Is it possible to stumble into the Upside Down and come back with a handful of transcendent truths? Join Mandy, Christina, and Matt at the pub table as they discuss the themes and characters of the series Stranger Things—beauty in weakness, strength in fragility, the power of story, and more. Please note: if you have not watched the series, this episode is spoiler-filled!

Courtney Ellis—author, pastor, and podcaster—joins Mandy at the pub table to discuss all things feathered (including hope) and how God speaks to our hearts through the wonder and beauty of His creation. (Find Courtney's books and podcast: courtneybellis.com)

We've all been there at some point. There's an artist who does great work. We admire their talent, and we use their art as a model for our own. And then we learn the artist did something terrible in their personal life.

How should we respond as Christian artists? Can we enjoy the art on its own terms and sift out the artist's mistakes? Or are the artist and the art so intertwined that we can't separate them?

It turns out—shocker!—that this is a complicated issue with a lot of moving parts. But Matt, Mandy, and Christina do their best to walk through the different considerations and to give a framework for approaching the issue with care and intentionality.

Our world has more material prosperity than ever. So why does everybody seem so dour? And why are so many of our culture's stories devoid of hope?

Author Shemaiah Gonzales's latest book is Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight. This collection of essays makes the case that, as Christians, our stories need more joy. But not the naïve or fake kind of joy. The real, brave kind. She joins the pub table to discuss the implications of telling stories that cultivate authentic joy.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of our greatest novelists. Her place in the literary canon is secure. Her influence on later generations is profound. But what about the novelists who influenced Jane Austen? Hardly anybody reads them nowadays, and they are not in the canon.

Using Rebecca Romney's book Jane Austen's Bookshelf as a guide, Sarah, Matt, and Mandy discuss how strange this situation is. If Jane Austen thought a novel was great, shouldn't we want to read it? The co-hosts make the case for adding these forgotten authors into the literary canon.

Even people who don't follow sports know about the Dallas Cowboys. They're "America's Team." Giant stadiums and superstar players and Super Bowl victories. The team that's always in the news because of drama with their owner.

But here's the thing: the Cowboys haven't been to a Super Bowl in 30 years. The images we have about the Cowboys' greatness come from a four-year run between 1992 and 1995.

How could such a powerful story emerge from such a short span of winning? Matt invites Luke Moja—his friend and resident 90s sports expert—to the digital pub table to discuss the enduring myth-making and real-life Shakespearean drama that is the Dallas Cowboys.

For many people, audiobooks are the primary way they engage with novels. Other people view audiobooks as something lesser that doesn't really "count" as reading. What are the benefits (and drawbacks) of audiobooks? Of e-readers? Of old-fashioned paper books? The cohosts debate all this and more during this roundtable.

Ashlee Cowles returns to the digital pub table. She's both an Arts Guild member and one half of the AD Rhine writing duo. Their latest novel, Daughters of Bronze, concludes their retelling of the Trojan War from the viewpoint of four Trojan women. Cowles discusses the ways she grounded the novel in history, and how she was able to find hope—even in the doom of Troy.

To celebrate the holidays, Believe to See is re-airing episodes from past Christmases. Or should we say from Christmas Past?

"Is It a Christmas Movie?" first aired on December 3, 2022.

To Celebrate the week of Christmas, Believe to See is re-airing episodes from past Christmases . . . Should we say from Christmas Past? "12 Days of Christmas Carol" first aired on December 29, 2020.