SPEAKER_00: 0:02

Welcome to the Boundless Bible. My name is David Shapiro. Hey, I'm Javi Marquez. And I'm Jason Holloway. I cannot believe we are 52 weeks, one year, the Boundless Bible has now been on the air. And we are really excited today to give the full one year 52nd episode that we've done. That's so cool. That's it.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Can you believe it? 50 52 episodes in a year is astounding to me.

SPEAKER_00: 0:29

It's incredible. And I'm I'm I mean, thank you. Thank you, all of you, for listening and and being part of our family and writing in and just an incredible year. So thank you for the many conversations.

SPEAKER_02: 0:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 0:40

I mean, how many how many conversations have there been this year where you got to either expand on something we talked about or give somebody some comfort with something they didn't understand, or or just open up conversations that people didn't even didn't didn't even know that any of us had anything to do with this?

SPEAKER_02: 0:55

Yeah, that's some of the great things that I love about having doing this podcast is like the conversations we have after. Like we had like so many conversations with others, but also within ourselves about episodes that we've done. Yep. And topics.

SPEAKER_01: 1:09

So so we'll probably talk more about that at the end today. But you know, we were we were talking kind of this week just between ourselves about what what kind of things have stuck out in terms of biblical learnings or what verses. And I think that we all have a few. I have more than one for sure. Just wanted to ask you guys like what are the verses or the verse that really stuck out to you this year? Javi, you want to start off? What I called you out first. All right.

SPEAKER_02: 1:35

That was good. Let me start. Let me start. All right. Well, we know we reverse you, right? I hate that game. So, my one of my favorite verses of the year, it's really a quote from one of my favorite episodes, which is episode 25 with Pastor Dan Sutherland, where um we speak about discipleship. We go into it, and he's he's been doing it for many years, and uh, there's so much knowledge in that episode that please please go look look back at it. But what's one key thing he said? He goes, Take God more seriously and take yourself less seriously. And that verse comes from John 3 30, which is he must become greater, I must become less. So it's it's all about humility, it's all about you know not taking yourself so seriously and the things that's going on in your life and really looking from a different perspective that would usually it's hard because we're always looking from our perspective. There's one thing that we say um at the church, which is God must increase, I must decrease. Right? Like and it's so true. It's true in decision making, it's true in when doing a good deed, and it's you know, when it's not convenient for us, right? It's just doing actions outside of what's comfortable for us, you know, and that could be hard. That could be hard as humans, and we're so egotistical, we're so self-conscious about a lot of things, and that's so true for me as a creative that I'm so self-conscious of being judged by my art or being judged by the things that I create, that this holds so much value for me because it's like stop taking yourself so seriously and do the work of God. If you're doing the work of God and you you're living in that that realm of doing that, you're doing right. Anything else that comes with it, being ridiculed, being judged, uh it's okay. You'll be able to walk through forward with that with God because you're leaning on his strength and not my own. So I I love that. And the Bible talks a lot about that, about being humble and being, you know, you humility, you know. I got another verse I wanted to share of Philippians 2, 3, talks about, you know, in humility uh value others above yourself, and it goes on to talk about which I think is so perfect around this episode, which is gonna be right after Christmas. Uh you know, it talks about Jesus becoming born, being becoming was God because being human, now humble him humbling himself down to be with us, to dwell with us in a as a servant, right? And being in human likeness, and then eventually die for us and leading into the cross. I think it's it holds true of us being Christians, we have to live a life of being humble in in our actions and how we perceive things, and overall just really doing things outside of ourselves for others. So that's one thing I've learned.

SPEAKER_01: 4:30

I think that same verse says something very different to me, too. I mean, it's a lot of what you just said, but it's it's also you know, the way that Pastor Dan described it and the way that I read that. And it also reminds me of I think it's first John, greater who is greater is he who is in the world, or sorry, greater is he who is in me than who is in within the world. And those things connect because, you know, to your point of like there needs to be less of me and more of him, it's because I'm limited. I am human, I'm flawed, I am, I've I've searched for happiness inside me, and it doesn't exist. It's not until I look out into the into the into God, into the greatness of God, into the glory of God, into the creation of God, that I start to see that I'm I'm much more functional, I'm much more useful, I'm much more happy when I'm part of something, when I'm part of that, and not just a part of my own internal ecosystem.

SPEAKER_00: 5:24

Yeah. What's what's great is this is one of those verses that it comes from the New Testament. A lot of Christians know it. Yeah. If you start to look back at the Old Testament, this is a concept that was lived out by the ancient Israelites, and this was that the prophets and the messengers would shrink back for God to work. And when you look at people like Moses, who they say was the most humble man ever, or when you look at David, even David, you know, he actually shrunk back and allowed Saul to stay the king. He could have, he could have said, It's my anointing, but he shrunk back and allowed God to work. And it is a very ancient Israelite concept, and it's brought up again in the New Testament, and it's beautiful, and it's uh, it's something that we strive to to then follow up on, but it does. It reminds me of this beautiful Jewish tradition of, you know, I just need to lower myself, allow God to be God, and that's it. There's nothing else I need to do, is is God has already put me as part of his plan because he loves me. Yeah, I just need to step back and allow him to work and and also be thankful that I'm part of that, you know, part of it. He he has me as part of his plans, but he's ultimately the one who who's you know getting the glory and and who's doing this. So I I love it. I think that's such a great quote, you know, especially to end off the year. I think it's it's an amazing quote.

SPEAKER_01: 6:47

And it's something to to keep in mind moving forward too, right? Like we we we all need to remind ourselves that no matter what we achieve, it's nothing in the it's nothing in the grand scheme of things. And that's not to take anything away from us, it's just to remember like that there's there's there's still bigger success out there. And the bigger success is being more aligned with God's plans. It's being more aligned with, you know, it's being better versions of ourselves, not because we're trying to be better versions of ourselves, but because we're trying to be more like Christ. And, you know, when when you when you see that it's less about me and more about God, when you see that it's less about me and more of let more of less of me, you know, you you start to feel, I don't know. I it it's it's a goal. It's a goal to try and achieve. And and like I said, the the you you called out that I called out the verse earlier, the greater is he who is within me that is within the world from first John. And that's that's been a mantra of mine this year too, Javi. So I think we're we're we're firing on the same cylinders there because that's that's been one that's been with me. That's not the one I'm gonna talk about today, but it is one that's it's probably been like the most remo said mantra in my head this year because it's what I'm trying to do.

SPEAKER_02: 7:55

Well, I think that that yeah, not to belabor this, but like that belabor it of what's it belabor it, labor it all out there. Belabor it out okay, okay. Keep it going. I thought I said it wrong. I was like, okay. No, I just think this helps out, especially like I said, the people like creative that could be in their head a lot of times. It just helps to take that perspective and going, wait a minute, it's okay, it's not a big deal, you know. Like you're wearing, you know, like you go to school and you're wearing two different socks, it's okay, no one can see your socks. Like, it's not a just stay focused on your friends, you know, or stay focused on what's what's ahead. I think the little stuff could be big for us as humans, and it's a reminder to go.

SPEAKER_01: 8:38

I'm so glad you said that because this is the first time I was able to I I like process what I've been trying to say the whole time. It's like, don't sweat this, don't sweat the small stuff. Like that's what this is also saying. Another way of saying this is like when you are in your head, every little thing matters. Everything when you are in God, the little things aren't that big. And so you don't have to stress over them, you don't have to worry about them, you don't have to think your life is over because somebody made fun of your socks, you know, or or any number of things, because the world's bigger than that. The world, the world is bigger than your internal system. And so I think that's that's a really great way for me to conceptualize that moving forward. So I'm glad you belabored it.

SPEAKER_02: 9:19

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 9:20

I'm gonna move on if you if you guys don't mind, I'll do my verse. And we are not done belaboring David. Just kidding. I and I am going to lament. I am going, no, no shocker. I'm going to the Old Testament to David. This is Psalm 41 through 3, and I'll read it really quickly. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard me cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction out of the mirror bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my step secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and far and put their trust in the Lord. And this for me is, and this goes way beyond just this year. This goes to probably the last, I don't know, seven years or so. And I just wrote down a quick, you know, a quick translation that I have for it that it's God hears cries that we are lost in silence. He lifts us from our places that we cannot escape, sets us on solid ground, and turns our pain into praise that points others to him. And one of the things I look back on is we all go through pains in this world. And I remember the pains that I went through. Even when I chose to become a follower of Christ, I can remember the pains that I felt and realizing, you know, what's the point of this? Why am I going through this? Why am I suffering this way? Only to realize that it was God who set me on solid ground and then turn that pain into a voice, into a testimony that I absolutely love now because I get to testify to the goodness of God and help others who've been through some of this pain themselves. And I realize just the brilliance and the love that God has that sometimes doesn't feel very loving. But after the fact, you go, man, you know, God is so great. He's so intelligent. He has such a great design that even through my life, even the pain I went through, he's still setting me on solid ground and able to testify for him to others. And that when I read that again, I said, you know, that that's it. That's this year, and that's my life, honestly, for a long time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 11:29

Yeah. And it gives you faith for the future, right? Like we talked about in the gratitude issue in the issue, like where magazine. You know, we talked about in in the gratitude episode that it's not about looking back and being thankful for what's behind, it's being thankful for what's coming. And like when you can look at all of that stuff that you just said, David, and how it how it led to where you are, and how now you're thankful for it. Keeping the right mindset as you go through hardships in the future, you can be thankful for those in the moment as well, knowing that they're going to create a testimony, knowing that they're going to create a stronger, a stronger David still and a stronger community that surrounds David. Absolutely, 100%.

SPEAKER_02: 12:46

It's it's so true to your life and just getting to know you, David, how God has used you in so many ways and still continue to use you. So I think that's a great verse for you. I hate hearing it because I hate the journey of it. I hate the the trials that going through things, you know, and when you're when you're stuck in the moment of hardship, it's really hard to see yourself out of it. And I think by me walking in this life of Christianity and just getting to know God more, I'm able to face those things on a little bit easier than I used to. So I love that you brought up this verse. I think it's holds true for anybody, and I think it's a good encouragement to say, hold on and just continue to trust God. I think that was Wilson Phillips.

SPEAKER_00: 13:29

Hold on. I think that was their song.

SPEAKER_01: 13:32

I love it. Absolutely. Oh man, you got me with that one. That is really good. The you know, it's funny. You you talked about Javi, you said I I hate going through the trials. And one of the things that I've always said is I I hate learning things, but I love knowing them. And it it's it's one I feel like the same thing. Like I I I really despise having to go through the the darkness. And even though I know I'm gonna come out of the darkness, and I can even tell myself this is gonna be fine one day, and you're gonna look back and laugh in the middle of it. I'm like, I hate you for even saying that. Like, I think I think we have to acknowledge that like there's no there's no joy in the darkness. And when you're in the darkness, there's no joy. But uh, you know, as we've talked about so many times this year, it's like it's having the faith to keep walking in that darkness and keep moving forward and keep progressing and keep, you know, you you don't have to feel the emotion of this is all gonna be okay, but you do have to keep moving. And that's been a that's been a big thing for me this year. I mean, even one of the recent episodes I said that, you know, there's there's times when things get dark, there's times when things get silent, there's times when things get with when there's no way to be seen, but somewhere deep down you say, you know what, I I I know I believe this. I know I believe that this is the right way, I know that this is this may be uncomfortable, but I gotta keep crawling. And and then in hindsight, you can see that that that was a benefit button. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable. Nope. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable. So my I've still been sitting here looking at my verses, guys, and adding other verses in my head, and I'm like still processing which one because so many this year. I mean, so many, guys. This this this year has been so much learning and reading and thinking and talking and considering, and and I'm gonna go for this for the sake of of keeping a storyline, I'm gonna I'm gonna stick to this one, which is a very unexpected, but it's Romans 1, 11, and 12. And I was reading Romans on a plane a few months ago, and I was listening, you know, the and all of Paul's letters are, you know, I am Paul, I am this, I am that, I am your friend, I'm coming with this, this is my qualification. He basically gives a resume, you know, starting out, and I don't mean that like it's just it's very consistent, right? Like his letters are very consistent. This is who I am, this is where I came from, and so forth and so on. But but in in Romans 1, there's something that stuck out to me, and he he says, and this is before that, for God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of his son is my witness to how I continually mention you in my prayers, always pleading that somehow by God's will I may come at last to see you. That's the prequel, right? But then he says in 11 and 12, something that really caught my attention, which is, for I long to see you that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish you. That wasn't a surprise because I'm Paul and I want to come to you and I want to talk to you about the things that I've learned and the things that I know, but it's the second part that got me. That is that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted by each other's faith, both yours and mine. And I just thought it was such an interesting twist that we talk about Paul for so long. You know, we always talk about him. He's the strong one. He's the I went through it all. I'm the one who stands here as an example to you, and I'm gonna end up being the primary writer of the New Testament. But even here, he says that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted. Even Paul needed this community. He was not an individual living in his own individuality, you know, following Christ alone. He still needed the community. He still, you know, needed the encouragement. He still wanted to have the people around him for that support, for that strength, for that the physical side that he has. And he says it late, you know, later in in the in his letters, he says, you know, I these things I do not want to do, I continue to do, and and the things that I want to do, I don't do. Oh, who will take me from this mortal body? So, and again, not the same verse, but it just tells you that like Paul is as human as the rest of us. And no matter how great he is, no matter how wonderful he is, no matter how intelligent he is, no matter how faithful he is, going back to 12, he needs the encouragement too. He and and he gets that from the community. And that's the reason I picked that one is because that is the thing that I've seen since we started this podcast. And we've talked about it many times, especially in the in the early times, is that community is uh a humongously important pillar uh in life and in the faith. And in order to keep you encouraged, in order to support you in times when you are down, in in order to keep you on track when you are off, and and in order to continue bringing new thoughts to your brain. I mean, again, once again, I I could read the Bible 50 times, and if I talk to you guys twice, I learn sometimes more than I do in the 50 readings. And and that's an important thing to keep the to keep the thinking agitated, to keep keep the perspectives new, to keep the ideas flowing, to keep I mean, how many times do you know David's mic drop moments give me more to think about over the next week than than any 50 verses I just read or 10 chapters I just read? So I don't know. It this is this is the one that that hit me a few times this this year, and quite a few times this year, is just that and and I think anybody listening, and you guys clearly know this, is like it's who we surround ourselves with that make this walk easier. It's who we surround ourselves with that make our walk more enriched, yeah, and and and make it more robust. So that's that's my that's my love for the year.

SPEAKER_02: 19:13

I I think it's super poetic, Jason, and I wouldn't think any less from you. And I love that you're the last one to say this verse and what you're talking about because I agree. I think it's very poetic that we are all trying to be mutually shaping out each other, right? Our iron, sharpened iron kind of thing, and creating a community like this on the podcast. But also, you know, I like to think we're not Paul, but we also are trying to provide strength and provide some perspective for those that are listening and and in turn to want to have a conversation, in turn to want to have this kind of ongoing conversation and community kind of grow. So I love that you you mentioned this verse and this hit you this this hard this year.

SPEAKER_00: 20:01

Yeah, I I'm gonna bring it back to something Jewish, of course. But this is just I would I think sometimes we as people, not not as Christians, not as podcast hosts, not as what just I think us as people, we all fall back into legalism. We fall back into so what I mean by that is if we sin and you talk to somebody, you go, okay, I sinned, what you need to do is confess and repent. Confess and repent, confess and repent. We go, hey, we know this. I did something wrong. I need to let God know that I did this wrong. I need to make it better next time. I need to do better next time. And I think that that ends up being a legalistic approach because what we forget is the most important part. Of that. And if you look at Jewish culture, right after those two things was Teshuva. It was the return to God. So you messed up, you admitted to it, you confessed, you repented, and then you have Teshuva, the return to God. When Jesus came, what are the two most important commandments? Love thy God, love your neighbor. It's all relationship. And I think sometimes we forget and we go, it's very internal. I need to do this. I need to tell God I messed up. I need to fix it. I need to do this. It's all back to us, which becomes very legalistic and very, you know, not on purpose, but self-centered and egotistical versus I need to reach out and say, hey guys, I messed up. I need help with this. What can we do together? And I think this, this from Paul, he is, I mean, nail on the head. You want to talk about a mic drop moment. He's going, relationship is everything. There's no way that we can all do it on our own. I'm called to Teshuva to return to God. And the way I do that is through the relationships that God has put in my path. And I I absolutely love that you called out that verse. And you're right, I actually was thinking of other verses you would have thought out. So it's a little bit different than I thought you would have called out, but I I think it's perfect.

SPEAKER_01: 21:59

Yeah, I mean, the reason I chose that verse was because that is exactly what we did this year. I mean, we we connected our thinking. We in in our own small community, we were able to combine our thoughts, combine our understandings of things, and and because of that, I think each of us understand things better this year. I think other people around us possibly understand things better this year because of our combining and connecting of thinking and thoughts. So it just seemed it just seemed very very connected to what we're doing this year.

SPEAKER_00: 22:31

I I love it. You know, out of curiosity, just you know, as we're in our last episode of the year and and our full year round, what was one episode or a moment in an episode? And I know there's a million of them, but what was one that stuck out to you as, you know, hey, this one really was an amazing conversation or moment. Well, what stuck out to you guys?

SPEAKER_02: 22:55

The first thing comes to mind for me was interviewing Abdul Murray was pretty amazing. Abdul Murray is I I don't know the episode exactly in mind, but um number. But Abdul Murray is just on the ball of knowledge. The way he speaks and how he explains things are he makes it really simple but understandable, and and just you know, deeper concepts. And I love talking to him because he was I although he's all this, he was super humble, super nice guy, super easy to talk to, just very loving. He was so appreciative. So it was cool to like to exchange some words with him, and then you know, I was glad to stomp him one or twice about asking him a certain question or two, the Trinity and how he broke it down was kind of interesting. I never heard it that way. So I think that episode for me, Abdul Murray, was one of my top ones. I mean, there were so many, but that was definitely one of my top ones.

SPEAKER_01: 23:51

Early, I think my one of my favorite episodes, or at least the one that like pops in my head, is is Job. I really, really enjoyed the conversation during Job and it opened my eyes to some things that I had never ever seen. And I remember having my like the very like the epiphany at the end, like, wait a second, he did it because he wanted, he allowed Satan to take everything away because he was gonna give him more in the end. And that was like a an another big kind of like mental mic drop moment for me. That's good. Yeah, that was a good I also loved all the quick, all the quick questions. All the quick questions. That was those are fun questions. That was fun. I know we've gotten away from that, but but those were those were fun, and I got to know you guys better because of that. And so I I really enjoyed those two.

SPEAKER_00: 24:31

Love it, yeah. For me, I mean, it there was one episode we did before we moved to video, and that was with Dr. Jana Harmon. And I just feel like, you know, yes, we couldn't get her on video, but man, what an amazing audio conversation with somebody that I really look up to. She has done so much research on skeptics that have found Christ and the reasons behind them. And for me, who ultimately wants to be a good evangelist to be able to spread Jesus well to people, I enjoyed the conversation with her very much. But I think if I kind of go to the favorite moments, if you have not watched any of our videos, if you listen audio, I do suggest at least some of these things, you go and look on YouTube, only because there are moments, and all of us have had them, where somebody says something and the the light bulb goes on in one of our other brains, and the whole, I mean, atmosphere changes, our face changes, and all of a sudden it's like kids. I wanna, I want to talk. I want to talk about what just hit my brain right now, and I can't believe I haven't seen this. And it was exactly what you said, Jason. You know, you can read something 30 times, and then you hear somebody say it differently once, and you're going, Yeah, I I just I want to read it again right now. Can we shut the cameras off so I can read that? Because that is amazing. And I think that those moments that we've had, and all of us have had them, have have really been just life-changing for for people who study the Bible often and and just get a new perspective and going, that is amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 26:08

I mean, look, if this is a competition, David, you win because that's the that's the right answer. That is the right answer. Because that is what it is. I mean, guys, we the amount of times that my that that the lights have clicked on in my head must mean I have a lot of dim bulbs in my head because I'm the one probably whose light bulb goes clink the the the most often. And I'm like, how did I not see that thing that was right in front of my eyes? But it it has been a consistent theme throughout the year, and and I have every reason to believe it will be the same theme in 2026 as we move forward. We guys, for for those who are listening, we are considering some minor format changes, nothing major, but maybe some maybe some new secondary episode styles. We'll still keep doing this. If you have any ideas, we have another week or so uh before we start getting into 2026. So we'd love for your ideas what you would like us to cover, what formats, if you'd like more interviews, if you'd like more of us, if you want more Bible stories versus thematics, more thematics versus Bible stories. If you want to hear David play the kazoo while Hobby is, you know, balancing on a ball, we can do that too. We'd love to hear whatever you're curious about. So, guys, we appreciate your listenership over this year. It's been a blast. We will be doing it again for 52 more episodes next year. So talk to you then and happy 2013.

SPEAKER_00: 27:34

Thank you so much. Happy New Year.

SPEAKER_01: 27:36

Thank you, guys. Happy New Year.

SPEAKER_00: 27:38

Thanks, guys. Have a good one. Bye bye.