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What do lawn gnomes, ancient idols, and our everyday lives have in common? More than you might think. Barry explores one of the sharpest—and funniest—critiques of idolatry, showing why the things we trust inevitably shape who we become. This ancient psalm reminds us that in our attempts to seek the objective existence of God, we […]

In the previous episode, Barry walked us through the process and tools he uses to interpret the Psalms. This time, we put those tools to work on Psalm 114, and uncover its tropes, motifs, parallels to find much more than a story about mountains, rocks, and runaway seas. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks […]

The sea runs away, a river changes direction, and mountains start hopping like sheep. Welcome to Psalm 114. Barry explores one of the Bible’s most colorful psalms while giving pointers on how to read Psalms in general. Beneath all the geological excitement lies a masterclass in biblical poetry. We’ll explore tropes, motifs, parallels, and why […]

Psalm 113 is a reminder that God is both higher than we can imagine and closer than we expect. In this episode, Barry discusses the Exodus, God’s humility, and why He willingly zooms in on our everyday struggles—even when He has to use the cosmic equivalent of a microscope to do it. The reason is […]

What do David, Elijah, Jonah, John the Baptist, and a small college have in common? Barry finishes this series by exploring the idea of “skewed vectors”—people and institutions that point in a different direction than the culture around them—including church culture. From the prophets of Scripture to the mission of higher education, we consider why […]

In part 2 of our series on higher education, Barry asks what happens when the university starts losing some of the historic pillars that once made it a university: freedom of speech, intellectual freedom in the classroom, and independence in the boardroom. Somewhere between culture wars, workforce expectations, and institutional identity crises, he asks whether […]

Barry starts a series and challenges us to think about learning. Higher education often finds itself squeezed between workforce expectations and deeper human formation. As culture increasingly measures college by return on investment alone, what might be lost when the pursuit of truth, knowledge, virtue, and meaningful contribution to society are treated as optional extras […]

Barry explores the nature of altruism and why the gospel presents love for others not as an optional virtue, but as a central obligation and even promise. From the Golden Rule to Kant’s categorical imperative, we consider what it means to apply ethical concern universally and why consistent compassion challenges our instincts toward favoritism and […]

Barry walks us through Psalm 111, an acrostic song that unfolds with remarkable, intentional design, each movement building on the last until the whole picture comes into focus. The structure itself becomes part of the message: nothing is accidental and everything fits into a dance between God and his people that creates an illuminating presence […]

Barry finishes our series looking at the temptations that can lead to compromise of the church. He reviews straw man explanations of failure when compromise comes calling, which fall short and trip us up, explanations (not justifications) that make sense and provide insight into our human desires, and how on (this) earth we can maintain […]