The Fig Tree Podcast

A Year with the Bible, E29: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they turn to the book of Hosea, exploring the prophet Hosea's intense prophecies, the story of his turbulent marriage to a woman named Gomer, and how it all shows God's never-failing mercy. 

A Year with the Bible, E28: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they continue exploring “the most peculiar book in the Hebrew Bible,” and how it teaches us to read the Bible, to interpret the world around us, and to always hold on to hope in God.

A Year with the Bible, E27: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore “the most peculiar book in the Hebrew Bible,” and its message of hope and faithfulness in troubled times.

A Year with the Bible, E26: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore the second part of the book of Ezekiel, and its message of hope and renewal for God’s people and all creation.

A Year with the Bible, E25: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore the first part of the book of Ezekiel, and how it teaches about God's justice which leads the people into exile but then points towards hope, showing God's faithful presence even in the midst of exile. 

A Year with the Bible, E24: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore the book of Lamentations and its profound portrayal of the people of Israel's grief and confusion in the wake of their exile, and how it informs our own feelings of grief and struggles with God today. 

A Year with the Bible, E23: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the book of Jeremiah—how it teaches us to follow God's call for our lives, teaches us about God's justice, and shows (even in the midst of difficult times) God's constant and enduring covenant love for the people of God. 

A Year with the Bible, E22: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the second part of the book of Isaiah—how it teaches us about God’s promise of comfort in the midst of difficult times, points us to Jesus as the “suffering servant", and teaches us what it means to be the people of God.

A Year with the Bible, E21: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the first part of the book Isaiah and how it helps teach us to read the prophetic books of the Bible and prepared the way for the good news of Jesus.

BONUS EPISODE: On this bonus episode, join Mike and Jacob for the second of two conversations about who God calls us to love. On this episode, they have a conversation about biblical passages that talk about loving the poor and needy, and we meet Jesus in the poor. 

BONUS EPISODE:  On this bonus episode, join Mike and Jacob for the first of two conversations about who God calls us to love. On this episode, they have a conversation about biblical passages that talk about loving our neighbors.

BONUS EPISODE: On this special bonus episode, Nina and Jacob sit down with our own Dr. John Luke Addison, Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Bart's, to discuss the history of Psalms being sung, and how singing the Psalms is important for our own spiritual lives and church gatherings today.  Learn more about John-Luke and the New American Psalter here:  jladdison.com

A Year with the Bible, E20: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the Psalms, a treasure trove of beautiful poetry and the "songbook of the Bible," how to understand and interpret them, and how they direct us towards the presence and love of God. 

BONUS EPISODE: On this special bonus episode, Nina and Jacob sit down with Dr. Elisabeth Koenig, professor emerita of ascetical theology at General Theological Seminary, to discuss how Christians have meditated on the Song of Songs to find insights into prayer and Christian life.  Some of the books and resources mentioned during the episode: David Suchet reads Song of Songs https://www.youtube.com...

A Year with the Bible, E19: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the Song of Songs, discussing its celebration of human love and desire, following the love story of two young people in ancient Israel, wrestling with its place in Scripture and exploring how it points to the love between Christ and the people of God.  (Note: This episode touches on adult themes present in t...

A Year with the Bible, E18: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Ecclesiastes, exploring its sometimes cynical look at life, and discussing how it teaches us to find meaning in a world that can seem so meaningless. 

A Year with the Bible, E17: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Proverbs, and its presentation of the cultivation of wisdom, how wisdom begins with the "fear of God," and how wisdom leads to a good life. 

A Year with the Bible, E16: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Job, and how it explores the problem of suffering in God’s good world. 

A Year with the Bible, E15: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Esther, and how it displays how God works through the extraordinary lives of the people God in the ordinary world. 

A Year with the Bible, E14: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, following the return of Israel from the Exile to rebuild Jerusalem, and how it shows God's continuing faithfulness to the people of God.

A Year with the Bible, E13: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, the history of the kings in Israel & Judah and their downfall, and how these books point us forward to the  Kingship of Jesus. 

BONUS EPISODE: On this special episode of the podcast, recorded right after Easter, Mike, Nina, and Jacob return to discuss the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels and the hope they give us as Christians.

A Year with the Bible, E12: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of 2 Samuel and the rest of David's story, especially his downfall and redemption, and the hope that we can find in the story for today.

A Year with the Bible, E11: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of 1 Samuel, following the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David, and learning about the themes of Hope, Hubris, and Humility.  The book Mother Nina mentions,  Slaying Your Goliaths,  can be purchased here:  https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Your-Goliaths-How-Help/dp/0880284048

A Year with the Bible, E10: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they take a break from the violent and complicated stories of the Judges and  Kings, and discuss the more domestic book of Ruth, exploring how it shows God's extraordinary love in an ordinary life and how we might reflect that love in our own lives and relationships.