and fish to meet their physi...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Acts 2:37–47 from The Message and explores what repentance ( metanoia ) and authentic Christian community really look like from a progressive perspective. He reframes repentance not as guilt and shame, but as a hopeful turning toward a better way of life, using everyday images like hiking the wrong trail to show how we simply turn arou...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Romans 1:8–15 from The Message and reflects on Paul’s deep longing to visit the believers in Rome, his gratitude for their faith, and his conviction that spiritual growth is a two-way street. Brad unpacks how Paul, despite being a great teacher, insists that he needs the community as much as they need him, painting a picture of faith as...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 14:13–21 from The Message , reflecting on Jesus feeding the 5,000 and what it means for us today. From a progressive perspective , he explores how this miracle reveals a God who partners with people , turning scarcity into abundance through ordinary actions of care and compassion. Drawing on his experience with those impacted b...

In this episode of The Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller shares a progressive reflection on Matthew 7:7–11 from The Message , emphasizing Jesus’ invitation to approach God directly and honestly, without bargaining, performance, or secret formulas. Using the tender example of his young granddaughters confidently asking their grandpa for what they want, Dr. Brad illustrates how our relationship...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Romans 9:6–13 from The Message and explores what it really means to belong to God’s family from a progressive Christian perspective. He explains that Israelite identity was never about race, genetics, or pedigree, but about God’s promise and grace , using the stories of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca to show how God’s purpose is ro...

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Philippians 4:10–17 from The Message and unpacks Paul’s vision of contentment and generosity from a progressive faith perspective. He challenges the idea that true contentment means never needing anyone, showing instead that Paul’s trust in God left plenty of room for receiving help from others with gratitude. Drawing from his own cancer journe...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Mark 4:30–34 from The Message and explores Jesus’ image of the kingdom of God as an acorn that grows into a great oak, reminding us that God often works through small, easily overlooked beginnings. Brad connects this “ acorn principle ” to his own journey with the Cancer Comedy podcast, which started as a simple idea born out of his ca...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller offers a progressive reflection on Ephesians 6:10–18 , reframing spiritual warfare as a fight not against other people, but against the forces that wound and dehumanize—like cruelty, injustice, and despair. Reading from The Message translation, he highlights God’s “weapons” of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, God’s word, and pr...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads James 3:13–18 from The Message and explores what real wisdom looks like in everyday life. Drawing from a progressive Christian perspective, he contrasts genuine, humble wisdom with mean-spirited ambition and “animal cunning” that only aims to win arguments or look superior. Through personal stories from his 34-year marriage, raising th...

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads from Matthew 13:44–52 in The Message and explores the parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the fishing net. From a progressive faith perspective, he reflects on how grace often finds us unexpectedly , like a trespasser stumbling on treasure, and how truly encountering it is worth rearranging your entire life....

In this episode of Daily Bible Refresh , Dr. Brad Miller reads Matthew 12:38–42 from The Message and reflects on Jesus’ refusal to perform miracles on demand as “proof” of God. Instead, he lifts up the Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba as examples of people whose lives and choices became the real evidence of God’s work. Drawing from over 40 years in local church ministry , Dr. Brad shares how true...