Jesus the Legend

Today we have a very special guest—John Crowder. I’ve known John for years, and while he’s certainly stirred up controversy in some religious circles, I genuinely believe that if people would take the time to listen to him, get to know him, and hear his heart, they’d see that his deepest desire is for people to encounter Jesus in a real and transformative way. My sense is that many of his critics...

In this episode (Part 2 of 2), I continue my chat with Jason Clark – writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story Ministries . Jason’s passion is helping sons and daughters grow confident in the relentless, always-good love of their heavenly Father. We talk about everything from rethinking old ideas about God to laughing through life’s wild ride of faith. Jason brings deep wisdom and a...

In this episode (Part 1 of 2), I sit down with Jason Clark – writer, speaker, and lead communicator at A Family Story Ministries . Jason’s passion is helping sons and daughters grow confident in the relentless, always-good love of their heavenly Father. We talk about everything from rethinking old ideas about God to laughing through life’s wild ride of faith. Jason brings deep wisdom and a ton of...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Jesus the Legend. Today we're going to talk about something that has completely changed the way I read the Bible — it’s the role of the early church and church tradition. Now, before you roll your eyes and think, “Tradition? That sounds old and dusty,"... stick with me… Because what I’ve found is that far from being dusty… tradition and the voice of the early...

Welcome back to Jesus the Legend. Today we’re talking about a topic that’s been on my heart for a while now—something that’s both fascinating and, honestly, really surprised me once I checked it out for myself. The title of this episode is "Scripture’s Silence on Hell - What the Bible Doesn’t Say." If your church background was anything like mine, you were probably taught that hell—a pla...

Hey, everyone! Welcome back to Jesus the Legend , the podcast where we’re doing our best to dig deep into the wild, wonderful, and beautiful Gospel.  Today, we’re diving into the consuming, heart-stirring fire we see all throughout Scripture—the fire of His love, His power, and His presence. But here’s the twist… it’s not a fire that torments forever, but one that transforms . So grab your coffee,...

Welcome to Jesus the Legend. Today’s episode is titled: We're All Universalists (But We Won’t Admit It) . Now before you start yelling, stick with me for a few minutes. It’s gonna be worth it. What if I told you that, in many ways, we already think in universal terms without realizing it? When it comes to sin and the fall, we have no problem affirming its reach. We acknowledge that sin has aff...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Jesus the Legend! Today, I want to dive into a topic that came up in my recent interview with David Artman. When I asked him what the biggest push-back he gets against Christian Universalism is, he said it’s the idea that it takes away free choice. That really got me thinking, because I wrestled with that same question a few years ago as well… plus I’ve heard that sam...

Part 3 of 3 with David Artman - Welcome to Jesus the Legend! I am so excited to have had the chance to chat with David Artman. David is a husband, banjo player, and minister who believes God will ultimately redeem everyone by grace. After over 30 years in pastoral ministry, he loves to engage in today’s spiritual conversations. His journey has led him to embrace Christian universalism—not as a bre...

Part 2 of 3 with David Artman - Welcome to Jesus the Legend! I am so excited to continue my chat with David Artman. David is a husband, banjo player, and minister who believes God will ultimately redeem everyone by grace. After over 30 years in pastoral ministry, he loves to engage in today’s spiritual conversations. His journey has led him to embrace Christian universalism—not as a break from Scr...

Part 1 of 3 with David Artman - Welcome to Jesus the Legend! I am so excited to have a very special guest joining me today - David Artman. David is a husband, banjo player, and minister who believes God will ultimately redeem everyone by grace. After over 30 years in pastoral ministry, he loves to engage in today’s spiritual conversations. His journey has led him to embrace Christian universalism—...

Welcome to Jesus the Legend… today we’re diving deep into another fun parable -  Matthew 25: 31-46 - “The Sheep and the Goats” . This passage has been a cornerstone of thought on judgment, mercy, and eternal destiny. But what does it really mean? Does it teach eternal conscious torment, or is there something deeper happening? Today, we’ll touch on a few different ways of how this passage has been...

Welcome back to Jesus the Legend, where we’re doing our best to explore the radical goodness of God and how He’s better than we could ever imagine. Today, we’re going to chat about a big question: "Who is a child of God?" And, "Why does so much of Evangelical Christianity insist that you're either in or out?" I want to invite you into a deeper, broader, and more beautiful v...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Jesus the Legend! I’m so glad you’re here. Today, I want to talk about something that may bring some of us a deep sense of relief: The Gospel is simple. And yet, for some reason, we sometimes tend to make it way harder than it needs to be. All too often we struggle, overthink, and stress about doing it "right," when all along, Jesus is saying, "Trust me...

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Jesus the Legend. I’m so excited for today’s episode because we’re diving into a passage that, for most of my Christian life, I thought was one of the clearest texts for a hell of eternal conscious torment. At least that was how I had always read it and always been taught. Like many others— I thought the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus was rock-solid evidence...

Today, we’re going to take a look at a topic that has the power to shift our perspective, renew our minds, and even help transform our hearts: gratitude. And I’m not just talking about saying “thank you” when things are going well—I mean living with a deep, daily awareness of God’s goodness, even in the ordinary moments of life. We live in a world that constantly pulls our attention toward what’s...

Today, we’re diving into something that calls us to rethink everything—the overwhelming vastness of God’s love. I believe if we truly understood it—if we could even glimpse how high, how deep, how unshakable it is—we wouldn’t hesitate. We wouldn’t hold back. We’d run straight into His embrace without fear, without doubt, without second-guessing. When I talk about God’s love, I’m NOT talking about...

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s been close to my heart for years—evangelism. Now, before you roll your eyes and think, "Oh great, another talk about handing out tracts at the mall, or yelling at people on the sidewalk" stick with me. This isn’t about scheduling evangelism like a dentist appointment—6 PM to 7 PM, Friday night, go tell people about Jesus, check the box, done! No, e...

Why serve God now? Simple—because He’s everything. He’s life itself. He’s the source of eternal purpose, supernatural calm, and a love so deep it makes the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. I don’t want to live a single second feeling apart from Him… I don’t want to waste my life chasing things that don’t matter. This life with Jesus? It’s so ridiculously good, I can’t imagine ever g...

What if the "fire" of hell is God’s refining love, not some weird retributive eternal punishment with no real, redemptive purpose?  Malachi 3:2-3 - “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like washers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousne...

The idea that our sin separates us from God often gets misunderstood. It’s not that God turns His back on us when we mess up; it’s that we turn away from Him. The separation we feel is on our end, not His. Sin has a way of distorting our perception, making us feel ashamed, unworthy, and distant. But the truth is, God never leaves us—His presence and love remain constant, even in our darkest moment...

You may have heard someone say, “I don’t want to question God.” Or maybe you’ve said it yourself while nervously avoiding a deep theological conversation. First of all, let me just say—good for you! Respect for God is a great thing. But listen, questioning God isn’t the same as questioning your theology. And side note - even if you were questioning God (which you’re probably not), I’m sure He’s no...

The gospel is the breathtakingly good news that God, in His infinite love and wisdom, is working to reconcile all things to Himself through Jesus Christ. It’s the announcement that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not just about saving a select few but about redeeming and restoring the entire cosmos. The gospel reveals a God who doesn’t merely tolerate humanity but passionately pursues us...

After three decades of walking with Jesus, I’ve realized more than ever that everything—Scripture, life, the whole deal—has to be understood and seen through the lens of Christ. Think of it this way: just like a map needs a legend to make sense of all those squiggly lines and symbols, the Bible needs Jesus as its ultimate key. Without Him, we risk wandering aimlessly through the text, pulling out...