Opening with a note that today's reading comes from Sirach 15, a Deuterocanonical book not found in most Protestant Bibles, Chris invites Protestant listeners to explore it in the spirit of the podcast's ecumenical heart. The passage places fire and water before every person and says plainly: whichever you choose will be given to you. From there, Chris reflects on reading the Bible cover-to-cover four or five times and what it means to finally let God's full self-revelation sink in — including the thunderous blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 — arriving at the conviction that free will and obedience are not opposites but the very hinge on which the whole story turns.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit walkindarknessnomore.substack.com