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Maybe you’ve grown up as a Christian going to church or maybe you’re not interested in religion at all. But when you’re scrolling, hanging out with friends, trying to sleep, or overwhelmed with your day-to-day, do big existential questions ever pop in- you know- things like, “Why am I here? How did all this get here? What happens after I die?” “Is there a God and is there really meaning to all this?” ”What’s so special about Jesus Christ?”
We’ve all experienced deep longing for something this world can’t seem to satisfy.
Even someone as wildly successful as Taylor Swift knows that to be true. “I had won album of the year at the Grammys for a second time...” She said, “and I remember thinking afterwards, ’Oh my god, that was all you wanted!... That was all you focused on. You get to the mountaintop and look around and you’re like... what now?”
If you’re tired and feeling overwhelmed with all the different voices yelling for your affections- telling you what to go after- whether it be success, beauty, the perfect partner, social media followers, money, or power… only to leave you let down and unsatisfied, searching for more… Maybe like my friends and me, you’re after finding something REAL.
Every week, join me (Janell Wood), special co-hosts and guests as we ask questions, look for answers, and search for the source of something REAL: Restoration, Eternity, Authenticity, and Love. I believe those things can ultimately be found in relationship with Jesus Christ, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to our conversations for yourself and go on a journey with us: Is Jesus the REAL thing?
Episodes
May 24, 2023
May 24, 2023
1hr 24 min
Hello! Happy Wednesday! Today, we are delighted to share an interview with apologist Tim Barnett. Time shares a bit about his faith journey and tells how a question about his faith pushed him to better understand the Christian faith and why he believes. He shares about the ministry he does in partnership with Stand to Reason and how Red Pen Logic with Mr. B got started.
Tim shares some advice for those who have doubts about Jesus or Christianity, why he thinks Christianity is the best explanation for reality, and how our feelings do not determine verity. He also talks about whether there is evidence for the stories in the Bible and why he continues the work he does despite the backlash. We hope you enjoy this episode!
About Tim Barnett
Tim Barnett has worked as a speaker for Stand to Reason since 2015. He is a dynamic speaker who provides a perfect blend of expertise and humor in each talk. Using easy-to-follow and visually engaging presentations, Tim trains Christians to think clearly about what they believe and why they believe it. Tim has worked as a professional teacher since 2008, employed in both the private and public sector. He has earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from York University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Tim serves as an adjunct Bible and Science teacher at Innova Academy, a classical Christian school, and serves on the pastoral staff at Cedarview Community Church.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR: Ljuca’s Intro
FSR: Ljuca and J. Warner Wallace
FSR: Ljuca and Dr. Keith Oglesby
FSR: Greg Koukl - Oct 2021
FSR: Jon Noyes - March 2023
FSR: Robbie Lashua - April 2023
Stand to Reason
Reality Apologetics Student Conference
Norm Geisler
Sean McDowell
Frank Turek
Francis Shaeffer
Miracles - Craig Keener
The Case for Miracles - Lee Strobel
There is a God? - Anthony Flew
A Fortunate Universe - Geraint F. Lewis
Is Atheism Dead? - Eric Metaxas
May 17, 2023
May 17, 2023
1hr 11 min
Hello! Happy Wednesday! Today, we have a wonderful conversation for you! Dr. Keith Oglesby joins us again to talk Christian evangelism and why it’s important that our Christian faith is lived out and intentionally shared with others. Janell an Dr. Oglesby talk about how we can know what’s true, Dr. Oglesby’s passion for evangelism, sharing the gospel with gentleness and respect, and how we can be good stewards of the gifts given to us by God. We hope you enjoy this episode!
Hello! Happy Wednesday! Today, we have a wonderful conversation for you! Dr. Keith Oglesby joins us again to talk Christian evangelism and why it’s important that our Christian faith is lived out and intentionally shared with others. Janell an Dr. Oglesby talk about how we can know what’s true, Dr. Oglesby’s passion for evangelism, sharing the gospel with gentleness and respect, and how we can be good stewards of the gifts given to us by God. We hope you enjoy this episode!
About Dr. Oglesby
Dr. Keith Oglesby is an Associate Professor and the Director of Camp and Outdoor Adventure Leadership (COAL) in the Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries at Liberty University. He's a speaker and author. His new book is called, "Live Your Purpose."
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR: Ljuca’s Intro
FSR: Ljuca and J. Warner Wallace
FSR: October 2020 with Dr Oglesby
Live Your Purpose book by Dr. Keith Oglesby
Liberty University
Nick Hall
Billy Graham
Franklin Graham
Luis Palau
1 Peter 3:15
”But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”
John 14:6
”Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Acts 4:12
”Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Romans 10:13
”For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John 17:3
”And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
May 10, 2023
May 10, 2023
1hr 3 min
This week on the podcast, we are delighted to welcome J. Warner Wallace. Jim shares his story of coming from a contentedly non-christian worldview and not feeling like Christianity was relevant to him to believing in Jesus. He explains how marriage and becoming a father started turned his head towards the need for a solidified worldview. They talk about Jim’s work as a detective and how his experience thinking things through in an evidence based way led him to belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They talk about how the agnostic worldview can work for a time, but can eventually fall through, the six atheistic explanations for the resurrection and how the explanations do not work, how suffering fits into the Christian life, and more. We hope you enjoy the episode!
About J. Warner Wallace
J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and Southern Evangelical Seminary, and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. J. Warner became a Christ-follower at the age of thirty-five after investigating the claims of the New Testament gospels using his skill set as a detective. He eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Gateway Seminary.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Cold Case Christianity (website)
Cross Examined Instructor's Academy
Cold Case Christianity - J. Warner Wallace
Forensic Faith book - J. Warner Wallace
God's Crime Scene - J. Warner Wallace
Person of Interest- J. Warner Wallace
Person of Interest - talk given by J. Warner Wallace
Damar Hamlin (Buffalo Bills) collapse
Dateline Episodes featuring J. Warner Wallace
Jim Wallace speaking to students at Kings Academy
FSR s2e15 with Lu and Allen Crostic - Part 1 and Part 2
FSR s4e5 with Lu and Allen Crostic
FSRs4e9 with Lu and Stéphanie Rousselle
May 3, 2023
May 3, 2023
46 min
Happy May! This month, we welcome Ljuca from Switzerland on the podcast! In this first episode, Ljuca shares about her experience as an exchange student, her experience of Swiss culture and the differences she sees in American culture. She shares about her journey growing up with a Catholic dad and a reformed mom. She shares about her genuine curiosity about God she experienced when she was younger, but how that curiosity developed. Ljuca also shares why she wants to be on the podcast, what brings her hope, her excitement about the upcoming conversations (and her desire to chat with J Warner Wallace!), and more! We hope you enjoy the podcast!
We hope you enjoy the episode!
This month, we are going to address a few of Ljuca questions including:
- If there is a God, why is there suffering?
- How can we believe the story? How do we know that the virgin birth, miracles, or even communication with God are true?
- How can a God that is capable of setting things right not do so right now? It seems like God is presented in the Bible as someone who helps, but it seems like when things are at its darkest now, God does not intervene.
- There are so many different gods/religions that help a lot of people. How can there only be one God?
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Are you interested in having Janell speak at your event? Click here!
Interested in being on the podcast? Click here!
EF High School Exchange Year
Apr 26, 2023
Apr 26, 2023
1hr 4 min
Welcome to Wednesday! This week, we welcome back Zach Verrett! Zach shares his personal story of dealing with homosexuality. They talk about whether or not God cares about who we love, whether acts of homosexuality are sins, and the relationship between sacrifice and homosexuality. They also talk about the value of celibacy and how the Gospel is an invitation before life change happens.
About Zach
Zach currently serves at The Austin Stone Community Church in their Connections Ministry and is involved with his church’s engagement on the topic of sexuality. Previously, he spent five years touring with Unaltered Ministries.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR: Gaia’s Intro
FSR: Gaia & Dr. Erik Thoennes
FSR Gaia & Robby
FSR: Frank Turek
Austin Stone Church
Unaltered Ministries
FSR June 2021 with Zach
Apr 19, 2023
Apr 19, 2023
1hr 20 min
“Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine- oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Rich conversation about evidence for the resurrection, the problem with missing the mark or going against the way God designed human beings to be- fascinating- challenging new ideas- even the answer he gave to our signature final question- just had me thinking afterwards... ” ~Janell
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Happy Wednesday!
Today on the Finding Something REAL podcast, Janell sits down with Robby Lashua, one the speakers with Stand to Reason. Janell and Robby talk a little about STR and the definition of Apologetics, then Robby shares about his pursuit of truth within his own faith journey, his desire to understand how and why people believe what they believe, and more. They have a great conversation about evidence for the resurrection, the character of Jesus, and more!
Quite a bit of this episode deals with the topics of sin and evil. Robby defines sin and discusses moral law, the definition, of evil, and the freedom we have to make choices. They also talk about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and more! We hope you enjoy this episode!
About Robby
Robby is an apologist with Stand to Reason. Formerly, Robby was the Pastor of Apologetics at Desert Springs Community Church in Goodyear, AZ, an Associate Professor at Mission Bible Institute, and host of Christ, Culture & Coffee, a weekly apologetics podcast. Having earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona Christian University, a Master’s of Divinity from Phoenix Seminary, and a Master’s Degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, Robby has a passion for equipping the church with good reasons to believe in classical Christianity. Most importantly, Robby has been married to his wonderful wife, Kelly, for over 13 years. Together they are raising four amazing kids to love and serve Jesus.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR: Gaia’s Intro
FSR: Gaia & Dr. Erik Thoennes
FSR: Frank Turek
Robby Lashua's podcast
Stand to Reason
Discovering the REAL Jesus Bible - Rebecca Pippert
Crazy Love book by Francis Chan
Apr 12, 2023
Apr 12, 2023
1hr 7 min
Happy Wednesday!
Today, Janell and this month's co-host, Gaia from Italy, have a meaningful conversation with Dr. Erik Thoennes about the character of God. Erik shares about his passion for working with college students. He also shares about theology and why he believes knowing God is so important for every single person. Erik shares practical ways of cultivating a deeper relationship with God and what he knows of God's character. Gaia asks questions about God's view of love and sexuality. Erik shares about what the scriptures say regarding human sexuality and God's design, Biblical authority, and also shares how he engages with people who disagree with the Bible. There is also some extended discussion about pride, sin, and God's plan of salvation. We hope you enjoy the episode!
About Dr. Thoennes:
Erik Thoennes has been a husband for 34 years, the father of 2 daughters and 2 sons. He is a professor of theology at Biola University. He is committed to teaching biblical and systematic theology so that he and his students love God and people more fully. He strives to make the necessary connections between the study of theology, obedience to Jesus and fulfilling the Great Commission. He has taught theology and evangelism at the college and seminary levels for several years and is a frequent guest speaker at churches, conferences and retreats, in addition to co-pastoring a local church (Grace Evangelical Free Church of La Mirada). Thoennes has received the University award for faculty excellence and professor of the year.
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
FSR: Gaia’s Intro
Godly Jealousy: A Theology of Intolerant Love - Dr. Erik Thoennes
Biola University
The Character of God - Dr. Erik Thoennes (video lecture)
Apr 5, 2023
Apr 5, 2023
56 min
We are delighted to introduce Gaia, April’s co-host, to you today! Gaia shares about her life in Italy, the affect grief has had in her life, how she got connected with Janell, and so much more!
We hope you enjoy the episode!
This month, we are going to address a few of Gaia’s questions including:
- How are people supposed to view other belief systems? How will those people be judged by God?
- How does God feel about relationships that do not glorify Him?
- What will happen if we make a big sin? How will God judge us?
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We would love to thank our Patrons for all their amazing support! To learn more about supporting Finding Something REAL via Patreon, click here!
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
Are you interested in having Janell speak at your event? Click here!
Interested in being on the podcast? Click here!
EF High School Exchange Year
Introducing Lucrezia: Her Story and Faith Questions (2021)
FSR March 2021 - Lu and Drew
FSR March 2021 - Lu and Terrian
FSR March 2021 - Lu and Stephanie
FSR March 2021 - Lu and Brenna
FSR March 2021 - Lu and Allen
FSR - Episode about Sexuality with Zach Verrett
FSR- Episode about Reliability of the Bible with Greg Koukl
FSR - Episode about Other Belief Systems with Mishelle Oh