Live Like It's True {Bible Podcast}

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...

Do you see the people around you like Jesus does? Or is a certain type of person you might look at with disdain? Who do you see as appalling, or as an annoyance? Is it possible that she looks like a sinner to you, but Jesus calls her forgiven?  Erica Wiggenhorn is with me to discuss the story of Simon and the sinful woman in Luke 7. The woman is letting down her hair, and making a scandalous scene...

Has Jesus asked you to give more than you have, today? Maybe you're stressed out, overwhelmed or burned out, and you just don’t have enough to do what Jesus has assigned to you today. I f that’s you, I’m glad you’re joining us for this episode, because we’re going to talk about a situation where Jesus’s disciples were feeling exactly like that. Jenn Hand is joining me to talk about Mark 6, an...

Do you feel pretty inadequate, as a Gospel-Spreader? In this retelling episode, we're looking back to the story from John 4, where Jesus interrupts his trip to Galilee to have a conversation with the least likely Gospel-Spreader: A Samaritan woman who had been repeatedly divorced and was now living with another man.  John is the only Gospel writer to include this story. Why? He wants us to se...

What are you constantly thirsty for? What’s the habit or person or behavior you’ve returned to repeatedly—always dipping your bucket and yet coming up dry? And what difference should it make that Jesus has offered you his living water? On Season One of Live Like It’s True, we’re discussing the True Stories of Jesus . Mary DeMuth joins me to discuss the story from John 4 of Jesus meeting the Woman...

In the story from Mark 2 (or Luke 5) of the friends bringing the paralyzed man to Jesus, the storyteller uses a surprise to highlight something important in the story.    My retelling episodes focus in on certain story elements, either of the story we discussed in a previous episode, or the overarching story that the Bible tells.    This episode is a follow up to my conversation with Kelly Needham...

The man in our story thought paralysis was his biggest problem, but Jesus took care of an even bigger one. And his friends got to dig up a roof and make a way for it to happen.   Guest : Kelly Needham Bible Passage : Mark 2:1-12 CSB Freebie :  Live Like It's True Workbook   Resources: Friendish by Kelly Needham Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin Music : Cade Popkin Music Complete Shownotes : a...

What story are you telling with your life? We’re all telling a story, but we’re all not telling the true story.  Welcome to Live Like It’s True—the podcast devoted to helping you know the story, share the story, and live the story.  The story that I’m referring to, of course, is the true story the Bible tells.  In this trailer episode, I’ll be sharing what you can expect from each episode, the gue...