The Bible Project Daily Podcast

Send us Fan MailToday, we’re turning to 1 Kings chapters 4 and 5.  These chapters don’t just tell us that Solomon was wise—they show us what wisdom looks like in action. They give us a picture of how God’s gift of wisdom shaped a kingdom, organised a nation, built relationships, and prepared the way for one of the greatest projects in biblical history. The writer of Kings, probably Jeremiah, structured Solomon’s story to highlight the fulfilment—or failure—of earlier prophecy. In Solomon’s case, the prophecy is in chapter 3, where God promises to give him wisdom. And that theme will run all the way through chapter 11.  In other words, the entire narrative of Solomon’s reign is, in a sense, a study in wisdom—how it works, how it blesses, and eventually, how it can be lost.Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailImagine—just imagine—that God Himself came to you and said, “Ask Me for anything you want… and I will give it to you.”  Your first reaction might be, “Well, that’s not how God works.” And of course, you’d be right. But there is one moment in the Old Testament where God does actually do that for someone. God comes to a man and says, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” And the way that man responds teaches us something really important about what we should desire—and what God delights to give. That story is found in 1 Kings chapter 3….Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailToday we begin a new chapter—literally and figuratively—as we step into 1 Kings chapter 2. And this episode, I’ve made the title a question that I believe every one of us should ask ourselves, whether we think of ourselves as leaders or not: “Who Put You in Charge?” Now, you may not be the president of a company. You may not manage a team or sit in a boardroom. But almost all of us, at one time or another, have been put in charge of something—or someone. If you’re a parent, you’re in charge of raising children. If you’re employed, you’re responsible for your work. And even if none of that applies, you are always, at the very least, in charge of yourself—the choices you make, the character you build, and your direction in life. So let me ask you the question:What kind of virtues does it take to lead well?   Because leadership—whether in a home, a workplace, a ministry, or a nation—requires something deeper than talent or charisma. It requires character. And 1 Kings chapter 2 gives us a front‑row seat to a father passing on that truth to his son….Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailLife has a way of surprising us, doesn’t it? And nowhere is that more true than in our spiritual lives. We look at people and situations and think, “Ah, that’s the person God is going to use.” And then—He doesn’t. Meanwhile, someone we would never have chosen, someone we might have overlooked entirely, becomes the very person God raises up. So, how does God make His choices?And perhaps more importantly, how should we make ours? That’s exactly the kind of question the opening chapter of 1 Kings invites us to explore. So, settle in as we open 1 Kings chapter 1 and begin this new series with a story that reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways—and that His choices often surprise us in the best possible ways….Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailWelcome, friends, to a brand‑new season of The Bible Project Daily Podcast.  This new season marks the beginning of a fresh adventure. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings, as I have set it out it seems the two books will take us around 50 episodes, teaching that I’ve drawn from my earlier sermons and bible studies these last decades, but revisited and now re‑crafted for this podcast format. These books of the kings are rich, complex, sometimes troubling, often surprising, but always extremely relevant. They show us what can happen when leaders rise and fall, when faithfulness is forgotten and rediscovered, and when God remains steady even when His people are not. But today, in this very first episode, we’re simply setting the stage for what is to come.So, settle in and let’s begin this new season together with expectation, humility, and a sense of wonder at what God might show us in His Word….Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailThis is a between-the-seasons bonus episode. I shall be back again on Monday to launch our new season on the book(s) of Kings. Back in October 2025, I read and studied. The Psychologist and Philosopher Steven Pinker's book 'The Blank Slate. As part of a study group I belong to. This is my reaction to it, first made available as a 'Patreon Only' bonus episode.Title: Beyond the Blank Slate.Episode Notes:The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker is one of the most influential and controversial books in modern psychology. Pinker dismantles three persistent myths about human nature — the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine — arguing that our minds are not infinitely malleable, but deeply shaped by evolution and biology.From a Christian perspective, this raises important questions. If his argument about human nature is real, what does that mean for morality, responsibility, and redemption? Can a scientific understanding of human nature coexist with a biblical one?Segments:Steven Pinker and the Modern MindThe Three Myths of Human NatureThe Case for Human NatureA Christian Response to the Moral ImplicationsBeyond the Blank Slate — Grace and the Image of GodScripture references:Genesis 1:26–27 · Romans 3:23 · John 1:3–4 · 2 Corinthians 5:17Reading List:Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate (Penguin Books, 2002)C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of ManAlister McGrath, The Open SecretSupport the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailThis is a between-the-seasons bonus epsiode. I shall be back again on Monday to laumch our new season on the book(s) of Kings.Back in April 2025, I read, listening too, and studied. William Langland's Medieval poem "Piers Plowman". As part of a reading group I belong to. This is my reaction,, first made available as a 'Patreon Only' bonus episode  "Piers Plowman", was first published in 1377 and in it Langland asks the eternal question. "How are we truly saved?"  This urgent question was particularly relevant when it was written 700 years ago because England was in the grip of the Black Death. But the question  is still echoing today.Join me as I explore a strange and stirring medieval poem that confronts hypocrisy, grapples with sin, and ultimately points to Christ's radical grace.Langland's riddles aren't just literary; they're spiritual challenges for our time. And asks are we ready to engage?📖 Get the full devotional insights by reading my substack essay: [https://open.substack.com/pub/jeremymccandless/p/piers-plowman-a-cry-for-truth-in?r=2r7o2c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]Links and Sources:Piers Plowman Electronic ArchiveA 15th-century Piers Plowman manuscript - National Library of WalesA 15th-century Piers Plowman manuscript – British LibraryThe Myth of Piers Plowman: Constructing a Medieval Literary Archive by Lawrence Warner (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Piers Plowman – WikipediaAudible Audio Book: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Piers-Plowman-Audiobook/1781983240?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdpPodcast:Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailThroughout this letter, Paul has been in a battle — not a personal one, but a doctrinal one. These Jewish legalists have followed him into Galatia, telling these new churches that faith in Christ is not enough, that believers must also keep the Mosaic law — especially circumcision — to be right with God. Paul has argued passionately, relentlessly even, that justification is by faith alone. Now, as he reaches the end of the letter, he picks up the pen himself and summarizes the entire controversy in a few powerful sentences.Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailIf you go online and visit a poetry site, you will find 10’s of thousands of poems that attempt to define “love” for us. You find poems that say things like “Love is gazing upon a pool at night, bathed in shimmering moonbeams, roses in full bloom, etc…”It seems to me that for many people, love is a sort of vague, dreamy, emotional fog.  But Scripture refuses to let love remain wallowing in the swamp of abstraction. If love is going to replace a religious code — as Paul insists it does in Galatians — then we need something far more concrete than moonbeams and roses.However, in these closing chapters of Galatians, Paul has  told us that the entire Christian life is “faith working through love.”  In 5:13, he says, “Through love serve one another.” In 5:22, he says the fruit of the Spirit is love. So, love is the new standard of conduct for the believer.But that raises a crucial question: What does real love actually look like, and how do we practice it?What does real love do?...Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan MailI once spoke with a woman who had spent years in a church a full of rules and regulations. When she finally moved to a church that simply taught Scripture without adding man‑made religious rules, she told me she felt something surprising:  FEAR!Those rules, she said, had given her a sense of security. When they were gone, she felt exposed. I also remember a teenage girl I once met at a youth club who reacted the opposite way.  When I told her we are not under the law, she said, “Great — that means I can lie to my mother, I can go out and party, and tell her I’m here at the youth club.”  And that’s the problem. Whenever Christians hear that we’re justified by faith apart from any legalistic requirements, some people panic. “Won’t that give me a license to sin? And some say great, that gives me a license that means I can do whatever I want?” So, if we are not under the Mosaic law, what guides our conduct?That is exactly what Paul answers for us today in the second half of Galatians 5…..Support the showFollow and support me on Patreon.Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | PatreonTo receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:Jeremy McCandless | SubstackCheck out my other Podcasts.The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHistory of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comThe L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.comThe Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891The Classic Literature Podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update