The Boundless Bible
The Boundless Bible is a podcast dedicated to discussing the many layers and perspectives the Bible offers to those interested in deepening their views and understanding.
Hosted by three friends from very different walks of life and life experiences, who've come together through curiosity of, and respect for, the living Word.
Our hosts are:
- DAVID SHAPIRO -- was born an Orthodox Jew, later an atheist, ex-military and MMA fighter, David heeded the call to Jesus and is now an ordained Pastor, specializing in Apologetics.
- JAVIER MARQUEZ -- Originally from Brooklyn, moved to LA to be an actor, and deeply found the Lord which led him to work in the church, lead Bible studies and grow his faith.
- JASON HOLLOWAY -- grew up in the church, left in college, and spent the next 2 decades immersed in learning world religion, spirituality, science, and mythology, recently returning to the Faith with renewed insight and perspective.
After a year of weekly discussions, we came to find that sharing and debating their different perspectives had become an exciting way to introduce new ideas to old thinking, grow their understanding, and strengthen their faith.
We are aware that there are many people out there who feel their questions haven't been answered, whose curiosity has been tamped down, or who just generally feel their community doesn't allow open dialogue, and our goal is to give those people a place to listen, ask questions, and engage with their curiosity to find a deeper and more robust connection to their faith.
The Boundless Bible
QUICK Qs: What Are Some Recent Lessons God is Teaching You?
What lessons is God teaching you right now? The Boundless Bible crew gets surprisingly vulnerable as they explore this question, each revealing personal struggles and growth in their spiritual journeys.
David confesses his tendency to rush through prayer without taking time to listen for God's response. "I'm praying and then I'm moving on," he admits, sharing how he's learning to slow down and create space for genuine connection with God. His honesty reveals the common struggle many believers face – treating prayer as a checklist item rather than the foundation of a relationship.
Javi reflects on Pastor Dan's profound advice to "take God more seriously and don't take yourself so seriously." This wisdom has challenged him to recognize how his analytical nature often prevents him from stepping out in faith. "That's disobedience," he acknowledges, describing how he's learning to trust God's guidance without overanalyzing every decision. His journey demonstrates how loosening our grip on control creates space for God's gifts.
Perhaps most profound is Jason's struggle to balance intellectual faith with experiential faith. He shares his realization that Christianity isn't primarily about accumulating biblical knowledge but about transformation. "When you truly follow Christ – not religion, not Christianity, not a church, but you follow Christ – you are changed," Jason explains. He references a powerful quote that captures this journey: "You'll never teach a person enough facts to turn them into a Christian, but you will be able to love them enough to turn them into a Christian."
Join this raw, honest conversation that might just help you identify what God is trying to teach you. Subscribe to The Boundless Bible for more discussions that bridge spiritual wisdom with everyday challenges.
Have a topic, verse, or story you'd like us to cover?
- Tell us on the socials at @theboundlessbible:
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok - Join the new Facebook Group: The Boundless Bible Discussion Group
If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review—it helps us reach more people like you.
Welcome to the Boundless Bible. My name is David Shapiro, hey, I'm Javi Marquez and I'm Jason Holloway.
Jason:Bablam, bablam, muchachos Ya estamos aquí, ya estamos aquí por los questions con David Que, hey, let's do it. Come on, what's our question, my friend? All right. So the question is what's a it? Come on, what's our question, my friend?
David:All right. So the question is what's a lesson God's been teaching you lately? I'm not going first.
Jason:You're not going first on that one. No way, david, you don't go first often I can go first, that's fine.
David:I'll tell you that God teaches me this lesson often and he's been doing it to me lately, which is to take some time with him, some quiet time with him to just slow down.
David:If you know me, I move a million miles an hour. I'm always doing a bunch of different things. So for me to not taking some time afterwards and just listening for the nudge, the answer, what you're looking for, I think there's a mistake with my prayer sometimes, because I'm praying and then I'm moving on. I'm like, you know, catch you when you're ready to answer my prayer and I'm not just taking that moment with God. And then, on top of that, I always feel better when I really just have a moment to read my Bible, to sit and listen and have a relationship time with God. So I think, really, the lesson I've been nudged on multiple times is just slow down, slow down, spend some time with me. So I think that that's something that I'm enjoying doing now, and I don't always listen to it, but when I do it's always refreshing.
Jason:That book mentions of the heart that I think I was telling you about a couple of weeks ago talks exactly about that, especially at like a certain level in your, in your walk to to spend less time being a Christian like out in the world and be more time being a Christian with Christ. That's good.
Jason:And it talks about. You know, like, about, just like you said in the beginning of your Christian walk, there's a lot of asking and asking, and asking, and telling, and telling, and telling, and later on you realize that you need to listen and listen and listen something I'm working on too my prayers last three seconds, because I have squirrel. Javi, what's yours?
Javi:I would say that episode we did with Pastor Dan. He just dropped the mic for me and he said take God more seriously and don't take yourself so seriously. Yeah, that's super important and that's profound for me, because that's what God's been telling me lately. What he's telling me is which I struggle with, taking the first steps, taking some risks without like really analyzing things Right, and to me, what I keep hearing is you're that's disobedience, you're not obeying what God has put in your heart, and I know very well that he has my back. He's going to lead me forward. This is what I feel very strong that whatever he puts in my heart, it's from him, you know, and one of the big steps was this podcast for me and I took it and it's been amazing and I need to stop holding on to what gifts that God has for me. Yeah, and by taking myself more seriously I stop.
Javi:I don't do those things and to me, not only that, that quote really is saying also just really continue to seek God more intently, continue to go after him with a fervent heart. Right, and I think at times I don't. Maybe I go after myself and what I want, my desires, more than I do for him. So I think that's something he's been teaching me lately.
David:I've actually seen that with Javi Knowing, javi, you know, outside of you as well.
Jason:I'm seeing it too.
David:Yeah, it's definitely, which is such a great thing. It's freeing as well, because you get to do some things that otherwise you would hold really tightly to, and I don't take myself so seriously.
Jason:God, you got this.
David:And I've seen that with you and it's really great, thank you.
Jason:It bothers me.
Jason:For me, mine is, and I've been talking about this I don't remember if I've said it on the podcast but, like one of the things that I've been not struggling with but seeing a separation in is the academic and scholarly knowledge and information and knowing things and needing to know things and digging deeper, and that's like one side of the faith. But the other side of the faith it's just that you just know. It's there, that you feel it, that you're trustworthy, that you're right, that you're, that you're trustworthy and that you're faithful and that you're trying to do the right thing and that you're. You're just acknowledging the feelings behind it. You're becoming. It's becoming a part of you. It's not becoming a part of your knowledge, it's becoming a part of who you are. It's not just another thing that you know.
Jason:And I've been working a lot on, like you said, the prayer side and like being really close to God as if he was my friend, who's right next to me, and talking to him and being closer to that. Because no matter how much I've read in my life, no matter how many facts I've accumulated, no matter how many disciplines I've accumulated them in or put them together with, they don't have, they don't turn you. Actually, pastor Garland said the greatest thing the other day.
Jason:We were talking about something similar and he said he had a professor in college who said you'll never teach a person enough facts to turn them into a Christian, but you will be able to love them enough to turn them into a Christian and that's one of those things that he said, that that somebody else said to him, that I know I'm now going to say to somebody else because it's it's, it's one of those things that you said here and I did, and it's it's unbelievably sticky because it's unbelievably true, right Like you when you internalize what this faith is really about.
Jason:When you internalize what this faith is really about, when you truly follow Christ not religion, not Christianity, not a church, but you follow Christ you are changed. And when you allow yourself to be changed, you can help bring that change to others. And that's where the belief is Like. That's what belief is, is saying I know how changed I've been and even though philosophically or psychologically I may not understand it at times and I may even go through holes where it doesn't feel good, the reality is I know it's true and that's what matters, and that that is the belief, that is the love, that is the care, like that's everything.
Javi:It's everything so just trying.
Jason:Trying to like rectify those two sides of me has been the big thing.
Javi:I love seeing that I I can attest to anything I you have been doing, that you have been like, you have taken the, the, the extra step of really applying what telling you, and you have been loving, you have been praying for others and you have been stepping up forward, going hey God, I'm going to let you lead and I'm just going to be your vessel. Yeah, and I love that about you.
Jason:Yeah, trying to that's awesome. Yeah, good Thanks, guys. Uh, another another questions in the books. Uh, we'll see you next time. Bye Later.
