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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
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Today, Jeannine joins Noelle and Janell!
It's a conversation with Dr. Jeannine Hanger, Noelle, and Janell, discussing the trustworthiness and relevance of the Bible. Noelle shares her questions about the Bible and its translation throughout history. Jeannine shares her personal faith journey and her passion for the New Testament. Jeannine discusses students' doubt and skepticism over the Bible and the things she sometimes shares with them. She explains why she lives by the Bible's authority and how it can be relevant to people today. Towards the end of the conversation, there is a discussion about authenticity in the Bible- in passages of scripture that weren't part of the oldest manuscripts, and in the historical facts of Jesus' life and death. Jeannine shares about the compelling story of Mary of Bethany and why the tangible things mentioned in scripture are so meaningful to her.
We hope you enjoy today's episode!
About Jeannine
Jeannine Hanger has been involved with Biola University since 2000. She earned a Master of Arts (2004) and Master of Theology (2009) at Talbot in New Testament Studies and has taught undergraduates in an adjunct role since 2009. She recently completed her doctoral studies (2021) at the University of Aberdeen, also in the New Testament. Her research interests revolve around the Gospels. More specifically she has enjoyed exploring literary approaches to texts seen alongside their ancient world contexts. She has a heart for students to know God through the Word with every aspect of their beings: heart, soul, mind, and strength. As the wife of a pastor, Jeannine has also been deeply invested in the local church. Most recently, she and her husband have enjoyed launching Coastline Covenant Church alongside dear friends in ministry. They live with their three teenage children in the South Bay.
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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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Visit the Finding Something REAL Youtube channel!
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Links:
Noelle's First episode
Noelle & Drew
Noelle & Xandra
Noelle & Doug
Noelle & J, Warner Wallace
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
John is a faculty affiliate of The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University's Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He is the former Research and Program Coordinator for the Biola University Center for Christian Thought and teaches part-time in the Department of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology. A former pastor, he holds a Ph.D. degree from The Cook School of Intercultural Studies. His dissertation focused on deconversion from Christianity to atheism.
He is the author of five books on deconversion, A Recipe For Disaster: How the Church Contributes to the Deconversion Crisis (Wipf & Stock, 2018), The Anatomy of Deconversion: Keys to a Lifelong Faith in a Culture Abandoning Christianity (ACUP, 2021), Going... Going... Gone..! Why Believers Lose Their Faith and What Can be Done to Guard Against it (Renaissance Publishers, 2020), Before You Go: Uncovering Hidden Factors in Faith Loss (Leafwood Publishers, 2022), and Set Adrift: Deconstructing What You Believe Without Sinking Your Faith (Zondervan, 2023). John is also a contributor to an updated edition of the forthcoming book Apologetics for a New Generation (Harvest House 2025). His sixth book, The Good Book? Restoring Your Faith in the Bible by Questioning Everything You Assume About it, (Tyndale) is due for release soon.
John is the Director of Cultural Engagement with the Renaissance Forum which focuses on connecting calling to culture for societal wellbeing. He enjoys speaking at churches and conferences on topics related to biblical studies, philosophy of religion, deconversion, and the relationship between the Church and culture.
Dr. Marriott is also the International Student Services Coordinator at Whittier Christian High School, in Whittier California.
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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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Visit the Finding Something REAL Youtube channel!
Noelle & Drew
Noelle & Xandra
Noelle & Doug
Noelle & J, Warner Wallace
Dr. John Marriott
Set Adrift - Sean Mcdowell & John Marriott
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Happy Wednesday! We hope you are doing well!
Today w are airing part two of our conversation with Detective J. Warner Wallace. Jim responds to Noelle’s objection that she doesn’t have to believe in Jesus. In this conversation they discuss reasons why people believe or reject truth claims. and how someone can come to the conclusion that Christianity is the right choice? They talk about how life experiences can impact belief. Jim explains how we cannot deny our fallen human nature.
Noelle and Jim discuss the exclusive truth claims of Christianity. Jim shares about why it’s important to get identity right with God. He shares about different Bible translations and what they were written for- encouraging Noelle to read the primary source material. Jim also shares some reasons people don’t come to Christ and the way pride vs humility interacts with the offensive nature of the gospel message.
We hope you enjoy today’s 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), Gateway Seminary, 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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Visit the Finding Something REAL Youtube channel!
Links:
FSR May 2023 with J. Warner Wallace
FSR April 2024 with J Warner Wallace (YouTube)
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Cold Case Christianity (website)
Cold Case Christianity (book)
The Truth in True Crime (book)
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
Happy Wednesday! We hope you are doing well!
Today, we welcome back Detective J. Warner Wallace! Jim shares about coming to faith in Jesus Christ and explains how he began asking the question, “Is the Bible accurate in the way it portrays Jesus?” He shares about his search on the topic and the conclusion of his search. He discusses the difference between objective and subjective truths and the implications of what it means if Christianity is true.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
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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), Gateway Seminary, 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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Visit the Finding Something REAL Youtube channel!
Links:
FSR May 2023 with J. Warner Wallace
Cold Case Christianity (website)
Cold Case Christianity (book)
The Truth in True Crime (book)
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Hello Everyone Today on the podcast we welcome back Douglas Groothuis!
Today’s discussion covers a few of Noelle’s questions was about spiritual practices and why some of them might be concerning for Christians. Doug shares about his own personal faith journey, why he's not an atheist or agnostic. He also talks about reasons followers of Jesus should avoid spiritual practices outside of Christianity. He responds to some of Noelle’s questions and objections.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
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About Douglas
Dr. Douglas Groothuis has fire in his bones for the Christian message and many irons in the fire to explain, defend, and apply it. He has been explaining the world to the church and explaining the church to the world for nearly fifty years through his teaching, preaching, writing, mentoring, and general witness. His passion is to take to the streets the truth and significance of the Christian worldview for all of life. To that end, he publishes both academic and popular works, preaches in churches, gives public lectures, engages in debates, and has appeared on hundreds of radio programs and podcasts since 1983. He is known as a knowledgeable, sharp, forceful, but gentle communicator of the Christian message.
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Links:
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Hello Everyone Today on the podcast we welcome back Xandra!
In this episode, Noelle, Janell, and Xandra Grieme discuss the fine-tuning argument for the existence of God. They also explore why some people resist believing in God and the personal obstacles to belief. The conversation touches on the impact of negative experiences with Christians and the Christian belief in sin and redemption. The conversation explores the concepts of sin, brokenness, and the need for forgiveness. It emphasizes the understanding that sin is not only external actions but also an inherent part of human nature. The importance of accepting imperfection and avoiding judgment is highlighted, along with the idea that Christians should not expect non-Christians to live by Christian standards. The decision to follow Jesus is discussed, emphasizing the personal transformation and the discovery of one's true identity. The conversation concludes with the idea that authenticity is found in Jesus and that experiencing restoration, eternity, authenticity, and love compels believers to share their faith.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
About Xandra
Xandra Grieme received a BS from Colorado State University and later studied at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Xandra continued her studies at Victoria University of Wellington where she completed a master’s degree in Conservation Biology. Her scientific research includes work in parasitology, flow cytometry, and ecological restoration. Xandra is passionate about educating youth on our role as stewards of the natural world.
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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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Links:
FSR November 2022 with Xandra
FSR March 2024 with Xandra
Museum of Created Beauty
Who Moved the Stone?
A Good & True Story by Paul Gould
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Hello Everyone Today on the podcast we welcome back Xandra!
Janell sits down with Noelle and Xandra. Xandra shares her personal faith journey and how she reconciles her love for science with her belief in God. They discuss the integration of science and faith, the beauty of nature as evidence of a creator, and the problem of suffering. They discuss the imperfections of the Church throughout history and the need to understand Jesus' message before rejecting Christianity.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
About Xandra
Xandra Grieme received a BS from Colorado State University and later studied at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Xandra continued her studies at Victoria University of Wellington where she completed a master’s degree in Conservation Biology. Her scientific research includes work in parasitology, flow cytometry, and ecological restoration. Xandra is passionate about educating youth on our role as stewards of the natural world.
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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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Links:
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Hello Everyone Today on the podcast we welcome back Drew Berryessa!
In this episode, Noelle and Drew discuss the challenges of being a Christian and accepting the LGBTQ community. Noelle shares her concerns about Christians who claim to be about love but then hate the LGBTQ community. Drew shares his personal story of struggling with his sexuality and how he found transformation through following Jesus. They discuss the concept of change versus cure and the importance of surrendering to Jesus. Noelle questions the compelling nature of the gospel and why someone would choose to deny themselves for a belief in an invisible God.
In this conversation, Drew Berryessa shares his personal journey of surrendering his life to God and finding compelling reasons to follow Jesus. He emphasizes the importance of encountering Christians who demonstrate the love and character of God. Drew also highlights the power of love and acceptance in drawing people to God, and the need for Christians to prioritize relationship over winning arguments. He discusses the biblical perspective on sexuality, emphasizing the importance of understanding God's intention for sexuality and the consequences of sin. Finally, Drew reflects on the significance of restoration and authenticity in his faith journey.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode!
About Drew
In 1996, Drew surrendered his sexuality to the Lordship of Christ, leaving behind a homosexual relationship. Drew chose to trust Christ with his future, believing that the Word of God was trustworthy and that Christ would be faithful to give him a life worth living outside of a homosexual identity or relationship. This surrender began a process of transformation and healing confronting the issues of same-sex attraction and overall relational dysfunction in his life.
Drew began full-time ministry to the sexually and relationally broken in 2004, joining the staff of Portland Fellowship, a para-church discipleship ministry in Portland, OR. Drew spent ten years in ministry there, ending his time as the Assistant Director to found A Living Letter Ministries in 2015.
Drew’s life and testimony stand in stark contrast to the current cultural narrative about sexual identity, demonstrating instead what Christ can do for a sexually broken life submitted to His Lordship. With the current shifts in ideology regarding sexuality, identity, gender, and God’s transformative power, Drew's ministry, experience, and insight stand as a redemptive voice of truth to the body of Christ.
Drew is a graduate of Multnomah Bible College, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Ministry and Leadership. In addition to being the Founder and Director of A Living Letter Ministries, Drew serves as a Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Living Waters Church in Medford, OR. Drew released his first book, Are We There Yet? in 2018, adding author to his list of accomplishments.
Of all the roles and titles he carries, his most prized titles are that of husband and father. Drew and his wife Suzanne have been married since 2004 and together they have the joy of raising their three daughters.
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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! If you are interested in supporting the Finding Something REAL fundraising campaign, you can head to the webpage and click on the orange donate button.
To learn more about Faithful Counseling and if it is a good fit for you, you can click here!
If you would like to receive Janell’s 7 Deep Faith Questions resource click here!
Links:
FSR March 2021 with Drew
FSR June 2021 with Drew
FSR April 2022 with Drew & Cynthia
Proverbs 27:7
”One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.”