The Restoration Project Podcast

This week, we're back in the book of John, and we are taking our cues from Daniel Kirk, who argues we must spend time wrestling with Jesus' antagonists (and how we are like them). the restoration project. Joshua James. 1 September 2019

David and Goliath. It's a classic underdog story. Little kid David defeats a Philistine giant. Or ... is it? When we read it in context, we find out there's a bit more to this classic matchup. And then ... if we keep reading the Bible, we find something even more concerning! the restoration project. Joshua James. 25 August 2019

A little review to get us back on track and a little motivation for the week ahead. You are known. You are loved. You are protected. the restoration project. Joshua James. 18 August 2019

Ok, alright, ok, alright ... stick with me here. So Joshua and the battle of Jericho. It's a really familiar story. We usually read it at face value, without any awareness of ancient historiography (fancy! it means how people record history) or archaeology (like Indiana Jones, but way more boring; archaeologists mainly just dig, really strategically and carefully, in the dirt to recover artifacts...

Jonah and the big fish. You've heard that one. But what about Jonah *in Nineveh, and how they respond to his message? What about the animals fasting and wearing sackcloth? What about a crazy worm that eats an entire man-sized plant in a day? There's a lot of stuff happening here. And we're going to address it. the restoration project. Joshua James. 28 July 2019

For this week's talk, we took to Facebook to see what part of the Abraham story the fine people of TRP wanted to discuss. They did a terrible job (read: they picked a tough story). So here's our take on Abraham and Isaac. It'll push you a bit! the restoration project. Joshua James. 21 July 2019

In this teaching, we tackle the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11. Unlike the Flood story, there are no ancient Near Eastern parallels of the Tower, but an understanding of what the story is communicating demands engagement with the past. So...that's what we do. the restoration project. Joshua James. 7 July 2019

In this series, we are looking at some familiar stories in a new way. This week, we examine the Flood story in Genesis 6–9. the restoration project. Joshua James. 30 June 2019

We are getting nerdy this week at TRP. In this teaching, we revisit the healing of the blind man in John 9, but we take our cues from JL Martyn's theory of a "two-level drama" (one which reveals the time of Jesus and one which reveals the time of the author writing the book). We think it has some payoff for our context today... the restoration project. Joshua James. 23 June 2019

This talk really takes two tracks. First, we explore who (if anyone) *caused the man to be born blind. (Spoiler: it was no one.) In this conversation, we address how God is often placed on the hook for our suffering. (Spoiler: God shouldn't be.)In the second part, we begin a conversation on disability in the Church and healing. I say we "begin" because these are difficult topics, often neglected i...

Ok, ok, this isn't *really* a sermon about John. TRP has been through a bunch of changes recently, so we wanted to talk about it. But ... we tie it in with John (sort of). the restoration project. Joshua James. 2 June 2019

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So ... I tried to build on a theme here. It's a little half baked, but I think the concept is in there... Here's the gist: when Jesus heads down to the Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths) in John 7, his message is dependent upon the symbols of the festival. John doesn't clarify these for his readers (namely, because he didn't have to), but now, they are largely lost. This is me trying to bring...

Easter 2019. Suzi Peterson by restoresby

This is a guided reflection on the Stations of the Cross. Find 20 minutes. Pop in some ear buds. And consider the final hours of Jesus' life. the restoration project. 19 April 2019

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the restoration project. Joshua James. 7 April 2019

Band: Josh James (guitar), Bethany Jubilee (violin), Neshawn Jubilee (bass), Arthur Lembo (keys), Billy McClean (percussion), Jory Pryor (guitar), Tessa Stultz (vocals) Recording, Mixing, Mastering: Revell Records the restoration project. March 12, 2019

Suzi puts her latest seminary experience to work by talking over the topic of her exegetical paper. (Doesn't that sound super fancy?!) It's basically what you call a deep dive into the background, history, language, and context of a certain passage ... and this one from Philippians is filled with good content and application. the restoration project. Suzi Peterson. 24 March 2019

Ok. We know. Three weeks on a handful of verses is too much. But this is the last one, so stop yelling. And besides, it's an important link to the background of the story. Here'e the gist: chaos...does not reign here. It never has. the restoration project. Joshua James. 17 March 2019

In this talk, we explore the exodus symbology in John's version of Jesus walking on water. It's a bit of a stretch for us, but in the ancient context of the passage it's clear. Jesus is leading a new exodus! the restoration project. Joshua James. 10 March 2019

Over the next few weeks, we will be spending some time with a familiar story: when Jesus walks on water. Somewhat expectedly, we will be putting a bit of a spin on it. Namely, we will be looking at the literary and historical contexts that inform a reading of this story...which means, we will be spending some time in the Old Testament. In this week's teaching, Josh makes a connection between Moses...

Ok, ok. This one's a bit nerdy. Commentators note that John 6 is a "carefully crafted" teaching, with many allusions and echoes to the Old Testament. In our teaching on Jesus' feeding of the 5000, we follow one of these echoes back to 2 Kings, which helps us to see...it's a story of abundance. the restoration project. Joshua James. 24 February 2019