Have you ever been tested by God? Has he asked you to lay down someone or something that is precious to you, just like he asked Abraham to place Isaac on the altar?

 In this episode of Live Like It's True, Carol Kent tells her painful story of laying her precious son on the altar, before the Lord. Learn how to respond in faith when God asks you for everything, even when it makes no sense.

Guest: Carol Kent

Bible Passage: Abraham Laying Isaac on the Altar (Genesis 22)

Get your Freebie: Pray the Promises + Leader's Guide

Mentioned Resources

• When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent
• Shaped by God's Promises by Shannon Popkin
• www.SpeakUpConference.com 
• www.SpeakUpforHope.org

Resound Media Network: www.ResoundMedia.cc

Music: Cade Popkin

Carol Kent

Carol Kent is a bestselling author and an international speaker for conferences, outreach events, and retreats.  She’s the executive director of the Speak Up Conference, an event committed to helping people develop their speaking and writing skills. She and her husband, Gene, have founded the nonprofit organization, Speak Up for Hope, which benefits inmates and their families.  Carol holds a master’s degree in communication arts and a bachelor’s degree in speech education.

Carol has trained Christian speakers for over twenty-five years and she has been a featured speaker at Women of Faith, Extraordinary Women, and Women of Joy arena events.  She is the author of over twenty-five books, including the bestselling When I Lay My Isaac Down, Tame Your Fears, and Becoming a Woman of Influence.  Her two newest titles are a 365 page-per-day devotional titled, He Holds My Hand, and Staying Power.

Connect with Carol

Website: www.carolkent.org

Instagram: @carolkentspeaks

Facebook: @authorcarolkent

Twitter / X: @carolkentspeaks

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

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Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

What if God eavesdropped on your heart? Would he hear you sighing and scoffing about impossible situations? Would he see you rolling your eyes at the idea things could change? In this conversation with Hope Blanton and Chris Gordon on the Live Like It's True Podcast, we're discussing the day God came to lunch at Sarah's table, and inviting her to be vulnerable and take a great leap of faith, even when it felt too risky to hope.

Guests: Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon

Bible Passage: Genesis 18:1-15

Get your Freebie: Pray the Promises + Leader's Guide

Mentioned Resources

• Breakthrough Faith After Chronic Suffering and Hopelessness - Hope and Christine’s Last Episode on Live Like It’s True
• Shaped by God’s Promises - New Bible Study by Shannon Popkin
• Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien
• Colossians: At His Feet Studies

Connect with Hope and Christine

Website: At His Feet Studies

Instagram: @athisfeetstudies

Facebook: @athisfeetstudies

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

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Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Have you considered the magnitude of God's promises to you? Has your life been shaped by those promises, the way Abraham and Sarah's were? 

I'm so grateful for Courtney Doctor and her brilliant mind. Don't miss part one of this great conversation. This time, we're talking about all of the surprises tucked into the origin story of God's people. 

Guest: Courtney Doctor

Bible Passage: Genesis 12:1-4

Freebie: Praying the Promises

Resound Media: 

Go to www.ResoundMedia.cc for more Gospel centered resources.

Mentioned Resources:

• “An Absurd Story of Being Fooled by God’s Enemy”– Courtney’s Episode on Live Like It’s True
• The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Conference – (TGCS) June 20, 2024 - June 22, 2024
• Register for my Breakout Session at TGCW – Gospel Thriving For Teens in a World That Compares
• Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the “I Am” Statements of Jesus by Courtney Doctor
• From Garden to Gloryby Courtney Doctor
• Purchase on Amazon: Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith
• Learn More about my new study: Shaped by God's Promises

Music: Cade Popkin

Courtney Doctor

Courtney is a wife and mom, author and Bible teacher, director of women’s initiatives at The Gospel Coalition. In her new book, From Garden to Glory: How Understanding God’s Story Changes Yours (on sale May 7, 2024), Courtney gives an overview of the Bible—from God’s creation to new creation and the role believers play.

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

When Courtney was in her early twenties, she was in a church membership class, where the gospel was being explained and she kept raising her hand, saying, "I chose God. I know; I was there..." Can you relate with the sense that you were the one who chose God? What if your story is actually one of God taking the initiative? And what if that was actually really good news? 

I'm so grateful to have Courtney Doctor returning to the Live Like It's True podcast, where we're in the second part of our Sarah series—considering the story of Sarah found in Genesis 12-21 which started with God choosing her little family of two and promising to make of them a great nation.

Guest: Courtney Doctor

Bible Passage: Genesis 12:1-4

Freebie: Praying the Promises

Resound Media: 

Go to www.ResoundMedia.cc for more Gospel centered resources.

Mentioned Resources:

• “An Absurd Story of Being Fooled by God’s Enemy”– Courtney’s Episode on Live Like It’s True
• The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Conference – (TGCW) June 20 –  22, 2024
• Register for my Breakout Session at TGCW – Gospel Thriving For Teens in a World That Compares
• Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the “I Am” Statements of Jesus by Courtney Doctor
• From Garden to Glory by Courtney Doctor
• Purchase on Amazon: Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith
• Learn More about my new study: Shaped by God's Promises

Music: Cade Popkin

Courtney Doctor

Courtney is a wife and mom, author and Bible teacher, director of women’s initiatives at The Gospel Coalition. In her new book, From Garden to Glory: How Understanding God’s Story Changes Yours (on sale May 7, 2024), Courtney gives an overview of the Bible—from God’s creation to new creation and the role believers play.

Connect with Courtney:

Website: CourtneyDoctor.com

Instagram: @courtneydoctor

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Have you been comparing yourself? Are you envious of someone God has treated "better" than you? In a story about envious grumblers who are comparing, Jesus invites you to be one of the happy ones instead.

Guests: Melissa Kruger

Bible Passage: Laborers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16 ESV

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• The Envy of Eve by Melissa Krueger
• The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
• Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin
• Comparison Girl for Teens: Thriving Beyond Measure in a World That Compares by Lee Nienhuis and Shannon Popkin

Melissa Kruger

Melissa Kruger serves as vice president of discipleship programming for The Gospel Coalition (TGC). She’s the author of multiple books, including The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Request, and Wherever You Go I Want You to Know. Her husband, Mike, is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary and they have three children.

Connect with Melissa:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

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Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

"Which of us is the greatest, Jesus?" Jesus's response to the disciples might surprise you, but it also might bright you comfort and peace. There's a foolproof way to be great in the kingdom of God, and it's backward from the way of the world. Want to learn the secret?

Join Kelly Needham and I on the Live Like It's True Podcast, as we talk about Jesus's illustration of a child, in response to his disciples asking, "Who's the greatest?"

Guest: Kelly Needham

Bible Passage: "Who is the Greatest?" Matthew 18:1-5

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• How to Bear God's Image by Gender {Kelly Needham}
• How to Overcome My Desire to Control My Husband (Kelly Needham}
• How to Live Like it's True that You're Forgiven {Kelly Needham}
• Your Eternal Reward by Erwin Lutzer
• Comparison Girl for Teens: Thriving Beyond Measure in a World That Compares by Lee Nienhuis and Shannon Popkin
• The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
• One Minute After You Die Sermon by Erwin Lutzer

Connect with Kelly:

Website: KellyNeedham.com

Kelly Needham: Facebook

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

When a teen walks into a room, statistics show that there's an 80% chance she believes she doesn't belong there. She wonders, Am I okay? What are they thinking? How do I measure up? 

In our new book, Comparison Girl for Teens we're inviting teens to find new freedom, confidence and true influence in the middle of a world that compares.

Guest: Lee Nienhuis

Bible Passage: What Did Jesus Say about Comparison?

Take the Teen Quizzes: ComparisonGirl.com

Mentioned Resources

• Comparison Girl for Teens: Thriving Beyond Measure in a World That Compares by Lee Nienhuis and Shannon Popkin
• Brave Moms, Brave Kids by Lee Neinhuis
• Counter Cultural Parenting by Lee Nienhuis

Music: Cade Popkin

Lee Nienhuis

Lee is a passionate Bible teacher who invites girls of all ages to pray boldly and believe God for their own generation and the next. Lee’s books include Brave Moms, Brave Kids and Countercultural Parenting and she cohosts several podcasts.

Lee and her husband, Mike, have four great kids and live at a Christian Camp in West Michigan. When she isn’t at sporting events or whipping up dinners, she loves hot cups of coffee, deep friendships and laughing till her sides ache.

Connect with Lee:

LeeNienhuis.com
Facebook
Instagram

Books
Brave Moms, Brave Kids
Countercultural Parenting
Comparison Girl for Teens

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

What is your weakness, and what does God think about it? Join Emily Jensen and me for a conversation about ineloquent Moses and his assignment from God that felt impossible. Learn how to live like it's true that your weakness isn't a problem for God.

Guest: Emily Jensen 

Bible Passage: Moses Given Powerful Signs - Exodus 4:10-17

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• He is Strong by Emily Jensen
• Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen
• What You Need to Know About Your Identity Crisis - Burning Bush Episode on Live Like It's True

Emily Jensen

Emily A. Jensen is an author, a podcaster, and the cofounder and content director of Risen Motherhood. Her first book (coauthored with her podcast partner and sister-in-law) Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments, has sold more than 100,000 copies. Her latest book is He is Strong: Devotions for When You Feel Weak (October 2023). Emily lives in central Iowa, with her husband and their five children.

Connect with Emily:

Website: emilyajensen.com

Instagram: @emilyajensen

Podcast: Risen Motherhood

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Why, God? Why haven't you shown up for me? If you love me, God, how could you let this happen to me?

In today's episode, we're going to invite you to bring questions like these straight to Jesus. And I think you might be surprised by the answers to these questions, embedded in the story from John 11 that we're going to look at.

Guest: Vaneetha Risner

Bible Passage: The Story of Lazarus in John 11

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• Desperate for Hope by Vaneetha Risner
• The Scars that Have Shaped Me by Vaneetha Risner
• Funeral Sorrow and the Best Plot Twist Everwith Mary Kassian
• The Return of the King, Lord of the Rings, Book 3 by J.R. Tolkien

Vaneetha is passionate about helping people find hope in their suffering. All her books: the Bible Study, Desperate For Hope, her memoir, Walking Through Fire, and the devotional, The Scars That Have Shaped Me, encourage readers to turn to Christ in their pain. 

Her story includes childhood bullying, losing an infant son, developing post-polio syndrome, and going through an unwanted divorce. Some of her greatest joys are being a wife to Joel and a mother to Katie and Kristi and you can find her embarrassing them in Raleigh, NC. Vaneetha writes regularly for Desiring God, and has been featured on Family LifeToday, Joni & Friends, and Christianity Today.

Connect with Vaneetha

Website: Vaneetha.com

Facebook: VaneethaRisner

Instagram: @vaneetharisner

Twitter: @vaneetharisner

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

What would happen if you looked for Jesus on all the pages of your Bible? Would you read it differently? Would it satisfy your hunger more? On this episode of the Live Like It's True podcast, Kristen Wetherell and I are exploring the story of the two disciples on the Road To Emmaus, who didn't realize they're talking to Jesus—and what He opens their eyes to.

Kristen is a pastor's wife, mom, author and speaker from the Chicagoland area. Check out her new book, "Help for the Hungry Soul."

Bible Passage: On the Road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13–35

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• Help for the Hungry Soul by Kristen Wetherell
• The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie
• Reading the Bible Supernaturally by John Piper
• Purposefooled by Kelly Needham

Kristen is a pastor’s wife, a mother of three, a writer, and a speaker. She's authored several books including:

• Help for the Hungry Soul: Eight Encouragements to Grow Your Appetite for God’s Word
• Humble Moms: How the Work of Christ Sustains the Work of Motherhood
• Fight Your Fears: Trusting God’s Character and Promises When You Are Afraid
• For the Bible Tells Me So

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Have you experienced chronic illness or longtime suffering? Or maybe you know someone who has experienced the isolation and hopelessness of having no where else to turn. It can feel like God has forgotten you, or his back is turned to you. But in this story, we're going to watch a breakthrough moment, where a woman finds out what has been actually true all along.

Guests: Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon

Bible Passage: Luke 8:42-48 ESV

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• At His Feet Studies
• Luke, Part I: A Study of Luke 1-8 (At His Feet Studies)
• Encounters with Jesus by Gary Burge (tampon story, page 39)

At His Feet Studies

Each lesson in an At His Feet Study consists of four steps: reading the Scripture passage, answering observation questions, reading commentary about the passage, and answering application questions helping you apply the text to your life. Also included is a “focus verse” for memorization. Below are all of the studies available from At His Feet.

Connect with Hope and Christine

Website: At His Feet Studies

Instagram: @athisfeetstudies

Facebook: @athisfeetstudies

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Is God even real? If he is, does he care how I live? How could God make my life better? This story has all the answers to these questions and more.

It's not an easy story to take in, but it's an important story and—unlike the people going about their business in Noah's day—we'd better know this story and live like it's true.

Guest: Rebecca George

Bible Passage: Genesis 6-7

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources

• Do the Thing by Rebecca George
• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

What does it mean to leave and cleave in today's world? What happens when we don't?

 Whether you're about to be married, you've been married for years, or you have adult children who have said, "I do," God's command to leave and cleave is meant to help the marriages you care about thrive.

My guests, Bruce and Sue Osterink have mentored nearly one hundred couples, and offer timeless wisdom for the beautiful (yet sometimes painfully challenging) process of two becoming one in marriage—which can't happen without first leaving the family you came from. 

 Guests: Bruce and Sue Osterink

Bible Passage: Genesis 2:25

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• When to Walk Away
• Generous Giving

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

 What does it look like to be brave and tell the truth, when so many are saying, "Maybe I'm not a girl..."? And what is the truth about a person's gender? 

Also, why is masturbation wrong if it's not hurting anyone? And how can we respond like God does, when someone opens up about sexual sin?

Kristen and I talk through these questions and more, offering advice found in our Origin Story, from Genesis 1-3. God doesn't leave us to wonder about our gender and sexuality. Will you live like this Story is true?

Guest: Kristen Clark

Bible Passage: Genesis 1-3

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• Sex, Purity and Longings of a Girl's Heart
• In His Image movie
• Episode with Mary Kassian
• Episode with Kim Cash Tate
• Shannon's book Comparison Girl
• Kristen's Girl Defined episode on Masturbation

Recommended Resources: (Scroll down)

Music: Cade Popkin Music 

Kristen Clark

Kristen Clark is married to her best friend, Zack, and is the newly adoptive mom to two precious boys from Ukraine. She is co-founder of Girl Defined Ministries, author of several books, including Not Part of the Plan: Trusting God with the Twists and Turns of Your Story, and is passionate about promoting the message of God-defined womanhood through blogging, speaking, mentoring young women, and hosting Bible studies in her living room. In the end, she’s just a fun-lovin’ Texas girl who adores all things outdoors and is an unashamed dog-lover who snuggles with her little maltipoo whenever she can.

• Sex, Purity, and the Longings of a Girl's Heart
• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

 What can Christian do about her same-sex attraction? How is an LGBT Christian to respond to the Bible's blueprint for marriage, in Genesis? What impact does a Christian's disgust over sexual brokenness have on those around her, who are suffering?

I'm sitting down with my friend, Laurie Krieg, to talk about the story of Genesis 1-3 and what it shows us about God's design for marriage—especially for the LGBT+ Christian. Laurie shares how she found the determination to work through her mixed-orientation marriage suffering, by digging into the juicy steak of theology, served up in the Genesis narrative and what it points to.   
 
 Laurie is a coach/consultant, speaker, author, and podcast host whose mission is to equip Jesus-followers with a gospel-centered approach to sexuality.

More: Full Length Shownotes

Guest: Laurie Krieg

Bible Passage: Genesis 1-3,

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• Laurie's Book:  An Impossible Marriage: What Our Mixed-Orientation Marriage Has Taught Us About Love and the Gospel
• Focus on the Family episode, highlighting Laurie's family: The Joys of Raising a Large Family - Part 2 with Guests Randy & Marcia Hekman
• Ada Bible - Laurie Intervied by Aaron Buer: The Questionable Life | Aaron Buer 9am
• Down Gillian Lane, where Laurie played "Brooke" Keys for Kids Ministries > Programming > Down Gilead Lane > Read & Listen
• Live LIke It's True Episode with Mary Kassian, talking about marriage metaphor, and the imagery of Christ's side split open and the church being born:E33 Adam and Eve: Man and Wife {Mary Kassian - Genesis 2}
• Live Like It's True Episode with Portia Collins - the first mention of the gospel: E36 The Seed of the Woman {Portia Collins - Genesis 3}

Laurie's Story

For as long as Laurie can remember, she has loved Jesus, and she has been same sex attracted. In this episode Laurie shares her story with us:

• Growing up in a strong Christian activist family
• Her crisis of faith as a college-aged Christian in a same-sex relationship
• God's call for her (a happy-to-be-single adult) to get married
• Her crisis, as a young mom, when a memory of abuse unexpectedly surfaced
• Her full-blown temptation to leave her impossible marriage 
• Her fight back to intimacy in her marriage
• How she's currently living like this story from Genesis 1-2 is true!

LGBT+ Christian Marriage Questions

• What should an LGBT+ person do about pain from the church, and homophobic attitudes? 
• How does Genesis 1-2 provide a roadmap for how marriage is supposed to look?
• How does the Bible's metaphor of marriage,  provide a "juicy steak" of a reason to stay in a difficult marriage?
• How is marriage between a man and a woman not the ultimate picture God is offering us? And what is that ultimate picture? 
• What sho

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Does the pain of loss ever go away? Is there hope for wholeness and healing, after a lifetime of hurt? 

We experience loss differently when we know the full story. Like when you go the funeral of someone you know and love, rather than a stranger. We have a fuller understanding of what has been broken. And we have a deeper longing for resolution.

In  this last episode on The True Story of the Beginning series, we're going to turn our attention to the end of the story. That part we're still longing for, which we get a glimpse of in Revelation—the book that comes at the very end of our Bibles.

I'm so delighted to have Nancy Guthrie back to talk with me about Genesis 1-3 and Revelation 21-22.

You'll remember that Nancy was with us in our first episode of this series, where we talked about Eden's Fall. Nancy Guthrie is an author, speaker and Bible teacher, who hosts several podcasts with the Gospel Coalition. 

Guest: Nancy Guthrie

Bible Passage: Genesis 1-3, Revelation 21-22

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• The Story of Eden's Fall (First Episode in this Series)
• Even Better Than Eden
• Blessed (new book on Revelation)
• Help Me Teach the Bible Podcast
• Biblical Theology Workshop for Women

Recommended Resources: Visit the shownotes.

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Full-length Shownotes

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Do you ever struggle with control? And do you sometimes feel like taking control is noble and right? Do you think, "If I don't do something here, the whole world is going to come unhinged!"

If that's you, I can totally relate. But I can also relate, if you're feeling like your inner Control Girl has caused you to look back with some regret and heartache.

We have Kelly Needham back today, to talk about "The Desire to Control my Husband", but I want to add right at the top, that this desire can be a problem also for women who don't have a husband. So if you're not married, this episode is still for you.

Guest: Kelly Needham

Bible Passage: Genesis 3:16

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• John Piper's sermon
• Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control from Seven Women in the Bible - my nine week study.
• Take the Control Girl Quiz
• Control Girl FREE bonuses
• Control Girl Leader materials
• "Male and Female" earlier episode with Kelly Needham
• Let me Be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot
• "The woman is the neck" from my Big Fat Greek Wedding
• James 3:3-5 - verses about the tongue

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Recommended Resources:  Go to the extended shownotes for my recommended books, podcast episodes and more, which correlate with our conversations about Genesis 1-3 here in season 4.

Kelly Needham hopes to convince as many people as possible that nothing compares to knowing Jesus. She teaches the Bible at her home church and co-leads a Women’s Teaching Program, training women to accurately handle the word of truth. She is the author of Friendish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion and is a frequent blogger and speaker. Kelly and her husband, Jimmy, have four children and live in the Dallas, Texas area.

Find Kelly

• Website
• Podcast
• Instagram
• Facebook

Control Girls of the Bible

As I studied these women of the Bible, I realized that they were all doing what I try to do: They were trying to grab for or hold onto control, based on her small-minded perspective—and she was making everyone miserable. Want to discover what lessons I learned about control, about myself, and about God?

Ultimately that study became my Bible study, Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control from Seven Women in the Bible. 

I'd love for you to join me for this nine-week study.

For the full set of shownotes, including recommended resources on Genesis 1-3, and more, go here.  

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Have you ever had an intruder? Knowing that someone has entered your space immediately makes you feel violated and on guard, and that's exactly how we're supposed to feel when an intruding serpent shows up in the Garden of Eden.

I feel so honored to have Courtney Doctor as our guest today. Courtney is a an author, Bible teacher, frequent conference and retreat speaker, and she serves as coordinator for women's initiatives for the Gospel Coalition. Courtney's Bible study, From Garden to Glory: A Bible Study on the Bible’s Story is part of our recommended resources all throughout this season. You can find that full list of books, podcast episodes and videos in the extended shownotes at shannonpopkin.com.

Courtney helps us explore this story about an intruding serpent who twists God's words, and then, in all absurdity, Adam and Eve listen to him. I hope this conversation will help you—as Courtney says—know where you are in the story, and live like the story is true.

Guest: Courtney Doctor

Bible Passage: Genesis 3:1-15

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• In View of God's Mercies: The Gift of the Gospel in Romans
• Remember Your Joy: A Bible Study of Salvation Stories in the Old Testament

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Recommended Resources:  Go to the extended shownotes for my recommended books, podcast episodes and more, which correlate with our conversations about Genesis 1-3 here in season 4.

Courtney Doctor is an author, Bible teacher, frequent conference and retreat speaker, and periodic blogger. She received an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2013. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Women's Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. Her greatest desire in all of this is to be able to faithfully study, apply, and teach the word of God and help others to do the same.
​
God has blessed Courtney and her husband, Craig, with four wonderful children, two amazing daughters-in-law, five sweet grandchildren — and their much-loved, goofy dog, Walter.

Find Courtney:

• Website
• Podcast
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

For the full set of shownotes, including recommended resources on Genesis 1-3, and more, go here.  

Tags: Bible Podcast

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Are you a perfectionist? Do you run yourself ragged with your work, or your ministry? And have you asked yourself why? 

Now, I've often asked, "Why am I so tired?" But I think a better question is: "Why am I driving myself to exhaustion?" 

I have to admit, this was the episode in this series I was secretly least excited about. Not because of my guest; Lindsay Schott is one that I was most excited to have return. But this idea of rest, and giving up a day of work? That doesn't really light my fire.

But after having the conversation, I realized it was the one I most needed. I think you're going to find answers that you didn't even realize you were looking for—partly because you don't even realize how much the world is demanding hustle. It's everywhere! This idea that you have to max out your potential and use your opportunities. You have to push yourself and work. Yet what is God saying about our hustle? 

Guest: Lindsay Schott

Bible Passage: Genesis 2:1-3

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• True Story of the Arrest
• Trying: Reflections on Faith Through Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss co-authored by Lindsay Schott
• Women's Teaching Program at Lindsay's Church

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Recommended Resources:  Go to the extended shownotes for my recommended books, podcast episodes and more, which correlate with our conversations about Genesis 1-3 here in season 4. 

Lindsay Schott is a watercolorist, Bible teacher, and co-creator of the Women's Teaching Program at Stonegate Church. She has a passion for women to be equipped to know the scripture and teach it effectively to others. Lindsay's also the co-author of Trying: Reflections on Faith Through Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss. 

 She had her husband, Landon, live in the Dallas area with their four children, Hannah, Ruby, Piper and Ben. You can see Lindsay's watercolor work at lschottartistry.com and see her creative journey on Instagram.

Find Lindsay

• Website
• Book:

Check out more episodes in the Judgy Series.

Get your Free Live Like It's True Workbook.

Check out Resound Media.

Search by Section of the Bible or Series! We've now made it easy for you to search for an episode on a particular story of the Bible.   

Download your FREE Live Like it's true Workbook. Here are Shannon's favorite tools for studying the narrative sections of your Bible on your own, or with friends. 

Visit www.shannonpopkin.com/promises/ to learn more about my six-week Bible study with Our Daily Bread, titled, "Shaped by God's Promises: Lessons from Sarah on Fear and Faith." Learn how you too can be shaped by the promises of our faithful God. 

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

What does it mean to be male or female? What does it mean to image God? And how are these two things related? 

The answers to these questions are found on the earliest pages of our Bible, tucked into our origin story. I'm so thankful to have my friend Kelly Needham back with us to talk through some of the most weighty questions that our culture is wrestling with. Kelly brings such wisdom and clarity to the conversation.

Guest: Kelly Needham

Bible Passage: Genesis 1:26-31

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• Let Me Be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot (story about sailboats on the sand)
• Listening to the Language of the Bible - Lois Tverberg quote 
• True Story on the Roof - episode one with Kelly Needham

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Recommended Resources:  Go to the extended shownotes for my recommended books, podcast episodes and more, which correlate with our conversations about Genesis 1-3 here in season 4. 

Kelly Needham hopes to convince as many people as possible that nothing compares to knowing Jesus. She teaches the Bible at her home church and co-leads a Women’s Teaching Program, training women to accurately handle the word of truth. She is the author of Friendish: Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion and is a frequent blogger and speaker. Kelly and her husband, Jimmy, have four children and live in the Dallas, Texas area.

• Friendish (Book) - Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion
• Purposefooled (Upcoming book) - Why Chasing Our Dreams, Finding Our Calling and Reaching for Greatness Fails Us and What We’re Really Meant to Live For.
• Clearly (Upcoming Podcast) - IF IT’S COMPLEX, CONFUSING OR CONTROVERSIAL, IT’S COVERED HERE. Jimmy and Kelly Needham help demystify the Bible and give you the tools to get out of the fog and see God for yourself.

Find Kelly

• Website
• Podcast
• Instagram
• Facebook

For the full set of shownotes, including recommended resources on Genesis 1-3, and more, go here.  

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

"The end of your rope is the middle of God's Story." That's what Lisa Appelo says, as she reflects on the pain of losing her husband suddenly, leaving her to raise seven children. 

If you're grieving over a loss, and wondering why God would ask for even more, the Bible story Lisa and I are unpacking is just for you. May you be inspired by a widow's faith, and amazed by God's faithfulness as we look at the story of the Widow of Zarephath from I Kings 17. And may you live like her miraculous story is true!

Guest: Lisa Appelo

Bible Passage: 1 Kings 17:8-16

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo - Read Chapter 1 for free
• The story of Rahab in Joshua 2.
• Generous Giving

Music: Cade Popkin Music 

Summer Giveaway: Two ways to win

1. If you haven't yet, sign up for my Live Like It's True Workbook and you'll be entered for a chance to win.
2. Find one of my posts pointing to this episode on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and either tag a friend or share.

Lisa Appelo

 A former litigating attorney, Lisa is passionate about rich Bible teaching. She writes at the popular site LisaAppelo.com, founded a team of writers at hopeingrief.com, and serves on the Executive Team for COMPEL with Proverbs31Ministries. As a single mom of seven, Lisa’s days are filled with parenting, ministry, and long walks to justify lots of dark chocolate. Connect with Lisa on IG @LisaAppelo.

Find Lisa:

• LisaAppelo.com
• Instagram
• Facebook

Win a Copy of Lisa's Book, Life Can Be Good Again!

 Lisa Appelo is a speaker inspiring women to cultivate faith in life’s storms and author of Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart. When life shatters and you're navigating a life you didn't sign up for, Lisa provides compassionate, Biblical insight to help you find your footing, process raw emotion, and anchor your threadbare hope to see you won’t merely survive this, but that life can be good again.

What if There's More?

Friend, whatever you're going through, it's not hopeless. This widow had a whole new chapter of miracles awaiting her; she just had to respond in faith and open her hand to God.

How is God asking you to open your hand today? Is there some way that He is asking you to be extravagantly generous?

Don't forget to grab your LLIT Workbook, which will help you think through which false narratives of the world are corrected by the True Story of the Widow's Last Meal from I Kings 17.

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Has God been putting up roadblocks in your path?  Has he been making it impossible for you to "proceed with the route" you had in mind for your life? This can be really frustrating—especially when your plans revolved around pleasing God. Maybe you're feeling disillusioned or even angry—wondering what God is trying to do here. 

If so, I think today's conversation is going to be incredibly helpful to you. We're looking at a Bible story where a man was utterly convinced that he was headed out to please God. He was on an upward trajectory, and was gaining momentum and honor. And yet Jesus stopped him in his tracks, and rerouted him to a life filled with so much more. 

Ann Swindell

Guest: Ann Swindell

Bible Passage: Acts 9:1-9 ESV

Get your Freebie: The Live Like It's True Workbook

Mentioned Resources: 

• Path to Peace by Ann Swindell.
• Season 2 of Live Like It's True: The True Story of Easter
• Episode: The True Story of the Arrest with Lindsay Schott 
• Episode: The True Story of the Empty Tomb with Erika VanHaitsma 

Music: Cade Popkin Music 

Summer Standout Series

Today we're kicking off my Summer Standout series. Over the summer, I'm connecting with a handful of fellow Bible study authors who are releasing a new study, and so I've let them choose the story from the Bible that we'll be talking about. Also, each episode will include a giveaway. Scroll down for two ways to win. 

Ann Swindell

Ann Swindell and her writing have been featured widely by The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, (in)courage, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and other publications. Ann lives in West Michigan with her pastor-husband and their children. Learn more at annswindell.com.

Find Ann:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

Summer Giveaways!

You have two ways you can enter to win any of the Bible studies and books I'm giving away this summer, including a copy of Path to Peace. 

1. If you haven't yet, sign up for my Live Like It's True Workbook and you'll be entered for a chance to win.
2. Find one of my posts pointing to this episode on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and either tag a friend or share.

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Have you thought about your funeral lately? What if your funeral wasn't the end of your story? What if you knew there was life to to be lived afterward?  Would it make a difference in how you lived today?

In the True Story of the Tomb, Erika VanHaitsma and I talk about the morning the women rose early to bring the spices they had prepared to Jesus's tomb—only to find it was empty. Listen as we talk about the most astonishing story in the Bible, and what difference it would make to live like the story is true.

Guest: Erika VanHaitsma

Bible Passage: Matthew 27:45-54

Freebie:  Get your free Live Like It's True Workbook 

Mentioned Resources: 

• Context and Color of the Bible
• Conversation about the Passover with Erin Davis
• Conversation with Kristen Wetherell, where we talked about, "Not YOLO" but you'll live twice.
• Get the full-length show notes.

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Guest: Erika VanHaitsma

Erika is a happily married homeschooling mother of 5 from Michigan. She has a BA from Moody Bible Institute and Masters in Historical Geography and Archeology from Jerusalem University College. Her passion is to add color to the black and white pages of Scripture by adding context and culture.

Find more from Erika:  

• ErikaVanHaitsma.com
• Context and Color of the Bible Podcast
• Instagram@contextandcolorofthebible
• Facebook Group

Don't Miss the Retelling!

We'll be back on Saturday for our last retelling episode of this True Story of Easter series. I'll be retelling this story, and inviting you to do the same.

Shownotes for all the resources shared can be found at shannonpopkin.com.

Care to Share? 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please share with a friend and/or leave your review on Apple Podcasts!

You can contact me here. (I'd love to hear from you!)

Get the full-length show notes here. 

Thanks so much for listening!

GET YOUR FREE LIVE LIKE IT'S TRUE WORKBOOK

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

Let's not rush too quickly past that moment when darkness covered the land, as the Light of the Word was slowly snuffed out. Oh, the agony of giving up his Spirit! Oh the love, as he did it. 

I can't think of a better guest to have this conversation with than Asheritah Ciuciu. She has such wisdom, and tender compassion for you, as we contemplate that dark, Good Friday when it looked like evil won. (Spoiler alert: it didn't!)

Asheritah is an author, speaker, and founder of One Thing Alone Ministries. As a wife and mama to three little kids, she can rarely fit in an hour of Quiet Time each day. But she knows there is hope. Because Jesus welcomes us into His presence even during the busy seasons of life.

Guest: Asheritah CiuCiu

Bible Passage: Matthew 27:45-54

Freebie:  Get your free Live Like It's True Workbook 

Mentioned Resources: 

• Asheritah's soon-to-be-released book, Prayers of Rest
• Psalm 22
• Psalm 31:1-5
• Asheritah's podcast, Prayers of Rest
• Asheritah's Lent Devotional, Uncovering the Love of Jesus
• Moody Bible Commentary
• Get the full-length show notes.

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Guest: Asheritah Ciuciu

Asheritah Ciuciu is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the Prayers of REST podcast. A Romanian missionary kid, she's passionate about helping people around the world enjoy Jesus through creative spiritual habits. Asheritah is married to her high school sweetheart and together they raise their three spunky kids in NE Ohio. Discover your creative devotional type at OneThingAlone.com.

Find more from Asheritah:  

• Website
• Podcast, Prayers of Rest
• Instagram
• Facebook

Don't Miss the Retelling!

We're mixing things up this week. Don't miss our bonus episode, Sharing the True Story of Easter, with guest Karlena del la Cruz from Storyrunners. We'll be back next Wednesday, for a conversation with Erika VanHaitsma about the True Story of the Empty Tomb. It's an amazing conversation, full of hope! 

Shownotes for all the resources shared can be found at shannonpopkin.com.

Care to Share? 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please share with a friend and/or leave your review on Apple Podcasts for a chance to win a "Live Like It's True" t-shirt!

You can contact me here. (I'd love to hear from you!)

Get the full length show notes here. 

Thanks so much for listening!

GET YOUR FREE LIVE LIKE IT'

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.

When somebody is being arrested, who's the person with the power? Who seems to be in control? Ordinarily, you'd think it was the guy putting the handcuffs on, right? Not the one with his hands behind his back. But when Jesus of Nazareth comes out into the open and faces hundreds of soldiers who are waiting to arrest him, it might look at first glance like he's just stepped into a trap, but I think by the end of this conversation you're going to see that—even in his arrest, Jesus was completely in control.

And at the end of this episode, I'm going to invite you to live like that is true.

I’m thankful that I got to sit down with my new friend Lindsay Schott to talk about The True Story of the Arrest, captured in John 18:1-11.

Guest: Lindsay Schott

Bible Passage: John 18:1-11.

Freebie:  Get your free Live Like It's True Workbook 

Mentioned Resources: 

• Trying: Reflections on Faith Through Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss.
• Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control From Seven Women in the Bible
• Get the full-length show notes.

Music: Cade Popkin Music

Guest: Lindsay Schott

Lindsay is a watercolorist, Bible teacher, and co-creator of the Women's Teaching Program at Stonegate Church. She has a passion for women to be equipped to know the scripture and teach it effectively to others. Lindsay's also the co-author of Trying: Reflections on Faith Through Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss. She had her husband, Landon, live in the Dallas area with their four children, Hannah, Ruby, Piper and Ben.

Find more from Lindsay:  

• lschottartistry.com
• Book: Trying: Reflections on Faith Through Infertility, Miscarriage, and Loss.
• Instagram
• Facebook

Learn more at ShannonPopkin.com.