The Year I Read the Bible with Laurie Larsen

Send us Fan Mail One of life's realities is that all good things must come to an end.  So it is for this podcast.  I've had a wonderful time bringing you these 40-some episodes and I thank you f or sticking with me through it all.  In this short episode I'll share my closing thoughts, thank everyone who has helped, and leave you with a cliffhanger .... Season 2??? Here's where...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus is risen!  Hallelujah!  Death on the cross could not keep him.  He is alive. Jesus made many appearances to people during the forty days he walked the earth again after his resurrection.  But people didn't recognize him!  Why?  Laurie analyzes some of these appearances and offers her opinion on explainable reasons why people who accompanied him for three years didn&apos...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode Laurie shares a bewildering experience from her college days, when a Religion Professor (who also happened to be an ordained pastor) spent the semester pointing out spots in the Bible where there are discrepancies in the telling of the same story.  But the bewildering part came when he encouraged his students to "throw out" the Bible as a credible...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus's crucifixion.   I'm sure you read the Bible story every Easter, or maybe more often than that.  Me too.  But the year I read the Bible cover to cover, I read it with a new lens.  And I uncovered a bunch of supernatural events surrounding Jesus's crucifixion.   A three-hour eclipse of the sun in the middle of the day.  A curtain or veil located a mile away in...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus often used analogies to illustrate who he was -- I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the World, etc.  It's his generous attempt to connect with us in multiple ways -- allowing us each various ways to understand him better.  Today we'll dive into I am the True Vine.  I'm in good company -- joining me is my guest, Angel Ambrose.   An artist of acrylic land...

Send us Fan Mail This is your host, Laurie, and I am thrilled to be taking part in PodcasThon 2026 -- a global effort to flood the podcasting airwaves with love, service and good works!  Over 2500 podcasts from 65 different countries are taking part ... and so is The Year I Read the Bible!   I am devoting my episode this week to a very worthy charity Feed My Peeps and its founder Jacki Brey. You&a...

Send us Fan Mail Take a deep dive into Laurie's favorite Bible character -- Simon Peter -- one of Jesus's strongest supporters, who in his moment of weakness, denies even knowing Jesus during the terrible time of his arrest, torture and crucifixion.  Why did Peter do it, and how do we, in our moments of weakness as humans, do the same thing?  And how does our Lord respond? Laurie's...

Send us Fan Mail I've always loved Palm Sunday!  Joyous happy people praising Jesus as he rides into town on a humble colt!  I love what we find in Luke 19 verse 40 where Jesus tells them, even if the crowds who were shouting Hosannas at him quieted, the rocks themselves would cry out!  It points to the inevitability of the people praising and recognizing Jesus's divine authority! But as...

Send us Fan Mail The name of Judas Iscariot is known by everyone -- even non-Christians.  He's the bad guy of the Jesus story, the villain.  He turned Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified.  But let's dig a bit deeper.  What if Judas hadn't performed this act?  Would God's plan for salvation have been executed?  Was Judas preordained to betray Jesus?  Did he have free will n...

Send us Fan Mail Remember when Jesus told his "Number One Disciple," Simon Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" What was that all about?  How would Simon have reacted and what can we as modern Christians learn to make sure Jesus doesn't say the same thing to us?  In this episode Laurie explores just how deeply aware Jesus was of God's plan for him while he was engaged in hi...

Send us Fan Mail Let's face it -- even though Jesus says, “ Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them .” ... I've never once seen a mountain throw itself in the sea.  How about you? What does that mean?  That praying for miracles doesn't...

Send us Fan Mail Laurie draws parallels between Jesus's three-year earthly ministry and a job she used to perform, as a project manager of large, complicated efforts.  Similarities do exist -- defining your scope, meeting regularly with your sponsor, developing and educating your core team, and staying determined to deliver the end product against all odds and adversity.   However, where Laur...

Send us Fan Mail In this look back over Laurie's third quarter of episodes, she shares several examples where her insightful guests have "blown her mind" with knowledge and interpretations she'd never heard of or thought of before! Also -- a call to action !  Use the "Send Us a Text" link above, or the Contact form on Laurie's website  to share any new knowledge...

Send us Fan Mail This topic single-handedly garnered the most views and comments on my blog when I was posting my Bible findings once a week.  If that tells us anything, it's that this is a topic on the minds and in the curiosities of a great deal of believers! The short answer to the question is ... no .  We won't still be married in heaven.  But our loving Father wouldn't just tak...

Send us Fan Mail PodcastThon?  What on earth is PodcastThon ? It's the biggest and most far-reaching charitable event in the Podcasting world and I'm thrilled that The Year I Read the Bible was invited to take part. On March 17 I'll dedicate an entire episode of the podcast to the charity of my choice, and 2000 other podcasters all over the world will be doing the same thing!  How e...

Send us Fan Mail Did Jesus ever get angry?  Of course, we're all familiar with the time he turned the tables in the Temple when the money changers were using the sacred ground for profit.  But what about the incident listed in each of the four gospels called his "Woes to the Pharisees" speech.  Jesus was angry that these men of God, these religious leaders were focused on all the wr...

Send us Fan Mail Learn a little more about the unique character of John the Baptist.  God chose him to prepare the way for Jesus on earth, but of course, as all of us are, he was human. And to me, he came across as a little strange .  And a little uncertain.  Especially when he said things about Jesus such as "I didn't know him."  Huh?  He was related to Jesus, and I assume they kne...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to new Bible study content after our short holiday break!  Here's wishing a super new year for all of us! Laurie digs in deep about the Christian practice of baptism.   Why do we do it?  What's it for?  What does the Bible say about it? Why do various Christian denominations argue about when a person should be baptized?  If a believer dies before being bapti...

Send us Fan Mail How does someone who had always dreamed of becoming an author, actually push through and get started?  For Laurie, it all came down to a visit to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia.  That one random decision changed her life in ways she could never imagine. We're taking a break from the Bible essays this week to share more about Laurie's vast backlist of fic...

Send us Fan Mail Here's a repeat performance of the episode I previously did with Melissa Henderson (Oct 28) all about those elements that we've come to accept as modern Christians as it relates to the Christmas story -- but that modern Bible researchers are now thinking are NOT necessarily true. It'll make you go "hmmmm" but remember that the true message of Christ's...

Send us Fan Mail The Samaritan woman at the well having a conversation with Jesus about living water.  The "Good Samaritan" who helped a Jewish traveler who was beaten and left for dead along the side of the road, as if being good was an exception for a Samaritan.  Several other mentions of Samaritans in the New Testament which don't paint them in a good light ... all lead me to won...

Send us Fan Mail Here's a question for you:  if you were walking around the region of Galilee in about 30 AD, and this man named Jesus was preaching about a New Way and gaining followers, would you believe?   Or would you be doubtful? I honestly don't know, but I'll tell you one thing ... I'm so glad God put me on earth right now , when we have the benefit of the entire Bible,...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever tried to promote a product or service? Did you spread the word far and wide so more and more people are aware of what you’re offering?  When Jesus was walking the earth conducting his ministry, he often performed a miracle, then told people not to say anything to anyone !  Didn't he want the promotion? In this essay Laurie uncovers several reasons why Jesus woul...

Send us Fan Mail Is it disrespectful to our perfect Lord Jesus to label some of the miracles he performed as "odd?" Hmmm.   How about those that involved spit?   There are several of them!  Laurie will share them, and also a very intriguing story that involved Jesus writing something mysterious in the dirt, along with several viable theories from Bible commentators regarding what exactly...

Send us Fan Mail What is the United States' 16th President Abraham Lincoln doing in a series about the Bible?  Listen to find out and make up your own mind as to whether Jesus helped Honest Abe get elected! My guest today is fellow former resident of the Land of Lincoln, and personal friend Beth Dulee . Beth shares her insight on whether God gets involved in the results of our elections.  And...