We hit pause this week for our first Checkpoint Sunday — a live Q&A where we tackled your biggest questions from our Bible reading plan.Is the God of the Old Testament different from the God of the New Testament? What do we do with passages where God strikes people dead? How should Christians understand Levitical laws? Do all Bible translations have an agenda? And how do we keep from reading “the gospel according to me”?In this honest and thoughtful conversation, Angelo and Becca explore what it means to see Scripture as one unfolding story that ultimately leads to Jesus — without flattening its complexity or ignoring its hard edges. We talk about the image of God, why disturbing stories matter, how ancient context shapes interpretation, and why Jesus remains our clearest lens for understanding who God is and what God is about.If you’ve ever felt confused, unsettled, or overwhelmed while reading the Bible — this episode is for you.Let’s check in.

What do we do with the intense language of Leviticus? How do we keep reading when the text feels repetitive or monotonous? In this episode of Companions, we explore Leviticus 20 through Numbers 13 and wrestle with the weighty warnings of Leviticus 26, the rhythms of festivals and census lists, and the purpose behind Israel’s wilderness storytelling. Along the way, we reflect on how the Psalms give voice to the journey, why Hebrew is such an embodied language, and how that shapes even Jesus’ conversation in John 3.If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsettled, or even bored in your Bible reading—this conversation is for you.

What does it really mean to apply the Bible to our lives? In the final sermon of the How to Read the Bible series, Pastor Angelo turns to James 1:22–25 to explore the gap between hearing scripture and living it. This message reflects on why understanding the Bible is not the same as being formed by it, and offers three practical, faithful tools for application: locating ourselves honestly in the story, choosing depth over speed, and trusting that God’s Word works in us over time. A thoughtful invitation to read scripture not just for knowledge, but for transformation.

Leviticus doesn’t ease us in—and neither does faith when God feels distant. In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca wrestle with offerings, holiness, purity laws, and atonement, asking what the law was really for and how Jesus fulfills it. From sacrifice and anointing oil to clean and unclean bodies, they explore how God makes a way back into relationship when closeness feels impossible—and what it looks like to stay in the conversation when faith feels heavy or complicated.

What would Jesus do with a difficult passage of Scripture? In this week’s message from our How to Read the Bible series, we introduce the Jesus Filter—a way of reading the Bible that keeps Christ at the center. Drawing from John 5, where Jesus heals on the Sabbath and confronts the religious leaders, this sermon explores why Scripture points beyond itself to Jesus and how reading through his life, cross, and resurrection can deepen faith instead of diminish it.

What do we do when Scripture feels heavy, repetitive, or even troubling? In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca reflect on Exodus 19–40 and the Psalms, naming resistance where it shows up—in the text, in the people, and in ourselves. From laws about bulls and bribes to the beauty of the tabernacle, from the Golden Calf to God’s self-revelation as merciful and faithful, this conversation explores how law, worship, failure, and grace shape a people who are learning what it means to live with a holy God. If you’ve ever skimmed a Bible reading or wondered what all these details are really for, this episode is for you.

What is the context—and why does it matter? In this message, we take a deeper look at Jeremiah 29:1–14, one of the most quoted passages in Scripture, and discover what changes when we slow down and read beyond Jeremiah 29:11. Spoken to a people living in exile, this text offers a sturdier kind of hope—one rooted not in quick fixes, but in God’s faithful presence. This teaching-focused sermon invites listeners to read the Bible more carefully, faithfully, and deeply, learning how context transforms not only what we understand, but how we live.

In this episode of Companions, Angelo and Becca return to last week’s lingering question—what feels unresolved?—as they step into the book of Exodus. Together, they explore what happens after salvation: the freedom, the fear, the frustration, and the formation that follows. From Pharaoh’s grip to Israel’s constant complaining, from Sabbath before commandments to shared leadership through Jethro’s wisdom, this conversation names an uncomfortable truth—we can be rescued by God and still struggle to trust. Along the way, they reflect on prayerful honesty in the Psalms, the patience of God, and why formation takes far longer than deliverance. If you’ve ever felt saved but unsettled, this episode is for you.

In this message from our How to Read the Bible series, Pastor Angelo slows down with one of the most beloved passages in Scripture—Psalm 23—to explore why understanding genre matters when we read the Bible. By looking closely at Psalm 23 as Hebrew poetry and contrasting it with other biblical genres like law, narrative, prophecy, letters, and apocalyptic literature, this sermon helps listeners hear familiar words with fresh ears. Rather than rushing to explanation, Psalm 23 invites us into trust, imagination, and the presence of God in the valley. This message is an invitation to read Scripture on its own terms—and to allow it to form us over time.

Genesis doesn’t always give us clear heroes—and this episode leans into that discomfort. Angelo and Becca reflect on Jacob, Joseph, deception, power, and grace, asking what it means to read stories where God is present but the people are deeply flawed. Rather than offering easy answers, this conversation creates space for complexity, invites listeners to pay attention to their reactions, and reminds us that Scripture often forms us by refusing to resolve everything neatly.