Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen said, "There's a crack in everything—that's how the light gets in." Sometimes the way we approach Scripture is to think we have to have everything about it perfect—ourselves, our interpretations of it—to have a fulfilling spiritual life. But writer Shauna Niequist reminds us that couldn't be further from the truth. Shauna shows us that allowing ourselves to be imperfect in our approach to spiritual lives—and in any creative endeavor—is the gateway to experiencing the beauty that God meant for us to have. Quotes

"Any piece of art or wisdom or culture or meaning, you can observe it at a distance or you can interact with it, let it shape you, let it interact with your own experiences and feelings and the experience of it will be so much richer if you do that. And I think the Bible's just exactly that same way." —Shauna Niequist

"I want my kids to feel able to make the decisions that match their own values for their lives, to make their lives as busy or slow as they want them to be, to be as relational and social and adventurous or contemplative and quiet—whatever suits them." —Shauna Niequist

"Any of us who are storytellers or songwriters or painters or dancers, people who make anything, who tell stories in any way, poets, preachers, all of it—we're writing down what we see in the world, what's beautiful, what's notable, what's profound, what's shaping and challenging so that God's children can read it. And then our job is to just wait with happy excitement and see what God is going to do with it." —Shauna Niequist

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeAnne Lamott

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*The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast is produced by Four Eyes Media

Editor and author Trillia Newbell joins The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast to share a beautiful message of unity: God died for every tribe, every tongue, and every nation, and our differences glorify the incredible Creator He is. Trillia reminds us that until we mingle together again in heaven, it's imperative that we treat every person—no matter how different they may be from us—with love and compassion. Quotes

"God has graciously given us a beautiful picture of what the family of God looks like in the Bible. We know that Jesus died for every tribe, tongue and nation. He does not discriminate based on the color of our skin and language. He is so gracious to give us a diverse family, and we see it all throughout the scriptures." —Trillia Newbell

"I believe one of the reasons that He's created all of these different people is because it reflects Him, this God who is creative and who is complex and different and unique and, frankly, well set apart. He's holy. He created us with different languages, with different skin tones, with different abilities, with different interests. And it's to glorify Him in His creativity and His goodness." —Trillia Newbell

"When we resist loving each other based on something like the color of our skin, we are all in need of the same mercy and of the same grace and of the same love. And so for us to draw away from each other or to hate each other based on something so minor, it just makes me very sad. So I think the reason we should press in is because we are going to be doing it for eternity. And so we pray, 'Lord, as it is in heaven.'" —Trillia Newbell

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeCreative God, Colorful Us by Trillia Newbell

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*The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast is produced by Four Eyes Media

Flip through streaming services on a Friday night, and chances are you might see actor Julian Leong bringing a story to the screen. But the comedic actor, who's also pursuing a master's degree in biblical studies, has dedicated some serious thought to his craft, and how he can use his experiences and passion not for his own gain, but to be God's mouthpiece and help the world to flourish. Julian shares why pursuing any craft or career needs to marry passion with purpose, how his acting career has taught him to trust and move forward in faith despite uncertain circumstances, and how paying closer attention to the beauty around us brings us closer to God. Quotes

"Art is about making sense of experience and finding purpose and meaning in that experience and being able to shape it and craft something, some piece of art—whether it be a play, whether it be a song or a sculpture that actually helps others make sense of their own experiences as well." —Julian Leong

"As soon as we talk about purpose—namely, one's life purpose, the reason someone's here in this world—then that's going to be based on your faith. It's going to be based on any number of faith assumptions about what this world is, what life is about." —Julian Leong

"I think artists are cultivators of beauty, and I think we buy into the idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think we've sort of accepted that. But as Christians, we have to question that, right?" —Julian Leong

"I don't want selfish ambition to be the thing that drives me. I do want it to be God's purpose: God's purpose for making His presence known, for making His love known to us, making His forgiveness known to us, for awakening us to the reality that we are not just a random collection of atoms, but we've been made with love, we've been made with purpose, we've been designed, we were knit in our mother's womb. We are known, we are seen. These are all things that God wants us to know, and I want to be His mouthpiece." —Julian Leong

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeSir John Polkinghorne

Thomas Merton

John 1:14 NIV

UCI Ervine

Girls on HBO

Kevin Can Wait

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Reformed Theological Seminary

Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III

Dr. Michael J. Krueger

William B. Fullilove

Tim Keller

The Christians by Lucas Hnath

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Writer and English professor Karen Swallow Prior has noticed a trend among her students: they're not sure how to think biblically in a world grappling with social issues that change by the minute. People talk at length about these issues on social media, where the comments section can devolve into a name-calling free-for-all in a matter of seconds. Karen shares how to keep yourself open enough to reconsider your views without compromising your values, and how to have civil conversations seasoned with grace among people you may not see eye to eye with, both online and off. She also reminds us that believers bear an important responsibility: anytime we enter the public arena, we need to make sure to take the Spirit with us. Quotes

"I think the most important thing is to be filled by the Spirit. We know when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, because we'll exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. We'll exhibit love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and—perhaps most importantly in this age—self-control." —Karen Swallow Prior

"I've had to put it in the Lord's hands. I plan my way, I hone my craft, I try to do good work, but I really believe that it's all the Lord's doing. And so I call Him now the Lord of my schedule, because I just want every part of my day and all of my work to be guided by Him and the opportunities to be guided by Him. Everything that I end up doing, I want to glorify Him." —Karen Swallow Prior, on her writing career

"As the world changes, we see more Christians who hold very different views on what to me are very fundamental issues. I see it as an opportunity to think about their view and ask myself why I think theirs is wrong and mine is right. Then I also ask, 'Well, maybe there's something in between.'" —Karen Swallow Prior

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeCultural Engagement by Karen Swallow Prior

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Religion News Service

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As a teen grappling with emotional growing pains that come with getting older, Sho Baraka saw his father and brother accept a faith that radically altered their lives with a peace he wished he could have for himself. Since then, Sho has traveled the world as a Christian hip-hop artist and activist, with a passion to restore the world with the love that makes us whole in body, mind, and soul. He shares how he carved a path as a creative in the faith world, and how practically serving the needs of others can bring us together like nothing else. Quotes

"I have this belief that the gospel is not just a message that is cognitive, but it's also corporeal, it is physical as well. With the mental transformation, Jesus heals people as well as saves souls because He recognizes I am here to not only give you a mental and heart change, I see that these conditions have kept you from living a flourishing life. I want to solve that, I want to heal you, and hopefully you will have a more abundant life." – Sho Baraka

"I couldn't ask for a greater role and responsibility than to be one of God's children and to participate in the dedication of the world." – Sho Baraka

"As individuals who love the Lord with all our heart, mind, body and soul, we couldn't just ignore the earthly hell that people lived in and just preach a heaven and say, 'By and by you [will] see glory.' But God has called us to bring all things to His glorious redemption. And so that kind of created this desire to not only just be artists, but to be activists as well." – Sho Baraka

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeOld Testament Ethics for the People of God by Christopher Wright

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*The Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast is produced by Four Eyes Media.

Joining us this week is Andrew Peterson, an award winning singer/songwriter and author, who created a ministry called The Rabbit Room. He desires to lift up the works of art and the artists that nourish others by giving back to these creators with encouragement, inspiration, and support. Andrew also has a beautiful appreciation for old trees, because they tell the story of how God has shown His presence throughout creation. If we pay attention to the world around us, it's another way of paying attention to God Himself, and we can find guidance on the way we should live our lives. Like trees, we are charged with planting deep roots, and bearing good fruit for the world. Trees are the living witnesses to what God is doing in us. Quotes

"The idea is that by creating good life, giving edifying, Christ-honoring works of art, that those things are nourishing communities of like minded people, giving them courage and inspiration and solidarity, and with the hope that then they will go on and continue to make their own things. And all of this ends up being a way of loving this world that God so loved and drawing attention to Him and His goodness." —Andrew Peterson

"The season of depression that I've been going through is a kind of pruning. God doesn't cut us back. It may feel violent and that may feel unfair. But if our end goal is to bear good fruit, then we entrust ourselves to the Lord of the Vineyard." —Andrew Peterson

"God loves the world, His creation, this planet. Jesus came and conquered death and has begun this new creation with a new city, a new place for us to live. I just think that's thrilling. I don't have to wait for the new creation to begin living responsibly. Like if I really believe that the master of the house is returning, why would I not take good care of the place that He's given us to live?" —Andrew Peterson

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe God Of The Garden by Andrew Peterson

Behold The Lamb of God

Ryman Auditorium

The Eagle & Child

C.S. Lewis

J.R.R. Tolkien

Charles Williams

The Rabbit Room

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

When she began to play piano at age 2, Ginny Owens' family knew God had something special in store for her. A year later, she lost her sight. Despite the darkness, Ginny flourished, and her faith kept her anchored through moments of bullying in middle school and setbacks in college as she pursued her dream of being a singer. Now a successful singer/songwriter, Ginny shares how she uses tools like The Jesus Storybook Bible to provide hope in seasons of darkness, and why learning to trust the God who loves us as a lifeline, even when we can't see the way forward. Quotes

"We're always singing some song in our heads, whether it has a tune or not. There's always something on repeat in our minds. And when the words on repeat in our minds become His words of truth and life and light, for me, it changes the way that I see everything." —Ginny Owens

"Over the different seasons of my life, I have definitely clung to those truths that no matter how difficult life is or no matter how challenging it can be because of something that we're going through, Jesus is always there." —Ginny Owens

"What gives me the most hope is knowing that I trust a God who is always here, always with me, who cares about the big and the small things, who has walked through darkness, who has walked through worse darkness than I will ever experience, and who did that for me and for you." —Ginny Owens

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Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Dove Awards

Sundance Film Festival

Corrie ten Boom

Belmont University

Rocketown Records

Michael W. Smith

Singing in the Dark: Finding Hope in the Songs of Scripture

Sing Hope in the Darkness

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Food personality Aarti Sequeira opens up about her career path, the doubt and fear she experienced, and how relying on God got her through—and how it led to her passion for being open about her faith. Aarti opens up about sharing The Jesus Storybook Bible with her two girls, Eliyah and Moses, and how she's used it as a tool to deepen her own faith so that she can answer the questions of her children and equip them in the Word. Quotes

"And I would wake up in the mornings and say, 'Lord, why did you wake me up today? Like, why do you keep waking me up if you don't have anything for me to do, just take me home already if there isn't a purpose.' But in retrospect, I think that time was about Him solidifying my identity in Christ." - Aarti Sequeira

"My obsession with God, I suppose it just overflows. A lot of times I'm looking at the whole world, whether it's food or politics or my family or my husband, I'm looking at it all through the filter of Christ. What I always wanted was that my relationship with God would be so real that it would just leak out of me." - Aarti Sequeira

"Time spent talking about God is never time wasted and time spent talking about God with your children is never wasted." - Aarti Sequeira

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeFood Network

Food Network Star

Guy's Grocery Games

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Bible teacher Angie Smith shares about the power of God's healing, including the lessons and the gifts He revealed to her through the loss of her daughter, Audrey, and other traumas she faced in her life. Angie opens up about her confusion when it came to the Bible, and how tools like The Jesus Storybook Bible helped her understand it as one cohesive book of love that she is a part of. Quotes

"In our lives, there are those moments where you think, This is me at my worst and you're going to leave me if you see it, you're not going to be able to handle it, and you're going to realize that I am a fraud or that I am not worth it. And I think that in the same way we can have those experiences with God where it's like, 'Wow, if you can see this in me, you'll never leave me, and He never has.'" - Angie Smith

"I think over the years, as you develop a relationship with Christ, at least for me, I sort of start to get used to the fact that it's okay for there to be ebbs and flows and different seasons in your relationship with Jesus." - Angie Smith

"It's okay if I'm angry with God. He can handle that. Like, all of heaven is not shaking because I have a moment where I'm angry that something is happening or that I can't stop crying about something or that I'm struggling. Part of me learned how to release emotion to Him without the fear that it would be too much for Him." - Angie Smith

"The Lord is oftentimes performing miracles in places we can't see." - Angie Smith

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Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeVanderbilt University

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Singer / songwriter Ellie Holcomb shares about the power reading and memorizing scripture has had in her life. From meeting Jesus as a child to now raising 3 kids of her own, Ellie's journey through faith has never been linear. She's combated the idea that we as people have to be perfect to receive God's love, to knowing that it's okay to struggle. It's okay to look fear in the eyes and know God will guide us through the trauma and turmoil. She shares how she's used tools like The Jesus Storybook Bible to further understand the grace and hope He provides while guiding her kids to learn and know they are all part of His story. Quotes

"I spent a lot of my life knowing God, knowing that He loved me, but I did not know that it was okay to not be okay." - Ellie Holcomb

"As I've stood up in the truth of some of the brokenness of my story, I've seen the power of the gospel, the truth of the gospel, that He meets us in our most broken places and becomes even more powerful." - Ellie Holcomb

"The Bible isn't a story that's mainly about us and what we should be doing. It's mainly a story about God and what he has done for us. And it's the greatest love story that's come true in real life." - Ellie Holcomb

"There's this idea that our hope is not just this flimsy, 'I hope things will be better one day.' It's a hope that is grounded in the story of Jesus. And he's already come and defeated death, but he's also coming back to defeat death and sadness once and for all. And I'm very, very grateful for that hope that we all have, and for that hope that we get to share with the little ones in our lives." - Ellie Holcomb

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*