Do you ever stand under the stars and feel like you have more questions than answers? Dr. Deborah Haarsma, an astronomer and president of BioLogos, shares her experience of grappling with the tension between science and the Bible. By reading the works of Christians who have studied these disciplines, she came to understand that the Bible's main points about God's creative power and the goodness of creation still hold true, even if the scientific details are different from what was understood at the time the Bible was written.

Quotes

“When I was starting to study astronomy and hearing how vast the universe is, I heard a lot of people saying things like, ‘The universe is just so huge and humans are so small. We're just this tiny, forgotten bit of the universe and not very significant.’ It took a while for me to really work through that and realize that that is completely wrong.” - Dr. Deborah Haarsma

“It's amazing, whether you look up at the stars at night or you look at the images from telescopes that you can find online of this incredibly vast universe, God says, ‘Look at that. That is how big my love is.’ God's love is as vast as the universe.” - Dr. Deborah Haarsma

“When I consider the Scriptures alongside what I see in the universe, I'm just overwhelmed by the depth of God's love and the incredible forgiveness He's willing to offer. No matter how often I sin and mess up and keep turning away, God is still willing to forgive.”  - Dr. Deborah Haarsma

Guest’s Links Dr. Deborah Haarsma’s Instagram

Dr. Deborah Haarsma’s Facebook

Dr. Deborah Haarsma’s Professional Bio

Resources Mentioned in This Episode https://BioLogos.org/

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

A social media post caught minister Rashawn Copeland’s attention when he was in a dark, desperate place, and he felt the love of God in that moment, which ultimately saved him from a destructive pattern in his life. Now, he emphasizes the importance of being real and authentic with young people, sharing our testimony, and treasuring the message we've been entrusted with, because sharing that truth has the power to save lives.

Quotes

“What changed everything for me was when I understood that I needed a new appetite for something far greater. And whatever has our attention has our affection. It changed everything for me to understand His love for me.” - Rashawn Copeland

“We've been entrusted with this message that the world truly needs to hear, and we need to treasure it enough to tell those who don't know it.” - Rashawn Copeland

“We're in a beautiful time where we can reach the multitudes and not only share the King, but help others to get to know the King. And it changes everything.” - Rashawn Copeland

“When we are believers and we know what's real, when we know what's true, we need to speak, because someone's life literally depends on it.” - Rashawn Copeland

Guest’s Links

Rashawn Copeland’s website

Rashawn Copeland’s Instagram

Rashawn Copeland’s Facebook

Rashawn Copeland’s Twitter

No Turning Back: Escape Your Past, Empower Your Present, and Experience God's Best for You

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Bible Verse Daily on TikTokSoulja Boy

Lil’ Romeo

Machine Gun Kelly

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Moving from the era of blogging to the age of Instagram has shifted our perspective on motherhood and how we share those parenting moments with the wider world. Melanie Shankle shares her unique takes on the evolution of motherhood and how friendship can be a life-saving element in all of the change surrounding us.

Quotes

“We have this internal thing where we measure ourselves by what other people are doing. How does their marriage look? How are they parenting? How are their kids? It can be so easy to want to compete with them; it's like this inner envy or comparison game.” - Melanie Shankle

“The thing that God has always brought me back to in my life is that I’ve got to walk my own road. I’ve got to walk the road that God has given me. Someone else's road always looks better because I don't know all the bumps in their road.” - Melanie Shankle

“I think you just have to go back to what you know is the truth, which is that God has given you your path, your words, and your presence here on earth and He has something very specific tied to that that only you can do.” - Melanie Shankle

“You've got to have real life people in some capacity, the people who are going to show up on your doorstep when things are bad or hard or when you're sick or when you need something. That’s living in real community.” - Melanie Shankle

“I think real relationship, real friendship, starts when you're vulnerable with people and say, ‘Here are my struggles, here's who I really am,’ and they do the same.” - Melanie Shankle 

Guest’s Links Melanie Shankle’s website

Melanie’s Instagram

Melanie’s Facebook

Melanie’s Twitter

The Big Boo Cast, Melanie’s Podcast with Sophie Hudson

On the Bright Side: Stories about Friendship, Love, and Being True to Yourself

Resources Mentioned in This Episode Nobody’s Cuter Than You: A Memoir About the Beauty of Friendship

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

With the world constantly waging war for our attention, it’s becoming more and more difficult to sit with ourselves and God. Singer/songwriter Jon Guerra's practice of stillness during his commute to his studio in Chicago helped him to create the ethos of his “devotional music,” and he hopes that his music will inspire others to direct their everyday experiences towards God.

Quotes

“In the history of the church, silence has been a practice for a couple thousand years, even in the Psalms. As we try to make sense of our lives with God, there's something about silence that we understand to be helpful and useful.” - Jon Guerra

“My music is my daily turning to God; I hope that it helps others turn their everyday experiences toward God as well.” - Jon Guerra

“Silence not only gives music meaning, but it is a practice that helps us counteract the liturgy of the modern world, which is distraction. Silence is useful in so many ways.” - Jon Guerra

“I think that's what God wants for us. Ultimately, He wants to give us peace. He wants to give us shalom. He wants to give us rest.” - Jon Guerra

Guest’s Links Jon Guerra’s Website

Jon Guerra’s Instagram

Jon Guerra’s Facebook

Jon Guerra’s Twitter

Listen to Jon Guerra’s most recent albums

Resources Mentioned in This Episode Walter Brueggemann

Keeper of Days Album

Blaise Pascal

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Alli Worthington started a company with only $42, Google, and a fortitude that God would make a way. She shares how going through a tough financial downturn made her less afraid of failure and reframed how she viewed motherhood. Now, Alli’s passionate about helping women to believe in themselves and trust in God to guide their steps towards their dreams.

Quotes

“Going through losing it all makes you less afraid to make mistakes. It makes you less afraid of failure.” – Alli Worthington

“I knew that with God's guidance, I could learn something new. I knew if I put myself out there, He would guide my steps, and the end result would be a partnership with Him that wouldn’t depend completely on me.” – Alli Worthington 

“When we try anything new for the first time, it's going to be harder than we think it is, and we're going to be a lot worse at it than we think we are going to be. That doesn’t mean we're not supposed to do it; it just means that it's new.” – Alli Worthington 

“What I learned through the years raising my kids is that being the best mother I could be starts with learning to mother myself.” – Alli Worthington

“You can break the myths that culture tells us about motherhood. You can be armed with tools and research and gospel-soaked truth to be able to live out motherhood in a new and a fresh way so it doesn't have to be so hard every day.” – Alli Worthington

Guest’s Links Alli Worthington’s website

Alli Worthington’s Facebook

Alli Worthington’s Twitter

Alli Worthington’s Instagram

Alli Worthington's books

Alli Worthington’s podcast

Resources Mentioned in This Episode Remaining You While Raising Them by Alli Worthington

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Hooray! We are celebrating the 100th episode of the Jesus Storybook Bible Podcast, and while we can’t believe we’re already at this milestone, we’re honored to share the celebrations with a special guest host today, our friend, Ellie Holcomb. Ellie walks with us down memory lane as we visit some powerful episodes with guests who speak to God’s never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love; including Amy Grant, Bishop Michael Curry, Jodi Benson, Michelle Hord, Aarti Sequeira, and the late and beloved pastor and writer, Tim Keller. 

Quotes

“Isn't it so beautiful to learn and to rest in the knowledge that we are all part of God's story?”  – Ellie Holcomb

“When I walk into a situation and I want to be a part of it, I ask, ‘What do I already have?’ I want to share what I have and I want to share it in a way of believing that a little bit can go a super long way in God's hands.” – Amy Grant 

“Love makes room and space for others to be. Because that's what love does.” – Bishop Michael Curry

“This verse just spoke to my heart and spirit, and I truly believe it was God throwing me a lifeline: Job 13:15, ‘Though He slay me, yet will, I trust Him.’ This verse became a battle cry for me.” – Michelle Hord

“What I always wanted was that my relationship with God would be so real that it would just leak out of me… I think God has done that. I can't talk about hardly anything without talking about what God thinks about it.” – Aarti Sequeira 

“God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people who obey Him. If you can walk in obedience in something that's terribly uncomfortable, then let Him take it from there.” – Jodi Benson

“If you are a Christian, you know that your relationship with God is impossible unless God forgives you. He doesn't make you repay your debt because your debt is far more than you could pay. And it's also true that if you do know you're forgiven by God, then you turn to other people who owe you, who have wronged you, and you're able to forgive them.” – Tim Keller

Guest’s Links Ellie Holcomb’s Facebook

Ellie Holcomb’s Instagram

Ellie Holcomb’s Twitter

Ellie Holcomb’s Website

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Amy Grant’s Episode Part 1

Amy Grant’s Episode Part 2 

Bishop Michael Curry’s Episode

Jodi Benson’s Episode

Aarti Sequeira’s Episode

Michelle Hord’s Episode

Tim Keller’s Episode

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

America has seen a steady decline in the percentage of farming individuals in the last century, so how do we maintain a connection to the land that God gave us? Dr. Ellen F. Davis—professor of Bible and practical theology at Duke University Divinity School—has come to see how the Bible could help redirect our connection to creation and how we care for it. Dr. Davis’ extensive research led her to believe that land is not merely soil, but a community of all creatures that participate in the life of that soil.

Quotes

“The land, in some sense, comes first and we have to be responsible for it. That was a new way of thinking and working for me as a biblical scholar. I began reading the Bible with that view in mind, and discovered issues having to do with the well-being of the land, and how they are interconnected with human well-being.” – Dr. Ellen F. Davis

“Being an agrarian means recognizing that the health, the life of human beings is not separate from the life of the land on which we live, on which we depend daily for existence. And when I speak of land, I mean not just soil, but also land as a community, all of the creatures that participate in the life of that soil.” – Dr. Ellen F. Davis

“The Bible was written by people who knew their land, knew that if they did not care for it, it would not be available to their children. So they knew their land and its fragility and its infinite value. They knew that it came to them as a gift of God, and it was entrusted to them not as individuals, but as part of an intergenerational community.” – Dr. Ellen F. Davis

“The good news and the source of hope is that people are more concerned about the central issues of land use and land care, sustainable food production, and destruction of habitat for animals. People are more aware and more determined to be involved in whatever kind of healing we can participate in.” – Dr. Ellen F. Davis

Guest’s Links Dr. Ellen F. Davis 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode Meeting the Expectations of the Land book

Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading Of The Bible by Dr. Ellen F. Davis

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

Peter Greer found his purpose amidst the rubble of the Soviet Union empire. While studying in Moscow, he had lunch with an individual that jump started his purpose in alleviating poverty through ingenuitive finance and business tools. Traveling all over the world, he’s found that deep lasting hope can be found in the action of others in community—working together to find solutions to life’s biggest challenges. 

Quotes

“If all we see in the world are the problems, and we feel that there's nothing that can be done, there's nothing we can do, the problems are too big, they're too scary, that leads to a place of helplessness. That leads to a place of despondency. But I think there's a different approach, and it's to see the problems in our world to say, ‘Yes, there are big and scary problems. Yes, there are complexities.’ But then hope comes from the actual belief that there is something that we can do.” – Peter Greer

“Even in the most complex issues, it is possible to see progress. And that has been the joy of my life, to see places of poverty, to see complex problems, but also to meet and spend time with entrepreneurs that are working for a greater good, that are serving courageously, that are responding generously.” – Peter Greer 

“I believe hope is rooted in the greatest story that has ever been told, a story of God's redemption and love. I believe that is where true hope comes from.” – Peter Greer

“Even though there are challenges, even though there are complexities in our world, hope is not lost. We can look to the story of Jesus as love, know that it was true in history and it is true today. And really, from that foundation of receiving God's love, then that equips us to go and share God's love with others.” – Peter Greer 

“If we're not careful, we can look at the needs around the world, we can look at communities that are in poverty, and we can have this sense of, We've got to go in and we've got to solve all the problems. And I love the heart of compassion that that comes from. But if you take a step back, there's a question that we don't ask often enough: who is already there in that community? Who are the individuals that are already living in those communities already working toward change? And what would it look like if we partnered with them, equipping them and supporting them and walking with them as they are solving these challenges?” – Peter Greer

Guest’s Links Peter Greer’s Website

Peter Greer’s Instagram

Peter Greer’s Facebook

Peter Greer’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Hope International

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

What God most wants for us, says Duke Divinity professor Norman Wirzba, is that we be flourishing together, that we live in communion, and that in our sharing of life with each other, we can experience God’s love. Norman shares why nurturing the world changes our lens from consumer to carer, and why asking, “How do we build more beauty in the world?” is a question most worthy of our attention.

Quotes

“How can we build more beauty in this world? How can we cultivate goodness in our neighborhoods? Because when we have that goodness and that beauty, our lives are so much better. We can experience the joy that God has always wanted for creatures.” - Norman Wirzba

“God is constantly active, nurturing and feeding and protecting and celebrating a beautiful world, a good world. And we should learn to do the same thing.” - Norman Wirzba

Guest’s Links

Norman Wirzba’s Instagram

Norman Wirzba’s Facebook

Norman Wirzba’s Twitter

Norman Wirzba’s Website

Resources Mentioned in This Episode Duke Divinity School

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

When you feel broken, can you ever truly heal? Author and speaker Toni Collier says you can—and she’s the living proof. Toni vulnerably shares the road that took her to rock-bottom at age 24: a childhood and teen years filled with emotional neglect, sexual trauma, an eating disorder, substance abuse—and how counseling gave her the tools to discover the joy and hope she had when she was a little girl.

Quotes

“Even Jesus had circles, and we can put people in different levels of our circles around us that can help protect us, that can help us put good boundaries in place, that can transition people out in love and kindness too.” - Toni Collier

“Gratitude is huge when it comes to a healing process, because sometimes you have to wake up and say, ‘Thank you, Lord, that I just had peace today, and that was enough.’” - Toni Collier

“The truth is, I am who I am today, I have the capacity and the resilience and the grit and also the authority to speak into these really hard places because of what I've been through.” - Toni Collier

“Jesus comes in, and He redeems and He restores and He makes us brand new over and over and over again.” - Toni Collier

“The greatest gift I've ever given myself is the bravery to press into pain and the freedom to really heal from it.” -Toni Collier

Guest’s Links

Toni Collier’s Facebook

Toni Collier’s Website

Toni Collier’s Instagram

Toni Collier’s Twitter

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Teletubbies

EMDR

Broken Crayons Still Color

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*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*