Two Texts

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore the startling response to Jonah’s five-word sermon and consider how belief arises in surprising places. We ponder the mystery at the heart of Jonah 3, the unseen work of God, Tolkien’s tower, frogs in biology class, and why faith often exceeds...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s five-word sermon, noticing how its brevity holds layers of meaning and ambiguity. We reflect on the tension between judgment and invitation, the dual possibilities within the word “overturned,” and the surprising breadth of compassion r...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect on Jonah’s five-word sermon, the prophet’s half-hearted obedience, and the surprising repentance of Nineveh. We explore how the narrative exposes Israel’s own reluctance to hear God, and how—even through flawed preaching—God’s word still brings...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David trace the divine symmetry between the great fish and the great city of Nineveh. Together they uncover how Jonah’s story reveals a God both cosmic and near — one who commands creation yet longs for relationship. They reflect on the city “great to God,”...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s second calling and the grace woven into the story’s repetition. They reflect on Buechner’s and Tolkien’s ideas of myth, Hebrew wordplay that shifts God’s tone from 'against' to 'toward', and the layered symbolism of...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s cry from the “belly of Sheol” and ask whether the prophet’s prayer describes death, near-death, or resurrection itself. We trace echoes of Psalms 16 and 139, connect Jonah’s deliverance to Jesus’ “sign of Jonah,” and marvel at the irony...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect on Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish, exploring how it echoes the Psalms and reveals a God who always calls us home. We discuss honesty, faithfulness, and what it means to return to God even in darkness—remembering that salvation belong...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the great fish. We explore its Psalm-like poetry, Jonah’s descent into death, and the layers of creation, flood, and exodus woven through his cry. Along the way, we ask what kind of repentance this really is—and...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s descent into the deep and God’s appointment of the great fish. We trace the Hebrew term manah —God’s “ordination” of creation—to reveal divine order emerging from chaos. Along the way, we uncover echoes of Genesis, the three-day pattern...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect on Jonah 1:7–17, exploring Jonah’s confession of faith and its irony against his rebellion. We trace echoes from Psalm 95, Genesis, and Exodus, uncovering how the sailors sound more righteous than the prophet. The conversation uncovers themes o...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah 1:4–16, tracing how fear moves from terror to worship as the sailors cry out, sacrifice, and make vows to the Lord. Along the way, we follow echoes across scripture—from Isaiah and Samuel to Acts and Hebrews—discovering how Jonah’s reluct...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David begin their close reading of Jonah 1:4–16, exploring the storm at sea, the irony of the prophet asleep while Gentile sailors pray, and the echoes of God’s call in the captain’s words. Along the way, they notice how Jonah inverts expectations, draws on...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jonah’s selective quotation of Exodus 34 and what it reveals about God’s faithfulness and Jonah’s resistance. We reflect on how God’s steadfast love endures for a thousand generations, the significance of Nineveh as a “great city,” and how Jona...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David linger over Exodus 34 and Jonah’s audacious quotation of God’s own words back to Him. We explore how God’s self-description—compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and faithfulness—shapes both Jonah’s story and ours. Along...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David turn to Jonah chapter 4 and uncover the prophet’s real reason for running. We explore Jonah’s audacious confrontation with God, his quoting of Exodus 34 back to the Lord, and the clash between Jonah’s word and God’s word. Along the way we consider how...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David trace Jonah’s desperate flight to Tarshish and the irony that everything in creation obeys God—except the prophet. We explore themes of Eden and Babylon, the reach of God’s presence in Psalm 139, and how Jonah’s story is as much about his salvation as...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect on the contrast between Jonah and the other prophets of scripture. We explore the literary and theological weight of Jonah 1:2–3, where the familiar prophetic pattern is disrupted by Jonah’s defiance. From “rising and going” to “rising and flee...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect on Jonah's political backstory, the uncomfortable tensions between prosperity and justice, and the God who refuses to give up. We explore Jonah's earlier prophetic role in 2 Kings, the contradictions between Jonah and Amos, and the tr...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David explore Jesus’ own references to Jonah in Matthew 12 and Luke 11. We reflect on Jonah’s ironic preaching, his begrudging obedience, and the surprising repentance of Nineveh. Jesus knew Jonah’s story intimately—and expected us to know it too. So we ask:...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David begin season 5 about Jonah by looking past the great fish and into the depths of this brief but bold prophetic book. We explore how Jonah invites readers to ask better questions, pay attention to the text, and discover how to better read scripture—with...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David wrap up the 144 episodes of the Acts series. Thanks for listening with us. We're excited about our next series which is coming soon. Episode 203 of the Two Texts Podcast | Disruptive Presence 146 If you want to get in touch about something in the...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David reflect upon the three year journey through the book of Acts (as we prepare behind the scenes for the next series. Episode 202 of the Two Texts Podcast | Disruptive Presence 145 If you want to get in touch about something in the podcast you can reach o...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David, after 144 episodes, reach the final words of Acts and reflect on boldness, hospitality, and the Spirit’s unhindered work in ordinary life. We talk about the end without an amen, the welcome of Paul’s rented house, and the invitation to carry the gospe...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David close in on the final sentences of Acts, tracing Paul’s faithful witness in Rome. We reflect on the recurring themes of hearing and not hearing, of scripture and Spirit, and of the Church’s ongoing vocation to be faithful—whether or not the message is...

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you’d like us to reply) In which John and David marvel at Paul’s careful diplomacy in Rome, reflect on his insistence that he’s not abandoning his roots, and explore what it means to be bound for the hope of Israel. Along the way, they wrestle with prophecy, politics, and the irony of everyone talki...