Gospel Gumbo

Corrie ten Boom never planned to resist the Nazis. She wasn’t trained for danger, didn’t see herself as brave, and spent most of her life working in a small clock shop above her family’s home in Haarlem, the Netherlands. But when evil arrived at her door, obedience quietly became courage. In this episode of Gospel Gumbo , we tell the story of Corrie ten Boom , a Dutch Christian woman whose ordinar...

Phillis Wheatley was a Christian poet whose voice carried truth into a world that refused to believe she could have one. Born around 1753 in West Africa, Phillis Wheatley was captured as a child, enslaved, and brought to colonial Boston aboard a slave ship. In an age that celebrated liberty while practicing bondage, she became an astonishing literary figure—the first African American woman to publ...

In this episode of Gospel Gumbo , we explore the life of Katharina von Bora , a woman whose faithfulness shaped the Protestant Reformation not through sermons or treatises, but through daily work, courage, and endurance. Katharina’s story begins behind convent walls, where she was placed as a child in a world that offered women few real choices. When the ideas of the Reformation reached her cloist...

What happens when success collapses—and faith begins? In this episode of Gospel Gumbo , we explore the life of Francis of Assisi , one of the most unexpected and unsettling figures in Christian history. Born into wealth and privilege in medieval Italy, Francis dreamed of glory, honor, and recognition. Then came war, imprisonment, illness—and a slow unraveling of everything he thought would define...

In a world that expected women to remain silent, bodies to be distrusted, and imagination to be restrained, Hildegard of Bingen did something extraordinary—not by rebelling against the church, but by obeying God with courage, humility, and imagination. Born in 1098 and given to the church as a child, Hildegard grew up in a monastic world shaped by prayer, silence, and discipline. Physically fragil...

They were accused of heresy—not for denying Christ, but for translating the Bible. In this episode of Gospel Gumbo , we explore the lives of Cyril and Methodius , two ninth-century Christian brothers whose faithfulness reshaped the church by insisting that the gospel could—and must—be heard in the language of the people. Cyril and Methodius lived in a world where Christianity was spreading rapidly...

What does faithfulness look like when Christianity no longer holds political power, cultural dominance, or state protection? In this episode of Gospel Gumbo , we explore the life of John of Damascus , a Christian theologian who defended the truth of the gospel while living under Muslim rule in the eighth century. Writing from Damascus—one of the oldest cities in the world and a place rich with bib...

In this episode of the Gospel Gumbo Podcast , we explore the life and legacy of Gregory the Great , a Christian leader who became “great” not by building an empire, but by serving faithfully in the ruins of one. Gregory lived in the late sixth century, long after the Western Roman Empire had collapsed. Rome still carried its famous name, but it no longer held power, stability, or security. The cit...

In this episode of the Gospel Gumbo Podcast , we explore the life and legacy of Athanasius of Alexandria , one of the most influential—and most isolated—figures in early Christian history. Athanasius lived in the fourth century during a time of dramatic change for the church. Christianity had moved from persecution to imperial favor, and theological disputes suddenly carried political consequences...

In this opening episode of Season 8 of the Gospel Gumbo Podcast , we step into the world of the early church through the life of Ignatius of Antioch —a pastor, bishop, and Christian leader who faced death not with bravado, but with quiet, steady faith. Ignatius lived in the early second century, a time when Christianity was illegal everywhere and protected nowhere. There was no New Testament as we...

What does faithfulness look like before anyone knows how the story will end? Season 8 of the Gospel Gumbo tells the stories of ten ordinary people who lived in extraordinary moments—men and women who didn’t feel ready, strong, or certain, but who obeyed God anyway. This season spans two thousand years of church history , following one person every two hundred years. These are not superhero stories...

Horses are woven through Scripture as symbols of power, speed, battle, and royal authority. They stir the imagination the same way they do when we see them in a Kentucky field—strong, beautiful, noble creatures who seem almost too powerful for their surroundings. In the ancient world, the horse was the apex of human strength, the engine of warfare, the pride of empires. In this season finale of Th...

Most of us swat away insects without a second thought. But Scripture doesn’t. From ants to bees, moths to locusts, and all the creeping things in between, the Bible uses the smallest creatures to reveal some of its biggest truths. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores how tiny creatures become profound teachers in God’s world. Drawing on childhood memories of growing...

In the ancient world, bulls and oxen were the very definition of strength. They plowed fields, powered economies, pulled burdens, and served as the costliest sacrifices in Israel’s worship. But they also became symbols of danger, idolatry, and humanity’s attempts to build a god in our own image. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores the rich biblical symbolism of oxen...

Donkeys rarely take center stage. They work in the background, carry heavy loads, and receive little admiration—yet they appear everywhere in the Bible. Kings ride them. Prophets depend on them. Ordinary people use them every day. And once, memorably, a donkey speaks the truth when a prophet refuses to listen. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores the surprising theol...

Fish appear again and again in Scripture—not as background details, but as powerful symbols of death, resurrection, calling, and divine provision. From Jonah in the deep to Peter’s overflowing nets to Jesus feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fish, these stories reveal a God who rescues, restores, and provides for His people in astonishing ways. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast...

Snakes make many of us uncomfortable—and the Bible understands why. Serpents appear rarely in Scripture, but when they do, they carry enormous symbolic weight. They represent deception in Eden, judgment in the wilderness, wisdom in Jesus’ teaching, and even redemption through the mysterious bronze serpent lifted up by Moses. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores how s...

Birds flutter across the pages of Scripture with surprising power. They carry peace, strength, mystery, and meaning on their wings. From Noah’s dove to Elijah’s ravens, from eagles soaring above storms to sparrows nesting near the altar, the Bible uses birds to reveal the heart of God’s care for His people. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores the rich symbolism of f...

Sheep aren’t stupid—just vulnerable, trusting, and deeply dependent. And that, Scripture says, is exactly what makes them the perfect picture of us . In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores one of the richest biblical metaphors: God’s people as sheep and Christ as both Shepherd and Lamb. From Psalm 23 to John 10, from the Passover lamb to the Lamb upon the throne in Rev...

Most of us know the gentle side of cats—the purr, the grace, the quiet independence—but Scripture’s cat doesn’t purr. It roars. In this episode of The Gospel Gumbo Podcast , Will Sofield explores how the Bible trades the housecat for the lion , revealing a God who is powerful, protective, and gloriously untamable. Meet Violet , Will’s barn cat, whose fierce independence hints at the same wild desi...

What does the Bible really say about dogs? We call them man’s best friend , but in Scripture they were anything but. In the ancient world, dogs weren’t curled up on couches — they were scavengers in the streets, symbols of uncleanness and judgment. Yet Jesus used the image of a dog to teach one of the most beautiful lessons about humility, faith, and grace in the entire New Testament. In this epis...

The Bible isn’t a quiet book. It’s not a polished museum display or a tidy collection of moral lessons. It’s a living world —dusty, noisy, unpredictable, filled with dogs that trot through ancient alleys, sparrows that flutter overhead, and ants that quietly go about their work as though they were the wisest creatures alive. In this teaser episode, Will Sofield invites you to step into that world...

Is the virgin birth of Jesus just a beautiful story — or the heart of Christmas itself? In this episode of the Gospel Gumbo podcast, we explore why the church has always confessed that Christ was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,” and why that truth is essential for Christian faith today. We’ll look at: ·       Biblical foundations in Matthew 1 a...

What did Christmas mean to enslaved African Americans in the Antebellum South? While white society celebrated with feasting and gifts, enslaved Christians transformed Christmas into a season of hope, faith, and resistance — expressed most powerfully through the spirituals they sang. In this episode of the Gospel Gumbo podcast, we explore the hidden history of slavery and Christmas , listening clos...

Who was the real St. Nicholas — and how did he become Santa Claus? In this episode of the Gospel Gumbo podcast, we peel back the layers of myth and marketing to discover the true story of Nicholas of Myra, the 4th-century bishop whose life of generosity and faith shaped one of the world’s most beloved holiday traditions. We start with the modern caricature of Santa Claus — the red suit, the North...