The Year I Read the Bible with Laurie Larsen
Have you ever read the Bible? Straight through without stopping? It takes effort and dedication. That's exactly what I did in the year 2023. But I didn't just read it. I jotted down things that confused me, intrigued me, made me want to learn more. And in 2024 I researched and wrote essays to share what I learned in blogs, videos and a book. And now ... a podcast! Take a listen -- I guarantee you'll learn some life-changing stuff from that dusty book on your shelf!
Thank you for listening! Want to find out more about your hostess Laurie Larsen or her The Year I Read the Bible project? Here are links:
Laurie’s website: Author Laurie Larsen | heartwarming Christian fiction
The Year I Read the Bible blog: The Year I Read the Bible blog | Author Laurie Larsen
Interested in the ebook, paperback, hardcover or audiobook? Amazon.com: Laurie Larsen: books, biography, latest update
Episodes
25 episodes
Episode 23: Odd Things Jesus Did
Is it disrespectful to our perfect Lord Jesus to label some of the miracles he performed as "odd?" Hmmm. How about those that involved spit? There are several of them! Laurie will share them, and also a very in...
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37:21
Episode 22: Did Jesus Help Abraham Lincoln Get Elected?
What is the United States' 16th President Abraham Lincoln doing in a series about the Bible? Listen to find out and make up your own mind as to whether Jesus helped Honest Abe get elected!My guest today is fellow former resident of...
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33:54
Episode 21: Jesus Is Not Afraid of Messy – the Story of Legion
We all go through bad times. It’s part of the human condition. Life is not easy or perfect for anyone. But sometimes life becomes so hopeless and out of control that you can’t imagine ever turning the tide.Jesus wants to help y...
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35:07
Episode 20: If it Worked For Him, It'll Work For Us
What worked? And who did it work for?This episode is all about when Jesus, after being baptized by John the Baptist, went into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, and in his hungry and thirsty state, was tempte...
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38:25
Episode 19: A Clarifying Look at Jesus’s Birth
Well, the super stores have Christmas merchandise out so ... yeah ... it's not too early to talk about Christmas! When you pull out your Nativity sets to decorate your home every December have you ever given thought to whether or not they're hi...
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40:57
Episode 18: The Role Zechariah and Elizabeth Play in the Jesus Story
Our God is a god of the big and massive. But he's also a god in the small details. This concept is so evident in the story of Zechariah in the New Testament. When you learn exactly how miraculous the circumstances were around ...
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29:20
Episode 17: What Does the Name “Jesus” Mean?
God leaves nothing to chance! When he sends angels to go talk to the future earthly mother and father of his beloved son, he tells them exactly what to name the child. Did you know the name Jesus means "The Lord Saves" and "Yahweh S...
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32:52
Second quarter promo
Why listen to The Year I Read the Bible podcast? A quick half-hour burst of Christian Bible learning and discussion every week. Research that maybe will teach you something you didn’t know or present a new way to think abou...
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3:17
Episode 16: Who Were the Authors of the Gospels? (Part 2 of 2)
Welcome back to the second of Laurie's 2-part series on Who Were the Authors of the Gospels? Today she covers Luke and John. From debating who Luke was referring to when he addressed "The Most Excellent Theophilus" to why J...
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37:02
Episode 15: Who Were the Authors of the Gospels? (Part 1 of 2)
Laurie starts a two-part series on the authors of the four gospels. Today is a deep dive into what we know about Matthew and Mark. Matthew was a despised tax collector who cheated his countrymen when Jesus asked him to follow him.&n...
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34:56
Episode 14: Four Hundred Years of Silence
This is Laurie's final essay covering the Old Testament, before venturing into the New Testament next week. She explores the prophet Malachi's final warnings from God. It only takes a second to turn the page from the end of the Old Testam...
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33:06
First quarter promo
Hi friends! Have you made The Year I Read the Bible podcast a part of your weekly listening? Laurie has 40 episodes planned, so she's more than a quarter of the way through! Get your 30-minute burst of godly Bible kno...
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2:14
Episode 13: Divorce and the Modern Christian
"God hates divorce." Pretty hard to misinterpret the meaning of that Bible verse: Malachi 2:16. But in modern times, 50% of marriages end in divorce! What does that mean for faithful Christians and Jews who have been divorced,...
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39:17
Episode 12: The Bible Has Cliffs Notes??
Have you ever noticed as you're reading along through the Bible, there will occasionally be a bullet-pointed summary list to rehash a bunch of events that have already occurred? This reminded Laurie of the old Cliffs Notes she used in sch...
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33:13
Episode 11: Esther – A Fairy Tale With a Punch
Did you know that there is a book in the Bible that never mentions God, never includes a prophesy or a prayer? It's the book of Esther, one of only two books in the Bible named after a woman. But despite not mentioning God at all, E...
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35:19
Episode 10 -- The Power of Prayer in Today's Out of Control World
Stay tuned for a powerful episode of The Year I Read the Bible! What does the Bible tell us happens when we pray? Does God hear it? Does He respond to it? What if we're asking for something different that His wi...
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36:48
Episode 9 -- We Learn How to Parent From Him
Laurie shares the essay she wrote the morning after her grandson was born! With joy and love she creates the message, We Learn How to Parent From Him. We don't have to learn how to love our children -- it's in our DNA because it's how ...
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33:35
Episode 8 -- Why Don't Jews Believe that Jesus is their Messiah?
This episode is the second of a two-part series about the differences between Christian and Jewish beliefs. Last episode, Laurie left you with a cliffhanger: Why don't the Jews believe that Jesus is their messiah? This episode, she spends...
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22:53
Episode 7 - A Christian Chats with a Jewish Rabbi
What are the differences in beliefs between Jews and Christians? We all worship the same God, but there are many differences in our traditions and beliefs. In order to learn more, Laurie has a conversation with Rabbi Weissman and presents...
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39:00
Episode 6: Explore Different Translations
Laurie shares her journey through the Bible, with the aid of ten different translations in her Bible collection. She urges the listener, if one Bible translation isn't really setting with you, to explore others until you find the perfect one.
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30:55
Episode 5: What is the Paradise Isaiah 35 Promises Us?
Laurie begins with a dramatic scene of a hot, thirsty traveler stumbling through the desert. That's how she felt during her Bible in a Year project by the time she'd reached Isaiah 35! But this chapter was like a beautiful oasis providing...
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27:00
Episode 4 - Worship No Other Gods Before Me
Laurie discusses God's delivery of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in Exodus 19, specifically the very first one, Worship No Other Gods Before Me. She ponders why that particular commandment was placed first. Is it more impor...
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30:10
Episode 3: The People Who Walk in Darkness Will See a Great Light
Laurie discusses Isaiah chapter 9 that inspired composer Frederick Handel to write Handel's Messiah. A chapter filled with imagery and powerful language, it is the prophet Isaiah's prophecy to the Jewish people of their coming Messiah, who Chri...
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33:31
Episode 2 -- The Holy Trinity Foreshadowed in the Creation Story?
Laurie discusses the first biblical mystery that she uncovered in her reading journey, and it began in Genesis 1! She always assumed that the Holy Trinity evolved as the trio was introduced in the Bible ... God the Father was there for Creation...
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30:20