Beyond Belief

The Long Way Home | Episode 4: DALET — When Your Soul Is in the Dust

What do you do when you still believe in God, but you no longer have the strength you used to have?

In Episode 4 of Beyond Belief: The Long Way Home, we enter Dalet — Psalm 119:25–32, one of the most honest passages in Scripture about spiritual exhaustion, weakness, disappointment, and the need for renewal.

The psalmist begins with the words:

“My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word.”

Sometimes faith doesn't look like strength, confidence, or triumph. Sometimes faith is simply knowing where to take your exhaustion.

In this episode, we explore what it means to come to God when you're tired, disappointed, confused, spiritually depleted, or simply running on empty.

We talk about:

• Why exhaustion doesn't mean you've failed spiritually
• What it means to pray, “Give me life”
• Why you don't have to arrive in God's presence strong
• The connection between disappointment and spiritual exhaustion
• What to do when God feels far away
• Why we shouldn't make permanent decisions from temporary exhaustion
• Taking the next small step when you can't see the whole road
• How Scripture can give an exhausted soul somewhere solid to stand
• The Dust Prayer — a simple seven-day spiritual practice
• Why sometimes faith means simply not walking away
• Finding God in the places where you feel weakest

The central message of this episode is simple:

You don't have to be strong to come to God.

And when you can't lift yourself out of the dust, you can still lift your eyes toward God.

THE DUST PRAYER

For the next seven days, begin each morning by praying:

“God, this is where I am.”

Then finish the sentence honestly.

Read Psalm 119:25–32, choose one phrase, and sit with it — especially:

“Give me life according to your word.”

You don't need to manufacture emotion. You don't need to force yourself to feel close to God.

Just stay.

Sometimes faith isn't moving forward dramatically.

Sometimes faith is simply not walking away.

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If this episode speaks to you, consider sharing it with someone who may be walking through a season of exhaustion, disappointment, or uncertainty.

Subscribe to Beyond Belief and continue the journey through The Long Way Home — a journey through Psalm 119.

MUSIC CREDITS

“Almost in F - Tranquillity” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source:
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394

Artist:
http://incompetech.com/

#BeyondBelief #TheLongWayHome #Psalm119 #Dalet #WhenYourSoulIsInTheDust #ChristianPodcast #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #ChristianEncouragement #SpiritualExhaustion #Faith #Prayer #God #Jesus #Christianity

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 The Long Way Home | Episode 3: Gimel — “When You Feel Like a Stranger”

Psalm 119:17–24

Have you ever felt like a stranger—even when you're surrounded by people?

In Episode 3 of Beyond Belief: The Long Way Home, we explore Gimel, Psalm 119:17–24, and one of the deeply human experiences of following God: discovering that you don't always feel like you belong.

Psalm 119:19 says:

“I am a stranger on earth.”

But being a stranger doesn't necessarily mean you're lost.

Sometimes, it means God is changing you.

In this episode, we explore what happens when your faith becomes more serious, your priorities begin to change, and the things that once made you comfortable no longer feel right. What do you do when following God makes you feel different from the culture, relationships, or environments around you?

We look at the tension between belonging and conviction, the temptation to compromise who we are just to be accepted, and the freedom that comes from discovering where we truly belong.

Psalm 119:18 gives us the prayer at the heart of this episode:

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

What if seeing clearly is the beginning of transformation?

What if the things God reveals about the world—and about ourselves—are not meant to condemn us, but to change us?

And what if feeling like a stranger isn't evidence that you've lost your way, but evidence that you're learning where you truly belong?

In this episode:

• Why our need to belong can sometimes become an idol
 • The connection between spiritual growth and feeling different
 • Why conviction can sometimes come at the cost of belonging
 • What it means to be “a stranger on earth”
 • How God's Word reveals rather than destroys our identity
 • Learning to stand firmly without becoming judgmental or isolated
 • The difference between loneliness and abandonment
 • Why “Open my eyes” is such a powerful prayer
 • Finding freedom from the exhausting need for everyone's approval
 • Discovering that our ultimate belonging is found in God

The central question is:

What do you do when following God makes you feel like a stranger?

And the reminder to carry with you this week:

You don't need to belong everywhere when you know where you belong.

📖 This Week's Practice

For the next seven days, begin your morning with one simple prayer:

“God, open my eyes.”

Then slowly read Psalm 119:17–24 and ask:

What am I seeing differently?

What am I avoiding?

Where am I tempted to compromise because I want to belong?

Don't rush to fix anything. Just notice.

Because awareness is often the beginning of transformation.

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🎵 Music Credit

Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Beyond Belief — The Long Way Home

A journey through God's Word, one step at a time.

Episode 3: Gimel — When You Feel Like a Stranger

Psalm 119:17–24

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THE LONG WAY HOME | Episode 2: BET — “The House You Live In”

Psalm 119:9–16

What is happening inside you?

Your heart, mind, imagination and desires are becoming a home for something every day. The question is not whether you are being formed—the question is who is forming you?

In Episode 2 of Beyond Belief: The Long Way Home, we enter the second movement of Psalm 119: Bet, the Hebrew letter associated with a house or dwelling.

Psalm 119:9 asks:

“How can a young person keep their way pure?”

The answer takes us deeper than simply trying harder or following more rules. This episode explores what it means to guard your heart, seek God wholeheartedly, and allow His Word to become part of the inner life that shapes everything we eventually become.

We explore:

• The House You Live In — what we allow to take up residence in our hearts
• Everyone Is Being Formed — how media, relationships, habits, experiences and repeated messages shape us
• Psalm 119:9–16 — seeking God with a whole heart and hiding His Word within us
• The Heart — moving from divided attention to wholeheartedness
• The Light — how God's Word reveals what is already happening inside us
• Purity — not religious perfection, but learning where to take the struggle
• What Are You Putting in the House? — examining the voices, thoughts, wounds and influences we allow inside
• The Seven-Day House Clean — a practical challenge for living Psalm 119:9–16 throughout the week
• Let Me In — discovering that God doesn't wait for us to renovate ourselves before entering the messy rooms of our lives

One of the central ideas of this episode is:

“Your heart is always being discipled by something.”

And perhaps the deeper question is not simply what we are keeping out, but what we are making room for.

Because what we repeatedly put into our hearts eventually comes out of our lives.

THE SEVEN-DAY HOUSE CLEAN

For the next seven days:

1. Read Psalm 119:9–16 slowly each morning.
2. Choose one verse.
3. Write it down and carry it with you.
4. Ask throughout the day: “What would it look like to live this verse?”
5. At night, ask:
   • What entered my heart today?
   • What did I allow to influence me?
   • Where did I move toward God?
   • Where did I move away?

Don't try to fix your entire life. Just open one room.

ABOUT BEYOND BELIEF

Beyond Belief: The Long Way Home is a journey through Psalm 119, exploring faith, Scripture, discipleship, identity, spiritual formation and what it means to walk with God in the real world.

We've started with the road.

Now we've entered the house.

Next episode: Gimel — Psalm 119:17–24

What do you do when following God makes you feel like a stranger?

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MUSIC CREDIT

Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Artist: http://incompetech.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Beyond Belief — The Long Way Home

Episode 2: Bet — The House You Live In

Psalm 119:9–16

You don't protect your heart by building walls around it. You protect it by deciding what gets to live inside it.

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What if you’re moving… but you don’t actually know where you’re going?

You can be busy, connected, informed and productive—and still be travelling in the wrong direction.

In Episode 1 of Beyond Belief: Psalm 119 — The Long Way Home, we begin with the first Hebrew letter: ALEPH.

Psalm 119 opens with a powerful picture of what it means to live a blessed life. But biblical blessing isn't simply about having an easy life, everything going according to plan, or avoiding difficulty. It is about flourishing under God's direction.

In this episode, we explore what it means to walk in God's ways, seek Him wholeheartedly, and allow His Word to shape not only what we believe, but the direction of our lives.

Because:

Direction matters more than speed.

You can move quickly in the wrong direction. You can move slowly in the right direction.

We look at the difference between knowing God's way and actually walking God's way—and why sometimes the problem isn't information… it's formation.

We also explore the reality that God rarely gives us the entire map. Sometimes He simply gives us enough light for the next step.

You don't have to know the whole road.

You don't have to have everything figured out.

You don't have to know what next year will bring.

You simply have to turn toward God and take the next faithful step.

And if you've taken a wrong turn?

A wrong turn is not the end of the journey.

Grace means the story isn't over.

The road is still there.

And God is still calling.

In This Episode

• Psalm 119:1–8 and the meaning of “blessed”
• Why direction matters more than speed
• The difference between movement and progress
• How everyday choices shape who we become
• God's Word as more than information—it is formation
• Why obedience isn't about making life smaller
• Learning to take the next faithful step
• Trusting God when we can't see the whole road
• What it means to walk with God rather than simply know about Him
• Finding hope when you've taken a wrong turn

The Question for This Week

Before reaching for your phone each morning, read Psalm 119:1–8 slowly.

Then ask:

“God, what is the next faithful step?”

Don't ask for the next fifty steps.

Just one.

And when you know what it is…

Take it.

A Beyond Belief Podcast Series

Beyond Belief: Psalm 119 — The Long Way Home is a 22-episode journey through all 22 sections of Psalm 119, following its Hebrew alphabet structure from Aleph to Tav.

Twenty-two letters.

Twenty-two conversations.

One journey.

Because faith isn't merely believing that the road exists.

Faith is putting your feet on it.

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We'd love to hear from you. Tell us what this episode meant to you, share your story, or let us know what you're wrestling with.

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Music Credit

“Almost in F - Tranquillity” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source:
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394

Artist:
http://incompetech.com/

Remember

You don't have to see the whole road to take the next step.

Open the Word.
Listen for God.
Take the step.
And keep walking.

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What if everything you've been told about heaven is too small?

What if the discomfort, longing, and dissatisfaction you sometimes feel aren't signs that something is wrong—but reminders that you were made for something more?

In this episode of Beyond Belief, we dive deep into 2 Corinthians 5 and Paul's powerful picture of our lives as temporary "tents" and the eternal home that awaits us.

Paul speaks about heaven, eternity, the resurrection, the redemption of our bodies, the ministry of reconciliation, and what it means to live as an ambassador of Christ. But this isn't simply a conversation about what happens after we die.

It's about how eternity changes the way we live right now.

We explore what it means to:

• Make peace with the temporary nature of our earthly lives
• Understand the "groaning" we experience when life doesn't feel the way it should
• Live with hope when we're facing suffering, disappointment, and uncertainty
• Understand God's promise of an eternal dwelling
• Recognize that our present struggles don't have the final word
• Embrace the ministry of reconciliation
• Live as an ambassador for Christ
• Stop waiting for perfect circumstances and start living with purpose today
• Invest our lives in things that will outlast us

Paul's message is both sobering and incredibly hopeful:

The tent is temporary. The building is coming. And the mission is now.

If you've ever wondered why you feel like you don't quite belong here… if you've struggled with suffering, disappointment, or the feeling that there must be more to life… this episode is for you.

And perhaps the most important reminder of all:

"Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."

Don't wait until everything is perfect.

Don't wait until you feel ready.

The time is now.

In This Episode

📖 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5
✝️ Themes: Heaven • Eternity • Christian Hope • Reconciliation • Faith • Purpose • Salvation • Life After Death • The Resurrection • Following Jesus
🎙️ Podcast: Beyond Belief
📍 From: Cape Town, South Africa

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If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. You never know when one conversation, one message, or one episode can change someone's perspective.

And remember:

The tent is temporary.
But you are made for eternity.
And the time is now.

God Bless.

Music Credit:
Drifting at 432 Hz — Unicorn Heads

#BeyondBelief #ChristianPodcast #ChristianFaith #2Corinthians5 #TheWeightOfGlory #Heaven #Eternity #ChristianHope #Jesus #Faith #Reconciliation #Purpose #Bible #BiblicalTeaching #ChristianLiving #God #Salvation #AmbassadorOfChrist

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 When Jesus Shows Up Too Late | John 11

What happens when you’ve prayed, hoped, waited—and it feels like Jesus arrived too late?

In this powerful episode of Beyond Belief, we journey into John 11 and the story of Lazarus, the man who had been dead and buried for four days when Jesus finally arrived.

Martha's words capture the heart of the story: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

But Jesus wasn't finished.

This episode explores what it means when God seems late, when prayers appear unanswered, and when something in our lives feels too broken, too far gone, or simply dead. Lazarus's story becomes our story as we consider the dreams, relationships, hopes, callings, and even faith that we may have buried.

Jesus doesn't stand outside our pain. He weeps with us. And then He calls Lazarus out of the tomb.

The question Jesus asks Martha is the question He asks us today:

“Do you believe this?”

In this episode, we explore three powerful truths from John 11:

• Jesus enters our grief before He changes our circumstances.
• Sometimes the stone has to be moved so we can face what we've buried.
• Resurrection isn't simply going backward—it means death no longer gets the final word.

If you're facing disappointment, grief, a broken relationship, a lost dream, unanswered prayer, or a situation that feels completely beyond hope, this episode is for you.

What is your Lazarus?

What have you buried? What have you decided is too late, too broken, or too far gone?

Maybe it's time to move the stone.

Listen to Beyond Belief: The Grave Robber and discover the hope of Jesus in the places that seem too late.

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 Music Credit

“Fluidscape” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

Source: Incompetech — Fluidscape

Artist: Kevin MacLeod / Incompetech

Beyond Belief is a podcast about faith, doubt, hope, Scripture, and what it means to encounter Jesus in the real world. Join us as we explore the questions that matter, wrestle with difficult places, and look for God in the middle of ordinary—and extraordinary—life.

If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who needs hope today.

Keep believing. Keep hoping. Keep looking for Jesus—even in the places that seem too late.

*The episode is based on the themes and content of John 11 and the raising of Lazarus. *

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John 16 — “I Have Overcome the World”

What do you do when life falls apart?

When the future suddenly looks uncertain, the prayer hasn't been answered, the relationship is hurting, or you're simply exhausted from trying to hold everything together?

In John 16, Jesus says something remarkably honest: “In the world you will have trouble.”

But He doesn't stop there.

He says:

In this powerful episode of Beyond Belief, we explore what Jesus meant—and what His words mean for us when life doesn't go according to plan.

This is not a message promising a life without storms.

It's a reminder that the storm doesn't get the final word.

Through cinematic storytelling, personal reflection, Scripture, and practical application, we explore:

• Why Jesus warned His disciples that trouble was coming
• Why faith doesn't mean pretending everything is okay
• The difference between happiness and lasting Christian joy
• What Jesus meant by “I have overcome the world”
• How to find peace when circumstances are anything but peaceful
• Why your current chapter may not be the end of your story
• How to keep trusting God when you can't see what comes next
• Why we shouldn't confuse Friday with the end of the story
• How to take the next step when you can't see the whole road

THE PROMISE OF JOHN 16

Jesus didn't promise that we would never experience trouble.

He promised that He would be with us in it—and that He has already overcome.

So if you're walking through a difficult season right now, this episode is for you.

Remember:

Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is knowing who has overcome it.

And perhaps the most important reminder of all:

You don't need to know how the story ends to trust the One who does.

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🎵 MUSIC CREDIT

Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence

Source: Incompetech — Royalty Free Music

Artist: Kevin MacLeod / Incompetech

🔥 QUESTION FOR YOU

What are you facing right now that feels bigger than you?

And what would change if, instead of asking “How am I going to get through this?”, you began asking:

“Jesus, where are You in this?”

Share this episode with someone who needs to hear that their storm is real—but so is the One who has overcome it.

#BeyondBelief #John16 #ChristianPodcast #Faith #Jesus #Christianity #Hope #PeaceInTheStorm #Bible #ChristianEncouragement

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What if the most important question isn't “What path should I take?” but “Whose voice am I following?”

In this episode of Beyond Belief, we explore one of Jesus' most powerful and personal teachings: the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. Jesus describes Himself as the gate, the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, calls them by name, and leads them into a life of freedom, belonging, and abundance.

But there's a problem.

We live surrounded by voices.

The voice of social media.
 The voice of our past.
 The voice of fear.
 The voice of ambition.
 The voice of comparison.
 The voice telling us we're not enough, that we're falling behind, or that we have to earn our worth.

And sometimes, beneath all those voices, we struggle to recognize the voice of the Shepherd.

In “The Voice,” we explore what it means to learn to recognize God's voice in the middle of the noise. Through personal storytelling, the imagery of a Middle Eastern shepherd, and Jesus' teaching in John 10, this episode asks what happens when we stop trying to control every step of the journey and instead learn to trust the One who knows us.

Jesus says:

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

This isn't presented as distant religion or simply another set of rules. It is an invitation into relationship, recognition, belonging, and trust.

We also explore Jesus' promise of abundant life — not merely a safe or comfortable existence, and not something reserved for some distant future, but a fullness of life that begins now.

 In this episode:

• What Jesus means when He calls Himself the Good Shepherd
• Why recognizing God's voice may matter more than knowing every step of the path
• How to identify the competing voices shaping our identity and decisions
• The difference between the voice of a shepherd and the voice of a “hired hand”
• What Jesus means by “life to the full”
• Why belonging comes before performance
• How to practice listening, pausing, and discerning God's voice
• A practical challenge for creating space to listen
• The powerful reminder that you don't have to know every turn in the road when you know who you're following

The central message of this episode is simple:

“You're not trying to find the right path. You're learning to recognize the right voice.”

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by competing voices, struggled with doubt or comparison, wondered whether you truly belong, or simply longed to hear God more clearly, this episode is for you.

The Shepherd is calling.

The question is: Will you recognize His voice?

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Subscribe, rate the podcast, and leave a review — it helps more people discover Beyond Belief.

 Music Credit

Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence

Source: Incompetech – Royalty Free Music

Artist: Kevin MacLeod / Incompetech

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 What happens when someone's life becomes evidence that the story we've been telling ourselves isn't true?

In this episode of Beyond Belief, we turn to John 12 and the remarkable aftermath of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Lazarus is alive—but his very existence has become a problem. Crowds come to see him, many begin believing in Jesus, and the religious authorities decide that Lazarus must die.

But this episode isn't simply about the miracle of resurrection. It's about what happens when transformation challenges the assumptions of the people around us.

We explore the uncomfortable reality that change doesn't always make life easier. Sometimes a changed life attracts resistance. Sometimes people are more comfortable with who we used to be. And sometimes our lives can challenge someone else's story without us ever intending to.

The story of Lazarus also raises deeper questions about Christian faith, transformation, hope and resurrection. What does it mean to live differently without having all the answers? Can a changed life become a testimony in itself? And where have we decided that something—or someone—is beyond resurrection?

This episode explores:

• The aftermath of Lazarus being raised from the dead
• Why the chief priests wanted Lazarus killed
• How a changed life can become powerful evidence
• Why transformation can make other people uncomfortable
• The danger of defining people by their past
• Resurrection versus perfection
• Faith, hope, grief, scars and the process of becoming
• What it means to believe that God can bring life where we expect death
• Three questions for personal reflection

At the heart of the episode is one challenging question:

What would I have to change if I really believed that God could bring life where I had already decided there was only death?

Lazarus was once in a tomb. Then Jesus called his name—and he walked out.

Perhaps there are still places in our lives where we need to hear that same invitation:

Come out. Live again. Take the next step.

Beyond Belief explores the difficult questions surrounding faith, doubt, belief, Scripture and the Christian life—without pretending that every question has an easy answer.

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Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.

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Source: Incompetech — Royalty-Free Music

Artist: Kevin MacLeod / Incompetech

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 What happens when the God we believe in becomes too small?

In this episode of Beyond Belief, we take a journey into one of the biggest questions of faith: How big is the God you believe in?

Sometimes, without realising it, we reduce God to something manageable — a God who fits neatly into our explanations, our expectations, our politics, our problems and even our prayer lists. But what if we've forgotten the sheer scale, mystery and majesty of the God we claim to worship?

In “The Elephant in the Universe,” we explore what it means to encounter a God who cannot be contained by our understanding.

From a deeply personal moment on Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town, to the overwhelming encounter between Job and God in Job 38, this episode explores faith, doubt, suffering, awe, humility and the mystery of an infinite God who is somehow still intimately involved in our lives.

We talk about:

• Why we so often try to make God smaller and more manageable
• What Job's encounter with God can teach us about suffering and unanswered questions
• The difference between having answers and knowing Someone big enough to hold the questions
• Why awe and wonder matter to our spiritual lives
• How our modern access to information can sometimes diminish our sense of mystery
• What it means to practice “cosmic humility”
• How to expand the way we pray
• Why surrendering control doesn't mean giving up hope
• How remembering that “God is bigger than this” can change the way we face anxiety, uncertainty and difficult circumstances
• And perhaps the most important question of all: Have we made God too small?

The God who holds the universe is also the God who knows your name.

You may be small in the scale of the cosmos — but you are not insignificant. You are seen, known and loved.

A small God makes us anxious. A big God makes us brave.

If you've ever struggled with doubt, grief, unanswered prayer, suffering, anxiety, or simply wondered whether there is more to faith than easy answers, this episode is for you.

Welcome to Beyond Belief — a space for people who believe, people who doubt, people who aren't sure what they believe anymore, and anyone who has ever thought:

“There has to be more than this.”

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If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs to remember that they are held — and that God is bigger than this.

 🎵 Music Credit

Light Awash by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source:
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100175

Artist: Kevin MacLeod
http://incompetech.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show