One Good Story Podcast

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Everyone loves a good story, and the Bible is full of them. Two friends dive into these familiar tales, looking past the commonly accepted "moral of the story" approach, in an attempt to tie them into the overarching narrative of God's love for us. Host

One Good Story Podcast


    • Mar 25, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 43m AVG DURATION
    • 78 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from One Good Story Podcast

    The Stories We Tell Ourselves Preview

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2024 17:39


    Tim and Justin talk about what they've been up to during their break and preview the upcoming season from One Good Story.  The first official episode will drop Monday, April 1st!  

    Jesus - Prophet, Priest, and King

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2023 41:59


    As the Gospel writers center their stories around the person of Jesus, they draw special attention to the different roles he played during his life on earth.  He isn't simply the main character of this One Good Story; he is also the fulfillment of the prophets, the last necessary priest, and the one true king.  All good stories lead to this one.  

    Herod

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2023 35:17


    He kept the peace during Roman occupation, successfully navigating a tumultuous political landscape. He was also a great builder, of significant landmarks and cities. On the other hand, he was the architect of one of history's most infamous genocides. What does the Bible say about Herod the Great?

    Ahab

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2023 45:39


    Despite being one of the most successful kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, he's more known for his adversarial relationship with Elijah.  But Ahab stands on his own merits, as sinister as they were.  What did that mean for Israel during his reign?

    Solomon (with Guest Host Chris Voltz)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2023 43:01


    The wisest man who ever lived, and yet he couldn't get out of his own father's shadow.  But with all the glory of his riches, his temple, and his empire, could Solomon lead Israel to something greater than David?

    David - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 41:35


    What makes a king great...can make a king fall. 

    David, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2023 42:33


    Emerging from the shadows of King Saul's calamity, a new king rises to unite Israel.  He would become the standard for all of the rulers who followed him.  What was it about this young son of Jesse?  And who would this David become?

    Saul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2023 46:53


    He was the first king of Israel.  Standing head and shoulders above his countrymen, Saul was God's anointed, the first to wear the crown.  But how far can that anointing carry him?  What kind of king would Saul be?  And what would it mean for Israel?

    Pharoah

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2023 46:51


    He was a king who commanded the greatest army in the world and its greatest economic force.  His empire is remembered among the most impressive kingdoms in world history.  But what happens when Pharoah is opposed by a prophet speaking for an enslaved people?  What does this story tell us about God and empires?

    Caiaphas

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2023 29:44


    When Jesus burst onto the scene in first-century Judea, he made bold claims about the Law of Moses, the Temple, and the religious leaders who kept them.  What did this mean for the high priest of the time?  And what part would this man play in preparing the ultimate sacrifice?

    Ezra

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 49:27


    When the children of Israel returned from exile in Babylon and Persia, they had to rebuild their homes, rebuild Jerusalem, and rebuild their Temple.  While men with hammers could restore buildings, who could repair the hearts of the people and reinstate the Law of God.  Only a priest with fire in his bones and a zealous heart.

    Micah's Priest

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 41:30


    A man named Micah hires a Levite to be his priest in Israel during the era of the Judges.  In those days there was no king in Israel...but what does that mean for a priest?

    Eleazar

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 43:41


    He served as right-hand man to both Moses and Joshua.  As High Priest, he oversaw both the conquest of Canaan and the distribution of the Promised Land to the 12 tribes of Israel.  Eleazar, son of Aaron, carried the idea of what a priest could be forward in the narrative.  But many are unfamiliar with him.  Just how important is he?

    Aaron

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2023 40:29


    He was the first high priest of Israel.  Alongside his brother, he led a nation out of slavery.  And at God's command, he instituted the most robust collection of religious practices and procedures in ancient history.  He also nearly led the nation into utter calamity.  What are we to make of Aaron, God's chosen priest?

    Melchizedek

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2023 45:47


    He was a priest of the Most High God, but he was not an Israelite.  His story is contained in a few short verses, but his name stirs echoes from its origin early in Genesis all the way to Jesus.  Who exactly was the priest Melchizedek?

    John the Baptist

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 56:01


    The forerunner.  He made the way ready for Jesus, fulfilling prophecy while unflinchingly speaking his own.  He was the culmination of all the prophets who came before him.  What else is there to the story of John the Baptizer?

    Isaiah

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2023 50:11


    He stood in the throne room of God, witnessing the fullness of His glory.  Isaiah, the prophet of Hope, is one of the most prolific writers in all of Scripture.  What do his many prophecies tell us about his story?

    Elijah

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 56:38


    The most famous of all the prophets.  The drought-inducing, fire-summoning, heavenly-chariot rider stood alone against a wicked king.  But is he the greatest prophet in Israel's history?

    Samuel

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 46:33


    The last judge.  The first king-maker.  A lifelong priest.  Samuel was the only prophet to lead Israel other than Moses, guiding the nation through multiple transitions, including the appointments of their first king, and their greatest one.     **This was initially supposed to be episode 2 in this series followed by "Nathan."  However, due to a technical issue we had to release them out of order.  

    Nathan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 48:46


    His name only appears in two stories in the whole of Scripture, but he advises Israel's greatest King.  He relays one of God's most sacred covenants, and he confronts David to his face.  This is Nathan's story.

    Moses

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 47:49


    The Exodus.  The Ten Commandments.  The Books of the Law.  He bore the titles of prince, outlaw, shepherd, deliverer, lawgiver, leader, and prophet. He saw the glory of God and lived to tell about it.  Who in Israel was greater than Moses?

    2023 Preview

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 11:34


    Tim and Justin talk about what's in store for 2023 on the One Good Story Podcast.

    Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2022 47:31


    Each of the gospels records Jesus' arrival on this earth in different ways.  How did Matthew, Mark, and Luke connect him to a people longing for the return of Glory of the LORD, their King, and the reconciliation of Israel to her God?  And did the people receive what they were looking for?

    The Bittersweet Wait of Advent, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2022 31:01


    100 years after the children of Israel return from exile, the prophet Malachi calls out the people of Judah for their lackluster commitment to their covenant relationship with Jehovah.  Laboring under the weight of their own disappointments, tension is growing between this nation and its God.  Is there any hope for restoration?

    The Bittersweet Wait of Advent, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2022 30:07


    When the King of Babylon carries Jehoichin off to captivity in Babylon, it appears that the reign of David's sons has come to an end in Israel.  What will happen to God's children without a king?  And will a son of David ever sit on the throne in Jerusalem again?

    The Bittersweet Wait of Advent, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2022 33:22


    After they return from exile, the children of Israel reconstruct God's temple.  But the building is a shadow of its former glory, and the presence of God seems conspicuously absent.  When will this sacred place really feel like home again?

    Revisiting the Prodigal Son (with Faith Bosland)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2022 61:00


    For our 50th episode, we return to Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son with a fresh set of eyes.  Faith Bosland is the Coordinator of Content and Faith-Based Resources for Think Tank, Inc., an excellent storyteller in her own right, and a good friend of the podcast.

    Reality Unveiled

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 50:43


    The Apostle John, while sitting in exile, receives a vision in which he is transported to the very throne room of God.  The sight is so strange his description is both awe-inspiring and baffling.  What does he learn while standing in this sacred space?

    The Valley of Dry Bones

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 57:15


    God leads Ezekiel in a trance to a valley where a morbid vision ensues.  Bones become skeletons, skeletons become corpses, and corpses await the breath of God in military formation.   What is the prophet to make of this strange scene?

    Dying on the Wrong Hill

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2022 49:45


    God raises up an unlikely hero to deliver the people of Gilead.  But while God understands Jephthah, does Jephthah understand God?  What does God value more:  your word or your children?  

    The Dog at the Dinner Table

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 48:47


    When Jesus ventures outside of Israel, a foreign woman comes to him, begging for his help in freeing her daughter from an evil spirit.  The interplay between the two that follows is shocking and bizarre.  Why does Jesus insult this poor woman?  And what does her strange response mean?

    One Weird Hero

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 40:06


    Two Israelites are tasked with spying on Jericho and barely make it out of the city.  The escape only occurs thanks to a lie and a prostitute.  The first hero in the conquest of Canaan sure is a strange one.

    The Trouble with Food Laws

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2022 33:41


    As more and more non-Jewish people begin to believe in Jesus, arguments arise about what one really needs to do to follow him.  Can you love Jesus  if you never knew Moses?  And who gets to decide these things anyway?  What's up with this strange and seemingly contradictory solution?

    When the Donkey is the Wise One

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 30:42


    A gifted seer is summoned by the Moabite king to curse a foreign nation called the Israelites.  The story that follows involves an armed angel, a confused prophet, a violently heated argument with a donkey, and a really strange narrative about what it really means to be used by God.

    The Serpent of Old

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 34:22


    It's one of the most iconic stories in human history.  The image of the woman beneath a tree, holding a piece of fruit and conversing with a snake is almost universally recognizable.  But if all God's creation is good, where did the snake come from?  And why does it talk?  And why doesn't the woman find any of this...weird?

    Into Thin Air

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 33:41


    Accounts of miracles in Scripture occur commonly and do not appear weird to the familiar reader.  But some supernatural interventions are stranger than others. As Jesus' disciples began to carry his message to people outside of Jerusalem, a man named Philip proclaims this good news in the desert, before mysteriously vanishing without a trace.  What happened to him?  

    Boys, Bears, and Bald Prophets

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2022 33:43


    A horrific scene unfolds outside of Bethel.  After a man of God curses a mob of boys who insult him, two bears emerge from the woods and maul dozens of the gang.  What is happening here?  Is God really being vindictive towards a group of ornery children?

    "Listen to the Feet at the Door"

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2022 54:01


    In Acts 5, the young, growing church in Jerusalem is rocked by the strange and sudden deaths of two of its members.  Why, in a story otherwise filled with miracles and spiritual transformation, are two people now falling lifeless to the ground?  And what does it mean for this new community of Jesus-followers?

    Jonah and the ... Weed?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2022 48:46


    Most people remember Jonah for the Big Fish that stops the prophet in his tracks and forces him back towards the call of God for his life.  So it's a bit weird that the story actually ends with the title character bitterly complaining about a shriveled plant in the desert.  What is really happening here?

    Summer Update

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 10:11


    Tim and Justin check-in from a longer-than-expected hiatus.  Find out what and when is next with the podcast.

    The Sower

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2022 38:54


    A farmer sets out to plant his crops for the season, but the seed falls on various types of soil, leading to different results.

    The Unjust Judge

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2022 47:09


    A widow relentlessly pesters an unscrupulous judge in her town until he provides her with the help she desires.

    The Servants and the Talents

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2022 35:49


    A wealthy man departs his home for a long journey, unsure of when he will return. Before taking his leave, he entrusts three of his servants with a significant amount of his riches.

    Lazarus and the Rich Man

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 58:23


    In a departure from his typical tales, Jesus leads his listeners into the afterlife for a story about poverty, riches, and the assumptions we make about the people who possess them.

    The Mustard Seed (with Jason Channels)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 70:45


    What does the Kingdom of Heaven look like? How does something so small and insignificant transform into something so big and meaningful?

    The Unforgiving Servant

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 39:43


    A man finds himself hopelessly indebted to his master, and yet suddenly fully forgiven of what he owes. Will he find it within himself to show the same mercy?

    The Prodigal Son

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 60:40


    When religious men grumble about the company Jesus keeps, he launches into a story about a father and his two sons: one rebellious, one dutiful; one forgiven, one full of resentment. As the father throws a lavish party, which son finds himself still a long way off?

    The Wedding Banquet

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 38:21


    The Good Samaritan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 44:31


    A priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan walk down a road. In one of his most famous parables, Jesus and an expert of the law debate a pivotal question: Who is my neighbor?

    The Day Laborers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 48:00


    The owner of an estate hires workers at different points throughout the day to tend to his vineyard. When he settles accounts at the end of the day, a question about the value of their labor arises amongst the hired hands.

    day laborers
    One Good Update

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 1:34


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