The BEMA Podcast

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks are joined by special guest Mariko Clark, author of The Book of Belonging. She is a mother and a storyteller, and her time as an editor of National Geographic Learning enabled her to make complex topics accessible and engaging. She and her husband live outside of Indianapolis with their three kids.The Book of Belonging by Mariko Clark and Rachel EleanorThe Book of Belonging — SubstackThe Book of Belonging websiteAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Mariko Clark.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings join Elle Grover Fricks to close out this series from the Talmud and return to a well where Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman.Cairo Geniza — WikipediaUmm el-Qanatir — WikipediaPesher — WikipediaTargum — WikipediaPeshitta — WikipediaOnkelos — Wikipedia“Here’s Something about the Bible of the First Christians I Bet Many of You Didn’t Know (You’re Welcome)” by Peter Enns — PatheosOrigin of the Old Testament — The Bible for Normal People“Tell all the truth but tell it slant” (poem) by Emily Dickinson“Jacob Traditions and the Interpretation of John 4:10–26” by Jerome H. Neyrey — JSTOREliezer ben Hurcanus — WikipediaPirkei DeRabbi Eliezer — SefariaOnly the Lover Sings by Matthew ClarkBEMA 227: The Chosen S1E8 — “I Am He”BEMA 257: John — Wells and Husbands

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé examine one more perspective on the ideas of salt and light found in the Sermon on the Mount.BEMA 257: John — Wells and HusbandsBEMA 313: Parables — The Good Samaritan

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings join Elle Grover Fricks to consider Jesus’s teaching on light through the lens of the Talmud.BEMA 94: Hope of the WorldBava Batra — Wikipedia1 Corinthians 3: Building a Temple — Reed Dent, Campus Christian FellowshipNumbers: The Wilderness Years, volume 4 of Covenant & Conversation by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks unearth a deeper meaning of salt through a Talmudic lens.“The Salt of the Land and the Light of the World” — BibleProject PodcastBEMA 248: Joy and Lot’s Untitled Wife

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé browse through the Beatitudes one by one.Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing by Søren KierkegaardLive Q&A with Josh Bossé (April 2024) — YouTube

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé crack open the question of what a biblical blessing is.To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’DonohueEvery Moment Holy, Volume I by Douglas Kaine McKelveyEvery Moment Holy, Volume II by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by Mitch Lavender, longtime BEMA listener and group facilitator, and now Lead Campus Minister in Cincinnati with Impact Campus Ministries, about his experiences with a community dealing with the challenges of diversity and how that can lead to transition with family, friends, and faith.A Church Called Tov by Scot McKnight and Laura BarringerAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Mitch Lavender.

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Reed Dent revisit Matthew 4 with a Talmudic lens.BEMA 92: How to Bring Order Out of ChaosEthics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S. — GallupScutching — WikipediaTractate Sanhedrin — Sefaria“Questions About Angels” (poem) by Billy CollinsGospel of Matthew Summary (Part 1) — BibleProjectGospel of Matthew Summary (Part 2) — BibleProject

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks take a closer look at the work of John the Baptist.BEMA 91: Tavilah T'ShuvahBEMA 92: How to Bring Order Out of Chaos

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks take a closer look at the magi and the star of the nativity.BEMA 89: Written in the StarsBEMA 257: Wells and Husbands

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Reed Dent explore how the Talmudic conversation might shed new light on the account of Joseph’s angelic visitation in Matthew 1.BEMA 22: Under the ChuppahBEMA 85: Mark — Roman GospelBEMA 89: Written in the StarsBerakhot 56 (Talmud) — Sefaria

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are with Elle Grover Fricks to kick off a new series on Talmudic conversations in Matthew.Asking Better Questions of the Bible by Marty SolomonSefaria: A Living Library of Jewish TextsBrad Gray on the Genealogy of Matthew — Real Life on the Palouse“Matthew’s Begats” by Andrew Peterson — YouTube

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by Tommy Brown, author of The Ache for Meaning. He is a pastor and contemplative teacher with a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry and master’s degrees in divinity and management, and a former little league baseball coach.The Ache for Meaning by Tommy BrownWhat Is the Palouse?Dark Night of the Soul — WikipediaThe Seven Money Types by Tommy BrownThe Torah for Dummies by Arthur KurzweilThe Sabbath by Abraham Joshua HeschelSabbath as Resistance by Walter BrueggemannTommy Brown’s websiteAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Tommy Brown.

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Elle Grover Fricks conclude the series on the Psalms and offer a final bit of encouragement to carry with us into the future.Festival of Faith & Writing — Calvin UniversityMy Bright Abyss by Christian WimanInside Out (2015 film) — JustWatch“Despite My Efforts Even My Prayers Have Turned into Threats” from Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar“The Only Animal” from Walking to Martha’s Vineyard by Franz Wright“Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson — Poetry Foundation“Bless Me” by Maverick City Music (feat. Kirk Franklin) — YouTubeLiturgy Prints — Every Moment Holy“A Greek Papyrus Amulet from the Duke Collection with Biblical Excerpts” by Csaba A. La’da and Amphilochios Papathomas — JSTORCoble Eye Care

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé take a second stroll through the words of Psalm 23.The Gorge AmphitheatreSaving Paradise by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker

Brent Billings and Reed Dent listen to the voice of Psalm 19.Firefly [Lightning Bug] — WikipediaWishful Thinking by Frederick BuechnerPsalm 19: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God — Aleph BetaReflections: Christianity Makes Sense of the World — C. S. Lewis Institute“The Merton Prayer” — Reflections, Yale Divinity School

Brent Billings and Reed Dent mull over the words of Psalm 32.Bad Words Series — BibleProject

Marty Solomon, Brent Billings, and Reed Dent compare and contrast Psalms 51 and 139.Psalm 139: Take 1 — Reed Dent, Campus Christian FellowshipPsalm 139: Take 4 — Reed Dent, Campus Christian FellowshipThe Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge

Marty Solomon, Brent Billings, and Reed Dent discuss Psalm 91.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by Derek Vreeland, author of Centering Jesus. He is the discipleship pastor at Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, MO, where he lives with his wife, Jenni.Centering Jesus by Derek VreelandReview of Centering Jesus — Marty Solomon, GoodreadsMan Enough by Nate PyleGod’s Empowering Presence by Gordon D. FeeBenefit of the Doubt by Gregory A. BoydSalvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew W. BatesDaily Office Lectionary by Derek VreelandBook of Common Prayer — WikipediaDerek Vreeland’s WebsiteAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Derek Vreeland.

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Elle Grover Fricks discuss the words of Psalm 137.BEMA 380: Psalms — The Hidden FaceAnswering God by Eugene H. PetersonBEMA 36: The Redemption CycleThe Message of the Psalms by Walter Brueggemann

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Elle Grover Fricks consider the words of Psalm 8.The Message of the Psalms by Walter BrueggemannVisual Commentary on Psalm 8 — BibleProjectThe Sabbath by Abraham Joshua HeschelReflections on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis“Rabbi Simcha Bunem's Favorite Sayings” by Julie Danan — SefariaMidrash Tehillim on Psalm 8 — SefariaPsalm 8 — Wikipedia“Stars” by Switchfoot — YouTube“Friend of God” by Israel Houghton — YouTube

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Josh Bossé discuss Psalm 23.“House of God Forever” by Jon Foreman — YouTubePsalm 23 — WikipediaThe Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Josh Bossé discuss Psalm 13.The Message of the Psalms by Walter BrueggemannTelling the Truth by Frederick BuechnerBEMA 282: John — The Dance of Grief

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings join Reed Dent as he launches a series on the Psalms.Asking Better Questions of the Bible by Marty SolomonFree at Last by dc Talk — YouTube“[Psalm] 40” by dc Talk — YouTubeThe Art of Biblical Poetry by Robert AlterThe Art of Biblical Narrative by Robert AlterThe Art of Bible Translation by Robert AlterPreaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible by Thomas G. LongBEMA 349: The Chosen S3E8 — “Sustenance” (Bonus Episode)The Message of the Psalms by Walter BrueggemannBird by Bird by Anne LamottHelp, Thanks, Wow by Anne LamottAnswering God by Eugene H. PetersonPraying the Psalms by Thomas Merton

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by Lea Schrumpf, Director of Pastoral Care at Purdue Christian Campus House, to discuss how we are shaped by harm, but how we are created for delight and honor, and how we can enter our stories with compassion and kindness.BEMA 242: Spiritual Abuse — Commodities and VariablesThe Allender CenterAnatomy of the Soul by Curt ThompsonBeing Known PodcastAdam Young CounselingThe Place We Find Ourselves podcastThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der KolkMy Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa MenakemThe Reconnect InstituteReconnect Marriage PodcastPurdue Christian Campus HouseSnack-Stadium by Ordi Stefan Hossu — FacebookAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Lea Schrumpf.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings conclude the journey through Isaiah by looking at his prophetic visions for the future and how hope changes the substance of our conversations, desires, and experiences.BEMA 137: A Dry TreeBEMA 71: The Prophetic TableBEMA 332: Andrew DeCort — Flourishing on the Edge of FaithFriend or Foe #1: The Truth and Proper Place of Guilt sermon — YouTubeOverview of Isaiah — BibleProjectKing Chizkiah, the Almost Messiah — Rabbi David Fohrman, Aleph BetaAleph Beta AcademySubscribe to Aleph Beta AcademyBEMA listeners can use code friendsofbema for one month off of a monthly Premium membership.

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Reed Dent discuss the maternal images seen throughout Isaiah.Aleph Beta AcademySubscribe to Aleph Beta AcademyBEMA listeners can use code friendsofbema for one month off of a monthly Premium membership.Behavior of a Pallas’s cat — YouTube

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings press on into the final chapters of Isaiah’s servant discourse, hearing the famous passage of God’s suffering servant and searching for the fruit of those trials.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings enter a new season of Isaiah’s prophecy. Times have changed, circumstances are different, but God’s love remains the same.Tikkun Olam — WikipediaBEMA 192: Telling a StoryBEMA 64: 3 Isaiah — ServantBEMA 289: John — Loved to the End

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by Preston Ulmer, author of Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus, founder and director of the Doubters’ Club, pastor at North Point Church in Springfield, MO, and many pastoral roles before that.Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus by Preston UlmerThe Doubters’ Club (website)The Doubters’ Club (book) by Preston UlmerEncanto (2021 film) — JustWatchConversational Intelligence by Judith E. GlaserPreston Ulmer on InstagramAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Preston Ulmer.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are with Elle Grover Fricks to discuss the historical portion of Isaiah that bridges the two parts of the prophetic work, considering the possibilities for voices and redactions.BEMA 82: The Text — When, Where, Who, and WhyDocumentary Hypothesis — WikipediaAsking Better Questions of the Bible by Marty Solomon“The Re-Emergence of Source Criticism: The Neo-Documentary Hypothesis” by Joel S. Baden — Yale Divinity SchoolBEMA 71: The Prophetic TableThe Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch by Umberto Cassuto (PDF)“You have been weighed, measured, and found wanting” — A Knight’s Tale, YouTubeBEMA 365: Isaiah — Prophet vs. Wizard PriestsAšipu — WikipediaWhere God Was Born by Bruce FeilerIf All the Seas Were Ink by Ilana Kurshan2023 NFL Season — Wikipedia

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings consider the reality of God’s anger in the next portion of Isaiah.The Jewish Study Bible: Second Edition“JPS Bible Translation Enters Digital Era with Sefaria” — The Jewish Publication SocietyJPS Tanakh 1917 — BibleHubNew Jewish Publication Society of America Tanakh — Wikipedia

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings look at the next portion of Isaiah to see God’s message aimed directly as His own people.BEMA 176: Revelation — Smyrna and Their CrownBeth Moore on the Church in History — TwitterBEMA 136: Each One

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings hear the universal pronouncement of God’s care and judgment in Isaiah, and then see the response of the prophet to what could lie ahead.

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks are joined by Elisa Bosley, founder of Spiritual Eldercare. Elisa has decades of experience leading worship services and Bible studies, and also working with adults who have dementia. Combining those efforts, she became a chaplain in 2016 and serves at a long-term memory care community in Boulder, Colorado.Spiritual EldercareAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Elisa Bosley.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings hear Isaiah communicate the comprehensive and exhaustive nature of how God carries the burdens of all nations, not just the ones that bear His name.Presentation for Isaiah — Burdens (PDF)NIV Archaeological Study BibleNIV Cultural Backgrounds Study BibleThe Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert AlterCross Vision by Gregory A. BoydCrucifixion of the Warrior God by Gregory A. Boyd

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings venture further into Isaiah and the days of Ahaz to see God’s invitation to trust the story—and warnings for what might happen if that invitation is not accepted.

Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé dig a little deeper into the cultural context of Isaiah 6.“Isaiah's Impure Lips and Their Purification in Light of Akkadian Sources” by Victor (Avigdor) Hurowitz — JSTORMyths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria by Lewis SpenceBārû — WikipediaBāru (Mesopotamian priest) — BritannicaBārûtu — Wikipedia

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings journey into the text of Isaiah, hearing the call of a father to his stubborn children.The Ache for Meaning by Tommy BrownThe Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert AlterBEMA 51: 1 Isaiah — VineyardIsaiah: Holy, Holy, Holy — Derrick Rohr, Campus Christian Fellowship

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are back with Reed Dent to continue the introduction to the prophecy of Isaiah and consider Walter Brueggemann’s ideas about the prophetic imagination.The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann“What Prophecy Is For” — BibleProject PodcastThought of the Day: Prophetic Imagination — Marty Solomon, YouTube

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are with Reed Dent to begin a journey deep into the prophecy of Isaiah by considering what we can learn from Abraham Joshua Heschel about the prophetic pathos.The Prophets by Abraham Joshua HeschelIsaiah: History — Reed Dent, Campus Christian FellowshipA Collision or (3+4=7) by David Crowder*BandCollected Poems of W. H. Auden (see Part IX)Lost in the Cosmos by Walker PercyNIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible“I Have a Dream” (Martin Luther King Jr. speech) — Wikipedia“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” (Martin Luther King Jr. speech) — Wikipedia

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings return to “Ordinary Time” on the podcast and prepare for some fresh studies of the Text.BEMA 190: Session 4 CapstoneBEMA News & EventsImpact Campus MinistriesBEMA Discord

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings wrap up Session 7 of the podcast by hearing about Marty’s sabbatical experience and reflecting on what we’ve all been through in this season of rest.“Closing Time” (Marty’s sabbatical recap blog post)Meet the Solomons: Sabbatical Recap — Marty Solomon, YouTubeIgnatius of Loyola — WikipediaBEMA 350: Kat Armstrong — Storyline BibleBEMA 351: Sabbath Reflection Music“Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants” by E. Stobbe, J. Sundermann, L. Ascone & S. Kühn — Scientific ReportsSound Escapes PodcastFasting by Scot McKnightBeholding by Strahan Coleman

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are back with Dallas Jenkins to mull over the questions that arose from Seasons 2 and 3 of The Chosen.The ChosenThe Chosen (TV Series) — WikipediaThe Chosen (2017 TV Series) — IMDb5&2 T-Shirt — The ChosenAncient Israel by Roland de VauxGrafted on YouTubeAdditional audio production by Gus SimpsonSpecial Guest: Dallas Jenkins.

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Elle Grover Fricks pontificate on the practice of prayer.Presentation for Sabbath Practice — Prayer (PDF)“Patient Trust” by Pierre Teilhard de ChardinSpiritual Direction by Henri NouwenPrayer by Richard J. FosterThis Is Water by David Foster WallaceEvery Moment Holy, Volume I by Douglas Kaine McKelveyEvery Moment Holy, Volume II by Douglas Kaine McKelveyTo Bless the Space Between Us by John O’DonohueThe Ignatian Examen — Jesuits.org“How to Make Ringtones for iPhone” by Don Reisinger — Tom’s Guide“How to Create Custom Ringtones for Your Android Phone” by Cameron Summerson — How-To GeekSilence (2016 film) — LetterboxdThe Cast of Rogue One — Wikipedia

Brent Billings and Elle Grover Fricks traverse the topic of fasting.Didache — WikipediaBasil of Caesarea — WikipediaJohn Wesley (Holy Club section for fasting) — WikipediaJewish Fast Days — Chabad.org“Fasting for Religious Observance” — Brandeis University“Intermittent Fasting 101: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide” — Healthline

Brent Billings is considering the practice of friendship with Reed Dent and his best friend and ministry partner Derrick James Rohr III.CCF Truman StaffThe Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich BonhoefferThe Four Loves by C. S. LewisAdditional audio production by Gus Simpson

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings explore Marty’s spiritual practices and see what has changed or evolved for him over the last seven years.BEMA 24: Creating a SpaceThought of the Day: Two Hands of Faith — Marty Solomon, YouTubeThe Universal Christ by Richard RohrAsking Better Questions of the Bible by Marty Solomon“Is It Time to Quit ‘Quiet Time’?” by Dru Johnson and Celina Durgin — Christianity TodayHudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor (via Jim Feicht)A Day in the Life: Spiritual Practices — Marty Solomon, YouTubeThought of the Day: Writing the Text — Marty Solomon, YouTubeFinding Our Way Again by Brian McLarenThe Practice of the Presence of God by Brother LawrenceShaping Faith #5: Fasting sermon — YouTube