Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! We originally released this episode on our YouTube channel, but are making it available on our podcast during our break. 🎙️In this episode, we step into the darker, original version of Sleeping Beauty. 👸Together, we uncover how the King and Queen’s attempt to protect their daughter from a curse leads instead to a kingdom frozen in stasis—safe, but barren and...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this final episode of our Minor Prophets series, we explore the strange and powerful visions of Zechariah, a prophet speaking to a people who have physically returned home but remain spiritually displaced. ✨ Through symbols of cleansing, restoration, and renewal, Zechariah reveals that rebuilding a culture begins long before stones are laid and walls are...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we continue our Minor Prophets series with the book of Habakkuk , a unique prophecy that takes the form of a conversation between the prophet and God. 📖 Set in the years before Babylon’s conquest of Judah, Habakkuk wrestles with a question that still resonates today: Why does God seem silent in the face of injustice? We explore Habakkuk’s st...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we continue our Minor Prophets series with the book of Micah , exploring how corruption and injustice slowly unravel a society from within. 📖 Set against the backdrop of Assyria’s rise and the coming exile, Micah confronts the political and spiritual failures of Judah’s leaders, exposing exploitation, false security, and the devastating cost...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we continue our Minor Prophets series with the book of Hosea , exploring a recurring biblical pattern—God brings order, people distort it, prophets call for repentance, and when ignored, collapse and renewal follow. 📖 We place Hosea in the final days of the Northern Kingdom and unpack his striking story: a commanded marriage to Gomer that be...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! We kick off a new series on the Minor Prophets with the book of Joel , exploring how prophets function less as fortune-tellers and more as pattern readers —revealing what is already unfolding within a culture. 🔮 We walk through Joel’s vivid description of a locust-driven collapse, showing how it touches every layer of life—economy, worship, and joy—and how h...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast 🎙️, we wrap up our Parables of Jesus series by exploring the “threshold moments” where Jesus’ stories move toward judgment and accountability. 📖 We examine the Wise and Foolish Builders , the Parable of the Talents , the Great Banquet , and the Sheep and the Goats , uncovering themes of preparation,...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we revisit how to read Jesus’ parables, resisting the modern urge to pull out a quick moral. 📖  We explore the setting of Luke 15 , where the Pharisees criticize Jesus for welcoming “tax collectors and sinners,” and unpack the parable of the Prodigal Son . We also connect these themes to the Worker...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we dive into some of Jesus’ most challenging and illuminating parables—the Good Samaritan, the Rich Fool, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and the Unforgiving Servant. 🙏 Together, we unpack how these stories confront our assumptions about morality, compassion, forgiveness, and self-righteousness. Far from simple moral lessons, these parab...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we continue our exploration of Jesus’ parables by focusing on the theme of hidden knowledge and the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven . ✨ We wrestle with why parables can be so challenging to interpret and how they reveal deeper truths about virtue, discernment, and readiness for God’s coming kingdom. 🙏 Drawing on vivid images—fields, lamps,...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! 🎙️ We kick off Season 4 with a brand-new series exploring the Parables of Jesus , beginning in Matthew 13. In this episode, we dig into Jesus’ kingdom imagery—seeds, soil, wheat, weeds, mustard, and yeast—to uncover what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like as it takes root and grows. 🌿 We explore how these everyday images spoke powerfully to ancient audiences a...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! 🎙️ In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we preview what’s ahead in Season Four . 🔮 We share upcoming topics like the parables of Jesus, the Minor Prophets, familiar Sunday school stories, and a new series focused on transformation. 🙏 We also reflect on how the podcast has evolved—from a Greece travelogue to deeper explorations of sym...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In the final episode of Season 3, we explore the story of Jonah and the Whale through five layers of meaning: literal, theological, moral, eschatological, and symbolic. 🐳 We look at Assyria’s historical setting, Jonah’s role in God’s mission, and the challenge of aligning our will with the Divine. ✨ We also trace themes like the number 40, the Leviathan, an...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! 🎙️ In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we explore the many layers of meaning within Scripture. Using films like The Matrix and Fight Club as modern parallels, we discuss how stories—ancient or modern—can be read on multiple levels. 🎞️ We unpack five key ways to interpret the Bible: the literal and historical, theological and allegoric...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! 🎙️ In this episode of the Navigating an Ancient Faith Podcast , we kick off our new series, Decoding the Bible ! 📖 We explore the rich variety of genres found in Scripture—from history and wisdom literature to poetry, prophecy, letters, and apocalyptic visions. ✨ By recognizing these diverse styles, we uncover how ancient audiences understood the Bible and...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode, we continue our Stranger Things series with a deep dive into the human fascination with immortality . 🕰️ From mythic quests and Tolkien’s elves to modern science’s pursuit of longevity, we explore how cultures across time have wrestled with the desire to escape death. ⚰️ The conversation unpacks the psychological, societal, and theological si...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! We’re back with the third year of our Stranger Things series on the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast ! 🎙️ This series begins with a timely and thought-provoking question: Are we witnessing the end of the world—or just the end of a worldview? 🌍 In this episode, we explore cultural shifts through history, from ancient Greece to modern times, tracing the tra...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this final episode of our Journey Through Ephesus series on the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we explore the Apostle Paul’s powerful imagery of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6. ⚔️ We discuss how virtues like truth, righteousness, peace, and faith serve as essential armor for life’s battles. 🛡️ Drawing from Old Testament roots and Greek cultural co...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we explore Paul’s use of mystery religion language in his letter to the Ephesians. ✨ We unpack key words like mystery, revelation, and insight , showing how Paul connected the gospel to the cultural context of his time. 🏛️ We also consider today’s growing hunger for mystical experiences and how the...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith podcast, we explore Ephesians 2 and the rich imagery of the temple —both in Jewish tradition and in the pagan world. 🏛️ We share our own experiences visiting the ancient ruins of the Temple of Artemis (a bit underwhelming 😅) and the awe-inspiring Temple of Apollo, and how these sites bring Paul’s words to li...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! ✨ We’re kicking off a brand-new series on the Navigating An Ancient Faith podcast with a deep dive into Ephesians 1 . In this episode, we unpack big theological ideas like predestination and election 🧠, exploring how Paul frames them within God’s grand cosmic plan 🌌—a plan that brings unity and includes the Gentiles 🤝. We reflect on how modern readers oft...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In the final episode of our Ancient Stories series on the Navigating An Ancient Faith podcast 🎙️, we explore the timeless story of King Thrushbeard . 📖 We follow the proud princess through her fall from status, her humbling trials, and the surprising reveal of the king's true identity.  🏰 Along the way, we uncover powerful themes of pride, transformati...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith podcast, we dive into the haunting Grimm tale The Nix of the Mill Pond 🌊✨. We follow the story of a desperate bargain 🤝, a lost son, and a long journey back to love and wholeness ❤️. Along the way, we explore themes of generational curses, marital trials 💔, and spiritual transformation 🌿. From the golden...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of the Navigating An Ancient Faith Podcast , we dive into the rich and haunting Grimm Brothers’ tale, The Brother and The Sister . 🦌 We explore its three-part narrative arc: the siblings’ escape into the wilderness, the brother’s dangerous transformation during the hunt, and the magical events that unfold in the palace. 👑 Along the way, we u...

Questions or Comments? Send us a text! In this episode of Ancient Stories on the Navigating An Ancient Faith podcast, we dive into the rich layers of the classic fairytale The Fisherman and His Wife ! 🌊🏰 Join us as we explore the dance between order and chaos through the passive fisherman and his ever-ambitious wife. 🧜‍♂️👑 We’ll uncover the symbolism of the enchanted flounder 🐟, draw fascinat...