Companions

This week on Companions, we step into the story of 1 Samuel—a world filled with leadership failure, spiritual confusion, and people grasping for control. From Hannah’s quiet, costly faith to Israel’s demand for a king, we see what happens when trust in God gets replaced with the desire for something more predictable.

Along the way, we wrestle with big questions: Why does God sometimes give people what they ask for—even when it’s not what they need? What does faithfulness look like when everything around you feels unstable? And how do we navigate the tension between Saul’s fear-driven leadership and David’s imperfect but trusting heart?

This episode is a reminder that God’s work doesn’t always show up in obvious ways. Sometimes it looks like quiet obedience. Sometimes it looks like failure and second chances. But through it all, one truth remains: the lamp of God has not gone out (1 Samuel 3:3).

If you’ve ever felt the pull to take control, or wondered whether your small acts of faithfulness really matter, this conversation is for you.

This week, we step into one of the most unsettling sections of the Bible. The Book of Judges is raw, chaotic, and at times deeply troubling—so much so that listener discretion is advised. But beneath the violence and confusion, there’s a pattern worth paying attention to: a downward spiral where God’s people drift, cry out, are rescued, and then slowly forget again (Judges 2:16–19).

Joined by our guest Dawson (St. Mark’s UMC, Raleigh), we explore what this cycle reveals about human nature, leadership, and the subtle compromises that pull us away from God over time. From Gideon’s doubt to Jephthah’s tragic vow to Samson’s unraveling life, we wrestle with a hard truth: just because God works through someone doesn’t mean God approves of everything they do.

And yet—right in the middle of all that chaos—we find Ruth. A quiet, beautiful story of loyalty, faithfulness, and everyday obedience that reminds us God is still at work, even when everything else feels out of control.

If Judges shows us the danger of drifting, Ruth shows us the power of staying rooted.

Listen in and reflect with us. 🎧

This week on Companions, we journey through the book of Joshua and reflect on what courage really looks like in the life of faith. When God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous,” it turns out the courage he’s talking about isn’t primarily about winning battles—it’s about remaining faithful to God’s word. Along the way we explore unexpected characters like Rahab, difficult stories like Achan, the importance of remembering what God has done, and Joshua’s powerful challenge at the end of his life: Choose this day whom you will serve. As the story moves toward the chaos of Judges, we ask what it takes to stay faithful when the path forward isn’t easy. Join us as we keep reading the story together.

This week on Companions, we reach a major milestone: the end of the Torah. After journeying from Genesis through Deuteronomy, we pause to reflect on what this foundational part of Scripture is really trying to do. Along the way we explore how the end of Deuteronomy echoes the beginning of Genesis, wrestle with some of the most challenging laws in the Torah, and consider why, in Jesus’ day, some groups believed these five books were the only Scripture that mattered.

As Moses’ final words call Israel to choose between life and death, blessing and curse, we’re reminded that Scripture is never just meant to be heard—it’s meant to shape the way we live. Join us as we reflect on the story so far and prepare to step with Israel into what comes next.

What does it really mean to listen to God? In this episode, we spend most of our time in Deuteronomy 6 and the Shema—exploring how, in the Hebrew imagination, listening and obedience are inseparable. We talk about the difference between hearing words and responding with our lives, and why Scripture keeps pushing us from passive awareness to embodied faithfulness. If you’ve ever known what’s right but struggled to live it, this conversation is for you.

This week on Companions, we journey through Numbers 14–32 and Psalms 44–50—a stretch of Scripture filled with rebellion, accusation, ritual, and worship. From the wilderness sentence in Numbers 14 to Korah’s rebellion in Numbers 16, from the intensity of Sabbath laws to the mystery of an “eternal covenant of salt,” we wrestle honestly with what feels heavy and confusing.

Along the way, we explore embodied Hebrew language (“slow to anger” as “long of nose”), the emotional weight of holiness, the rhythms of Israel’s festivals, and the surprising legacy of the sons of Korah—whose line did not die out.

What do we do when understanding feels out of reach? How do cycles of worship and covenant sustain faith in the wilderness?

Join us as we look for mercy that lingers—and rhythms that preserve us.

What do we do with the intense language of Leviticus? How do we keep reading when the text feels repetitive or monotonous? In this episode of Companions, we explore Leviticus 20 through Numbers 13 and wrestle with the weighty warnings of Leviticus 26, the rhythms of festivals and census lists, and the purpose behind Israel’s wilderness storytelling. Along the way, we reflect on how the Psalms give voice to the journey, why Hebrew is such an embodied language, and how that shapes even Jesus’ conversation in John 3.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsettled, or even bored in your Bible reading—this conversation is for you.

Leviticus doesn’t ease us in—and neither does faith when God feels distant. In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca wrestle with offerings, holiness, purity laws, and atonement, asking what the law was really for and how Jesus fulfills it. From sacrifice and anointing oil to clean and unclean bodies, they explore how God makes a way back into relationship when closeness feels impossible—and what it looks like to stay in the conversation when faith feels heavy or complicated.

What do we do when Scripture feels heavy, repetitive, or even troubling? In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca reflect on Exodus 19–40 and the Psalms, naming resistance where it shows up—in the text, in the people, and in ourselves. From laws about bulls and bribes to the beauty of the tabernacle, from the Golden Calf to God’s self-revelation as merciful and faithful, this conversation explores how law, worship, failure, and grace shape a people who are learning what it means to live with a holy God. If you’ve ever skimmed a Bible reading or wondered what all these details are really for, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca return to last week’s lingering question—what feels unresolved?—as they step into the book of Exodus. Together, they explore what happens after salvation: the freedom, the fear, the frustration, and the formation that follows. From Pharaoh’s grip to Israel’s constant complaining, from Sabbath before commandments to shared leadership through Jethro’s wisdom, this conversation names an uncomfortable truth—we can be rescued by God and still struggle to trust. Along the way, they reflect on prayerful honesty in the Psalms, the patience of God, and why formation takes far longer than deliverance. If you’ve ever felt saved but unsettled, this episode is for you.