The Fig Tree Podcast

A Year with the Bible, E25: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore the first part of the book of Ezekiel, and how it teaches about God's justice which leads the people into exile but then points towards hope, showing God's faithful presence even in the midst of exile. 

A Year with the Bible, E24: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they explore the book of Lamentations and its profound portrayal of the people of Israel's grief and confusion in the wake of their exile, and how it informs our own feelings of grief and struggles with God today. 

A Year with the Bible, E23: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the book of Jeremiah—how it teaches us to follow God's call for our lives, teaches us about God's justice, and shows (even in the midst of difficult times) God's constant and enduring covenant love for the people of God. 

A Year with the Bible, E22: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the second part of the book of Isaiah—how it teaches us about God’s promise of comfort in the midst of difficult times, points us to Jesus as the “suffering servant", and teaches us what it means to be the people of God.

A Year with the Bible, E21: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the first part of the book Isaiah and how it helps teach us to read the prophetic books of the Bible and prepared the way for the good news of Jesus.

BONUS EPISODE: On this bonus episode, join Mike and Jacob for the second of two conversations about who God calls us to love. On this episode, they have a conversation about biblical passages that talk about loving the poor and needy, and we meet Jesus in the poor. 

BONUS EPISODE: On this bonus episode, join Mike and Jacob for the first of two conversations about who God calls us to love. On this episode, they have a conversation about biblical passages that talk about loving our neighbors.

BONUS EPISODE: On this special bonus episode, Nina and Jacob sit down with our own Dr. John Luke Addison, Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Bart's, to discuss the history of Psalms being sung, and how singing the Psalms is important for our own spiritual lives and church gatherings today. Learn more about John-Luke and the New American Psalter here: jladdison.com

A Year with the Bible, E20: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the Psalms, a treasure trove of beautiful poetry and the "songbook of the Bible," how to understand and interpret them, and how they direct us towards the presence and love of God. 

BONUS EPISODE: On this special bonus episode, Nina and Jacob sit down with Dr. Elisabeth Koenig, professor emerita of ascetical theology at General Theological Seminary, to discuss how Christians have meditated on the Song of Songs to find insights into prayer and Christian life. Some of the books and resources mentioned during the episode:David Suchet reads Song of Songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArV7xl_g2LMAn Intimate Good, Laurel Mathewson https://www.amazon.com/Intimate-Good-Skeptical-Christian-Conversation/dp/B0C8C9DR57Chester P. Michael & Marie C. Norrisey, Prayer and Temperament https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Temperament-Different-Forms-Personality/dp/1633934896Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Volume 1 (of 4): https://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Songs-Saint-Bernard-Clairvaux/dp/0879077042St. Teresa of Avila, Meditations on the Song of Songs https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Teresa-featuring-Perfection-Interior/dp/0960087664St. Teresa of Avila, Autobiography of Teresa of Avila https://www.amazon.com/Collected-featuring-Spiritual-Testimonies-Soliloquies/dp/0960087621St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Devout-Life-Catholic-Classics/dp/1954881584 St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises https://www.amazon.com/Ignatius-Loyola-Spiritual-Exercises-Spirituality/dp/0809132168The Cloud of Unknowing, https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Unknowing-Paraclete-Essentials/dp/1557256691Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love https://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Divine-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199641188John of the Cross, Collected Works https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Ascent-Spiritual-Canticle-Letters/dp/0935216146 

A Year with the Bible, E19: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the Song of Songs, discussing its celebration of human love and desire, following the love story of two young people in ancient Israel, wrestling with its place in Scripture and exploring how it points to the love between Christ and the people of God. (Note: This episode touches on adult themes present in the Song of Songs, and may not be suitable for children)

A Year with the Bible, E18: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Ecclesiastes, exploring its sometimes cynical look at life, and discussing how it teaches us to find meaning in a world that can seem so meaningless. 

A Year with the Bible, E17: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Proverbs, and its presentation of the cultivation of wisdom, how wisdom begins with the "fear of God," and how wisdom leads to a good life. 

A Year with the Bible, E16: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Job, and how it explores the problem of suffering in God’s good world. 

A Year with the Bible, E15: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of Esther, and how it displays how God works through the extraordinary lives of the people God in the ordinary world. 

A Year with the Bible, E14: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, following the return of Israel from the Exile to rebuild Jerusalem, and how it shows God's continuing faithfulness to the people of God.

A Year with the Bible, E13: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, the history of the kings in Israel & Judah and their downfall, and how these books point us forward to the  Kingship of Jesus. 

A Year with the Bible, E12: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of 2 Samuel and the rest of David's story, especially his downfall and redemption, and the hope that we can find in the story for today.

BONUS EPISODE: On this special episode of the podcast, recorded right after Easter, Mike, Nina, and Jacob return to discuss the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels and the hope they give us as Christians.

A Year with the Bible, E11: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they talk about the book of 1 Samuel, following the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David, and learning about the themes of Hope, Hubris, and Humility. The book Mother Nina mentions, Slaying Your Goliaths, can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Your-Goliaths-How-Help/dp/0880284048

A Year with the Bible, E10: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they take a break from the violent and complicated stories of the Judges and  Kings, and discuss the more domestic book of Ruth, exploring how it shows God's extraordinary love in an ordinary life and how we might reflect that love in our own lives and relationships. 

A Year with the Bible, E9: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the book of Judges, talking about its colorful and often troubling characters, its theme of the "spiral," and how it still has lessons to teach us today about disobedience, grace, and God's invitation to a different way of living. 

A Year with the Bible, E8: On this episode, join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the book of Joshua, talking about how the book relates to history, the difficult parts of the book, as well as the themes of God's faithfulness and choosing, and how they were important to ancient Israel and are important for us today. 

A Year with the Bible, E7: On this episode, Nina, Mike, and Jacob discuss the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, exploring how the Law and God's Covenant with Israel, and how they continue to be relevant for us today. 

A Year with the Bible, E6: Join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the second half of the book of Exodus, and how the Ten Commandments and God's presence with the people of Israel in the desert teach us about God's relationship to us today. 

A Year with the Bible, E5: Join Nina, Mike, and Jacob as they discuss the story of Moses and the the escape of the people of Israel from Egypt, and how it looks forward to God’s deliverance and salvation of all of us today. 

A Year with the Bible, E4: On this episode, Nina, Mike, and Jacob discuss the second half of Genesis, following the story of Abraham and Sarah and their descendants, and how through God's covenant with Abraham, God's love is made known to the whole world.

A Year with the Bible, E3: On this episode, Nina, Mike, and Jacob discuss the rest of the first half of Genesis, often referred to as the "Primordial History," exploring how these stories show that things can go very wrong for humanity, but God never abandons us.

A Year with the Bible, E2: On this episode, Nina, Mike, and Jacob discuss the creation story, exploring the world the Bible was written in and how the Creation story uniquely tells us about God and ourselves. 

A Year with the Bible, E1: On this episode, Nina, Mike, and Jacob, discuss reading the Bible and how some ancient Christian practices can help bring the Bible alive. Purchase the CEB Study Bible suggested by Nina: https://www.commonenglishbible.com/bibles/itemDetails/id,9781609260293 

Introducing the Fig Tree Podcast! Join Jacob, Nina, and Mike as they explore the Bible, Christian beliefs, and prayer every week.