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The Church Once Shaped the World Through Beauty—Can We Help Restore Its Influence Again?

For centuries, the Christian faith was the driving force behind breathtaking art, transcendent music, and the very fabric of Western culture. But somewhere along the way, the church lost its influence—and with it, our society became less attuned to the transcendent power of beauty to point hearts to God. How did we get here, and most importantly, how can parents reclaim beauty as a powerful tool for reaching a generation that’s grown deaf to lectures and argument?

In this compelling episode, Catherine is joined by multi-talented artist, philosopher, and theologian Isaac Gay—an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and founder of The Parallel Society, a ministry devoted to discipling artists and restoring creativity in the church. Isaac and his wife Emily have spent nearly two decades planting churches, building prayer rooms, and nurturing creative communities in some of the most secular cities in the West—while also raising three boys of their own.

Key Insights & Takeaways:

• Beauty as a Lost Apologetic: Discover why beauty is the most overlooked, and perhaps most powerful, way for Christians to influence culture today. “Beauty just might be our most powerful apologetic,” Catherine declares, underscoring its unique role in capturing hearts in a post-truth society.
• The Biblical Foundation of Creativity: Learn how the very first thing Scripture tells us about God isn’t that He’s a king, or father—but that He is a Creator, bringing order out of chaos. And why that means that every parent, regardless of natural talent, is called to be creative too.
• History’s Lessons: Journey from the Renaissance and beyond to see how the church used to set the standard for art, music, and culture. Why did Christians abdicate that position of influence, and how did utilitarian thinking, fundamentalism, and a sacred/secular divide contribute to exile of the arts?
• The Plight—and Calling—of Christian Artists: Hear Isaac’s own story of exchanging Broadway dreams for full-time ministry, and the tension so many creative Christians face when their gifts seem at odds with church expectations. “You are joining God, the ultimate creator, in the act of the most beautiful piece of art and creativity that has ever been created,” Isaac encourages all parents.
• Why Lectures Don’t Reach Culture (But Stories Do): The world isn’t tuning into our sermons—they’re going to movies, reading novels, and being shaped by art. Find out why reclaiming creativity in the church isn’t optional, but essential if we want to influence the next generation.

Notable Moments:

• The astonishing significance of the first person in Scripture filled with the Holy Spirit (hint: he was an artist, not a preacher!)
• Stories from church history, the Renaissance, and the power of artists as “missionaries” to culture.
• A moving discussion on how even parenting itself is an act of creativity, forming order and beauty from chaos.

The church hasn’t just neglected the arts—it’s handed the cultural keys to the world, often settling for copying what’s popular instead of shaping what’s meaningful. What could happen if Christian parents and churches reclaimed beauty—not just in our sanctuaries, but in our homes, our parenting, and our calling?

Listen in and consider:
How are you nurturing the creative spark God gave your children? In what ways could reclaiming beauty and imagination in your home, church, or community become the bridge to the gospel your world desperately needs?

Don’t miss Part 2—where Isaac will be joined by his wife Emily for an even deeper dive into the practical steps of nurturing Christian cre

Jesus knew our worries and promised a peace that would overcome them. Not any kind of peace, but a personal peace directly from Him to you! Spiritual Fitness Coach, Alejandro explains this amazing gift. 

As a thank you for your support this month, we’d love to bless you with a gift of your choice.Choose from three excellent books -each designed to encourage and equip you as you grow in Christ.

Tracing His Promise: Donna Amidon shares 25 OT stories revealing Jesus in God’s redemptive plan.

Tactics:  A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions  -   Practical tools to share and defend your faith with confidence and grace.

Discovering a Living Faith: Explore James with Pastor Bryan Clark – Insightful and practical guidance.

Yours with a gift of any amount.

Thank you for supporting the mission of Christ.

Energy Markets Deep Dive: Faith, Finance, and the Future of Oil & Gas

Join hosts Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush as they take their first deep dive into the energy markets with two legends from the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. Jordan Strebeck of Fortress Energy Partners and Chas Perry of PBEX offer insider perspectives on oil and gas investing, geopolitics, and how energy production enables human flourishing globally.

This Marks on the Market episode explores the technological revolution that transformed American energy independence, the capital discipline reshaping the industry, and why natural gas could be the key to both domestic prosperity and global development.

Key Topics:

• The Permian Basin's role as America's energy epicenter - producing half of US oil within 200 miles of Midland
• Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology that revolutionized unconventional oil recovery
• Capital discipline versus "drill baby drill" - why the industry learned to prioritize shareholder returns
• Geopolitical implications of US energy independence and LNG export capacity
• How abundant natural gas could enable cheaper electricity and AI infrastructure development
• Energy density and human flourishing - why hydrocarbons remain essential for economic advancement

Notable Quotes: "OPEC doesn't really care a whole lot about what we think. And I've learned also, like President Trump, neither he nor anyone in his administration, has called and ask me my opinion." - Jordan Strebeck

"You can't always rely on [renewable energy]. Natural gas, we've got a ton of it in the United States. All of us on this podcast will be dead and gone before we're out of fossil fuel." - Chas Perry

"There is no such thing as an economically advanced economy that does not require energy." - Jordan Strebeck

We make choices everyday - from the mundane to the life changing. In every decision, we need wisdom. As Dr. John speaks from Proverbs 6, he explains how practical wisdom can guide the choices we make about our debts, work habits, friendships, and especially our moral walk. Life is not a "flip of the coin." We can choose pathways of blessing by the wisdom God gives.

Wisdom Matters: Is it better to be wealthy, good looking, successful, popular or wise? If any Christian isn't sure of the answer, then Proverbs has something to say! In this 10-message series, Dr. John will point us to wisdom that shapes our living. Proverbs doesn't guarantee us wealth or popularity, but it does promise the blessings of God. 

The Wilderness E2 — In the Bible, the wilderness is an uninhabitable, hostile place for human life. And in the creation narratives of Genesis 1 and 2, the wilderness symbolically represents the chaos of a pre-creation state. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the wilderness language in the creation narrative and how it contrasts with Eden, God’s oasis of beauty, order, and abundance.

CHAPTERS

1. Recap on the Meaning of the Wilderness (0:00-9:16)
2. Pre-Creation Wilderness and the Eden Oasis (9:16-40:27)
3. Wilderness and Eden Imagery in the Prophets (40:27-57:32)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

• Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.
• You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

SHOW MUSIC

• “Break Bread” by Lofi Sunday, Oly.Lo
• “Refuge ft. Just Derrick” by Lofi Sunday
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. 

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Bill kicks back with Sopranos star Drea de Matteo for an unfiltered hang that runs from Italian pride to behind-the-scenes lore – casting authenticity and on-set memories. Drea opens up about career turbulence, agency fallout, and her OnlyFans pivot. They also trade takes on Catholic school, politics, spirituality, AI’s impact on work, art vs. ideology in entertainment, and the tough math of streaming, strikes, and residuals. They even lament vanishing bees – earning Bill the nickname “Snow White” – before one last reveal: his latest hotel alias.

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ABOUT CLUB RANDOM

Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There’s a whole big world out there that isn’t about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it. 

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ABOUT BILL MAHER

Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.”

Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.”

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Billy Graham once said, “Tell me what you think about money, and I will tell you what you think about God, for these two are closely related.”

In Jesus’ Parable of the Talents, we see that stewardship isn’t just about money—it’s about how we view God. Today, Taylor Standridge joins me to explore how our image of God influences the way we give, spend, and live.

Taylor Standridge is the Production Manager here at Faith and Finance, co-author of Look at the Sparrows, our 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety, and a frequent contributor to our quarterly magazine, Faithful Steward, as well as other FaithFi studies and devotionals.

A.W. Tozer once wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This truth has enormous implications for stewardship. How we see God determines how we handle what He has entrusted to us.

If we see Him as generous, trustworthy, and sovereign, we will hold our resources with open hands and joyful hearts, confident that He is both our provider and our treasure. But if we see Him as distant, demanding, or indifferent, we may fall into reluctant giving, fearful hoarding, or selfish spending.

Stewardship is far more than budgets and giving—it is about trust, worship, and living in light of who we believe God to be. A distorted view of God is like setting sail with the wrong coordinates: you may move with confidence, but you’ll end up in the wrong place.

In Matthew 25, the tragedy of the third servant wasn’t his lack of ability—it was his lack of trust. Believing his master to be a “hard man,” he buried what was given to him. His fear led to inaction.

This parable isn’t only about money. The “talents” represent everything God entrusts to us—time, relationships, opportunities, gifts, and resources. Faithful stewardship flows not from skill, but from trust. The first two servants stepped out boldly because they trusted their master’s character. Their faith led to joy, not judgment: “Enter into the joy of your master.”

The deeper warning is this: when we misjudge God’s heart, we hold back. When we trust His goodness, we invest boldly for His Kingdom.

Many believers think of obedience as something they give to God. But Scripture reminds us that even obedience is a gift of grace. “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). He not only prepares good works for us (Eph. 2:10)—He empowers us to walk in them.

This truth transforms stewardship from a burden into a blessing. We’re not managing resources to prove ourselves; we’re participating in the good works God has already prepared. Stewardship becomes a relational act of grace, not a transactional duty.

In Matthew 7, Jesus warns that some will say, “Lord, Lord,” but hear Him reply, “I never knew you.” The issue wasn’t activity—it was relationship. Faithful stewardship begins with knowing God as gracious, faithful, and abundantly generous.

If you feel stuck or fearful—like the third servant—remember this: God isn’t waiting to punish you. He invites you to trust Him. Start small. Ask Him to reshape your view, to see Him not as a harsh master, but as a loving Father.

As 2 Timothy 1:7 declares, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” When we live from that truth, stewardship becomes delight, not duty. We don’t just manage money; we step into joy, walking with the One who is our ultimate treasure.

• I’m a retired senior and recentl

In this message, Chip lays out four very specific ways God reveals His goodness and how you can be sure not to miss out on any of it.

Defining the goodness of God

-Revealed to Moses: (Exodus 33:19; 34:5-7)

• Moses’ request: “Show me Your glory.” -Exodus 33:18
• God’s promise: “All My goodness will pass before you.” -Exodus 33:19
• God’s answer: Exodus 34:5-7

-Packer’s observation:

• “Within the cluster of God’s moral perfections there is one in particular to which the term ‘goodness’ points – the quality which God specially singled out from the whole when proclaiming ‘all his goodness’ to Moses, He spoke of Himself as ‘abundant in goodness and truth’ (Exodus 34:6). This is the quality of generosity.”
• “Generosity expresses the simple wish that others should have what they need to make them happy.” -J.I. Packer, Knowing God

-Tozer’s definition:

• “The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy… By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.” -A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

-Scripture’s declaration: Psalm 84:11

How does God reveal His goodness to us?

1. Through NATURAL blessings -Psalm 145:7-9, 16-17
2. Through SPECIFIC deliverances -Psalm 107
3. Through HIS SON, Jesus -Romans 5:8; 8:32

How are we to respond to God’s goodness?

1. REPENT and receive God’s greatest good gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. -Romans 2:4
2. SURRENDER your life and future fully to the lordship of Christ. -Romans 12:1
3. CLAIM God’s promise that you will NEVER miss out on any good thing as long as you live. -Psalm 84:11

Broadcast Resource

• The Real God Resources
• Message Notes

Additional Resource Mentions

• Daily Discipleship
• J.I. Packer - Knowing God

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Are you pressing towards God? Or just waiting for something to happen? That’s the discussion today on BOLD STEPS. Last time, Pastor Mark Jobe began unpacking what it means to live with resurrection power and true spiritual transformation. Today, we're diving deeper into the Apostle Paul's honest confession in Philippians chapter 3, where he admits he hasn't "arrived" spiritually, but refuses to stop pressing forward toward Christ.

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