Think of the most powerful messages you’ve heard. Were they long or short?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re looking at a chapter of Scripture that proves we don’t have to say a lot for our words to be powerful. I’m talking about 1 Corinthians chapter 13. In just thirteen short, inspired verses, Paul gets down to the essence of what it means to love. 

But is the kind of love Paul describes possible in a world of hurt?

Again, the answer is short: YES. 

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What’s a question only you can answer? 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re opening our God’s Word to a book that’s like a candy store to me: Romans. Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is so chock-full of good stuff—it’s tough to choose what to dig into first! But today, I’ve got four questions from Romans for you, four questions only YOU can answer.

I can hardly wait for you to hear these questions!

Are you ready?

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What do you do when God directs you down a path that makes no sense?

Honestly, I’ve lost count of the number of times the Lord has led me in a direction that, well, just seems so terribly inefficient!

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’ll be in the book of Acts to look at times Peter and Paul must have felt the same way. So often, we know where we’re headed; we feel ready. But instead of taking us on a direct path, the Lord throws in a hard left turn. We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so why does God always seem to take us the long way?

There’s an answer, and it’s a good one!

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Have you ever wondered why God chose a book to reveal Himself?

In this new interview, I talk with my longtime friend and publishing expert Joel J. Miller about how books have shaped civilization—and how the Bible itself transformed human thought, language, and culture.

Joel’s insight is remarkable. From Augustine’s moment in the garden to the invention of the printing press, he shows how the simple act of writing words on a page became God’s chosen way to speak to us—and still changes lives today.

You’ll never look at your Bible (or your bookshelf) the same way again.

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What’s your biggest challenge in life? In today’s episode of Live the Bible, we’re turning to the book of John to address one of my personal, biggest challenges: waiting.

Little in this life is as hard as waiting—especially waiting on God. If only God would answer our prayers more quickly, if only He would say YES instead of NO when we’re desperate for Him to, if only He would speak up and show up when we want Him to, our lives would be so much easier. Right?

It may feel that way, but the Scriptures show us what’s really true.

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What can you do when the life God has promised you looks nothing like the life He has given you?

Let’s ask that another way. How good are you at waiting on God?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we look at a topic relevant to all of us who walk with God— and that is the struggle of waiting on Him. 

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Okay, so I'll admit it.

When you reach a certain age, your eyes start changing so that either reading up close or seeing things from a distance become challenging. (I can read up close but far off is a total blur.)

Progressive lenses can help. But honestly? They take some getting used to!

Life is a lot like this either/or perspective. We need the lenses of God's Word to see both the big picture AND what's right in front of us, at the same time.

In this episode of Live the Bible, we're looking through the eyes of Joseph in Genesis 50. He had learned to see both today and eternity—and he shows us how we can do the same. 

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We can't change the past . . .

Or can we?

As strange as it may sound, we can change the past that will be by how we live today.

In this episode of Live the Bible, we're continuing our series in the life of Joseph, where we'll hear the final words from Joseph's father on his deathbed. These final words will help us best plan for yesterday—today. 

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Let’s be honest. 

If the Bible doesn’t relate to our lives, what’s the point? We need truth to live by, not just truth that’s sounds nice. That brings us to today’s episode of Live the Bible. 

What can we do when God makes zero sense? When what we read in the Scripture doesn’t compute with our own ideas of life? 

As we continue in our series on the life of Joseph in Genesis, we’ll see what to do when we don’t understand what God is doing. 

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We all know change is hard.

Truthfully, though, we welcome change that WE initiate or can anticipate. But God uses surprising change that HE initiates to help us grow and bring about His sovereign plans.

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re back in Genesis to see the next chapter in Joseph’s life of surprising twists—and to discover the comfort God has for us when we’re afraid to follow Him.

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Unmet expectations, betrayal, and abuse can color our perceptions like little else.

But what if I told you there’s one perspective that could change everything?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re continuing Joseph’s story in Genesis where we’ll discover what that perspective is. It really can—and does!—change everything when you apply it.

It has changed my life, and I know it can encourage you as well.

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It’s easy to compare ourselves to others.

We all do it. But comparison only produces two responses: envy or pride. Neither honors God—yet, comparison seems unavoidable.

What can we do?

We’ll find out in this episode of Live the Bible as we turn to Genesis to see Joseph’s brothers face the test they failed the first time: jealousy.

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Have you noticed how God’s tests are always pop quizzes?

That’s because they’re designed to reveal who we are, not what we know. In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re turning to Genesis where we’ll see Jacob face one of God’s most challenging tests: surrender.

It’s a powerful lesson in why God asks us to trust Him—and why we can.

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Have you ever felt forgotten by God?

You’re not alone.

You’re so ready to use your talents for the Lord, to be a success and see your dreams come true—if only God would show up. If anyone in the Bible understood that feeling, it’s Joseph!

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re picking up his story in Genesis to learn what to do when it feels like God has forgotten us.

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What do you do when the life God has promised you looks nothing like the life He has given you?

Sometimes it feels like God is leading us in circles. He points in one direction, and we walk—and walk—and walk!—and never turn a corner.

What can we do with one foot nailed to the floor?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re opening God’s Word to Joseph’s story in Genesis. We’ll find the answer there—and it’s a good one.

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Temptation can be tough—and I mean TOUGH—to say no to at times.

The only thing harder is to have resisted—but then be falsely accused of giving in!

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’ll see Joseph’s infamous encounter with Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39. It’s a story that offers powerful tools for resisting temptation—and the encouragement we need when others malign our motives.

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God’s work in and through you isn’t hindered by your family struggles.

No matter the mistakes we or our family members make, God is in control. In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re turning to Genesis 38 to see that truth in action through the life of Joseph’s brother Judah.

It’s an encouragement for anyone who’s ever been let down by family.

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The Bible doesn’t tell us everything.

Seriously! There are huge gaps in the Bible. God’s Word doesn’t tell us everything—but it does tell us everything we need to know. God works the same way in our lives, and thankfully, the Bible DOES tell us that we can trust Him, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.

What can we do when the life God has promised us looks nothing like the life He has given us?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re starting a series on Joseph—a man whose story from Genesis will encourage you to trust God completely.

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How do you view God? 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’ll get honest about how we see God and our lives of faith. We tend to assume, “If I’m walking in God’s will, then life’s gonna look like THIS. This is how it should be!”

We view our lives the same way we view social media or Christmas cards—the way we want it to be rather than the way it really is. But God is so much more than that, and He wants our lives of faith to be more than that too.

The book of Luke can help us get there.

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What do you do when God doesn’t meet your expectations? 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we’ll turn to the book of Mark to answer that tough question. We all have an idea about what life will be like when we say yes to following Jesus.

The first disciples certainly had their expectations too! And Jesus disappointed them. But why does God let us experience the hurt, disappointment, and anger of unmet expectations?

The answer, amazingly, is good news.

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Almost everybody knows the Bible says, “Judge not.”

But what does that really mean? 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we examine one of the most popular verses in the Bible, “Judge not, that ye not be judged” (Matthew 7:1).

What Jesus meant when He gave that famous command might not be what you think!

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It’s possible to stay busy for God—and still drift far from Him. 

A full calendar. An empty heart. 

Not long ago, God’s people were showing up, singing loud, and going through the motions. Yet their hearts had grown cold. 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we turn to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, who cuts through empty religion and calls us back to what God actually wants—a humble walk with Him. 

Today you can clear away the noise, confront what dulls your love for God, and take the next real step toward Him.

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Why do you do what you do? 

In this episode of Live the Bible, we take a look at our habits and ask that very question. We all have habits, including ones for the spiritual things we do. And we follow them religiously. 

But WHY? And why does what we do matter to God—or does it?

The book of Zechariah gives us the answer.

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Could you list your top 3 priorities?

Yep, me too. But how about when we try to actually live them?

In this episode of Live the Bible, we see that the Bible is not just a Sunday textbook. And during the week, it's not just devotional material to go with our morning coffee. 

No, the Bible is for our lives—and it directs our priorities. The problem of living our priorities is not a new one. The Prophet Haggai was dealing with the problem a long time ago. The people then are much like us. The solution still works.

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Failure, shame, regret. 

Just pick one, and we’ve all experienced it. And we’d all like to forget it. This episode of Live the Bible is one you may want to listen to all alone. 

Why?

Because we’re going to talk about the subject of personal shame. Whether it’s shame because of something you’ve done, or shame because of something done to you, we all struggle with it. The Prophet Zephaniah gives us some much-needed encouragement when our consciences are working overtime to condemn us.

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