The Chara Project Podcast

What happened in the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament? This often-overlooked era—known as the Intertestamental Period or the Silent Period—bridges the gap between the books of Malachi and Matthew and helps explain the world Jesus entered. Join the The Chara Project team, as they walk through the major historical events that shaped the political, cultural, and religious lan...

If you’ve read any part of the Bible, you’ve probably seen the word covenant come up. But what is a covenant? Why are they so important in the Bible? Join the The Chara Project team as they unpack one of the most important themes in the entire Bible: God’s covenants with humanity. From Genesis to the life of Jesus, the Bible tells a unified story of God making promises to His people—and faithfully...

Join The Chara Project as they close out the Story of the Bible series by diving into the rich, deeply practical final era: the New Testament Letters.  These 22 books—Romans through Revelation—were written by early church leaders to real communities navigating faith, identity, and life as a follower of Jesus in a complicated world. And their message still speaks with surprising clarity today. You’...

Join The Chara Project as they take you into the powerful, fast-moving story in the seventh era of the Story of the Bible—the Early Church era—found in the book of Acts.  If the Gospels show us Jesus’ life and ministry, Acts shows what happened next… and how an unlikely group of ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, carried the message of Jesus from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. You...

Join The Chara Project team as they journey into the sixth era of the Story of the Bible—and unpack the most pivotal moment in the entire Biblical story—the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. After tracing the Old Testament’s anticipation of a coming Rescuer, the episode steps into the New Testament and explores how Jesus fulfills the promises, prophecies, and patterns that pointed to Him. You’ll...

Join The Chara Project as they journey into the fifth era of the Story of the Bible—the Exile, one of the most dramatic and transformative eras in the entire biblical story found throughout the prophetic books of the Old Testament.  If you’ve ever wondered how the people of God ended up scattered across empires, why prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel sound the way they do, or how this per...

Join The Chara Project as they journey into the fourth era of the Story of the Bible—the Kingdom era—one of the most dramatic and complicated sections in the Biblical story spanning Joshua through 2 Chronicles.  Following the Exodus era following the Israelites out of Egypt, this era traces their move into the Promised Land, their battles with deeply corrupt nations, and their struggle to remain f...

Join The Chara Project as they journey into the third era of the Story of the Bible—the Exodus, covering the powerful story found in Exodus through Deuteronomy.  After zooming in on one remarkable family (the Israelites) in the Patriarchs, we trace this same family’s journey 400 years later, as they multiply in Egypt, fall under oppression, and are miraculously delivered through Moses—a reluctant...

In this episode, join The Chara Project as they journey into the second era of the Story of the Bible—the Patriarchs (Genesis 12–50). After the sweeping overview of Creation, the Bible zooms in on one remarkable family through whom God will unfold His rescue plan for humanity. Walk with Abraham as God calls him out of his homeland, establishes a covenant of blessing, and asks him to trust beyond w...

Step into the opening pages of the Bible as The Chara Project team does a deep dive into the Story of the Bible. In this episode, they explore the Creation era (Genesis 1–11) and uncover the foundational truths that shape the entire biblical narrative. Together, they unpack who God is, why He created the world, and what it means that humanity was made in His image. You’ll hear how God brings order...

What if the Bible isn’t a collection of disconnected stories—but one unified story pointing to Jesus from beginning to end? In this episode, The Chara Project team walks through the entire storyline of the Bible—cover to cover—in a clear, compelling, and accessible way. Whether you’re brand-new to the Bible or you’ve been reading it for years, this conversation will help you see how every era, cha...

As a nonprofit, every year the Chara Project hosts a ministry update to go behind the scenes and take a heartfelt look at how God has been at work through our growing community. Instead of a live virtual event, this year’s update comes in podcast form, packed with reflections on what God has done and where He’s leading next. Over the past six years, The Chara Project has continued to empower peopl...

Have you ever heard someone say that the Bible was meant to be read “literally”? Yet the Bible is filled with language that is figurative and symbolic in nature. So, how are we really supposed to decipher between what text is to be taken literally versus figuratively? Join the Chara Project team as they explore how to discern literal versus figurative language in the Bible. They provide practical...

Ever wondered if a Bible verse applies to your life today or was meant for its ancient audience? Maybe you've asked yourself, “Well, that’s fine for them back in Biblical times, but does that really apply to me today?” You're not alone in asking this question - it's actually a VERY common question and not always the easiest to answer. Join the Chara Project team as they dive into th...

Curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT can transform your Bible study? In this culturally relevant episode, The Chara Project team explores safe and effective ways to use artificial intelligence to enhance your engagement with the Bible.  Discover how AI can simplify research, spark insightful questions, and uncover historical context, making Bible study more approachabl...

Probably one of the most common questions people have when they start exploring the Bible is “How did we get the Bible?”  Often, there are a few questions behind that question, like "Where did the Bible come from?", "How do we know what we’re reading is the same as what was originally written?", "How was the Bible preserved and passed down over thousands of years?", o...

What is the Bible? This is a question many ask, as the Bible is a pretty large book that can feel overwhelming at first glance.  Join the Chara Project team as they unpack the Bible's purpose, its layout, and what story it tells. Along the way, the team will discuss how the Bible isn't one book, but 66 books broken into two parts - the Old and New Testaments, and how it tells the story o...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview long-time friend Lynfield Hines, a pastor for more than twenty years. Driven by a deep family legacy of faith, Lynfi...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Bruce Juhlin, a long-time friend and board member of The Chara Project.  Bruce shares his unique journey of coming t...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Ashley Readenour, a long-time Bible study friend of Sarah and Heather's. Ashley shares her journey from a child...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Kass Wessman who shares how as an adult, a children’s storybook Bible first introduced her to Jesus—and how its mess...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Mike Bell, a pastor at South Mountain Community Church in Utah and Executive Director of Healing Nations. Mike'...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Terresa Wood from the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City, Utah. From living on the streets to having her heart capture...

Want to build confidence in studying the Bible? One way to do this is from learning from other people's stories–hearing the impact of the Bible and it's message on people's lives that can encourage us in our faith journey. Join the Chara Project team as they interview Ren Richardson, whose faith journey took him from religion to atheism to discovering the gospel message in the Bible...

As we study the Bible, we see that the authors used a variety of literary styles to communicate to people in a way they would understand. In fact, there are 9 major literary styles found in the Bible, including Law, Narrative, Poetry, Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospels, Parables, Letters, and Apocalyptic. Commonly used in their culture, the original hearers would’ve been familiar with these styles and woul...