Exempla

I grew up playing with LEGOs, my kids play with LEGOs, and when nobody's watching, I still like to play with them every now and then. But I was surprised to hear the story about how LEGOs came to be what they are today. This episode, I share some of that story with you along with a practical lesson it holds about fault-finding and blame. Transcript, pictures, and source: https://exemplapodcast.com...

Lots of people have first date stories, but have you ever ended up on a first date accidentally? I have, and the experience taught me a valuable lesson about the unsearchable ways of God. Transcript: https://exemplapodcast.com/2023/09/16/accidental-first-date/

In 1738, John was living an exemplary religious life, maintaining a high standard of devotion and piety. But he knew the bitter truth. Listen to the story of how John Wesley came face-to-face with the reality about his own heart and join me in reflecting on an important truth about religion and grace. Transcript and sources: https://exemplapodcast.com/2023/05/27/summer-religion/

Many drivers don’t pay much attention to what’s under the hood until something goes wrong. This episode, I tell a story about my struggle with an inoperative vehicle and an unexpected lesson about something else that is often overlooked.

Church relationships aren’t always easy. Sometimes, members find it hard to connect with others and certain people in the church can seem like they just don’t fit. We have a vital principle to consider in this story about a woman who thinks one man in her church might be more trouble than he’s worth.

We love a good underdog story. We love it when the little guy stands up to the big guy, even though the odds look impossible. But is audacious heroism always a good thing? Listen to the story of one man who tried to be a hero and what resulted from his defiance.

In 1968, three men went to the moon for Christmas. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were the crew of Apollo 8, and on Christmas Eve 1968 they shared a momentous message with the world, a message that still holds the power to lend us some much-needed Christmas perspective.

Did a lowly postage stamp alter the course of history? Join me for the fascinating story of how the Panama Canal almost never became a reality (it involves volcanoes) and for an important reminder of the influences that shape the course of history.

How many words do you hear every day? What does it take for those words to really stick? Listen to this personal story about a simple comment that had a profound and lasting impact.

Funny, isn’t it, how good we are at finding mistakes? There may only be one imperfection in an otherwise flawless pattern or project, but our eyes immediately fix on that one fault. Bowen learned the hard way how destructive that tendency can be. Join me as we hear his story and learn a valuable lesson about criticism.

Where did we get the phrase “Read the Riot Act”? The Riot Act, put in effect by British Parliament in 1715, was designed to combat angry protestors. But did it work? Travel with me to August 16, 1819 to witness an attempt to silence a crowd of 60,000 people and learn a lesson about dealing with disagreement.

We have all been exasperated by the rules and regulations we are sometimes asked to follow. Does God have anything to say about that? Join me this episode for a story about a Jewish man, a coin, and a principle for how we ought to respond to inconvenient or unfair rules.

Have you ever laughed at what little kids think is important? This story about a two-year-old and some flashing lights shows us that it all has to do with perspective, and maybe we all need our point of view adjusted.

We know the fairy tale as “The Frog Prince“, but when they wrote it, the Grimm brothers also gave it an alternate title: “Iron Henry”. Join me this episode as we meet Henry, find out what he has in common with John the Baptist, and learn the lesson they both have to teach us.

Maybe you have never thought to ask… What did the Old Testament tabernacle smell like? Join me for a visit to the ancient Jewish camp as we answer that question and consider an important principle for our own lives.

In September of 1942, Wheeler Lipes, a sailor aboard the USS Seadragon, faced one of the most unusual challenges of his life. Listen to this episode to hear about the seemingly impossible task he faced and the lesson we can learn from his difficult assignment.

Welcome to Exempla. My name is Nathaniel Brown. Listen as I explain my passion for good storytelling with an eternal purpose. We all love stories and they have a way of capturing our imagination and making us think. Listen to understand what an "exempla" is and why I think God wants us to use stories to bring each other face-to-face with the truth in thought-provoking and compelling ways.

Looking for well-told stories that illustrate God's truth? Listen to Exempla, a Christian storytelling podcast by Nathaniel Brown