Clearly with Jimmy & Kelly Needham

Check out our James onepager!Conflict rarely starts where we think it does.As we continue walking through James 3, we begin to see James move from the power of our words to the deeper issue underneath so many of our conflicts: the kind of wisdom we’re actually living by. And James draws a stark contrast between two very different kinds of wisdom.One kind looks impressive on the surface but is driven by bitter envy and selfish ambition. James doesn’t soften the language—he calls that kind of wisdom earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic. It’s the kind of thinking that justifies our anger, defends our pride, and convinces us we’re right in the middle of our conflicts.But James shows us a very different picture of what real wisdom looks like.Together we explore how Scripture redefines wisdom—not as clever words, sharp arguments, or intellectual strength, but as a life marked by purity, gentleness, humility, mercy, and a willingness to yield. True wisdom shows up in our character and our relationships, not just in what we say.We also wrestle with how easy it is to feel justified in our frustrations, why selfish ambition creates disorder in our lives and communities, and how the wisdom that comes from above leads to peace instead of rivalry.If you’ve ever wondered why conflict seems to erupt so easily, or how the gospel reshapes the way we respond to tension with others, this passage gives us a powerful recalibration of what it actually means to be wise.Grab your Bible and walk through James with us as we keep digging into one of the most practical books in Scripture.

A quirky printing mistake in the 1700s leads us into one of the most remarkable stories in church history: how the Bible made its way into the English language.We start with the strange tale of the “Vinegar Bible,” a beautifully printed 1717 Bible filled with errors that accidentally labeled Luke 20 “The Parable of the Vinegar.” From there, we trace the long and costly journey that brought Scripture from its original languages into the hands of ordinary English readers.Along the way we explore the people who played pivotal roles in that story:Jerome, whose Latin translation (the Vulgate) became the Bible of the Western church for over a thousand years.John Wycliffe, who made the first attempt to translate the Bible into English—so controversial that his bones were later dug up and burned.Desiderius Erasmus, whose compilation of the Greek New Testament (the Textus Receptus) unlocked a new era of translation.William Tyndale, who translated the New Testament from Greek into English and ultimately paid for it with his life.And finally King James I, who commissioned the translation that would become the most widely distributed English Bible in history.What we hold today—whether in a printed Bible or an app on our phone—is the result of centuries of scholarship, courage, political drama, and deep conviction that ordinary people should be able to read God’s Word in their own language.The story of the English Bible isn’t just interesting history. It’s a reminder that countless believers sacrificed so that we could open the Scriptures anytime we want.And the best way we can honor that gift is simple: open the Bible and read it.

Check out our James onepager!Our words carry more power than we often realize.As we continue walking through the book of James, we come to one of the most convicting passages in Scripture about the tongue. James doesn’t soften the warning: the same mouth that praises God can also destroy people made in His image. And that inconsistency should stop us in our tracks.Together we wrestle with what James 3 reveals about the weight of our words. Why does James give such a strong warning to teachers? Why does the Bible compare the tongue to a spark that can set an entire forest on fire? And what does it mean that no human being can tame it?We talk about the unique influence of those who teach, the responsibility that comes with shaping others through our words, and why spiritual maturity shows up so clearly in how we speak. From careless comments to gossip, sarcasm, and public teaching, James presses us to consider the real impact of what comes out of our mouths.But this passage isn’t just about behavior modification. It exposes something deeper: our words reveal what is happening in our hearts.We explore how blessing God while cursing people contradicts the very nature of the gospel, why taming the tongue isn’t ultimately about self-control alone, and how true transformation begins with a changed heart.If you’ve ever regretted something you said, struggled to control your words, or wondered why James treats speech with such seriousness, we’re digging into it together.Grab your Bible, turn to James 3, and let’s keep walking through this challenging and incredibly practical book.If you have questions from this passage or others in James, send them to question@clearlypodcast.com — we’d love to address them in a future Q&A.And check out this book mentioned in the episode: Radically Whole by David Gibson

Check out our James onepager!We have arrived at one of the most tension-filled verses in the entire Bible — and we’re not looking away.As we continue walking through the book of James, we come face to face with James 2:24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” And if we’re honest, that sounds like it directly contradicts everything many of us have been taught about being saved by grace through faith.So what do we do with that?We slow down. We read carefully. And we let Scripture interpret Scripture.In this conversation, we wrestle with the apparent conflict between James and Paul. We look at Romans 3:28 alongside James 2:24 and ask the real question: Are these two apostles disagreeing about salvation — or are they answering two different questions?We explore:Why context is king when reading the BibleHow Paul and James use the word “justify” differentlyWhy both men point to Abraham — but at different moments in his lifeHow real faith inevitably produces real changeThe danger of both legalism and empty beliefUsing Abraham and Rahab as examples, we unpack how faith alone saves — but the faith that saves never remains alone. We talk about forensic justification versus demonstrated faith, and why confusing those categories creates unnecessary tension.If you’ve ever stumbled over this passage, wondered whether the Bible contradicts itself, or felt unsure how faith and works actually fit together, we’re digging into it with you.Read your Bibles. Stay in the whole argument. And let’s keep going through James together.If you have questions about this passage (or any other), send them to question@clearlypodcast.com — we’d love to tackle them in an upcoming Q&A.And if you want deeper dives into difficult texts like this, consider becoming a Clearly Partner and joining us live as we record.Let’s keep pressing in.

We are tackling some of your biggest and most thoughtful questions. and nothing is off the table.Do denominations unite the Church… or divide it? How do we lovingly confront sin in a culture that hates lines? If God is sovereign, what’s the real point of praying? And where exactly does the Bible say our kids should work alongside us?From church history and theological nuance to parenting, prayer, and everyday discipleship, we dig into these questions with honesty, humor, and a deep desire to stay rooted in Scripture. We talk about why denominations both matter and divide — and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We explore what it looks like to exhort someone with sacrificial love (even when it costs us). And we wrestle with how prayer actually changes things — and why “you have not because you ask not” still confronts us.We also revisit our episode on children being a blessing and respond to a thoughtful pushback about kids and work — clarifying the heart behind discipleship in the home and why obedience and participation in family life are good gifts, not burdens.If we’ve ever wrestled with unity in the Church, feared being labeled judgmental, wondered whether prayer really does anything, or questioned how authority works in a Christian family — this conversation is for us.Got a question you’d like us to tackle?Drop it in the comments or email us at question@clearlypodcast.com.And if you want deeper, ongoing conversations, consider becoming a Clearly Partner on Patreon — we’d love to link arms with you.More Q&As (and some juicy theological deep dives) are coming soon.Here is our previous episode on What You Should Fight and Die For.

Check out our James onepager!James finally says it out loud.After circling the issue for a chapter and a half, he looks it in the eye and asks the question many of us would rather avoid: Can that kind of faith save you? Not “Does faith save?” — but what kind of faith actually does?In this episode, we slow down over James 2:14–26 and wrestle with one of the most unsettling passages in the New Testament. James isn’t debating Paul. He’s not pitting works against grace. He’s exposing a misunderstanding about the nature of faith itself. There is a version of faith that is all words and no action. A version that affirms the right truths but produces nothing in real life. James calls that faith useless. He even calls it dead.Using examples like caring for the poor, the shocking comparison to demons who “believe,” and the stories of Abraham and Rahab, James presses a single point: real faith always shows up. It moves. It changes direction. It pushes back against sin. It grows over time.But this episode is not about perfection. It’s about direction. We talk honestly about sensitive consciences, ongoing struggles, and what it means for a “new owner” to move into the house of your life. Faith isn’t proven by flawless obedience, but by increasing conviction, growing affection for Christ, and a life that slowly begins to look different.If James feels intense here, it’s because he loves his readers enough to warn them. There is a kind of faith that cannot save. And there is a kind that is alive.Stay tuned as we take on the verse everyone wants to talk about — James 2:24 — and dive even deeper.

Check out our James onepager!James is not interested in what we call ourselves. He’s interested in what we actually do.In this episode, we turn to James chapter 2, where James confronts something most of us assume we’ve outgrown: favoritism. But as we slow down and look closely, it becomes clear this isn’t just about rich people and poor people sitting in church. It’s about influence, status, compatibility, social capital, and the quiet ways we gravitate toward people who benefit us.James calls that what it is: a denial of the gospel.When we show favoritism, we’re drawing distinctions where God has drawn none. At the foot of the cross, there is no hierarchy—no wealthy tier, no influential tier, no “more valuable” category of Christian. Yet we constantly make subtle judgment calls about who deserves our attention, our time, and our warmth.And James doesn’t treat this lightly. He ties favoritism to the breaking of the “royal law”: love your neighbor as yourself. He places it alongside serious sins and warns that mercy and judgment are inseparably linked. In other words, this isn’t a small relational misstep—it’s a litmus test for whether our faith is real.This chapter forces us to ask uncomfortable questions:Do we love people for what they can give us?Are we generous only when it costs us nothing?Has our faith changed how we see the overlooked and inconvenient?James 2 presses on the difference between talking faith and living faith. It’s confrontational, timely, and deeply relevant in a world where influence and visibility carry enormous weight.If James 1 exposed our endurance under pressure, James 2 exposes our love under proximity.And that’s where things get real.

Check out our James onepager!We officially step into the weeds of the Book of James with a deep dive into chapter one—a chapter that sounds simple at first and then quietly refuses to let us stay comfortable. James opens with a command that feels almost offensive in its honesty: consider it joy when you face trials. And from there, he never really lets up.In this episode, we explore how James understands trials not as interruptions to faith, but as the testing ground where faith is actually formed. Trials produce endurance, endurance leads to maturity, and maturity leads to a life that is whole and lacking nothing. That reframes suffering entirely—but it also raises hard questions about God’s role in our pain, temptation, and desire. James anticipates those questions and draws careful distinctions: God may use trials to form us, but temptation toward sin does not come from Him. That battle happens within our own hearts.From there, James turns his attention to wisdom—not as intellectual knowledge, but as a moral and relational quality that steadies us under pressure. Wisdom is what enables us to endure without becoming divided, bitter, or double-minded. And that theme of inner division carries us into the second half of the chapter, where James presses on how we respond to God’s Word itself.Hearing Scripture without obeying it, James says, is a form of self-deception. God’s Word acts like a mirror, showing us who we really are—not so we can walk away unchanged, but so we can respond, repent, and live differently. Real faith doesn’t just listen well; it moves, acts, and shows itself in quiet obedience, self-control, and care for the vulnerable.James 1 sets the tone for the entire letter: less talk, more walk. It’s a call to integrated faith—one that holds together endurance in trials, trust in God’s goodness, and a lived response to His Word. This episode invites us not just to understand James, but to let him diagnose us—and, ultimately, move us toward wholeness.

It’s a new book, a new series, and a very different kind of challenge. In this episode, we kick off our deep dive into the Book of James—a short, punchy, no-nonsense letter that somehow manages to feel both incredibly simple and profoundly uncomfortable at the same time.We spend this overview episode helping you get your bearings before we move chapter by chapter through the book. We talk about who James likely was (Jesus’ half-brother), who he was writing to, and why this may be one of the earliest books in the New Testament. Along the way, we explore why James sounds so different from Paul, why it’s often called the Proverbs of the New Testament, and why its structure can feel disorienting if you try to read it like a linear argument.James doesn’t waste words. With over fifty commands packed into just 108 verses, this letter presses relentlessly on the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually live. Again and again, James exposes the divided heart—where devotion to God and devotion to self quietly coexist—and calls us toward a faith that is whole, integrated, and lived out in everyday life.This episode is meant to whet your appetite for what’s ahead. James is honest, confrontational, practical, and deeply pastoral. It’s not a cozy book, but it is a necessary one. As we begin this journey together, our hope is that you’ll read along with us, let James diagnose what’s beneath the surface, and discover the kind of faith that doesn’t just sound right—but actually shapes the way we live.RESOURCES:One PagersPatreon Partners get one pagers free!Radically Whole by David GibsonCheck out this book by Leland Ryken about genres in the Bible.Short Sentences Long Remembered by Leland Ryken

Want to try out the See For Yourself Bible study? Try it out today! Go here! In this Q&A episode, we respond to some of the most thoughtful and practical questions we’ve received about reading and studying the Bible. From Hebrew and Greek word studies to reading Scripture with non-believers, translation uncertainties, learning differences, and the frustration of Bible reading that feels like it’s “going nowhere,” we tackle the real obstacles that keep people stuck or discouraged.We talk honestly about the value—and the limits—of word studies, emphasizing that tools like Greek and Hebrew can be helpful, but only when used with humility and attention to context. We also address how to read the Bible with non-believing friends, encouraging curiosity, honesty, and the freedom to say “I don’t know” while modeling how to seek good answers together.Along the way, we discuss why translation notes and uncertainties should actually increase our confidence in Scripture rather than undermine it, and how God’s Word can be faithfully engaged by people with learning differences through creative, accessible approaches. We also spend time with one of the most common frustrations: reading the Bible consistently but feeling no immediate impact. Here, we make the case for long obedience, delayed transformation, and the slow formation that comes from years of steady exposure to God’s Word.This episode is about recalibrating expectations, cultivating humility, and learning to trust that God’s Word is at work even when progress feels invisible. If you’ve ever felt confused, intimidated, or weary in your Bible reading, this conversation is meant to encourage you to keep showing up—with patience, prayer, and hope.Resources:--ESV Dyslexia Friendly Bible--CSB Dyslexia Friendly Bible--Clear Focus Bible for Kids (NIrV)--CSB Grace Bible for KidsListen to the Bible using Dwell!Get translator notes for free at netbible.org