Stories of Symmetry

Jonah ran away from God's call; Peter was told that he would be led where he did not wish to go. We have plans for ourselves, but if God calls, will we go? And when we do, will it be with cheerful feet?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The Bible's most famous day is the Day of the Lord, but like all Jewish days, it begins in darkness and moves toward light.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Jacob deceived his father and stole his brother's blessing, but it's a bit more complicated than it looks: Isaac may have been complicit.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

We have all heard about the prodigal son; he and his father teach us much about the natures of God and humanity. But what about the other son? His insights are just as valuable.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The apostle James said it best: How can you show me faith without works? Yet I will show you faith by my works.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Leviticus outlined specific rules so that people didn't have to question where they stood with God. This certainty, however, was only one of its gifts, as the book prepared the way for an even greater blessing.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Pilgrims travel across the world to arrive at a holy site. Christians, though, are opposite pilgrims who, being themselves holy temples filled with God's spirit, go out into the world.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Noah was described as a great man in his time, but was he great in all times? He did not argue on behalf of others the way that Abraham or Moses did. As for us, we should strive to be like those who are great for all time.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The afterlife reversed the fortunes of a purple-rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. For the former, it was not his wealth that sent him hell-bound, but his stubborn refusal to believe in God. Do we tend to do the same?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

If I were a tree in Gethsemane, what would I have witnessed? The sleeping disciples, the praying master, the kiss of Judas, and more.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Practical Advice for a Better World is available February 9, 2024, but what's the book about? Ben answers this by reading the first few pages. Get your copy from BenLeBoutillier.com/books/Practical_Advice.

There is a personal responsibility to rise above one's sinful nature. Adam and Eve, in the garden, did not. Cain, however, eventually did and thus was granted God's protection.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The Hebrew and Babylonian creation stories are similar in many ways; nevertheless, the tale in Genesis is altogether different in its understanding of humankind and the God who created it.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Host Ben LeBoot announces that Season 4 will begin on Tuesday, January 23rd.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The lyrics "here I raise my Ebenezer", the famous Ebenezer Scrooge . . . what is this word "Ebenezer", and how does it relate to Christmas?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Pastor and 7th-dan martial artist Jeff Lindsay helps us wrestle with self-defense, loving one's neighbors, and walking in the footsteps of Jesus.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement—the day on which all sins are removed. So why don't Christians celebrate this exceptional occurrence?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Host Ben LeBoot announces his new website (BenLeBoot.com), Instagram (@BenLeBoot), and hashtag (#BenLeBoot).

Joshua gave the Israelites this ultimatum: Serve the Lord, but if doing so is evil in your eyes, then choose your alternative. Every person faces that same decision, but how to decide, and what are the stakes?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Calling all masons, builders, ledgemen, and stone-enthusiasts. Let's talk about how to choose a cornerstone and why God's temple is made of living people rather than earthen blocks.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

What do a Mercury astronaut and a thirteenth-century friar have in common? Answer: marks. If we ask about the marks of Christ, we should also ask about the marks of his followers. What are stigmata, and do they point to something more than the scars of the resurrected Jesus?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Let's explore Melchizedek: the man, the myth, the legend. He was priest and king, but what else? Mysterious stranger, or familiar friend? This episode tackles what we know, what we don't, and the blurry lines in between. Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

The Judeo-Christian tradition began with Abraham, yet a contemporary of his, King Melchizedek, was priest to the Most-High God. How did someone outside of Abraham's family know the Lord, and what does that mean for us?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Do Christian converts need to be circumcised? Because this question so troubled the early church and carried such profound ramifications, the elders were summoned to settle the matter.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

A group of Israelites built a giant altar that the larger whole thought was blasphemous. As the nation stood on the brink of civil war, a small delegation was sent to investigate. What was the outcome?   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

What is the profit in gaining the world but losing your soul? And what can you give in exchange for your soul? Let's discuss violins, lentil stew, and nothing at all.   Learn more at storiesofsymmetry.com.

Are there contemporary martyrs, who was the first person murdered for God, and what are the dying words of these triumphant witnesses? The innocent cry out for justice, but the blood of Jesus speaks an even better word.

When we put God in perspective, all else assumes its proper magnitude. Looking through the lens of the Lord, even the fearsome Bil'am seems small. Once regarded as a dreaded sorcerer, in the end he was viewed as a droll soothsayer.

Fig trees in the Bible lead tenuous lives; at times they are elevated to the highest esteem, at others they are threatened with the axe.  We consider the proper season for figs and investigate three times that Jesus encountered these trees.

How are Abraham, Moses, and Jonah related? Was Peter around at the same time as Noah or Mary? Does Paul come before or after Jesus, and when did the Tabernacle become the Temple? In an effort to help place these and many other pieces of the puzzle, this episode overviews the Bible's history, leading characters, and major events.

Host Ben LeBoot announces that Season 3 will begin on Tuesday, November 15th.

Campus pastor Todd Cutter addresses the university experience and helps us navigate struggles like approaching others, finding vocation, and validating religion.

Reverend Doctor Whit Malone is retiring after nearly four decades in ministry.  He joins us to answer tough questions, reflect upon the Church, share his wisdom, and more

Season 2 finale: Despite ups and downs, successes and failures, the Bible always ends on a note of hope. We look to John, Moses, Malachi, Cyrus, and others to show us what this means.

When an Aramean proselyte became distressed about applying his new faith in a pagan society, God's prophet told him the secret to maintaining equilibrium in a wavering world.

After Simon's night of unsuccessful fishing, Jesus told him to cast into the deep. Though the command contradicted Simon's experience as a fisherman, he obeyed, and a miracle happened.

Herculean strength or abject weakness? Both can be useful, but neither is preferred. To walk with God, we must be balanced and ready to embrace many incongruities.

Job's misfortune, Christ's cross, and God's compassion reveal much about suffering, but do they help us understand why it happens?

When God declared that light should be, it was, and it propagated throughout creation, enlightening the psalmist, the citizens of New Jerusalem, the crowd that sought Jesus, and each God-seeker among us.

The patron saint of Ireland prayed this prayer for God's protection.

Solomon's proverbs are astute, but the vicissitudes of life seem to contradict the sage. The other Wisdom books help us resolve this disaccord.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who says to Zion: Your god reigns!

God ordained rest, but obeying the command is tougher than it sounds. When Sabbath is misapplied, it miscarries; when the land is abused, God adjudicates.

Does God have a name; if so, what is it?

Jesus borrowed it from Joshua, Jacob-Israel had two, Benjamin almost had a different one, and neither Lazarus nor John Proctor had anything else. So what's in a name, and why are they so important in the Biblical narrative?

How did Jesus resemble Israel's heroes of old, and what does it mean to fulfil the Law and the Prophets?

Host Ben LeBoot announces that Season 2 will begin on Tuesday, October 19th.

Season 1 finale:  When God calls us to follow, what are we supposed to do?  For ideas, let’s look to Peter, Elisha, John Wayne, and a random bystander that Jesus met along the road.

What better way for God to show love of humanity than by taking a person's name as an epithet?

In one of the most important passages of the Torah, God calls faithful followers to not merely listen, but to act.

Long before the kingship of Israel, God set forth guidelines for future monarchs.  The Omniscient One knew that the precepts would seldom be followed… but that was part of the intention.