Great Stories by Haven Today

#63: Dane Ortlund on How Christians Grow

Spiritual growth is an important part of any Christian’s journey of faith. But how does it actually happen? Some believers think it is a product of better behavior, intellectual pursuits, or felt experience. Dane Ortlund argues that all three are good, but real growth transcends them all. 

In today’s episode, you’ll hear how Christians grow when they go deeper into the gospel and fix their eyes on Jesus. According to Dane Ortlund, to experience this, you must bring what you do and say and even feel into line with what, in fact, you already are — united with Christ. 

To learn more, visit haventoday.org to request your copy of Dane Ortlund’s newest book Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners.

#62: Journeys Through Scripture: Bible in 90 Days Success Stories

Scripture has the tendency to change people’s lives in unexpected ways. For those who have read the Bible from cover to cover, the benefits are endless. In today’s episode, Charles Morris speaks with several people who started and finished the ambitious, but doable, challenge to read the Bible in 90 days. When you listen, you'll hear about their struggles and triumphs as they read through all of Scripture in just three months. You'll also hear how taking in God's Word quickly and consistently changed their lives forever.

If these conversations inspire you to make 2022 the year you read the Bible all the way through, will you consider joining us in reading the Bible in 90 days? You can visit haventoday.org to sign up to receive the reading plan and get weekly encouragement along the way. You can also get your own copy of the print edition of the Bible in 90 Days while you're there.

#61: Ted Cooper: How Reading the Bible in 90 Days Led Him from Agnosticism to Faith

Ted Cooper was an agnostic who decided to put the claims of Christianity to the test by doing what so many have tried and failed to do—read the Bible all the way through. Knowing how many who attempt Bible reading plans often abandon their goal, he devised an ambitious, yet doable plan to make it from Genesis to Revelation in 90 days. This is his story. It's also the story of a Scripture reading movement being born. 

If you want 2022 to be the year you read the Bible all the way through, will you consider joining us in reading the Bible in 90 days? You can visit haventoday.org to sign up to receive the reading plan and get weekly encouragement along the way. You can also get your own copy of the print edition of the Bible in 90 Days while you're there. 

#60: Brandon Kimber Deconstructs the Prosperity Gospel

Scripture has been interpreted many different ways over the years, but how can you tell the difference between false gospels and the one Jesus lived and taught? 

Brandon Kimber, the director of the American Gospel documentary series, argues that the gospel is simple, but we sometimes like to make it complicated by adding on to what Jesus said and did. He also discusses how the modern gospel being preached within the prosperity gospel (the Word of Faith movement) has become corrupted with promises of “the American dream” of health, wealth, and prosperity. 

In this interview, you'll hear Brandon Kimber describe his own experiences within this movement and why it’s important to hold firm to a gospel that simply comes down to Christ alone.

#59: Christmas Special: The Son of David

Why do the gospels of Luke and Matthew begin with someone’s family tree? Why is it so important that Jesus come from the line of David? 

Looking at the gospels as well as the prophets of old, Charles Morris seeks to answer these questions about the lineage of Christ. The stunning answers show us that Christmas isn’t just something that happened unexpectedly — it was planned by God, foretold in the Old Testament, and fulfilled by Jesus.

#58: Christmas in the Beginning (Feat. Sally Lloyd-Jones, Randall Goodgame, Lee Strobel, and Barry Black)

When we celebrate Christmas, we usually concentrate on a very specific moment in time when a young married couple traveled to Bethlehem and delivered a child in a manger. But Christmas didn’t start there. We can trace the promises and events of our Savior’s arrival all the way back to the beginning of time. 

On today’s episode of the Great Stories podcast, Charles Morris returns to Christmas special from 2017 where he traced the line from Christmas to Genesis with Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ), Sally Lloyd-Jones (The Jesus Storybook Bible), Randall Goodgame (Sing the Bible), and Senate Chaplain Barry Black (Nothing to Fear).

#57: Ray Ortlund Jr. on Finding Christmas in Isaiah

Hundreds of years before the Messiah arrived in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied about him many times. And when modern readers turn to this Old Testament prophet, passages related to Christmas can’t help but leap from the page. Prophesies about a great light, a child born, someone named Immanuel, a suffering servant, the lamb of God, and, of course, the prince of peace.

To help unpack this book of Christmas prophecies, Charles Morris speaks to Ray Ortlund Jr., Old Testament scholar and son of Haven’s third Speaker. If you are a longtime listener to Haven, his voice will be immediately recognizable. A pastor to pastors, Ray is the perfect person to help you reflect on the powerful themes of Christmas and the cross in the book of Isaiah. 

#56: Dr. Iain Duguid on Finding Christmas in Zechariah

Jesus said that all of Scripture points to Him. One of the best places to verify this is in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. In fact, though the book of Zechariah is often neglected by casual readers, it is quoted no fewer than 67 times in the New Testament. 

On today’s episode of the Great Stories Podcast, Dr. Iain Duguid, currently professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, sheds some light on this minor prophet. Here he discusses what the book of Zechariah has to teach us about living out our faith in a difficult world, while also examining some of the book's most prominent prophecies about the Christ of Christmas.

#55: Ronnie Martin Wants You to Stop Complaining

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are known as a time that bring friends and families together with attitudes of thankfulness and joy. But it's hard to have a heart of gratitude when food is burning in the oven. When things start to go wrong — as they inevitably do — that's when we resort to one of the most natural human experiences: grumbling and complaining. 

To help you get through the holidays with a heart of contentment centered on Christ, Charles Morris returns to his interview with author Ronnie Martin on a topic many of us would like to avoid. But it's a message we all need to hear. 

#54: Tyler Van Halteren Introduces Pilgrim’s Progress to a New Generation

Christians throughout history have faced countless trials and tribulations. You might even feel like we’re living through a moment like that right now. But one of the greatest benefits of having multitudes of Christians come before us is that we can benefit from the treasure trove of wisdom they left behind. One such treasure is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

On today’s episode, Charles Morris speaks with author and missionary Tyler Van Halteren about this classic story that touches on many of the highs and lows of the Christian life. It also conveys our lives a journey with a glorious destination. All of that is captured in a new, beautifully-illustrated storybook Tyler published titled Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey, which helps even the youngest readers learn from the timeless truths embedded in this literary masterpiece.

Listen in to hear Tyler’s story of being a missionary to Cambodia, a young father, and a Christian with a heart to bring Pilgrim’s Progress to a new generation.