Daily Audio Bible

Listen through the Bible in a year conversationally | Monday through Saturday | ~22 minutes per segment

 

Apple  | Spotify  |  iHeart

 

Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1597: Acts 20 | Jeremiah 25, 35 | Proverbs 14:9-12

What are the primary two purposes of miracles in the New Testament?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 20

Verses: 38
Words: ~885

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 25, 35

Verses: 57
Words: ~1690

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 14:9-12

Verses: 4
Words: ~48

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

What are the primary two purposes of miracles in the New Testament?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1596: 19:21-41 | Jeremiah 23:9-40, 26 | Proverbs 14:6-8

Money, sex, power, prophets, and idols…

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 19:21-41

Verses: 21
Words: ~498

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 23:9-40, 26

Verses: 56
Words: ~1660

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 14:6-8

Verses: 4
Words: ~48

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

Money, sex, power, prophets, and idols…

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

J. Warner Wallace was one of my profs at Biola/Talbot once, so I heard him say this in class. But you can find his take here (and in several other places on his website): https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/i-know-what-motivated-the-last-school-shooter-and-what-will-motivate-the-next-one/

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1595: Acts 18-19:8 | Jeremiah 22-23:8 | Psalm 76

Sorcery, evangelism, and Jesus’ self-reference…

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 18-19:20

Verses: 48
Words: ~1118

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 22-23:8

Verses: 38
Words: ~1126

Wisdom SEGMENT: Psalm 76

Verses: 12
Words: ~197

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

Sorcery, evangelism, and Jesus' self-reference...

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

Ellis, E. E. 1996. “Magi.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman, 3rd ed., 713. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1594: Acts 17 | Jeremiah 20-21 | Proverbs 14:3-5

Meeting people where they’re at and…

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 17

Verses: 34
Words: ~792

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 20-21

Verses: 32
Words: ~949

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 14:3-5

Verses: 3
Words: ~48

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

Meeting people where they're at, and...

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1593: Acts 15:36-16:40 | Jeremiah 18-19 | Proverbs 18:3-5

The distinction of a businesswoman…

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 15:36-16:40

Verses: 46
Words: ~1072

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 17-18

Verses: 38
Words: ~1126

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 18:3-5

Verses: 3
Words: ~48

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

The distinction of a businesswoman…

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

Reflection: What is Primary? (Genesis 1:28)

What's your calling? What is of primary importance?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: January 1, 2022

What's your calling? What is of primary importance?

♱♱♱

Sources and quotes consulted:

All Bible quotes from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) unless otherwise noted.

Craig Barnes, When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change

♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

Reflection: Start Here (Psalm 119:18)

What's this podcast all about? And what's this "prop us up on our leaning side" thing?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: January 1, 2022

What's this podcast all about? And what's this "prop us up on our leaning side" thing?

♱♱♱

Sources:

All Bible quotes from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) unless otherwise noted.

Illustration adapted from Jentezen Franklin, “Propped Up on Your Leaning Side” (blog), May 5, 2017, https://jentezenfranklin.org/connection-questions/propped-up-on-your-leaning-side. Accessed December 31, 2021.

♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1592: Acts 15:1-35 | Jeremiah 16-17

Jesus said his yoke is easy...how do Messianic Jews think about that?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 15:1-35

Verses: 35
Words: ~815

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 14-15

Verses: 48
Words: ~1428

Wisdom SEGMENT: ~

Verses: ~
Words: ~

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

Jesus said his yoke is easy...how do Messianic Jews think about that?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993).

David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1591: Acts 13:42-14:28 | Jeremiah 14-15 | Psalm 76

What are the right kind of words to speak?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 13:42-14:28

Verses: 39
Words: ~909

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 14-15

Verses: 43
Words: ~1275

Wisdom SEGMENT: Psalm 76

Verses: 12
Words: ~197

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

What are the right kind of words to speak?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992).

David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 15 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people (except that Roger’s the one with the microphone), and living out the love of Jesus more every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1590: Acts 13:1-41 | Jeremiah 12:7-13:27

Considering chapters, verses, and story...

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 13:1-41

Verses: 41
Words: ~955

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 12:7-13:27

Verses: 37
Words: ~1096

Wisdom SEGMENT: ~

Verses: ~
Words: ~

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

Considering chapters, verses, and story…

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992).

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 12:1.

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1589: Acts 12 | Jeremiah 10-12:6 | Proverbs 14:1-2

A little background about Agrippa 1, the Herod...

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 12

Verses: 25
Words: ~593

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 10-12:6

Verses: 71
Words: ~2104

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 14:1-2

Verses: 2
Words: ~32

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

A little background about Agrippa 1, the Herod...

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).

David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992).

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 12:1.

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1588: Acts 11 | Jeremiah 8:4-9:25 | Proverbs 13:19-25

What “Christians” has in common the LGBTQ movement of the 1980s.

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 11

Verses: 25
Words: ~593

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 8:4-9:26

Verses: 45
Words: ~1334

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 13:19-25

Verses: 7
Words: ~111

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

What “Christians” has in common the LGBTQ movement of the 1980s.

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

Reflection: The heart of numbers (Psalm 4:2)

Shopping after Christmas, a guy at Microsoft, and a leadership issue of the heart.

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: December 26, 2021

Shopping after Christmas, a guy at Microsoft, and an issue of heart…


♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

Reflection: family (Matthew 1:19)

Reflecting on what doesn't usually get preached...

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: December 25, 2021

Reflecting on what doesn't usually get preached...


♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

Reflection: Paul Harvey’s The Man and the Birds

Paul Harvey used to tell this story every Christmas Eve — The Man and The Birds. It's a tradition worth preserving.

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: December 24, 2021

Paul Harvey used to tell this story every Christmas Eve. It's a tradition worth continuing:

As you were growing up, it is likely that you at least once imagined what you wanted to be when you grew up. For me, one of the many things was being fascinated with radio. I remember going camping and asking if I could sleep in the car, amazed that our remote camping spot in central Oregon could, in the middle of the night, catch something, anything, from Wyoming or San Francisco.

So my friends, may I direct you to a story that was a favorite of my radio hero, Paul Harvey who used to use it every Christmas Eve. He and his friend Louis Cassels once tried to track down who wrote it, but he said they never did find who wrote it. Like him, I guess, some words are meant to stand on their own.

The Christmas Story the way it’s usually told — that God was born a man in a manger — escapes some people I think, because they seek complex answers to their questions. And this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics and the skeptics and the unconvinced, I’d like to submit this modern parable: The Man and the Birds.

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge. He was a kind decent, mostly good man, generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other people. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

He told his wife, “I’m truly sorry to distress you, but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for the family. And so he stayed, and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read some news. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound…then another, and then yet another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled, miserable in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter — all he would have to do is direct the birds to that shelter.

Quickly he put on a coat and boots and gloves, and he tramped through the deepening snow to the barn and he opened the doors wide. And he turned on a light so the birds would know the way in. But the birds did not come in.

So he figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs. The birds just continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them but he could not. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn. And that’s when he realized that they were afraid of him.

“To them,” he reasoned, “I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…that I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how?”

Any move he made tended to frighten them and confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

And he thought to himself, “If only I could be a bird, and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them, wouldn’t I? So they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis, O Come All Ye Faithful – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.

And he sank to his knees in the snow.

From my house to yours the Christmas, I love you.


♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1587: Acts 10 | Jeremiah 7-8:3

How does Jeremiah’s calling relate to how we think about truth today?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 10

Verses: 48
Words: ~1118

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 7-8:3

Verses: 37
Words: ~1097

Wisdom SEGMENT: ~

Verses: ~
Words: ~

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

How does Jeremiah’s calling relate to how we think about truth today?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994).

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1586: Acts 9:32-43 | Jeremiah 5-6 | Psalm 75

When someone was raised from the dead in the New Testament, was that…resurrection?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 9:32-43

Verses: 12
Words: ~280

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 5-6

Verses: 61
Words: ~1808

Wisdom SEGMENT: Psalm 75

Verses: 10
Words: ~164

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

When someone was raised from the dead in the New Testament, was that…resurrection?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 1150.

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1286.

Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 128.

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1585: Acts 9:1-31 | Jeremiah 3:6-4:31 | Proverbs 13:18

How to be a minister of reconciliation

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 9:1-31

Verses: 31
Words: ~722

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 3:6-4:31

Verses: 51
Words: ~1512

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 13:18

Verses: 1
Words: ~16

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

How to be a minister of reconciliation

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 1150.

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1286.

Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 128.

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

#1584: Acts 8:4-40 | Jeremiah 2-3:5 | Proverbs 13:13-17

You can't read the Old Testament without being reminded there's nothing new under the sun. But what about the early church?

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS

NEW TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Acts 8:4-40

Verses: 36
Words: ~839

OLD TESTAMENT SEGMENT: Jeremiah 2-3:5

Verses: 42
Words: ~1245

Wisdom SEGMENT: Proverbs 1245

Verses: 5
Words: 79

REFLECTION SEGMENT:

You can't read the Old Testament without being reminded there's nothing new under the sun. But what about the early church?

Bible used for reading:

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

Other sources consulted for and/or quoted today:

Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 1150.

D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1286.

Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 128.

♱♱♱

ForTheHope Daily Audio Bible is uh, a daily audio Bible (imagine that!). We read through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

About Roger Courville, MA, CSP

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And a sometimes-sleep-deprived doctoral student. And all that blah blah blah means jack diddly if we do not have sacrificial love (1 Co 13, Ro 12:1).

Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org

Read More
Roger Courville Roger Courville

(Advent) Reflection: Shift (Isaiah 9:2)

The theme of Advent week four is Love. Love is the...

Use the player below or your favorite podcast app: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart | RSS
Original air date: December 19, 2021

The theme of Advent week four is Love. Love is the...


♱♱♱

“Reflections” happen on Sundays and special occasions. They’re shorter than what we do Monday through Saturday when we spend about 20 minutes a day and get through the New Testament in about 10 months and the Old Testament in about 14 months.

Oh, and we do this together — with a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. And…

…all that blah blah blah means nothing if he doesn’t help you fall more in love with Jesus and the people in Jesus’ world.

Read More